I would like to try the oil dot method on an O.D. green paint job and would like to know what colors to use.Thanks,Jeff

Jeff,
For most subjects (OD included), I use white, yellow ochre, sap green, burnt umber and van dyke's brown. The latter 2 colors I use under the bottom edge of details, so when I draw the thinner over it, it gives a nice rain-drawn dirt streak.



As you can see in this side shot of my M3A4, there are prominent dirt streaks. The lighter colors are used to show discoloration and other damage to the paint's finish. Hope that helps.
Regards,
Georg

Hi Jeff,

Well, here's how I would approach it-

OD paint is mixed from black and yellow ocher. It's generally considered a "greenish" color, and green is made from the primary colors yellow and blue. (BTW: most blacks can be considered either a very dark blue or very dark brown.)

So, in terms of color modulation-

Yellow ocher would change the hue and tone of your OD making it lighter and slightly brighter.

Prussian blue would change the hue and tone of the OD making it darker and more intense.

White would change the OD making it look faded and washed out.

Burnt or raw sienna would give the OD a warm hue and make it a bit darker.

So, I would use yellow ocher, Prussian blue, white, and a sienna. Of these, I would use more of the ochre and sienna and only use the blue and white mostly (but not exclusively) in the shadow and highlight areas. The blue is especially "strong" and benefits from pre-wetting the surface to help it spread and blend. The white is also very strong and might also need some pre-wetting to blend.

The siennas work well in combination with the later weathering colors and dust / dirt streaking. The yellow ocher works well to vary the hue and tone of the larger OD expanses and to highlight / fade.

I would apply each of these colors individually to avoid mixing them all at once into a brownish, muddy umber color, which is what happens whrn they're all applied and blended together. Also, until you're comfortable with the way the brand of oils that you're using acts, I'd recommend using less paint to start with in your "dots." Much easier to add more color later, very hard to take the color off.

This last depends a lot on whether you gloss coat or not before doing the "oil dot" color modulation. Glossy surfaces make controlling the amount of paint left after blending easier, but increase the drying time and sometimes require multiple applicaitons to get the changes in hue and tone you want. Flat surfaces have the opposite effects.

Weathering with the oils, while not a completely separate process (there shouldn't be a distinct line drawn between finishing processes), is done somewhat differently than the color modulation, and for that, I'd add Payne's gray and both raw and burnt umber to the pallet and use them, along with the yellow ocher and raw and burnt siennas (mixing in some white as needed) for washes and dust, dirt, rust, and oil-gas streaking, as desired.

My .02 of your favorite currency...

Thanks Guys,That will get me started.Now I assume that this method should only be used on vertical or slanted panels?I need to go from a flat roof to the sides,and the streaks need to come from somewhere so I need to do something on the roof.Wash?,Dot? Is that clear? Thanks,Jeff

Hi Jeff, you can use this technique on flat panels as well, Ive had great success "sculpting" colours with a stippling motion after pooling the dots with a damp brush, removing 95% of the pigment and working darker shades into recesses and around the base of details creating subtle shadowing. I tend to use lighter tones in the center of panels or larger areas and again, remove almost all the colour to leave a suggestion of highlight. The great thing about oils is the extensive working time, you can remove most if not all of the colour if you're not happy with it.
As I said, think of it as sculpting the highlights and shadows with the suggestion of colour, its the beauty of the long working time of oils!
Have fun and let us know how it goes.
Eric.

Thank you again Gents,I will see what I can come up with, Jeff

I use the Dot method on flat surfaces to simulate paint fading, then dirt and grime on top of that wash that was sealed with clear gloss.

For OD fading I use green, Cadmium Yellow, & Yellow Okra. I try to vary the color dots of each color in different sections so that the effect of fading is slightly greater or lesser.