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Forums - Modelling / Painting |
The painting forum is for the discussion of techniques on the painting, decalling and weathering phases of AFV modelling and the tools and materials used. |
| Topics | 1365 |
| Messages | 6917 |
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| Subject: | Re: Does scale effect really exist for WWII AFVs? |  |
| Date: | Feb 19, 2005 |
| From: | Al Crawford | |
Just to throw another scale effect into the mix, it's not just the color that's wrong, it's the glossiness (or lack thereof) of surfaces. Basically the real sun is way too big for models, which generally results in shows being softer than they should, specular highlights being larger and sharper than they should.
The whole scale effect thing has inspired more holy wars than almost any modeling subject I can think of. The problem is that you get people who meticulously add white to their colors to simulate scale effect, yet ignore the fact that by doing so they really need to specify the clarify ot the atmospheric conditions we're supposed to be viewing their tank or plane under, as well as the exact distance we should be viewing it from for the scale effect to be correct. Then, having carefully tweaked their colors, they apply the kit decals neat and use Future to make sure their canopy (if it's a plane) is super-shiny. Same goes for gloss finishes - and how do you adjust the finish of something that's dead flat to begin with?
I've long decided to just stick with what I think looks right. You can take the realism thing too far - adjust the paint colors, fiddle with the finish, visit the location to be modeled to take soil samples so you can mix up your pigments to get the mud color correct, add the most fanatical Aber detail set in existence, then paint it a shade of green that you took off an actual Russian tank of the correct vintage, but which is utterly wrong because the original subject hadn't been sitting outside in the rain for 60 years and was painted a different color to start with anyway.
My all-purpose technique is the use of "must". It's a heavily thinned (at least 50/50, more to taste) mix of Pollyscale Mud and Pollyscale Dust. The ratios of the two vary depends on...well, basically on whatever I feel like on any given day, although generally its 80 or 90% dust to 10% mud. Mix it up, mist it on sparingly, preferably from a distance. The mixture:
1. Makes the tank look a bit dusty. Lots of tanks get dusty. Realism!
2. Lightens the overall color of everything. Woo, instant scale effect!
3. Depending upon consistency, it can pop out details too, rather like a subtle dry-brush.
4. Flattens the overall finish a little - another scale effect!
Really, all I can say about "must" is that it results in my tanks looking the way I want them to. They might look great to some, like over-weathered messes to others, and excessively neat and clean to yet others.
Let's face it - all color manipulation and weathering can fall into one of two categories as it is. There's "faked realism" and there's "artistic enhancement". I use them both. Neither reflects reality, but together I find they give a pleasing result. I don't care about winning competitions, so at the end of the day that's all that counts.
Al
PS It strikes me that adding white isn't even very realistic for faking atmospheric haze. Shouldn't it be a very pale blue for clear air, or perhaps a very pale beige if the subject is being filmed at a time of year when pollen levels are high, or a pale grey if there's a lot of smoke from battle.
PPS I'm also thinking of some of the hoops you have to jump through with the f-stop values on a digital camera when trying to produce an HDRI image. I wonder if any of the issues that require that apply to models, too. |
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 | Does scale effect really exist for WWII AFVs? - Saul Garcia - Feb 17, 2005 |
| . . . Re: Does scale effect really exist for WWII AFVs? - John Barnicoat - Feb 17, 2005 |
| . . . Re: Does scale effect really exist for WWII AFVs? - Steve Campbell - Feb 17, 2005 |
| . . . Re: Does scale effect really exist for WWII AFVs? - Paul A. Owen - Feb 18, 2005 |
| . . . . . . Re: Does scale effect really exist for WWII AFVs? - Ardell Bourgeois - Feb 18, 2005 |
| . . . Re: Does scale effect really exist for WWII AFVs? - David Byrden - Feb 19, 2005 |
| . . . Re: Does scale effect really exist for WWII AFVs? - Steve Dowty - Feb 19, 2005 |
| . . . Re: Paging Professor Herbert - Paul A. Owen - Feb 19, 2005 |
| . . . Re: Does scale effect really exist for WWII AFVs? - Al Crawford - Feb 19, 2005 |
| . . . . . . Re: Does scale effect really exist for WWII AFVs? - John Prigent - Feb 20, 2005 |
| . . . . . . . . . Great Point John! - Saul Garcia - Feb 20, 2005 |
| . . . . . . Re: Does scale effect really exist for WWII AFVs? - David Byrden - Feb 22, 2005 |
| . . . Re: Does scale effect really exist for WWII AFVs? (Longish) - Thomas Naser - Feb 21, 2005 |
| . . . Re: Does scale effect really exist for WWII AFVs? - Rick Bennett - Feb 22, 2005 |
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