All,
I’ve come across some comment/articles/posts on here that mention shading. I am curious as to who does it when painting their models and how? I’d like to know how you guys get your great finishes with realistic looks?
-Ro
Not everyone is a fan of shading. I like it in bigger scale (1/48 and up).
I use the pre-shading technique. All the pannel lines are painted (airbrush!) black or grey (depending on the color that goes over it) Then the camo scheme is applied. When done properly this wil create the illusion of depth. But I find it a difficult technique, spray to little and the lines wil stand out to much, spray to much and lose the effect.
Another technique is post shading, highlighting the panel lines with either with thinned paint/smoke (airbrushed) or pastels after the camo scheme is applied.
I like to use the pre-shading technique as well. I usually use a dark brown for most lighter colors, but sometimes use black or very dark grey depending on how much contrast I want. The is to be subtle with it. A modeler once told me “with weathering, you want it to be noticed, not seen”. I try to remember that when using this. Here are a couple of photos of my P-40 showing the preshading:
First, dark brown sprayed over panel lines, don’t worry too much about even lines as the randomness seems to add a little variety to the finish.
Then, a few light coats of the base color to cover most of the brown, letting a little show through.
Finally, a litttle white and dark grey sprayed into the center of the panels to add more variety, and a little streaking.
HTH!