i think that i just ruined my Trumpeter T-64. im not into the whole pre shade, post shade technique, so i painted it a lighter shade of the main color as my base color, sprayed it with future and let it dry for a week; then applied the decals, let them dry, sealed them with future, let them dry a week and made a mess. i just want main color, washes and dry brushing, but when i applied an overall "filter" of windsor n newton lamp black mixed with raw umber and white spirits, disaster. is there a tutorial on how to properly filter, wash panel lines and drybrush?

My sympathies What was the 'disaster?' Did you use too much oil paint to spirit ratio so it came out too thick and dark all over the model?

I agree with Greg - "made a mess" is a pretty non-specific description about what happened and the results.

It sounds like your sequence was about right, but it also sounds like you're confusing the terms and ideas "filter" and "wash."

A filter is applied as a transparent layer to change or alter the color or tone of the underlying paint; to make it, say greener, or duller, or bluer, or brighter, or whatever. The object isn't to highlight or emphasize details, but to vary the monotone large plane areas. A filter can also be used to replicate some weathering effects like overall fading or for some zenithal lighting effects like shadows and / or highlights.

A wash is used to highlight or emphasize details by making them stand out from the surrounding areas either by creating a "shadow" or "highlight" around them. It also can be used to replicate some weathering effects, such as spills, runs, streaks, etc.

Dry-brushing is usually combined with washes to highlight or emphasize details even more dramatically.

Without knowing more about the results you got and why you're not happy with them, my best guess is that you used the mixture of black and raw umber like a filter instead of like a wash.

That is, you put the mixture all over the model instead of selectively along panel lines and around details. Also, washes, even general washes (as opposed to pin washes) have to be controlled to keep them away from areas you don't want them and to settle around and in the areas where you do want them. Washes should be used (applied) selectively only in areas where you want those darker (or lighter) colors to concentrate.

Filters are generally not allowed to build up and settle around and in detail areas but are controlled only to create a thin, transparent layer over a large monotone plane. Filters are also used selectively, since the point is to alter SOME of the underlying color, but not all of it. (Otherwise, why not start out with that final color?) The variations in color and tone of the underlying paint is the objective - adding interest and variety to large single-color areas.

Filters and washes (general and pin) are two similar, but quite distinct techniques used to achieve different results. They're similar in that they both use highly thinned paints, but the application methods are not the same. If you use a wash like a filter (or vice versa) the final results will likely not be what you wanted.

HTH,

Not really sure what you mean that you painted the main color a lighter shade of the base color? Do you mean that you used one color to paint the entire model, then applied a lighter shade on the exposed surfaces for a weathered, faded look? That should have given you a basic modulation effect. Pre-shading with a darker color adds shadows and depth to those areas that would be viewed as in shadows or not directly exposed to the sun or the elements.

Shooting Future doesn't require a week to dry. It's a an acrylic floor finish that dries rock hard in 20 min. I usually give it a few hours then apply the deals with the Micro system. I do let the decals dry till the next day, but others just wait a few hours, then apply a few coats of future to seal the decals, and help hide the decal flash.

Did this make the mess you're referring too, or what you did next with weathering techniques?

Your wash just applied with a brush shouldn't ruined anything. If your wash wasn't diluted enough, then everything would be much darker then you wanted. Simply apply more thinner with a brush, and start removing/diluting that wash. Clean your brush often so that you're not just re-applying the wash.

Joel

JCB;
can you post some pictures? A little reference for us to go off of might help with the diagnosis of the problem and lead to an easy solution.

Without seeing it, I can only assume a few things.If you applied an "oil wash" and the issue is that your colour changed or there is too much deposit this can be fixed, by adding clean odorless mineral spirits (white spirits) to a clean brush and brushing away what you do not want. Keep your brush clean by wiping it on a clean paper towel and have a "clean" brush to apply the spirits with and another to wipe them away. Once you have taken away what you want, you can apply another wash or seal that with flat clear, and then start your drybrushing. Pictures will really help though as we are all just guessing right now. Cheers.

i think i used the black/raw umber as the filter. what i meant by a lighter color of the base color is scale color, sorry about the confusion. should a filter be used over "russian green" anyways?

A filter can be used on any colour. As long as they both "match" each other.


For me, I use a lot of Germany Grey on my Panzers. Then when it comes time for a filter, I use AK interactive. Works good for me. Best luck next time.

I think the question is not "should" a filter be used, but rather do you have some effect that you want to achieve and will a filter be the best way to achieve it?

As Tom says, you can use filters on any color, and, even on any given single color, like "Russian green," you might want to use more than one filter color.

I don't use the pre-mixed proprietary filters since I think it's easy enough to create filters with my own color choices, but when I do use filters, I use several colors to achieve the effect of varied shades and tones on the base.

Here's an example of a Sherman Firefly Mk.Vc with multiple colors used as filters. You can easily see in this how the various different filter colors have MODULATED (i.e. changed) the shades and tones of the basic OD color.



Before I applied the color modulation, I used pre-shading with the base OD color and applied the markings.

However, the color modulation is not the final step in the process (at least for me). After the filter (color modulation) step, I then continue with weathering, so that the filter effects become more subtle.

(BTW: In my opinion, the terms "filters" and "color modulation" are essentially synonymous. Filters are the transparent layers of color that are used to modulate the underlying base colors. As I described in my last post in this thread, these are not the same as general or pin washes except in the sense that SOME filters are made up like washes - very thin paint mixtures.)

Here's the exact same model after all of the weathering was finished:



After the filters, I used a lot of pin washes, dry-brushing, streaking, and some chipping along with pigments and glazes (similar to filters but applied with an airbrush and used to tie in all of the colors together).

If you're interested, you can find more details about the finishing steps in the build blog SBS here:

Armorama::Canadian Firefly WIP

And feature here:

Armoram::Operation Tractable

I like to start with the base colors (either a single color like with the Firefly or camouflage colors addressed individually) and then use their complementary or tertiary colors along with (usually) white for my filters (oil-dot color modulation). You can crack-the-code on the complement or tertiary colors using an inexpensive color wheel.

Also, I find that I get the best results by applying each filter color individually rather than apply all of the various colors at once. I leave some space between each dot of color for the other colors. If you apply all of the colors at once and blend them all out together, what you usually wind up with is a single muddy brown filter all over the base rather than various "modulated" shades and tones of the base color.

This is the same as applying a proprietary filter mix all over the entire model - why bother? All you're doing is changing the entire base color evenly. Why not skip that step and just start off with that final color?

So, if the answer is that you do want to modulate the tones and shades of the base color (no matter what that color might be - Russian/Soviet 4BO green for example), then, yes, you do want to use one or more filters. On the other hand, if you don't want to modulate the base colors, then no, you don't want to use any filters.

But, you still might want to use general and pin washes and dry-brushing. It all just depends...

HTH,

Jonathan,

Read the entire "Finishing and Weathering Sequence" post pinned to the top of this Forum. It will answer all your questions and keep you on the right path.