Chalk Weathering Techniques - Models

For everyone's use.

How do you use Chalk to get the best weathering result on models?

On Buildings?

On rolling stock?

On locomotives?

On general scenery?

Thanks for your input.

 

Bill,

I typically use it for places in scenery where you need a really fine material for a highlight.

For example, on a dirt or gravel road where you would like to highlight the wheel paths.

A slightly lighter color that the base material.

-Bob T.

 

William:

Pretty much "all of the above" to your questions. Chalk is a very versatile medium that can be used in multitudes of applications. I'm most familiar with it for use on weathering diesels and rolling stock, but I've also used chalks on structures. Since learning to use chalks some 20+ years ago, I tend to use chalks more and the airbrush less on my diesels/rolling stock. I like the control you have and how you can strengthen or mute an effect that is desired, or one you've overdone.

You can use it to reflect an engine with light use (recent paint):



All the way down to one that has never been repainted, and the original paint is fading/eroding, along with evidences of skirmishes with other equipment, panels that are rusting, on and on. limited only by proto references and/or your recollections:


Almost all of the above effects were created using chalks.

I eventually intend to experiment with "Pan Pastels", for I'm seeing interesting effects others are getting using them, including our own Steve Hurt.

Good luck with your explorations with chalk and have fun!

Andre

 

I regularly use Pan Pastels for highlights when weathering freight cars. For example:

KCS-SLSF-Boxcars by rjthomas909 posted Aug 2, 2019 at 7:41 PM

The car on the left was weathered with a bit of a fade over the whole car with grimy black and oxide red. Highlights representing shadows and dirt around bracing are done with a dark brown or grimy black pan pastel.

MnStL-Boxcar by rjthomas909 posted Jul 28, 2019 at 3:35 PM

Similar for this one, including drip marks from roof seams and grease around locking mechanism, etc.

Often, I use to color the roofing to give impression of cinders, sealing, or rust on the roof panels.

Accurail-Box-Cars-Jul2019 by rjthomas909 posted Aug 1, 2019 at 6:30 AM

You can kind of see this on the MKT and Santa Fe cars here.

-Bob T.

 

Hey Bill,
I'll post some pics later tonight if you want showing a few ways I use them and the material. It is simple to get some great effects with chalks and chalk pastels.

 

Ok, here is an idea of what I use for products and application.
First off, this is my wreathing cart. You don't need this much for sure!! HA


I use a few brands of powders and pastels. These are the ones I use the most by far though. Regular old chalk will also work but the colors are usually not much use for models. I would caution against the Tamiya pastels. They a re very greasy and will smear and just make a hell of a mess. AK and MIG ammo also make powders that are nice.



Like paint I often mix the colors with the powders and pastels to make them lighter or darker.The pastels I scrape a little powder in a cheap paint pallet and mix to suit.

I use old paint brushes most of the time. But also makeup applicator sponges or small pointed qtips from Tamiya once in a while.

I also save bags of rust from old car parts, applying them like the pastels. I keep steel wool in a butter dish outside so its rusts too.


Along the same lines I use graphite stick for bare metal effects. It can be scraped to a powder too.


One thing to remember is that weathering with chalk and pastels the weathering can be rubbed off with handling or show finger prints from oil on your hands. The pan pastels and weathering powders hold up a little better. One more thing to remember is that the chalks almost vanish if you dulcoat the model. Pastels will lighten and some effect be lost. The pan pastels pretty much stay the same of clear coat. So keep in mind what your finish product will have. If you don't handle your models the clear isn't needed. If they do get handled a lot I suggest clear.

 

Here is some examples of them in use:

This MKT car has been faded then pastels ground along the bottom sills. This color is the gray AIM with the yellow AIM over it. The car was faded with a coat of white oil then yellow oils over that. The trucks have AIM rust with AIM gray over that.


This is dark gray pastels mixed with dark brown pastels and then ground in with a paint brush.


This is mainly a brown pastel with a little rust mixed in.


The smoke stack and the roof around it here have rust pastels, then some ground in down the body too. I wanted the effect of streaked rust but not too heavy like paint would do.


The pictures are too dark here but the plow has rust pastels on the roof. The blade is graphite with rust pastels ground over it, like it got used for the season and just got parked.


For built up rust or grime I use pastel powder mixed in with a thinned oil paint. Mixed to a paste that shows grit:



Here is black pastels mixed with an oily brown oil paint to represent old grease on a suspension.




Hope this helps or gives you some ideas of what can be done with powders. If I can help I certainly will, let me know if you have a question. Or I can show something in process. Thanks, Steve

 

One more tip to offer up. I would always dulcoat before using any powder so there is a little tooth for the powder to hold to. I typically dulcoat as soon as I unbox a project. Then add light coats with each layer. This way I can remove something if I screw a portion up without a total do over.

 

Yes, I would like to see how you apply chalk. How you get it to stick?

 

I'm done for the night but can take some tomorrow. Using the paint brush or applicator it is just brushed on and softly ground in. This will give it a shape you like. Then the excess dusted off.

 

I have tried Chalk and never had it to stick. I tried today on a building I just completed. The roofing has colored pencils with a chalk over. Then I sprayed with dull coat. But it don't look the way I want. The green one is new, but if I can get a good result then I might do both buildings The green roll roofing was popular in the 60's. I have trouble with Utube, I have found some good stuff, but have to wade through all the garbage to get to it. Besides I like to hear what our Guy's do, I think we have better modelers.

 

Very nice post and good tip.

 

Thank you for posting your weathering tips Steve!!! You always do such a great job. What would be a good beginner set of chalk?

Joe

 

Thanks Joe. I would look for the alpha color Earth Tones set. They give you a good selection. The AIM/Monroe colors are super, but not too forgiving. I would say to start with the Alphacolors to practice. They will be easier to remove if you aren't satisfied with them. When you are feeling lucky/confident try pam pastels etc..

 

Here is some in progress shots of a typical car.

First a little rust on the trucks, discharge bays etc..


A mix of rust and brown all along the bottom sill and over the first rust coat:


Some various spots on the roof, welds and seams that would collect some water:


Next step, mixing some gray and brown to blend over the rustiness:



I added just a touch of yellow dust here to soften the color and add some variety:


All those steps are with a long bristle soft brush. After the colors look about right I go over all of it with a stiff short bristle to blend them together. This also really helps it adhere to the model.


After grinding the colors together and into the sill you can see they blend:


Hopefully that helps? Post what you do.

 

Here is another that is almost all pastels. Same process.

 

Steve you do great work with aging your kits and products. Thanks for your posts. To everyone else, please post your work, mistakes and how too's

 

Thanks Bill. Hope this helps. LMK if I can help.

 

Steve, you are truly an artist! Love your work!