weathering

[Studio Silvernale]

I am doing Executioners chapter and their armor is a metallic blue. I've tried to weather them with chipping and whatnot but it always looks bad so I repaint them. Any advice?

 

Here is a small group shot.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/Asamiya_Chan/WH40K/DSC00857.jpg

[Brother Pheidias]

Sponging is your friend.

 

Get some foam-inserts from blisters or where-ever, rip a small piece off, dip in paint, wipe most off again (a la drybrushing), and lightly dab your mini with the sponge, where damage would be appropriate. For a metallic marine, I'd use a rusty brown colour for the chipping, or perhaps a silver?

[Redfinger]

2nd the sponging, that is what I did on this guy;

 

 

Ashton

[Marius Perdo]

Grey_Death, who has shared his Sons of Medusa with us in the past on these forums, has a videa of how he does his sponge weathering over at The Painting Corps here.

 

I'll be honest I also find it very hard to do, I just don't have a head that can create messes that look realistic :D Also with metal it can be harder, I found it a nightmare when I tried it on my Silver Skulls. I was looking at an Astral Claws thread on here somewhere yesterday and he had done awesome chipping and weathering in his metal.

[Subtle Discord]

Simplest method I've found for creating simulated chips and scratches in paint is a simple layering. One key I've found is that, in many cases, this method is best used after almost all of the other painting is done, including highlighting. These marks are chipping the paint, after all, so they would 'break' the glint of highlight or other details. This can be a problem if you don't like the result, since you'll have to go back and start again. So, get your technique refined on practice miniatures and/or sprew first. Note: Since you are doing a metallic colour, you might be able to get away with this before highlights.

 

Getting a convincing look to the shape of chips/scratches takes some practice. Remember to place more damage in places where it makes sense - Along edges, knee pads, elbow pads, toe caps, etc.. But add the odd mark in not-so-common places to make it believable. Keep your eyes open in the real world, as heavy machinery will be good inspiration, and a bit of online research will give great examples as well.

 

With a very fine brush, start with a 'dark' silver, and create the initial scratch/chip shape. Remember to mix them up, and do random shapes, sizes, numbers of chips/scratches. (many time less is more - too many marks will look too busy) Once you've got the level of wear you're happy with, move up to a 'mid' silver.

 

With the 'mid' silver, go back and add a dash of it to each scratch/chip. You want a random effect so this dash of silver should mimic the original shape of the scratch/chip, but still leave the 'dark' silver showing around the edges. It will slow the process considerable but, if you want these marks to look like they are being effected by the same fictional light source that gives the model its highlights, be sure to add this 'mid' silver consistently along the top or bottom of the original scratch/chip shapes. It's a nice touch for a high-end paint job, but even the 'quick' method will give very good results.

 

Finally, go back with a 'bright' silver and add a final dash of colour. As before, you want a random look, so mimic the 'mid' silver shape bit, without covering it. But, this really is just a final 'glint' in the chip mark, so it should be small either way. Again if you're doing high-end method, take extra consideration about the light source, and add this highlight accordingly.

 

I usually stick to a simple three step, Low - Mid - High, for this technique, but more steps can be added for a more subtle effect.