SPA Modeler

I've been wanting to try black basing myself I'll be watching how your doing this.

Floki wrote:I've been wanting to try black basing myself I'll be watching how your doing this.

This time, I’m really going to be thinning the top color down quite a bit. At least a 3 parts thinner to 1 part paint ratio.

A 17 pounder is about what in mm? 75 or 80? I just love big gun fun. Keep at it Carlos.

mostrich wrote:Very nice, Kari! That cover makes you want to dive in immediately.

Thanks Torben, it does indeed! :-)

Stikpusher wrote:Kari, that looks like a book that I’d love to read. That is one of those battles that fascinates me, and I like to read whatever that I find on the subject. I would love to visit there one day.

Me too, and I expect to read new details of the battles, that Antony Beevor has digged out.
I think time for me to watch "A bridge too far" again!

- Kari

Paul wrote:A 17 pounder is about what in mm? 75 or 80? I just love big gun fun. Keep at it Carlos.

It’s a 3” gun, 76.2mm. But it has a larger charge behind it compared to the US or Soviet 3” and 76.2mm guns. It’s rougly equivalent to the German 75mm L/70 Kwk.

KSaarni wrote:

Stikpusher wrote:Kari, that looks like a book that I’d love to read. That is one of those battles that fascinates me, and I like to read whatever that I find on the subject. I would love to visit there one day.

Me too, and I expect to read new details of the battles, that Antony Beevor has digged out.
I think time for me to watch "A bridge too far" again!

- Kari

I do my annual viewing in September.

Stikpusher wrote:Thanks Kenny. This will be interesting. I am still trying to get the hang of this black basing thing. We had a good demo on the techniqueat AMPS a couple weeks ago, so that is still fairly fresh in my mind right now.

The Samyaksambodhi of Black Basing lies in coming around to the idea that with this particular method it is optimal to paint in thin, localized layers.

These tips will help:

1. Look at your subject, meditate on it, and mentally pick out sections and subsections of it which you’d like to paint individually. Does this subsection more get dirty? Is this subsection more prone to damage? Would this subsection stay relatively clean? Meditate on those things.

2. Thin your paint as thin as you can whilst still maintaining control and keeping runs at bay.

3. Paint section by section in thin, transluscent coats, building the color up slowly:

3.1 You can “marble” coats if you like, for those areas in which you want more modulation

3.2 You can use light, misting coats for areas in which you’d like less to no modulation at all

4. Go slowly and methodically with the final blend coats so as not to screw up your hard work.

Most of those points regarding the technique were covered in the presentation. Not so much about the thinking ahead of time on area. I figure this will be another good case of learn as I go...

Oh yeah... what is that big “S” word?

Samy what?

“Samyaksambodhi is the Sanskrit word for the highest and most perfect Enlightenment.

In terms of thinking ahead, it is indeed helpful. I use the tonal variation/modulation as a means of setting up the foundation for weathering. My corsair is a good example. In looking at it, planning it out, I picked out the areas around where the fuel tank is specifically, knowing these aircraft leaked fuel. I brought to mind the reference photo as well, and mapped out how I wanted to paint that area. And when I set about painting that area, I broke it down panel by panel with marble coats, making sure come just shy of the panel lines where I wanted to oil paint the fuels leaks and grime, later on. Kind of like “pre-shading” but in-reverse. And on the flip side, I’d also designated areas which I wanted to look newer or touched up. For those, I intentionally painted in such a way as there would be less modulation.

It is important in my creative process to use such visualization beforehand, when I do Black Basing specifically because I use it for depth and weathering

Well, towed AT guns get towed and emplaced into all the areas that the infantry goes... dirt, and mud, so the exterior will take a good bit of abuse. I imagine that prior to movement, they will get covers put over the muzzle and breech to keep those areas free of all the road gunk thrown up between point A and point B, so I can have fun with this... the follow up weathering will tone it all down I’m sure...