Help Needed - Hull Painting

Actually, there are several ways to do a wood hull look, they all seem to work.  I have a friend who does it with actual wood stain!  Personally, I use two somewhat similar wood colors, and brush paint them, though sometimes I airbrush the first coat. I then brush paint a fairly thin coat so the brush marks allow the undercolor to show through a bit.  I do not use oil washes, though I know some people do.  Point is, several techniques will all work if done properly.

For something like this, I would recommend practicing on scrap material before going after the hull.  Or practice on the inside of the hull down below the lowest deck level.

Luvadea, it'd be good form to attribute the model shot.

Look at David K.s builds here. He has his own particular technique down.

Don's friend, isn't me in this case, but that's what I do. Esp. over a clear acrylic coat.

Luvadea,

Welcome aboard. If you are looking to weather your ships with Artist Oils, then I agree with GMorrison, take a look at DavidK's threads of his Golden Hind, Santa Maria and his current Soleil Royal as well as mine of the Hanse Kogge, Thomas and Nina. It can answer pretty much most of your questions.

When using Artist's Oils you need to have your base coat an acrylic paint. Otherwise it will attack an enamel or laquer base coat and make a mess of the whole thing. That being said, I am using enamels for the base coat on my PT Boat kit and plan on using Future Floor polish, (Edit) Which is now called Pledge Floor Care Multi-Surface Finish. I think I'll still call it Future.

Now the issue with Future is that the more layers of paint and finish you put on a plastic wood grain, the more you will lose the grain effect, so I would stick with acrylics. I have also used Tamiya rattle cans for base colors and have had no problems with them. 

With the Wasa, I would suggest using a Dark Yellow as your base coat on the hull and then overlay that, after the base coat is dry, with Burnt Umber. If you want a little bit of red tone, then add Burnt Sienna. For your decks I would use a base coat of Gray and then a Yellow Ochre with a touch of Burnt Umber. Leave it on for about 20 to 30 minutes and then wipe it off with an old t-shirt.

Now Dave uses his oils as a wash, cutting the paint with turpinoid. I use oils right out of the tube. So, as others have recommended, test on a styrene sheet to get the look you want before you commit it to the model. Don't be afraid to ask for help.

Hope this helps,

Steve 

Thanks guys for all your help!

I guess there is no other way than to actually get the paints and try it.

I already picked some acrilic Vallejo Tan and Old Wood for the base which I'll be overlaying with oils(Burnt Umber and Sienna).Another question is will I be able to add semigloss varnish on oil overlays without ruining them?

Hi;

     Well in all , good advice .Now when I do this I use the rub on cream stains over a super thin coat of basic wood tan enamel .When I say thin , I mean thinned paint of a 25 -75 mix with thinner being the large number .

      The stains I use are Redwood as the base with Dark Oak and Walnut as the overcoats . Good Luck !     T.B.

I have never used a varnish with oils so I cannot speak to how it would affect the base coat. However, I do spray a dull coat on my models after they are finished. One of the things I love about using oils is that they mellow with age, so that they look even more like wood. Just a personal bais. Again, try it on a styrene sheet before committing it to the model.

Steve