I’ve tried thinning acrylics with rubbing alcohol instead of water, mainly because I wanted them to flow and not “puddle”. That worked, but I also got a dead-flat finish, and was able to move the wash around more before it dried. Depending on the amount of alcohol used, I was left with a very dusty color, lighter than the wash color. So I went for the appearance of rain-streaked dust, and I think I like it. Comments?
Also, I didn’t put the word “Sherman” in the title…sneaky of me.
An old Dragon M4 hybrid, built out of the original Sherman IC Hybrid, but as an ETO M4. All the parts were in the box…
And, from Tamiya’s M4A3 (the old kit) and Italeri’s M4A1(76), an M4A3(76), black over OD, lots of dust. This one almost looks like it has a worn-off whitewash…
The “unfinished” base of the wash on the hull sides will be cleaned up before I’m happy with this one. The nice thing about the alcohol and acrylic wash is that, on a flat surface like the sides of a Sherman, the wash can be “feathered” with a soft scouring pad, for an entirely different effect. I should get some more time on this one tonight.
Thanks for looking, comments of any nature welcomed.
That’s a really cool effect… It’s also one I’ve been tryin’ to achieve for years without success… I’ve been wanting to do a Bulge dio that looked like the weather had been drizzly for a couple hours, leaving the top of the AFVs and soft-skins wet with the sides streaked like that… I’ve been thinning acrylics with alcohol for years and never tried to get that effect. Thanks for the tip!
Love them happy accidents! Appreciate the comments as well!
I’d always used water as a thinner and constantly ended up with rings and puddles at the edge of the area the wash was applied to unless I glossed the model first. I think I read on this forum somewhere about using rubbing alcohol instead. I also wanted the wash to work like a filter, and that, to me, meant having it actually change the color it was applied over. I wasn’t really getting that effect when I sealed the base coat with gloss first.
I just mixed up a wash, in this case MM burnt umber since it darkens the MM rattle-can OD to the color I want, and put it on directly over the base OD, no sealer over the OD. The brush I use is large, round and worn out, so the bristles splay out as the paint in it dries. Just as the wash begins to dry, about 20-30 seconds, I take the messed up brush, add a little alcohol, and drag it lightly through the area I want to streak. You really can’t see the effect until it dries, so experiment. For the chalk-like caked-on dust like on the engine deck area of the -A3, I just used more alcohol in the wash.
On the -A3, I’m going to try feathering the edges of the washed area to give it a more natural look.
I have another Sherman or two (big suprise) that I plan to use this technique to apply a winter white-wash. The possibilities are interesting…
Sounds like an approach I will often use as well…try something out after thinking about it and see if it works! Sometimes it produces the desired result and sometimes something totally unexpected emerges. In this case it looks like it worked out well! The only thing that jumped out at me a bit was the uniformity of the streaks on the 2nd sherman but that’s down to appearance/taste more than the technique itself I imagine.
Bill, I agree about the “uniformity” of the streaking. That’s the one that really needs more work. My “plan” ( ha ha) is to work that one over with a scotchbrite pad and take some of the wash off at the base of the hull sides and lower turret sides. If I’m not happy, a little more OD and I’ll try again.[:D]
Doog, one other thing I noticed about the alcohol: any decals began to lift, and if I hadn’t trimmed the carrier film closely enough, it became very visible.
Good technique mate, i will have a go. what type of alcohol do you use? Give us a ring if you need anything when over here in England and i will try to help out.
Bodge, it’s just household rubbing alcohol. My wife is living it up, been to Liverpool, back in London now. I’m bringing your # with me…
OK, back on subject: I got a pic or two of the -A3, cleaned up. Looks a little better, I think. Also a pic of the -A3 and the Jumbo it’s displayed with. The display still need more groundwork, and figs, but it’s coming along.
In fact, Rbaer, is your base coat acrylics? I’d be scared to death to use a wash that had ANY sorta rubbing alcohol in it[:O] if it is!!! I use oil washes, sometimes custom color blends, because I paint with Tamiya Acrylics for the base coats and post-shading…you can get the same results with oils and vary the ratios for all kinds of cool effects[8D]!
BTW: water and Tamiyas worked nicely for a dried pool effect where dirt build-up occurs. You can streak it too, it just takes a while and a few applications.
Excuse the late reply, guys, but THANKS very much for looking and commenting. I’ve been in the UK, very limited internet access. I think I may have crossed a threshold here, and it’s due to motivation and techniques I’ve gotten from being on this forum. Sweet!
BTW, Andy, did I miss you at the Tank Museum? I thought I saw you as we were leaving, but from your avatar pic it’s a little hard to say…
