Weathering by sponge

[DEL 707]

Trying to do a bit of weathering for the 1st time. Thought I'd try out sponge weathering, since it seemed the easiest and quickest to me.

My problem is that I'm not sure what colours to use, guides I watched suggested a darker colour then the base, the highlighting the bottom edge.

 

Here's my attempt.

 

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff265/DarrenEa/Model%20Painting/Model1609131.jpg

 

 

Don't like the results, think I went over the top of the left leg.

Any suggestions on where I went wrong? I had a hard time with the highlighting, I know I shouldn't blame my tools, but I was making a right cockup with my Citadel fine detail brush.

[Firepower]

Clean up some of the dots after sponging, rather than trying to highlight them all.  Even at this stage, if you go back and selectively 'erase' some with your basecoat, it should look better.

 

Brushes can play a part, too.  For a long time I used some that wouldn't be able to do this sort of thing.  Upgraded into W&N fanciness has helped considerably.

[DEL 707]

Thanks for the advice, ordered myself some W&N brushes, see if I can improve with them. :)

[Kaedes Nex]

Try doing black and then simply poking the bottom of the black with your highlight color. I don't see where the base color would ever come into play when making battle damage since it'd be invisible as it's the same color as the armor itself.

[DEL 707]

Try doing black and then simply poking the bottom of the black with your highlight color. I don't see where the base color would ever come into play when making battle damage since it'd be invisible as it's the same color as the armor itself.

Sorry, guess my original post wasn't clear.

I put a mix of about 80/20 of Scab red and chaos black on the sponge, then attempted to highlight with blazing orange.

[Kierdale]

I think you did a good job. I do agree there's a bit too much damage on the left knee. Looks a little like cellulite or he took a shotgun blast to the knee, but as Firepower said: after sponging, go back with your base coat and remove some of the marks.

I've heard a lot of people find black to be too hard and instead use a dark grey.

[Kaedes Nex]

 

Try doing black and then simply poking the bottom of the black with your highlight color. I don't see where the base color would ever come into play when making battle damage since it'd be invisible as it's the same color as the armor itself.

Sorry, guess my original post wasn't clear.

I put a mix of about 80/20 of Scab red and chaos black on the sponge, then attempted to highlight with blazing orange.

 

Try pure black on the sponge so it looks like paint has scratched off your armor or small nicks have been gouged out rather than a mix of black and red, which makes your armor look dinged and crumpled.

[DEL 707]

Thanks for the replies, taking a break at the moment, while I wait for my new brushes to turn up.

 

Just so I understand, there's 2 ways to do this, dark red, with highlight along the bottom and black outline around the top, or simply go for black with a highlight?

Sorry, my MS Painting skills match my painting skills :P

 

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff265/DarrenEa/Model%20Painting/spongeweathering.jpg

[Kaedes Nex]

If you do the one on the right, it's not only quick and easy but IMO it looks better since the black stands out more so you can more easily see the battle damage.

 

Here's the video where I saw it being done and the end result so you can judge for yourself the ease of application and whether or not you prefer the darker end result:

 

It's basically a 2 step process. Sponge, then dab highlight on the bottom.

[netminder69]

He said Happy Little Paint Chips. He's my hero.

[Firepower]

I would go with plan B there DEL.  It works fine, and it's a lot easier.

[Deathwing70]

I dont think it looks bad, it's a skill/technique to master and requires alot of practise. What I see in your pictures, on the left leg specifically, is your highlights on some of the patches are bigger than the chip itself. You can clean these up a little by covering the lower part of it with your base color again and make the highlight less obvious. It should be a really thin line/dot under the chip.

 

technique B is good enough I think, though I would try to not use pure black, maybe mix some black with the brown. The dark brown will probably look a little better on the red as a chipped part, ofcourse assuming the chip is relatively small. The highlight you can do in different colors however, for example on spots on the model that are in the shade the highlighted edge would also be in the shade so shouldn't be too bright or at least not as bright as on the top part of the shoulder pad for example. Be sure to use the same color highlights as you use for your color armor around it.

 

the only way to do it properly is to take your time for it and keep doing it. Practise...

A little tip I learned with the sponge, be sure to change the direction of your model / the way you hold the sponge quite often so you don't end up with a "random" pattern of chips on your model ;)

[DEL 707]

Again, thanks for all the replies.

New brushes came today, but I'm too scared to use them for fear of damaging them... :cry:

 

Started base coating the model again, but looks like it's gonna take another 2-3 layers to cover everything up.

 

Another quick question, how would I go about "chipping" black.

 

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff265/DarrenEa/Model%20Painting/Model190913.jpg

[Firepower]

Chipping black is a bit of a pain.  There are several different colors you can use, but the principle is the same.  For instance, a brown dot with a silver underline, a deep silver with a bright silver underline, etc.  personally, I've never been satisfied with any attempts I've made.  I've managed passable results at best on some of my Broken Arrows' bolters, but that's as good as I've gotten.

[DEL 707]

Got off my lazy ass and had another go today.

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff265/DarrenEa/Model%20Painting/Model2209131.jpg

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff265/DarrenEa/Model%20Painting/Model2209132.jpg

Still not liking the results, or maybe I'm just looking too closely. Can see a few bits I need to go back and touch up with the base colour.

Thought my new brushes would make things easier, but there must be a basic flaw in my painting technique, because I'm still struggling.

I can't seem to paint with the point of the brush, always seem to have to paint with the side of it.

Paint seems to be drying to quickly as well, I'm using acrylic thinner.

Sorry if I'm ranting, just a little frustrated, can't get the paint to do what I want.

[El-Diablo]

One way i've seen it work well is to use the sponge to apply the highlight colour (the orange in this case) then paint the darker area with the brush, leaving a thin outline of orange. Seeing as your not trying to paint thin lines around an irregular shape it might prove easier for you as the darker areas can be whatever shape you like

[Venerable Jazzman]

I think what might help is thinning your red on the main coat of the model - you've got quite a lot of natural texture from the thickness of the paint already, which is obscuring what you're trying to do with the paint-chips?

 

What you've got so far looks good though, just need more highlight on the bottom edge, maybe bone rather than orange, or a mix of the two.

[Kierdale]

I think you've definitely improved, and perhaps are looking too closely. I do agree that your red base needs thinning a bit, but I'd be pretty happy with these new results.

[Kaedes Nex]

It looks very realistic, like you took a pin and stippled the model, so that's actually quite commendable.

 

Does your satisfaction perhaps stem from the fact that it looks more like actual chunks have been taken out of the model when you merely wanted superficial surface damage and paint chipping or what? What exactly is the type of weathering you are looking for?

 

There's also totally different methods such as salt and hairspray.

[Scribe]

I think i looks pretty great honestly, if anything the red base seems a bit heavy/think, thats all.

[DEL 707]

Sorry for the rant, just couldn't get the brush to do what I wanted last night.

I can see what your all saying about the red being to thick, I have been thinning it down, but this blood red is quite old and I've had to thin it down several times and it's still a little "chunky", maybe I need to stop being a cheap skate and buy new paint.

Decided that I'm gonna stop messing around and just get on and try to finish this model, not even undercoated the rest of it.

Do the best I can, then move on.

Getting tired of blood angels tbh, would like to try something like an orc for a change, something a bit fleshy, but still has some metalics.

But I still got a whole host of old space marine models to practice on, so maybe I'll try a few salamanders to satisfy my green urge.

Again, thank you for all the advice.

[DarkMark]

Top tip for working with small brushes and details; add a drying retarder. Why? A smaller detail brush holds less paint and will therefore dry faster, this will decrease working time. The retarder will lengthen working time and mean you'll be able to achieve the result you want.

[DEL 707]

 

Top tip for working with small brushes and details; add a drying retarder. Why? A smaller detail brush holds less paint and will therefore dry faster, this will decrease working time. The retarder will lengthen working time and mean you'll be able to achieve the result you want.

 

 

Thanks for the suggestion.

Ordered myself some Windsor & Newton Acrylic Flow improver.

Silly question, can I use this stuff to thin my paints, or do I need to mix it in with my thinner as well.

[Firepower]

Top tip for working with small brushes and details; add a drying retarder. Why? A smaller detail brush holds less paint and will therefore dry faster, this will decrease working time. The retarder will lengthen working time and mean you'll be able to achieve the result you want.

 

Hm, never thought to try this, despite how often I become frustrated with the tip of my expensive super fine detail W&N brush going limp and dry at the tip after only a few strokes (I defy you to read that without snickering like a child).

 

I hope it doesn't change consistency though.  High surface tension will absolutely destroy your odds of fine detail work.  Some folks seem to think Glaze Medium can do the same, but I think they're using it for blending purposes rather than simply keeping the paint flowing off the brush.

[DarkMark]

A flow improver will literally do just that i.e aid the flow of the paint you are using. It isn't a thinner. The good news is that you can use just water with acrylics to thin. However, its a retarder that you need to slow the drying process. I use a Vallejo one that cost less than a pot of Citadel paint, 2,5€ I think. It has an almost gel consistency, and really helps.

@Firepower; yes, always keep your tool wet while 'working'!