Modulation and Blending

[Marty1507]

Hello people,


Just need some advice on modulation and blending. I've base coated my Stug IV Dark Yellow and would like to create some modulation/blending mainly on the top and side panels as you would with an airbrush. Basically I want to create a mid tone and then a highlight to finish.


Question is, once I've mixed my mid tone what is the best way to apply it? I want to create that faded blend that you get with an airbrush.


Hope I make sense to you lot :D  I know what I mean in my head but I'm unsure how I go about doing it.


Cheers.

 

[PaulTRose]

its an airbrush technique.............all to do with low pressure and a slightly lighter shade


good luck if you are going to try with a hairy brush

 

[Marty1507]

its an airbrush technique.............all to do with low pressure and a slightly lighter shade


good luck if you are going to try with a hairy brush

I'm willing to try lol I'm a perfectionist and willing to take quite a lot of time if I can at least make it happen.

 

[Marty1507]

Surely there's a way to create a similar look? If I applied the mid tone in the centre panels thinly is there anything I can use to blend the basecoat and mid tone together towards the outer edges?

 

[spanner570]

Martin, I hope I've understood your question.


Using a flat headed brush, start at the top of the piece with a thin mixture of paint. Go right along to the edge with the paint , then add a bit more paint to thicken it a bit (This will also darken the colour. Then repeat with more paint added - job done.


Work very quickly, as you don't want the paint to dry, and each coat must be allowed to run into the one below.


The end result will be a light shade at the top, darkening to the bottom, giving the illusion of shading.


There again, I wouldn't worry too much about such things. In real life, on WW 2 armour (even modern stuff) the paintwork was / is bloody awful anyway!

 

[Ian M]

Hmm ? What type of paint are you using? The only way that I can see this getting near to the effect that you are after is possibly by good old dry brushing. But to get the right effect, you may be better off starting with the lightest tone as the base then graduate the tone a touch darker with each successive 'coat'. Highlights can be added after with the light tone to bring out the external corners.


An alternative might be, if using acrylics is use a retardant. With enough retardant acrylics act much like oil paints and can be blended on the subject. Some figure painters do this so they don't need to wait for oil paints to dry..... I would try the dry brush first on an old kit or something that can be used as a test bed.

 

[Marty1507]

Martin, I hope I've understood your question.


Using a flat headed brush, start at the top of the piece with a thin mixture of paint. Go right along to the edge with the paint , then add a bit more paint to thicken it a bit (This will also darken the colour. Then repeat with more paint added - job done.


Work very quickly, as you don't want the paint to dry, and each coat must be allowed to run into the one below.


The end result will be a light shade at the top, darkening to the bottom, giving the illusion of shading.


There again, I wouldn't worry too much about such things. In real life, on WW 2 armour (even modern stuff) the paintwork was / is bloody awful anyway!

Hello Ron,


That's the effect I'm after yeah. I want to create that modulation or blended effect that a lot of people do using airbrushes to create lighter and shadow effects and to give the tank a more realistic look. In my head I kind of know what to do but I was wondering if there's any techniques that some of you may have. This is my first kit and paint so I've been watching videos and tutorials the last week lol I'm using Tamiya acrylics and I'm sure I seen someone doing this by putting a mid tone over his basecoat applying it to the centre panels and blending it out towards the edges, then took a clean brush dampened with thinner to blend the two together.


Cheers.

 

[Marty1507]

Hmm ? What type of paint are you using? The only way that I can see this getting near to the effect that you are after is possibly by good old dry brushing. But to get the right effect, you may be better off starting with the lightest tone as the base then graduate the tone a touch darker with each successive 'coat'. Highlights can be added after with the light tone to bring out the external corners.


An alternative might be, if using acrylics is use a retardant. With enough retardant acrylics act much like oil paints and can be blended on the subject. Some figure painters do this so they don't need to wait for oil paints to dry..... I would try the dry brush first on an old kit or something that can be used as a test bed.

Hello Ian,


I'm using Tamiya acrylics, despite all the bad press of brush painting with them it's went on well after a few thinned coats.


I thought about dry brushing too, but thought id ask on here to see if anyone has any better techniques. As I said above to Ron, I'm not sure whether I'm getting mixed up with a different subject, but I saw a video where the mid tone colour was applied to the basecoat (In the centre of a panel and smoothly painted outwards towards the edge of the panel leaving the basecoat showing through slightly then he added some thinner to a clean brush and carefully blended the two together.


Cheers.

 

[dubster72]

I'd steer well clear of using Tamiya paints to achieve the effect you're after Marty! Even with retarder, they're not best known for their brush painting user-friendliness


Other than drybrushing, which can cause a lumpy effect, I reckon your best bet is to use oils. The slow drying time allows for a great deal of adjustment. 


Whichever method you end up using, do make sure you've got a fully cured protective coat over your paint. Otherwise you might find the thinner eats away at it.


I do bear in mind what Ron said about real-life tank paintwork, but I'd also say that in scale terms such roughness is not always welcome. 6" brush marks on a real tank would be barely visible scaled down 35 times.

 

[monica]

hi,Marty,


this is another way you could try ,but using the sponge,as the lads have all give very good info on how to applies with a brush,


what you do is mix your paint some what a few shades,lighter,and much in away of dry brushing ,not to much paint on the sponge,


so dab it a few times,and start from ,and follow the shape of he panel,and work around it,leave a darker edge trim,working


mosty on the center on flat panels,and more to the top,on side slopping panels, 9_9

 

[Marty1507]

Thanks guys and girls (: some great advice. 


Im going to have a go on the Schurzen since its quite a broad surface to practice. I'll try dry brushing on one and the sponge technique on the other. 

 

[noble]

For that feathered look, I would use oil paint and dry brush the mid tone on the panel leaving the edges darker, once you have your mid tone done lighten it with a bit of white, blend this into the panel centres only and gently blend the paint. If you blend ot too much you will blend it out and you will need to start again. Hope this helps.

 

[Marty1507]

Cheers for the advice! I'll give it ago using dry brushing and I'll try the sponge technique, if all fails ill try oils.


Instead of making another post I'll just ask in here...


I've received my AK pigments and some rust streaks and it says to use white spirit, can I use any old white spirit or does it have to be AK's own or any other special brand?


Also am I able to use 91% Isopropyl alcohol as a thinner for Tamiya acrylics? Seems a lot cheaper to get a big bottle of the stuff.

 

[dubster72]

Yes & Yes Marty! Manufacturers would have you believe that there's some special ingredients in their branded products, but most times it's just the raw materials you've identified.

 

[Razzie43]

I use thinner from humbrol on Mig powders,gives a nice protected layer on the paint.


We all are artists here..each method u find is always unique to repeat it.


And when you get older you have to write it down on paper

 

[Ian M]

I use thinner from humbrol

AKA smelly white spirit. LOL And expensive.

 

[John Rixon]

All good, let's remember, artists have been creating perfectly smooth gradations of colour with hairy sticks for centuries, and, if you look at recent photo-realist paintings, you'll see that they bear close inspection and have NO brush strokes! Hell, I've even seen it done with coloured pencils :o .

 

[John Rixon]

Having said this, blending paints to form a smooth gradation will be so much trickier with any acrylics, as the damn things dry so quickly, even with retarder! Not impossible, just a technique that will take some time to learn, and a long time to master. Personally, I'm not sure that modulation is what you need on an AFV,  rather post shading or oil paint rendering, which is a really effective way of 'modulating' a surface for light, shade, wear etc.

 

[Marty1507]

Very true about artists creating those effects over centuries, except I'm no artist :D  haha


Yeah I think post shading is the way it will have to be. I've done a full base coat on the Stug IV and have slightly lightened the dark yellow basecoat with buff to give a lighter shade on top surfaces and panels. I know next will be the gloss coat but after I'm not sure where to start. I have AK Dark Yellow wash, which at the time when I bought it I swore it said filter but nevermind and I also have a black and sephia wash left over. Not sure wether to coat the tank in the dark yellow wash or not...

 

[noble]

I have found if you apply a dark yellow wash over red brown and green it will give the paint a slightly natural washed out faded effect, it is also good for bringing all the colours together.