I posted this for the fella who started the discussion in the "Techniques" forum, asking how to do mud. I thought ya'll might want to see it as well.
This here is a photo of one of my armor pieces, a Tamiya 1/35 T-34/76. As you can see, it's well covered with mud up front and the tracks are clogged, though difficult to see in this shot.
I used a combination of real mud, Rustall (#2 Black) and pastels for the dried mud up front. When using real mud, be careful of the small crystalline particles present in most soils. They sparkle in the right light and look kinda yech! A light coat of flat clear will remedy this. Also, remember to work out any obtrusively large particles or stones. They often times look out of place on a 1/35 model as well.
For the stuff in the tracks I used a mixture of several dark brown paints and celluclay (which is what was used on the base). For grass, I used static grass which is available from VP and a couple other manufacturers, I think. Never leave static grass unpainted. It looks pretty bad that way! You can mix this stuff in with your mud as well.
To replicate transitional areas where the mud is just starting to dry, but still damp, I used whatever clear I happened to have on the bench at the time. Brush it on and feather it out. When it dries, it will remain darker than the dried mud. A VERY VERY light coat of clear sprayed over the whole affair will help to seal the mud without turning it too dark.
For a larger image, check out my humble website:
www.spasticforplastic.1hwy.com
My apologies in advance for all the pop-ups!
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