An interesting weathering powder question (I think)

[Firepower]

So, against my better judgment I'm considering starting up another army, one which I've had in my head for about a year now. I want to make the models look rather beaten and worn, and I also want to try techniques to flex my painting muscles (doing Black Templars so long has dulled my memory of working with actual colors).

 

The army I'm considering doing is primarily purple (roughly a shade or two above Liche Purple) and gold. To make them look beaten up, I could either do simple painting methods, or try my hand at powders for the first time. The problem I have is in figuring out what sort of powder would show up well enough on both gold and purple. With gold I'm worried that a lot of powders might just dull the glint rather than look like ral accumulated grime, and with purple I;m concerned that the color will just wash out most shades of powder.

 

In short, the simple question: What weathering powder, if any, will show up well on both purple and gold?

[ron]

Firepower: You've got a legitimate question/concern for sure.

 

Weathering powders affect individual colors differently. I might even go so far as to say the brand of paint may matter as well along with the sheen (flat, gloss, satin) but I suspect that influence is minimal. Powders are definitely a cool (and fun) way to get some great weathering effects on your models quickly.

My experience with them is somewhat limited as I've been using them for maybe a year now. I use them all the time now that I finally have an idea what I'm doing and I can get some nice effects.

 

As for how they (powders) act over different colors, I've found the following:

I use powders from Secret Weapon Minis in case you were wondering. I can't speak about other brands as I haven't tried anything else.

 

White: It takes very little powder to get a change in color. Go lighter (in terms of volume) than usual.

Black: Here's where it may take a bit more powder (heavier) to get a color change. Darker, richer colored powders will show sooner than lighter colored powders. Either way, you'll need to make a few passes to get a visible effect.

Other colors (like purple): Contrasting colors will show quicker like shades of orange over purple. Or reds over green.

Metallics I couldn't say for sure. They will be some dulling of the sheen though as the powders are flat. I haven't had any trouble doing it on my models.

 

Here are a few links to some posts I've done on weathering powders.

They might help you get started.

Weathering powders part 1, Weathering powders part 2

Making your own weathering powders

Some powders over black armour