Weathering
With Drybrushing
by
Great
Models
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While not quite as misunderstood as the wash,
dry-brushing still holds of bit of mystery for some modelers. With this
technique more than any other, I cannot stress enough the need for restraint.
Work in stages, and quit BEFORE you think you need to. Let the kit sit
overnight, and evaluate your work with a fresh perspective in the "light of
day". The basic technique for dry-brushing is quite simple: Using the base
color of you painted kit, small amounts of white paint are added to create a
lighter shade of the same color. A soft, wide brush is used to pick up a light
amount of this new color, and then is gently wiped clean with a cloth. Doing
this dry (without thinner), should leave a trace amount of the paint on the
brush. When you lightly run the brush over your hand, no paint should be visibly
left behind. Now, GENTLY drag the brush over the surfaces of the kit, lingering
over areas of detail such as raised rivets and hard edges. On the first pass or
two, you really shouldn't notice any significant spots of color being left
behind. Properly done, this technique is meant to be very subtle, and you should
only notice a gradual highlighting of the kit's detail. It's really that simple! However, there is much more to dry-brushing once
you begin to learn the technique. To achieve an even more subtle look of depth,
add more white paint to your base coat color on each successive dry brush
session. The theory is to continue lightening your base coat color until you
have progressed almost to pure white. Personally, I stop long before reaching
pure white paint, preferring to let natural light do the job of solid white
edges. The main thing is to remember that the more layering you do, the more
realistic the finish. Finally, don't permanently lock yourself into using
lighter shades of the base coat as the final solution. Many modelers around the
world are achieving some exciting results with darker colors such as earth
tones, rust, and iron oxides. |