Tuesday, 23 July 2013

Weathering: Knowing when to stop!

As with any new project the temptation to go wild with paint schemes can sometimes get the better of you, and as those who are following along will know, I have started a new Necron project with the aim of trying out some new glazes. So far the results have been promising, with smoother shading transitions, great edge highlighting opportunities and as easy to replicate colour variations, all with the promise of speedier results as my skills improve. It was all looking 'peachy' as some Canadians say...




Unfortunately, with only the tail and some fine tuning of my glowing green areas remaining, I decided to experiment with some weathering. A little scratch and dent, I told myself, nothing too dramatic:


Well I don't know about you but I feel like I wrecked all my hard work. It all looks a little painted on, and despite using the same techniques as my Leman Russ Exterminator, sans a little pigment shading, it doesn't quite work as well on an alien robot as compared to a dusty/rusty battle tank. Perhaps this is a lesson learned, just because you learn a new technique doesn't mean it will work on all models. For now it's back to the blue paints and glazes in an attempt to hide the battle damage, maybe even start fresh with a second attempt at a 'deeper' royal blue that is in my head? Stay tuned for some more 'crons.

2 comments:

  1. Love the colour modulation on the blue-ed armour! Wow!

    As for the weathering "ruining" your previous work, I admit it's scary to paint anything over the areas you've spent so much time and effort on already. It still freaks me out every time I pull out the Charadon Granite and a sponge. I often have to take a deep breath before putting sponge to model.

    Perhaps applying a bit more sparingly, and trying to target certain edges and points that would logically see more wear and tear? I agree though... weathering looks best on certain models, and the more "High-Sci-Fi" the model, the more it looks out of place (for example, weathering would have looked weird in "Tron".

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    1. Thanks Kelly, I have hunted around for some more inspiration and I think 'sparingly' is definitely the key word. A couple of scratches and scrapes goes further than a big section of exposed metal. See my latest post for an even more 'Tron' like Necron!

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