 RAIN MARKS
It is easy to find a modeller who call "rain marks"
to a wash or conversely since, until a few years ago, the
modelling vocabulary was reduced to its minimal
expression. Anything that could be done with a paintbrush
and diluted paint was commonly called wash. In this way,
we were in a serious language mistake, as at the time of
disclosing the different techniques that coud be learnt
by any modeller it appeared the obstacle of the lack of
language.. In this way, the wash was everything!!
In order to be able to create an accurrate model as like
we have it in mind, it is necessary to be as much careful
as possible to decide which techniques are going to be
used instead of anothers. The combination in greater or
minor measurement of those diverse techniques will give
us as result the most exact scale model that matches the
original idea or will take us so far away from it
irreversibly.
WHAT IS IT?
The rain marks is an technique inspired by the
atmospheric effects that act on the objects. Its
application and execution is on the contrary, as it is
the most opposed to the reality. It is, therefore, a
falsification, an imitation of that natural effect.
WHAT DOES IT SYMBOLIZE?
The powder and the dirt fallen on a vehicle or any object
in a regular way, it is dragged in vertical lines by the
action of the rain and the humidity fallen after. That
dust dragged by the water tends to dry itself and to draw
some peculiar linear shapes of different width and
opaquenesss. That is just what symbolizes the rain marks,
solely that.
Of course, the rain marks can be originated also on
horizontal surfaces, therefore it would happen to draw
some shapes again but homogeneous and circular, without
being appraised great changes in its general draw.
HOW IS IT DONE?
We can follow diverse ways to the time to executing a
rain mark. Some are more effective and some other more
difficult, but all are valid and each modeller can use
his own method. I advise you some ways that I use to
apply to my models
Acrylic rain marks: following
the rain marks table that I present you in those
illustrations, we begin from a base color, with or
without any decoloration, as this is not relevant and it
has no influence on the final result. (1).
If it is enamel based
or trupentine based filters have been applied underneath
before, we will apply a subtle, thin and almost
inapreciable Tamiya dust colour airbrush layer so this
helps to the rain marks to take hold suitably to the
surface (2).
Over that thin
airbrushed coat we begin to draw the first rain marks
lines with an medium, soft, round and pointed paintbrush,
working with a colour mixture of Tamiya Buff with a 90 %
of water. This color has the property that when still wet
it looks like transparent, but when we let it dry we will
observe how it turns lighter and opaqueness. Much CARE
WITH THIS!. It is very important to keep it very diluted
in water if we do not want to loose the previous paint
work, so it is worths to go step by step and to repeat
this process as much times as necessary (3).
Once the first
irregular rain marks undercoat of different width and
forms coat dries, we will give a second layer with the
same dissolution but triying, this time, that the new
lines that we paint do not cover the previous ones and
being superposed creating a kind of vertical grid (4).
Finally we unify the
works with a soft and thin dust, with, again, Buff color
airbrushed, as illustrated (5).
Greasy
rain marks: there is another way, if we
want to be successful and we are looking for a stumped
and smooth effect but, at the same time, more evident.
Drawing directly with enamels, we trace the colour lines
and then we will mix and stump them with a clean
paintbrush and trupentine, melting them until a smooth
effect is obtained. But letting some zones more opaque
and other more intense.
Dry rain marks: this represents
exactly just like the two previous ones but it is made
directly with pastel chalk in powder or directly from the
bar. With a medium paintbrush we catch the chalk powder
and we drag it in a lateral of the vehicle, attempting to
draw a line. We clean the paintbrush and then we try to
soften that stain tightening with the paintbrush. For
best result, the surface must be matt finished or the
chalk will not be wrapped onto the surface. The final
result is not so accurate as the previous, but remain no
doubt that it is a perfect complement as it reaches to
hidden corners or hard to cover zones where the acrylic
rain marks turns out of control.
TRICKS
It will be very important to practice before in any other
surface, since at the beginning usually you do not tend
to leave the lines perfectly rigth and perpendicular.
Once taken the trick to the paintbrush, already we can go
over the model. Monitor the painting dissolution, since
this is the key to get a real looking finish. If you do
not get the best results, you can repair it with some
dust airbrushed, splashed mud or similar effects, but do
not discouraged as it will be needed to spoil a pair of
models before to get satisfied with the results.
USE IT TO...
...Unify complex camouflages, to represent armour or
vehicles in commonly rainy areas, to be the perfect base
to larger mud or dirt effects.
BE AWARE !!
You have to be careful that your vehicle donīt looks
like a zebra. This is a complementary technique, that is
to say, that alone does not work absolutely. Neither it
is necessary that it will be very evident nor that will
be present in all the surfaces of the vehicle. And thatīs
all. Now I believe that you are late to start with a
paintbrush and to practice in in that flaming model that
take you 3 years to assembly it. With this sacrifice...modeling
Lords will be pleased. I promise you.
MIG - 1999
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