Would like some advice on painting black boots to create that well worn and dusty appearance.


Cookie

paint flat black, dry brush with gray, Dullcote and then use pigments for dust.. HTH rR

Start with dark gray, maybe a very dark brown. Shadow with black. Add flesh color to black for highlights. For serious wear, use a medium dark brow, For dust, use appropriate shades of pastel chalks.

I have also used both a black wash and brown wash and that breaks up the base color. Pastels with a white glue solution give the boots a chunky look if mud is called for.

The good thing about this site, it dosen't take long to get an answer to any problem, from anywhere in the world.

Thanks Guys

The thing with black 'anything' in scale is that it's actually, rarely black. Very dark grey or very dark brown shadowed with black will give the right effect.

For example, everytime I rinse out my airbrush or hand brushes after using Tamiya's NATO black, I'm amused by the fact that it's actually a very dark green.



Bob

In the Vallejo and Andrea color range.
1. Andrea AC-26 Flat Black
2. Vallejo 846 Mahogany : dry brush. This effect gives the black boot a good weather look and brings out the brown leather scuffs.
3. Floquil figure flat
4. Mig powders for the dust look
Henry

Dark gray (acrylic), black wash (oil), dry brush sand. Quick & easy.

Here's some I just painted couple weeks ago:

Paint Military Brown, Drybrush with MIG smoke, except for the worn or scuffed areas. Seal with semi gloss clear. Touch up with some dust pigment.

I'd do it the way it is in real life. Start off with gloss black (the way the boot was when it was put on), then dry brush with matt black, grey and dust colours. Finally rub in pigment powderrs to match the terrain the boots are in. Start from the sole and work up, progressively reducing the effect as you get above the foot and past the ankle. If its a very high boot (like a German jackboot or a US Corcoran) the top should be practically untouched.

I paint in 2 stages to get an extra effect.
Leather items like boots and belts, I paint in light colours ... buff for brown leather .... light grey for black leather. Then when the rest of the figure is painted, I give it a good flat coat. Then I paint over these light colours with oils ... burnt umber and/or burnt sienna for brown leather and black with some flesh mixed in for black leather. The oils give a very natural sheen, and some pastels can be worked into the wet oils on the toes and souls of boots to weather them. The oils are paited on, and brushed off again, meaning the base colour on details show the through the darker oils, leaving a very natural weathering.