how to weather and detail a hand brushed painted model tank or aircraft

hey guys i only use a paint brush on my plastic models but my question is after the model is all painted is it possible to detail and weather a hand painted model or does it come out pretty ugly .any feedback will be great. im starting a German tank before i was all miniatures so this is be a first for me i know some of u think hand painted tanks and aircraft are ugly to begin with lol but its really all i have access to and was hopping weathering will add just a little more realism to a hand brushed model [:D]

I would think that some pastels would look just fine.

Chris

ok thanks chris ill look that up right now

Yes, even with a hand brush painted model, you can stil get a beautiful weathered finish. Washes, dry brushing, and other mediums such as pastels, pigments, etc. can be used in combination to achieve what you want.

Another brush-painter here. I second Stikpusher.

I use washes without any (known) issue.

Sebby, I’m glad you want to move into this area. It really makes a difference. As has been said, many of the weathering techniques are done with brushes, so you should be fine. And you are probably very accomplished with a brush, so you’ll likely have very good results. There are a couple techniques you’ll have some problems with, though. One is color modulation, where you lighten the center of panels. It will be hard to do that with a brush and get the kind of gradual color gradation needed across the panel to make it appear natural. The other is representing the effects of sun fading on camouflage paint. Paints fade differently depending on the degree of their exposure to the sun. So, the camouflage paint on a tank that’s been out in the sun a while would be darker on its vertical surfaces than on its horizontal surfaces because of the difference of exposure to the sun. You should still be able to achieve this effect by using different filters over these different areas, though. Color modulation would be a little harder, but that’s a minor matter compared to all the other weathering techniques available to you. And someone here can probably even tell you how to do that with a brush. Good luck, and please post pics.

It doesn’t make any difference how the paint was applied, just use the same weathering techniques you would use after airbrushing.

The only real difference I would see is in application of any gloss and flat coats prior to and after decals and washes. And that is easily replaced by rattle cans of those items. Dot filters are a good option to color modulation, and unless your AFV is sitting still like a gate guard with one side always away from the sun, most of your upper surfaces will weather and fade pretty much the same. The vertical will only fade to a slightly lesser degree than any vertical or angled surfaces… At least that was the rule on those I came across in my time with them…

i’ve said this before but i don’t barrier coat my builds before weathering. just finished a 1.72 JAGDTIGER… i did brush some clear gloss over the decal area and flat brushed over the decal. paint was acrylic airbrushed and i weathered with artist oils. so you will have no problems. i weather with everything; oils, acrylics, powders, pastels, “organics”.

I have tried spot painting with glosses prior to decals and it leaves a distinct noticeable area, worse than decal film… Even after a flat coat and weathering… I abandoned that after a few attempts…

dry brushing is another alternative to color modulation and dot filters. A good brush painter is often quite good at drybrushing.