Weathering pastels?

[dogsbody]

Has anyone used there? I've only tried it on a couple of small items and I was just wondering if others might have some experience with them and any tips on their use.

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

[Ade H]

I've tried the exhaust set on bikes and hated it. It was grainy; it had inconsistent colour; it did not blend well enough; adhesion was a problem; and the foam side of what I assume is a make-up brush quickly became a contaminated mix of colours. I prefer airbrushed post-shading and oils for that job.

As for the other sets, I wonder what the point is when oils and pigments nail practically every weathering task to the highest standard with vastly greater flexibility and better value for money.

[pigsty]

Tamiya's basically done what others like AK have done with their pigments: repackaged pastels at much greater cost.  If they're grainy and they don't stick, as Ade H says, they've not even managed that.  I always recommend straight chalk pastels for this sort of thing: they're cheaper, the range of colours is huge, and they're designed for making artwork so they'll be consistent and decently grained.  And they can be mixed, too.  Tips for use:

*   I prepare them by sanding a bit off the end of the stick onto a piece of paper.  The needle file I use for this looks horrible but it's easy to clean afterwards.  A triangular one, plus careful use of the length, gives you at least six colours without mixing them.

*   I apply them with a soft dry brush (NB: not dry-brushing, that's different).  The amount you can pick at once is so small, and it's so easy to use it all up, that you never have to worry about one colour contaminating the next in the bristles.

*   the ground pastels on the paper always look much lighter than the stick they were ground off, and what you apply to the model always looks lighter still.  It's because the coat is getting thinner each time.  But that's good, because you can keep adding more until you're happy, which is a lot easier than taking any away. (Although they can be rubbed off, mostly.)

*   beware of large chunks getting trapped in the bristles - it's like drawing the colour onto the surface.

*   pastels are happiest on a matt surface, but one or two coats of Klear doesn't seem to harm their adhesion.

*   most pastels will survive gentle handling but (i) too much and they'll all but disappear, and (ii) they're very good at picking up fingerprints.

*   and, of course: practise on something else first.

[Ratch]

I have the set B, it’s pretty useless 😪 I much prefer MIG Pigments 

[Ade H]

Do they mix well with oils, though?

 

It's a fair assumption that oil pastels will, but possibly not chalk pastels. Pigments mix very well with oils, not least because of how finely ground they are, and it has become an essential part of oil paint rendering for me. It makes brilliant rust effects and similar crusted deposits, among many other things. Related to that; do they speckle and streak as well as pigments?

 

Not that I would replace my collection of pigments; no way! Just wondering in case it helps Chris or anyone else.

 

See also: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HczRJfc6YUY&t=2488s

 

[pigsty]

11 minutes ago, Ade H said:

Do they mix well with oils, though?

No idea, I've never been brave enough to try oils.  But pigments and chalk pastels are essentially the same thing: dyestuff plus binder.  And pastels can be applied wet, or have small amounts of liquid added after application to give your effect extra depth. 

 

It's a fair assumption that oil pastels will

I'm not so sure.  The binders in oil pastels are more like lipstick than the media that oil paints are based on.  I wouldn't let them near a model.  But I suppose the surefire way to find out, for either type, is to try it out.

[Ade H]

Oh, you should try oils. Every modeller (or certainly military and sci-fi) should try to learn what they can do. I was frankly quite rubbish at weathering and very limited in my methods during my first year or so, until I switched. I no longer use anything enamel-based, although water-based washes have their uses. My first attempt with oils was oil-dot tone mapping, which I thought was hideous, but it made me think about what else they could do. A lot, it turns out. If you're interested, I'll be posting an RFI in the armour section tomorrow of a build which only uses oils and pigments (plus hairspray chipping).

[dogsbody]

I did a good root through the lower shelves in my room and found this set. Not sure if this is the right kind of pastels. They're quite soft and not that chalk-like. I may have to hit up the craft store.

 

 

 

 

Chris

[pigsty]

^^ That's the right sort - they do come out softer than blackboard chalk.  And you can see the problem with buying generic sets - you've got maybe four helpful colours there, just like me with my lime green and pink sticks that will never ever get any shorter.  The range in an art shop is far wider - get yourself a selection of dark browns, dark greys and reddish browns and that'll cover just about anything.  You can also do dust effects with lighter colours.

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

20 hours ago, dogsbody said:

I did a good root through the lower shelves in my room and found this set. Not sure if this is the right kind of pastels. They're quite soft and not that chalk-like. I may have to hit up the craft store.

 

 

 

 

Chris

Thats what I use Chris, grind them on an older file and use a pill caddy to store the powder. I apply it as if I’m fingerprinting a crime scene with a very soft brush. Always with gravity ir in the flow of air along the direction of travel.  

Edited November 10, 2021 by Corsairfoxfouruncle