Yet another weathering question......

[mikesmowers]

    While I have been laid up with my back I have been doing some weathering on my rolling stock and my autos. My question    when you are weathering using multiply colors, is it better to start with a lighter color and and finish with the darker colors or visa versa?     Thanks       Mike

[Anonymous]

Mike-go light to dark. It's easier to build your weathering that way. Are you using acrylics or enamel? I use acrylics so if I don't like the way it looks I just wash it off and start again.Hope this helps. Bob

[wjstix]

Interesting question, I've never really thought it about it before!!

I guess I tend to do dark first and finish with ligher colors. Say I was weathering a diesel used in ore service (my diesels are mostly light blue  by the way). I use powdered charcoal to give it an overall 'patina' - adding powdered charcoal then wiping much of it off so it stays in the areas around doors, louvers etc. and overall tones down the paint and lettering a little, then seal that in with flat finish. Then I add one or two shades of rusty red chalk here and there, like around the trucks and pilots and other areas to represent ore dust.

That German painter guy on PBS used to always say "You've got to have DARK to show light" - in order to do bright colors like sunlight, you need to establish a dark 'base' first so the lighter colors really show.

[mikesmowers]

  Thanks for the replies, I have been using artist chalk in sticks that I got from Hobby Lobby. I use the back side of a hobby knife and scrape the chalk stick to make a powder in a small comtainer. I have been using a small paint brush to apply the chalk powder to the models then Dul-coat the entire model. I am having trouble getting the chalk powder (mainly a rust color and a light gray to show up on the model after it is Dul-Coated. This is especially true on the black colored as in the floors of my flat cars. I just can't seem to get the floors to come out right.   Any suggestions?                 Mike

[ProtoWeathering]

Here is a link to flat car deck weathering.

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/decks

If you really want to learn to weather, try this link.

http://modeltrainsweathered.com/register.htm

This will take you directly to the forums regester page. You

have to register in order to keep the site free of spammers.

If you want to just see the main page, try here.

http://modeltrainsweathered.com/index.htm

These links will work with all browsers.

[Robby P.]

Its going to be dark to light.  You will have to put your dark down first, and then work your way to the light color.  Exp. when it comes to your rust.  If you are working with oil paints, let your colors dry and just add your next color.

[loathar]

Spraying dull coat will always wash away some of the chalk. You have to go kind of heavy with the chalk.  If you look at real car trucks and wheels, they're usually the same grimey brown/grey color as the weathered rail they run on.