Simple Weathering Technique, For Those That Don't Want to Get Too Involved.

[StevenGuthmiller]

Hello folks.

I posted this basic weathering tutorial in a thread by Jeremy Linn who was looking for some tips on some basic weathering for chassis, engines and engine bays.

This technique was designed to help depict a vehicle that has seen some time on the road, and of course can be modified to portray something less, or more used.

My intention was to begin getting away from the standard "like new" builds that you normally see, and begin to represent my models as something that that the average car enthusiast would likely have in his garage if the car was actually driven on a regular basis..

Or more specifically, a representation of a well maintained vehicle of a several years of age, and 20,000-30,000 miles on the odometer under normal daily driving conditions.   

 

Nothing more is required than a few colors of acrylic craft paint, a medium sized paint brush, Q-tips, and paper towels.

 

The colors chosen are a series of 3 colors, mixed from the 4 colors of paint pictured, and thinned to a wash consistency. (all flat colors)

A dark "oily" brown mixed from brown and black, a rusty color mixed from brown and red, and a dirty tan mixed from light tan and a little brown to simulate a little road grime.

 

 

 

 

 

First, the oily brown was washed onto the parts, allowed to dry slightly, and then, using a lightly dampened Q-tip, the parts were wiped mostly clean to the point of leaving the color mostly only in the recessed areas.

Once dry, (it only takes a few minutes to dry satisfactorily) the next color, the rusty red, was dry brushed very lightly over select areas of the parts.

By select areas I mean only the areas where you might see light surface rust, such as the chassis plate, lower portions of the engine, and lower portions of the firewall, radiator bulkhead, etc, as you wouldn't expect to see a lot of rust on the upper half of the engine or engine bay.

The dry brushing is achieved by dipping the brush in the thinned paint, and then wiping and dabbing the brush on a paper towel until almost no color is being noticeably transferred to the paper towel.

Then using the same dabbing motion, dab around various areas of the part to be weathered.

Let the paint dry for a few seconds and then with another lightly damp Q-tip, roll and dab the Q-tip over the surface to distribute the paint in a random fashion to blend and eliminate any noticeable brush marks.

The colors should be barely visible throughout the dry brushing process, but the building of the different colors will give a nice grungy weathered effect as you continue along.

Then using the tan, and the same dry brushing technique, again go over the areas where you would expect to see road grime, dust and dirt, and again, use the Q-tips to blend.

Finally the same techniques were used returning to the oily brown to give the effect of a little more surface oil and dirt.

 

Yes, this technique will take some time to get all of the surfaces covered, but in the end, I think it's a nice affect, and a relatively easy one that doesn't require purchasing a bunch of specialized paints, chalks, etc.

And in the end, you're applying oil, dirt and rust, so it's nearly impossible to make a mistake.

Grunge has no pattern per-say.

Concentrate the heaviest weathering on areas where you would expect to see it, (say the lower half of the engine) and lighter where the surfaces are more protected, (like the upper portions of the engine).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steve

 

Edited August 2, 2023 by StevenGuthmiller

[atomicholiday]

As we know,  different cars came with different color undercarriages,  whether it's body color,  primer,  or rust inhibitors. 

Would you use the same four colors mentioned above for weathering?  Seems logical since the color of dirt and grime is independent of the car.   And I'm just talking about average everyday weathering.   Not even getting into different environments.   That would open a whole new can of worms. 

Edited August 2, 2023 by atomicholiday

[StevenGuthmiller]

1 minute ago, atomicholiday said:

As we know,  different cars came with different color undercarriages,  whether it's body color,  primer,  or rust inhibitors. 

Would you use the same four colors mentioned above for weathering?  Seems logical since the color of dirt and grime is independent of the car.   And I'm just talking about average everyday weathering.   Not even getting into different environments. 

I would use the same colors.

The chassis pictured above was first painted with varying finishes, including gray primer, body color, flat black, gloss black and some metal finishes.

As you said, the rust oil and dirt doesn't care what color the surface is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steve

[atomicholiday]

That last set of pics really tells a story.   Particularly the first two pictures of the undercarriage.   You'd never know it was the same parts. 

Two things I find really interesting about this technique:

a) with all the colors of craft paint available,  and an infinite amount of mixing ratios,  you're really only limited by your imagination.   You could build hundreds of kits and each one could be unique.

b) you've got maybe $6-$8 total in paint.   It's just about the cheapest trick you can do in this hobby,  and the effect is very dramatic.   A lot of bang for the buck. 

Thanks again Steve.   I'm sure a lot of folks are going to benefit from this.   I have plans myself.   Going to try it out on my current Camaro build. 

[Rattlecan Dan]

Thanks Steve. I'm currently building an old 34 flathead stockcar, MPC Slammer. Trying to catch that 50's oldie but goodie look. This could be very helpful. Thanks again.

[Pierre Rivard]

Thank you for sharing this Steve. Oil, rust and dust. simple but very effective.

[atomicholiday]

Steve,  do you let each color/layer of dirt dry before moving on to the next?   Or do it all in one sitting? 

[StevenGuthmiller]

6 hours ago, atomicholiday said:

Steve,  do you let each color/layer of dirt dry before moving on to the next?   Or do it all in one sitting? 

The acrylic dries pretty fast, so it doesn’t take long.

I would say 15 or 20 minutes would suffice.

 

 

 

Steve

[bbowser]

Very effective technique.  Thanks for sharing your process.

[carrucha]

Excellent tutorial.  Thanks Steve!

Edited August 8, 2023 by carrucha

[Camaro lover]

The effects are very convincing. Very realistic.

[shucky]

Steve, excellent information and superb results! It's something I've struggled with for sure as I haven't dedicated enough time practicing. Thanks for sharing. 

[StevenGuthmiller]

58 minutes ago, shucky said:

Steve, excellent information and superb results! It's something I've struggled with for sure as I haven't dedicated enough time practicing. Thanks for sharing. 

Thanks Mike.

 

The beauty of this is that it really doesn't require a lot of practice.

This '64 Pontiac is only my second attempt at any kind of weathering whatsoever.

As I said, it's really hard to mess up.

 

 

Steve

[Shark]

This tutorial is worthy of pinning 

[bluestringer]

I gave this a try and although it doesn't look as convincing as Steven's, I'm happy with it.

[atomicholiday]

15 hours ago, bluestringer said:

I gave this a try and although it doesn't look as convincing as Steven's, I'm happy with it.

Since that’s a Firebird floor pan, you should be able to see clear through to the other side for accuracy.👍😂

[Shardik]

Exemplary work as always, Steve.

Also, it's nice to see an effective weathering technique that doesn't require $50 worth of specialized products and the dexterity of a neurosurgeon.

[Tom Geiger]

Nice tutorial Steve!

I do pretty much the same, but I like to use Pastel chalks.  The biggest mistake people make is to over do it.  And you can't really tell what the end result is while it's still wet.  Do a little. Stop, wait until it dries.  You can always add more.  

Get reference photos of cars and trucks at various stages of use.  A good source is eBay Motors. Some sellers post a ton of photos including chassis shots.  Save those.  

 

[mustang1989]

Found it!! And thank you Steven!! I knew I should've looked around a little bit more when I asked you for this technique in your Bonny thread. This is awesome!! 

Edited October 6, 2023 by mustang1989

[StevenGuthmiller]

On 10/6/2023 at 11:06 AM, mustang1989 said:

Found it!! And thank you Steven!! I knew I should've looked around a little bit more when I asked you for this technique in your Bonny thread. This is awesome!! 

Sorry that I didn’t respond to your question in the other thread.

I was out of town all weekend attending a grandson’s baptism, so I wasn’t paying any attention to model stuff.

 

 

 

Steve

[Rattlecan Dan]

Steve, I completed my 34 Ford flathead using your technique, got some nice compliments. Thanks for the tip and tutorial.

[atomicholiday]

On 10/12/2023 at 11:48 AM, Rattlecan Dan said:

Steve, I completed my 34 Ford flathead using your technique, got some nice compliments. Thanks for the tip and tutorial.

That looks amazing.  Great detail.  Even the tires look worn out.  Great job.👍