Weathering with artists pastels

        Seeking to upgrade the look of my recently finished aircraft models I decided to give them a little weathering (to get that "combat veteran" look as opposed to show-room). I tried to find my old weathering kit but it had gone missing so instead I went to Hobby Lobby and bought some new pastels, a set of blacks and grays and another of earth tones. With a sale going on at 50% off they cost me in total seven bucks. Assuming I don't lose these as well I'm set for life.

 

       The first step is to have a good matte finish over the area that you will be working on, be SURE that the finish has dried completely (if it hasn't the pastel powder will stick to everything and not come off at all). Now look carefully at the color you are going to be working over. I was seeking to add exhaust and powder marks on some aircraft. The thing to remember is that both marks are mostly soot and will look different depending on the color they are over; on a light background the soot will look a very dark gray-brown, over a darker surface it will look a pale gray. Most gunpowder burns have a distinctly brown tone.

 

once you have selected your color use a hobby knife to scrape 

a little off of the pastel stick, you won't need much 

 

 

I am adding exhaust marks to the underside of a Fiat CR 42 which is a very light gray color 

so I used a dark gray and a rust color in about 3/2 ratio, remember to mix the dust  before using it 

 

use a small soft brush to pick up the dust, 

use just a tiny amount, you can always add more later

 

start at the source of your mark, the exhaust pipe or gun-barrel and draw the brush along the surface, lifting as you move further away from the source, find photos of the aircraft if at all possible as the flow of air over the body of the plane isn't always straight, most of the dust will not stick blow it away gently before adding more, once you are happy spray another coat of matte finish to seal it in place

 

here is the P-36 I finished a little while back,

 pale gray and tan pastels make the gunsmoke on the upper wing

 

 

while on the lower wing I used the same mix from the Falco

 

pre-war Soviet machines were kept pretty clean so I went very easy on this one

 

a 50/50 mix of medium gray and buff

       I have long preferred Armory Matte Finish because it has a grainier finish and holds the pastel powder better. Krylon is a second-best, Vallejo is an exceptionally fine product but the finish is very smooth and it takes real work to get enough of the pastel to stick. Bold souls can use oil-pastels instead but they are MUCH stickier and smear rather than blow off so you have to be very certain about where you place them. Experiment on an old model before attempting.