Tried and true method of making mud for armor models?

Ever tried using dirt? Just a thought but I have seen people use it in the past to good effect. although I am not sure what they used to keep it on the armor.

You can use pastel chalks and glue, but the results I've found aren't that great. I do suggest using actual dirt. Go get some from your back yard, dry it throughly, and grind it to as fine a powder as possible. Mix it with water and white glue (1/2 mixture should work just fine) and make mud of any consistency you wish. Splash on (the more watered down, the better) the mixture, and allow to dry. The results can be left as is, or painted and drybrushed if you wish.

hi you can always use coffey grounds, i have used it in one of my dios .and it is easy to use.just use white glue mix in the grounds aply when it drys paint,iuse, polly scale f 414314 ,the name is mud.and it works well.

gdarwin[roy]

I muse white glue, but a little different. I put a blob on a piece of card board, mix Tamiya paints in for the desired color and sprinkle sand in for texture (I use the sand from Rustall's kit). Then I use a short bristled brush and jab it where I want the mud to be, thicker underneath and behind the wheels, lightly around the lower hull to show splashes. ( You could even stick debris in, like oregano or something to represent turf torn up. I don't do this, but it is a thought). Anyway, let it dry overnight, then give it some brown washes and drybrush. After that dries, spray it with acrylic flat and it looks just like mud. I use lighter colors like Buff for dried mud and mix in some brown or redbrown for darker mud. You can mix it to match your references. The nice thing is it is all water clean up

I use acrylic modeling medium, made by Golden Colors. I mix in some yellow-brown paint, some sand, static grass if I want grass in it, ground-up cat litter, Peat Moss works very well for shreaded-up tree or plant roots, leaf litter, etc. Stipple it on and let dry. Highlight with buff-tan dry brushing and tie it all together with a brown-black wash.

I think the main thing is to experiment and find what you're comfortable with. Although I haven't used white glue, I done something almost the same as what you are suggesting but with a flat acrylic to work as a binder, and I was quite happy with the results. I found that with multiple coats, I could generate a very heavy build-up if desired. With a small brush, you can put the slurry into corners just where dirt and mud would collect in real life.

I recently did kind of odd technique that actually worked surprisingly well. I sprayed a pastel dust/flat acrylic mixture through my airbrush, to give a light dust effect, and was reasonably pleased with the result. I had to open up the airbrush a bit more than normal to prevent clogging, but since it is an inexpensive single action unit that I ise for clear coats, I don't think that I was truly abusing the airbrush.

You can also try wall putty mixed with paint and some materials for texture.

thanks all!

glade to help

gdarwin[roy]

Use mud ...why not?