If you like a dusty operational look to your AFV models and are quite handy with the hairspray technique this process can create realistic looking disrupted dust effects. What we are aiming for is to selectively remove, mark and disrupt an airbrushed dust toned layer of paint. We are effectively reverse ‘hairspray chipping’ the surface to leave deposits rather than creating small chips. This works best using acrylic paints over a layer of hairspray or chipping fluid.
It is worth noting that any heavy built-up textured dirt layers are best applied before this dust layer so as to keep the overall dust and mud tones consistent and realistic.
After airbrushing your dust coat paint layer over the hairspray, the idea is to then agitate the surface with H2O removing small or larger sections of the overlying dust layer depending on the effect you are after. Essentially leaving the dust deposits where you want them to remain. You can streak a brush downwards to recreate a graduated deterioration of the surface dust due to rain. Rub it or ‘smudge it’ away where the crew would have disrupted it. Push it towards areas where it would have natirally deposited. Scrub it over raised surface detail leaving it in all the nooks and crannies, and marking and scraping it where objects have come into contact with it.
Undisturbed dust layer on a Pz.IV muffler.
This is a great alternative to adding dust effects
with oils or enamels.
Here is my step-by-step process:
The first thing to do is to choose and select or mix a dusty toned acrylic colour. One that suits the environment or the groundworks the AFV will be placed on. Mixing it with H20 as opposed to acrylic thinner makes the overlying paint easier to lift and will give softer transitions. Whether you cover a large area or just concentrate on selected areas is entirely up to you. This is where reference images are so important. You will get an idea to the extent that dust will cover and hide surface detail on operational AFVs, and where it rarely reaches or remains. You will be surprised at how much ends up on the rear and sides as opposed to the front of a vehicle sometimes.
To begin, airbrush two thin coats of chipping fluid
is usually sufficient, and once fully dry the dust toned paint coat can be
airbrushed on. You can always add a
variation in tone to more coats if you wish. This can often look effective
if you want to replicate a fresher coat of dust near to wheels or tracks. I
usually leave the airbrushed dust coats fifteen minutes to dry then dive right
in to creating the effect. The step can be repeated but agitating the same areas again can lift previous layers if too much water is used.
It is recommended to work in small areas of the surface at a time. Modern colour AFV’s or plant machinery images make for a good source of reference material. This will give a better idea as to where the dust accumulates and where it is easily worn off. Warm water is recommended but cold works almost as well. Don’t soak the surface, just dampen it and leave for a minute. The water will slowly activate the underlying hairspray, and any agitation of the surface will lift and remove the overlying paint. The idea is to slowly and lightly scrub the surface. Depending what tools you use, more or less overlying paint will lift. Instead of creating fine chips we are aiming to leave fine deposits. Using a softer brush over raised detail will leave dust paint traces in all the recessed areas. Using a stiffer brush will remove more of the overlying paint. I have various tools to hand to recreate different effects. They include both stiff and soft bristled brushes, an old airbrush needle and cocktail sticks for fine scratches, and some old, twisted twigs which are great for random effects like simulating vegetation that has brushed against the side of a vehicle.
It can work well in conjunction with heavy textured mud effects and chopped sea grass
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