Wash time! Ok, gather 'round, ner vode, and behold my washing process! It's pretty messy but I really love the results.
First things first, the color palate:
In addition to black, I've got "Brown Iron Oxide", "Burnt Umber", "Brown Velvet", "Barn Red", another brown (the name which escapes me), Purple, Ultra Blue and a Silver. Now, you may ask, "Anansi, why in the world do you have Red, Purple and Blue?" The red gets mixed in with a brown to give me a second shade of rust. The purple and blue are used to simulate metal that's been heated. If you have an airbrush for this, I'd recommend it, otherwise, brushing is fine.
Of course, there are some really, really good weather tutorials on here so I won't go into the process as much. Sometimes I use less water to get something to stain more. With the purple and blue, use a 50/50 ratio to water and let each application sit for a little bit before you dab (dab, don't wipe) up the excess. Let it dry and then drop down the next color.
There's one thing I want to pass on that I think will give your weathering job just a little something extra:
You see that black "rag"? That's a paper towel that's been used to wipe away the washes; the black, the brown, everything. DO NOT THROW THIS AWAY. When you wipe an unwashed piece with this paint soaked rag, it's going to give you a mix of black wash and brown wash all in one. There's no hint of patterning at all; it's your best brush.
Ok. I went through all of this until my hands were black with paint and here are the results.
The only thing left to do is hit it all with a clear coat (flat if you can swing it). That clear really makes the colors pop. If you're concerned about the shine, hit it with a high grit sandpaper or dust it with a little dirt and there you go!
