How to highlight a white paint job???

[Marco Scheloske]

Hi fellows,

every now and then I build a model that should be plain white.

Well, not so hard. BUT if this white model has also fine details on it that should be highlighted with drybrushing, how can you do that???

Usually I try to use a vey light grey for the basecoat instead of real white then, but there are subjects that won`t look correct that way.

How can those, the ones that must be real white, be highlighted? Any idea??

[Kylwell]

The only way I know of is to paint with a very light neutral gray and bring out the details with a pure white and pale gray wash. Otherwise the only way is to simply try for a wash and forget about the dry brush.

[rpauly]

You might try highlighting with a very pale blue...

[Mark Yungblut]

I guess my first qestion would have to be is this harware, or a natural subject, or is it an animal ? all of those are handled in a different way. Then I have to ask what is the situatiuon? is it in a specific enviroment? For instance if near dirt/ earth you would want to introduce a warm undertone and/ or bring the ground work up into the subject.

In general terms you would want to underpaint with cooler tones on hardware and warmer on "soft" subject. The key to either is resurving the brighted shade of white for your highlight areas.

Cheers,

Mark

[Marco Scheloske]

The only way I know of is to paint with a very light neutral gray and bring out the details with a pure white and pale gray wash. Otherwise the only way is to simply try for a wash and forget about the dry brush.

Ok, that`s what I do in such situations. I`ll build a SATURN V for a customer in the beginning of next year, that`s why I asked now - the scale is 1:96, so I guess I have to use pure white on her. It would not look correct in light grey.

[starmanmm]

Tamiya smoke?

[TER-OR]

The ink in Future technique works well, you can make it as light as needed. And yes, go with a very light gray not white, then you can shade with the white. Use Payne's Gray lightened as your wash, not black. I like using Payne's Gray watercolor in an aqueous wash, but make sure you have a very hard glosscoat or the watercolor may intrude on your paint.

[Mark Yungblut]

Another trick for what Ter suggests is to add a drop or two of dish soap to your mix water. This will act as a surfactant (wetting agent) and allow for greater and finer flow in the detailed areas. As a side note, I add a surfactant of some type to all of my water based paints when brush painting. This is either in the form of alcohol (model acrylics) or soap and water.


Additionally, if you use water colors or oils (my preference) you can clean up the area with an artists kneadable eraser.

Either way I would go with the really complete coat of gloss prior to shading and make sure to give it at least 48 hours to dry and cure completely.

Cheers,

Mark

[Shinnentai]

I was thinking specularity tricks. On an all white subject, start with an overall flat clearcoat, then drybrush clear satin or gloss on the highlights. That way the whole thing is the same white, but the light appears to catch more on the highlight areas.

[Antenociti]

professional figure painters almost always go from a grey up to a white top coat - which gives the appearence of white even though its actually very light greygray.

for good blending (with acrylics) use Liquitex Slo-Dri Blending medium - it has retarder, matte medium and flow-aid in it... although perosnally i mix my own up from the 3 medium types and go for a heavier mix of retarder..

something like 1:1:8 (matte medium, flow aid, retarder).


An alternative is to back-shade all the panel edges using a very light grey around the edges of the white, or the MIG Neutral wash (which can be perfectly controlled over an acrylic paint by removal using the MIG thinners).

Finally you can go from a matte white to a pearlescent or metallic white - this highlights the more reflective to coat (metallic) which makes it look brighter giving you some depth to the colour.

[Lord Darth Beavis]

Marco--

Have you thought about drybrushing with a mix of white and chrome silver? Not sure how it would work, though.

Has anybody thought about using Titanium White drybrush over a basecoat of white mixed with a couple drops of blue? I used that as a base on a Crown Vic police car, and it never yellowed, as white is prone to doing.

[Lord Darth Beavis]

Marco--

Have you thought about drybrushing with a mix of white and chrome silver? Not sure how it would work, though.

Has anybody thought about using Titanium White drybrush over a basecoat of white mixed with a couple drops of blue? I used that as a base on a Crown Vic police car, and it never yellowed, as white is prone to doing.

[CaptBillD]

Oops, let me try that again:

[CaptBillD]

Hmmm, mixing white with silver makes a livelier gray, not a brighter, more reflective white.

Remember scale theory- A Saturn V rocket at 1/96 isn't going to look stark white just like the real thing will look less intense from 64 yards away compared to a white card in front of your face. 25-30% grayer would be appropriate.

Nothing wrong with "hazing" down your base coat w/ a percentage of camouflage gray, washing in shadows with the lightened Payne's Gray, and highlighting with the pure white. A drop or two of French Blue in each mix is an excellent way to avoid yellowing with time, as well as tinting your shadows for a more naturalistic rather than monochrome look.

A 2-5% weathering "filter" of a grime color mixed with turpentine wet brushed over the entire base coat before drybrushing will tint it further, giving some realistic variaton. Filters go on over Flat or Satin basecoats to avoid pooling like a wash.

Even in space, white appears gray without light diffraction and scattering, so don't think a white prototype HAS to be painted a pure white basecoat- It's only whitiISH from any real distance. Save the purest hue for your highlights.

And if it's fueled and ready to launch-diorama-like, I'd even coat a little heavier in Clear Dullcote (maybe mix in a touch of blued Flat White) for iced areas and would consider C/A'ed cotton wisps for vapor.

The Black needs to be scaled as well, with 25-30% Lt. Brown (edit) [Gloss White is for camo or gray colors] added to gray it some. I wouldn't worry about decal hues (red), but a mist overspray of the base color thinned down- I'd test that technique on scrap untill it looked perfect- will scale the markings as well.

A Saturn V on the pad should be modeled like any aircraft or armor model. Based on the conditions the real article experienced- environment, atmosphere and lighting.

[b5ranger99]

I have heard of adding a couple drops of blue to the white to make it whiter.
Not that I understand how this works but it does.

Just my 2 ducats.

[CaptBillD]

I have heard of adding a couple drops of blue to the white to make it whiter. Not that I understand how this works but it does.

As mentioned above, it only seems whiter in contrast, as it makes the white a "cooler" shade, and prevents yellowing from age/oxidation.

CORRECTION!!: (And I'll fix the above post of mine) Scaling down Black isn't done with white, like other camo or gray colors, but with LIGHT BROWN. I wasn't thinking and it was late .

[Marco Scheloske]

Scaling down Black isn't done with white, like other camo or gray colors, but with LIGHT BROWN. I wasn't thinking and it was late .

I heard once you should use PINK to do so, and it was meant serious. I never tried that...

[CaptBillD]

Me either, but I could see how the warm tone of the red pigment and the graying from the white might have the desired effect.