General Discussion (Model Railroader)

When painting my wooden buildings with waterbased paints; I will use watercolor techniques.

 Some parts will never see sun (under the eaves) and they will get undiluted color.

 Some parts see sun all year long (the base of walls) and they will be extremely faded.

Some parts will get seasonal sun (up toward the eaves) and this will blend from opaque to faded.

If you know which way is north, that side won't get much sun at all.

-rrick

!I would be worried that if you mess up, How would you fix it? "

If you don't wait for the next day... with water. If you use a paint brush nearly dry you can distribute the color. If you use too much water you will remove the paint.

Wolfgang 

CPRail modeler wrote:

I read something in a book in which this person used a technique called "drybrushing" for weathering freight cars. This guy dipped the paintbrush in some rust coloured paint with a drybrush and then rubbed some paint off the brush. He did this to weather almost the entire car. There are more better ways to do it out there though...

Now hold on there guy, "drybrushing"??? I would say it's one of the prime methods of weathering, how else would you achieve the effect? dare I ask just what methods you have been using ? ? please quote some of your "more better ways" to do it, there will be a lot of people intersted.

Here a a couple of "before and after" pictures, or more appropriately aged and not yet aged pictures of two box cars and below two gondolas. I aged (weathered) both without an airbrush,  just brushed on powders.  

I have not yet tried to use my airbrush for weathering (or "aging" as my wife likes to call it),  because I'm still learning how to use the airbrush well.  But I have had great fun with Bragdon powders.  They are not really all that expensive, I think I paid about $24 (CDN) for a plastic tray with a dozen different colours (there was a smaller box of 6 for around $15).  They say they include some sort of adhesive in the powder to improve adhesion.  Whatever,  they work good for me.  http://www.bragdonent.com/weather.htm (does not open in new window, but goes directly there if you click).  

As a total amateur at this I was able to brush on a good dose of rust, dust or grime, or whatever to the box car or other item.

Sometimes you just want to take that plastic sheen off of the model, other times you want it too look old and beat up.