General Getting dirty (Need weathering advice)

[Lilac Fett]

Hey everyone!

I just got my hip pouches and spats today. I've done some dirt weathering in the past for my Mando Mercs kits using black, brown, and/or grey spray paint to mist my soft pieces.

I admit it's a very brute force way to dirty up soft pieces, but I'd like to know what you use/do to dirty up your soft pieces if the way I do it is not good enough

 

[ShortFuse]

I have had good experience with diluted acrylic paint in a spray bottle that you can adjust the spray pattern, followed by some airbrushing.

 

[Tfett40]

If you have airbrush, go that option with black acrylic paint mixed with thinner. You can build up from subtle to heavy with better control then a spray can.

 

[DeathJedi]

Agreed with Tfett40. Depending on your airbrush, you might be able to adjust so that it comes out in a finer/wider spray. Either way, an airbrush is going to allow you much more control. Start at a distance and work your way in. Rattlecans are too unpredictable and sometimes globs around the nozzle and then shoots a large drop of paint in your pattern. Just my opinion. Airbrush with black and you should be golden... err.. dirty... whatever.

 

[Ghost_Fett]

I did my entire suit with grey, tan and black rattlecan spray paint from Walmart, I also used charcoal from my grill and black acryclic paint as well as grease and grime from under my car wheel wells. I didn’t want to pay for an airbrush and I’m pretty proud of how it turned out.

 

[ShortFuse]

I did my entire suit with grey, tan and black rattlecan spray paint from Walmart, I also used charcoal from my grill and black acryclic paint as well as grease and grime from under my car wheel wells. I didn’t want to pay for an airbrush and I’m pretty proud of how it turned out.

Nice. I also used some dirt from my sons baseball field. I have ROTJ and to was just the right shade for the flightsuit weathering in addition to the black from the spray bottle.

 

[Ghost_Fett]

Nice. I also used some dirt from my sons baseball field. I have ROTJ and to was just the right shade for the flightsuit weathering in addition to the black from the spray bottle.

Nice! Yeah there’s always some very unique and out of the box ways to do things. ESB and ROTJ have some different color variations to them ESB is more greys and blacks while Rotj has a lot more tan. I love finding interesting and cheap ways to do weathering. I found wetting charcoal and sanding it on my driveway gave me a black gritty paint that really seeped into the suit well in the edges and seams.

Also one big thing I did is wet the entire flight suit before doing any paintwork. This diluted the paint a bit so I went layer by layer and had better control.

 

[ShortFuse]

Also one big thing I did is wet the entire flight suit before doing any paintwork. This diluted the paint a bit so I went layer by layer and had better control.

Yes. Wetting the material is a must. It helps the paint blend into the fabric and give it soft edges.

 

[FirstCoastFett]

on the fabric I used a combo of dark and regular gray primer, using the light gray first to build it up (lightly misting) and then the dark gray to give it more depth. A lot of folks say black spray paint, I don't think it looks natural. if you go this route, make sure you get in the seams/cracks n crevices, and constantly turn the fabric so it doesn't build up on one side

 

[TheZeroEffect]

About the only time I use rattlecans in weathering, is from a distance to get that random spotting and misting ( I like to match any suit weathering to armour weathering).I also weather on wet material for the same reason as everyone else, it just blends better.
Spray bottle are a must for me along with and airbrush for fine misting . I also like to use and old brush (chip brushes are great) and dry brush in some places also (only done on dry material though, doesn’t work as well on wet).
One thing I like to do is wash what I’m doing between some of the steps, this helps add a bit more wear to the effect and tone it down a touch, though can sometime almost wash away what you’ve done. Then I go back and do it again and again till I’ll built up a nice variety of layers.
I always like it if anything I’m weathering To be more permanent so I can clean the suit and have to be stuck with something I’m to afraid to was for fear of losing all that work...

 

[Fettology]

I prefer the spray bottle meathod and acrylic paints. First off it's cheap. Spray bottles are about $0.99 and so are the acrylic paints. I'd use Charcole, Burnt Umber, White (to shift colors) and maybe some tan colors.

Fill one bottle with tap water and give a good spray for the areas you want to distress. Then fill another bottle with a mix of water and acrylic paint. Spray from a distance the clothing that has been pre-wetted. Let the colors "bleed" together and give that organic look. Once you are happy with the results you can either hang it to dry or you can pop it into the dryer to heat set the paint. This will help it stay.

And if you want you can always buy the liquitex fabric medium. It is added into your paint/ water mixture at the time of application. This is a clear matt finish that helps keep the paint in the fabric. Once again heat set the paint in the dryer. But this will be added protection fornif you wash your suit often.