Blackwell on Painting Panzers

James Blackwell does have an interesting technique and I think alot of modellers are trying to incorporate this. Priming in all black then using cloud patterns for the base coat works quite well and I have used it, but I also find myself still using pinwashes and pastels for shadowing.

Cheers

Rob

What are the darker lines around the edges of the vehicle's surfaces supposed to represent? Grime from rubbing? Funny that, when you do a drybrush of oils, the opposite effect occurs -- the edges get lighter, not darker.

I lean to the preshading method variation but still follow pretty much the pattern he describes. I usually will preshade with MM Rust to simulate Red Oxide primer on German vehicles for two reasons: 1) when I apply the factory basecoat of dark yellow, it's deliberately shadowed/uneven to interact with the primer coat for color variation and 2) when I apply weathering scratching using a toothpick, in some cases I will actually scratch deep enough down to the primer coat for added effect (not too difficult as the primer coat is applied at high pressure with a wide tip and the basecoat at low pressure with a fine tip). I use the same airbrush he does, the Aztek A470.

I've done this on both mono-color schemes and most recently with camo on the Wirbelwind and Kettenkrad posted here in other threads and it worked out very nicely to my desired results. The follow on with pastels and weathering is what really ties it all together and removes the factory new look and mutes the colors for the added realism. I don't use oil washes at all or drybrushing for the hull details but instead use weathering powders with either water or alcohol along with pastels to acheive my results.

I'm extremely impressed with that method and I think I may give it a go. That is one of the nicest Sturmtigers I've seen and as he said, build for yourself...
I think what I like the most about this one is the effect is so subtle and 'thin'. The texture of the build is still very evident, which helps make it convincing. It may be dark, but it's not overdone.

I have tried it... I painted my FIRST Panther that way. It works very well if you have a lot of control over your airbrush (which i didn't at that time) Be prepared for a lot of seat time behing your Airbrush cause its VERY time consuming. Again it looks very good and I love Jame's work. Give it a go.

Edit: I still use it to some degree but, also incorparate techniques from Miguel Jiminez and others. Remember it ain't what you know, its Who you can copy off of that counts

Peace Ya'll

I'd be a little nervous to try it on an expensive kit until I can be sure that is what I want, but it really looks cool. I need to expand my painting outside of the proverbial box.

Eric,

The neat thing about this method is that when done properly with thinned down paints, you are working with hardly more than mist coats over the pre-shade/primer coat and if you don't like it, it's very easy to just overpaint and/or correct. I did it on a monocolor scheme first though to get a good feel before trying it with a more complex camo scheme. It does take some extended time with the airbrush to get right though and depending on the medium (acrylics vs. enamels) it can take multiple sessions as well.

One really has to wonder if weathering is getting overdone , serious most of these vehicles did not make it past thier first battle , and although some did , I think still the weathering is overdone , Blackwell is a genious , but I really have to wonder if he has a sense of reality as well ?! Look at any construction site sometime , now these machines get dirty and used often and hard , and yet some still look fairly clean in comparison , just something to think about .

Originally posted by spector822002 One really has to wonder if weathering is getting overdone , serious most of these vehicles did not make it past thier first battle , and although some did , I think still the weathering is overdone , Blackwell is a genious , but I really have to wonder if he has a sense of reality as well ?! Look at any construction site sometime , now these machines get dirty and used often and hard , and yet some still look fairly clean in comparison , just something to think about . [/quote Spector, I guess it depends on where that equipment is being used. We have a lot of highway/road construction going on close by and I get to pass by it ever day. Went out and looked at some of it as close as I could. All metal tracks, steel body construction exposed to dirt/rocks/wind/ etc. and it can get pretty beatup fast depending on the environment (mine's a desert). I agree with you that weathering can be overdone but you also have to keep in mind that most vehicles, especially places like Africa and the eastern front, were not bivouacked in an established area and the crews lived/travelled for long stretches with their vehicles. Combat was not a continuous thing in most areas depending on time of year, enemy activity, etc. so it's conceivable that vehicles could be exposed quite a bit before ever seeing combat. I lean to the moderation side of weathering unless the kit is going into a dio that calls for muddy/dirty conditions or for things like abandoned/destroyed hulks. Some road dust, collected grime, exhaust/fuel stains, a little mud or rain streaking, that's realistic to me and the effect I usually strive for as opposed to the heavy rusty/battered look that others may prefer. Different schools of thought on this, but there has been a definite decline in the popularity of "clean" vs. "dirty" builds in the hobby over the last few years I think. BP Models Reply Anonymous Member since November 2005 Posted by Anonymous on Friday, August 13, 2004 8:21 PM Interesting article and discussion. That technique is just a little beyond my skills and current airbrush. I am just getting used to preshading. I did find the brief discussion on artistic vs realistic very interesting though. Had to decide what camp I am in or will end up in as my skills improve. Reply Edit Anonymous Member since November 2005 Posted by Anonymous on Monday, August 16, 2004 10:30 AM I'm not sure where I am either, Ed. I painted a Gothic Sci Fi APC (for guess-which game) and preshaded it with black. I then shot the grey basecoat over it, ad the preshading worked pretty well. Unfortunately, when I put the other two cam colors on (green and brown) it covered over most of the preshading, just as Mr. B. predicted it would. Thing is, I don't know if I have the airbrush skill or the patience to do post-shading. Maybe I'll try it on the next kit. I may buy a Leopard, or some other kit I couldn't care less about. I'll post pics of the Space Marine Razorback APC when I get it a bit further along. Reply Edit Dwight Ta-ala Member since July 2003 From: Philippines Posted by Dwight Ta-ala on Monday, August 16, 2004 9:21 PM Good article and tips. QUOTE: Originally posted by spector822002 One really has to wonder if weathering is getting overdone , serious most of these vehicles did not make it past thier first battle , and although some did , I think still the weathering is overdone , Blackwell is a genious , but I really have to wonder if he has a sense of reality as well ?! Look at any construction site sometime , now these machines get dirty and used often and hard , and yet some still look fairly clean in comparison , just something to think about . Good point! Being a civil engineer, I work with and around heavy equipment all the time and I share your observation. Also an interesting note on T-34 tanks in a small reference book on WWII tanks said It was just as well: in intense fighting, a new tank lasted an average of 7 days at the front... But then again...personal preferences of modelers will still govern. Reply JOIN OUR COMMUNITY! Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account. Login Register SEARCH FORUMS FREE NEWSLETTER SIGN UP By signing up you may also receive reader surveys and occasional special offers. We do not sell, rent or trade our email lists. View our Privacy Policy. FORUMS PRODUCT REVIEWS READER GALLERY HOW TO VIDEOS SHOP ABOUT US FREE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER SIGN UP By signing up you may also receive reader surveys and occasional special offers. We do not sell, rent or trade our email lists. View our Privacy Policy. More great sites from Kalmbach Media Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy