I'm doing a late war berlin dio and it will have burned out bldg's & vehicles.Other than soot from a long wicked candle,Is ther a more effective [ that really means easier,as I'm a novice ] way to create these effects.Thanks for any advice.I see all the incredible stuff you guys do,and I'm afraid to exhibit some of my work.But ya gotta start somewhere !

Hi mate! sound like a nice dio your working on! please dont be affraid to show your models we all thrive on each other's work !
well the easiest way i think personally ,is if you have one just use an airbrush, and start with thin paint and build up in layers of blacks and dark browns ,theres a lot of ways of doing this ,and some of the other guys will have thier own ways of doing this too so try them all and see which works best for you,
also pastel chalks from an art store are great for thistype of thing !, theres also the fab pigments from mig productions ,
good luck on the dio! and lets see some of your work! K

You can try pastels - artists chalk. Grind it up with the back of a #11 blade and apply with a brush.
Or
You can grind down an old pencil lead and apply with a brush.
Test it on some old parts at first the perfect the technique.

Burning sprue makes really black smoke/soot, and the excess easily brushes away. Or you can do what I did with the farmhouse and set the interior on fire, let it burn naturally out windows, doorways, etc., and then squirt with water when you get the effect you want.

Art