how to preshade

[Guest life long modeler]

this is my first time trying this method can someone please tell me how much to thin the paint and what pressure to use I am using a iwata revolution and a paschae single action

my thought is the preshade should be fairly dark like a 3 to 1 paint thin mix and the color coats 2 to 4 paint mix please help

[big matt]

For what it's worth I use Tamiya's Nato Black thinned down about 50/50 or so. Nothing scientific. I spray it with my Iwata HP-CS at 20 psi or so. You could use RLM66 also. Or black. Or brown, whatever, just try not to cover it up too much with the final coat. Pre-shading works but there are a few schools of thought on it. This is just my opinion.

 

Good Luck,

 

Matt

[Pfuf]

Hi presading is just take your time and use colors Thin down the paint and when you put it on just take your time realy a big aircraft takes time here white paint to presade the dis colering and salt.

When i put on paint I all ways use my hands to get the overspray a way dry paint to let it get a silk clow.

Here some pictures how I did it.

use dirfrend shades of the color and if you use Transparente mattlack to thin down your color you can relax more not to worry the color will be to high light to hard.

[Pfuf]

This takes me hours to do waiting( compressor Red hot) just filling in the little spots the more time you take the beter it looks.

some time I do a liight overspary to town down the efects.

[Pfuf]

Here I hevse the sprayed the mark and first did the dark blue then did a bid of shading then the white.

takes some time.

 

johan

[Pfuf]

And the end result I made it durty lool

[DaveJ]

Thing that I can never quite grasp with pre-shading is why it isn't just as easy to apply the top coat and then "over-shade" the panels with a slightly lighter colour? Requires the same amount of painting skill (you're simply painting the panels rather than the lines), you can vary the effects much more, and it's a closer replication of what happens to a real aircraft. Am I missing something?

 

That's referred to as 'post-shading' and lots of people do it. Some swear by one over the other, some use both! As to the 'same amount of painting skill' I'd have to disagree though. Sloppy pre-shading can be covered with the top color (ask me how I know..) whereas post-shaded mishaps must be completely re-done.

[Av8fan]

I hope this okay

 

I have read that some modelers prefer to use dark Grey on the upper surfaces and black on the under surfaces.

 

[DaveJ]

Sloppy pre-shading can be covered with the top color

 

I see your point, but it always occurs to me that with "pre-shading" you're kinda obliged to rely on it to be just right as once you spray over it you're stuck with it, whereas "post shading" gives you the option of adjusting your efforts to your taste. I guess it depends how good/reliable your "pre-shading" technique is. Maybe I'm not quite so confident and I'm more inclined to get the right overall finish first and then start worrying about weathering it, rather than vice versa!

 

You're probably right. At least, you are unless you're as ham-fisted as I tend to be any time I try to spray in a straight line!

[RandyB]

I hope this okay

 

I have read that some modelers prefer to use dark Grey on the upper surfaces and black on the under surfaces.

 

 

Alright, so I go and check out the video - and it's pretty good. The camera does have a tough time picking out the detail he is trying to show... but, the narration does a good job of explaining what's going on. Anyway, I also notice that Phil has a bunch of other videos on YouTube as well. So, I end up watching them all - and going and buying one bottle of each color of the wash!

 

We'll just see how easy it is when this old ham-fisted modeler gets ahold of them...

 

 

Sloppy pre-shading can be covered with the top color

 

I see your point, but it always occurs to me that with "pre-shading" you're kinda obliged to rely on it to be just right as once you spray over it you're stuck with it, whereas "post shading" gives you the option of adjusting your efforts to your taste. I guess it depends how good/reliable your "pre-shading" technique is. Maybe I'm not quite so confident and I'm more inclined to get the right overall finish first and then start worrying about weathering it, rather than vice versa!

 

Well, with pre-shading you are dependent on the density of the top coat. Apply too much, which is usually my problem, and you won't see the pre-shading - so why even apply it. If you apply too little, then you can always go back and apply a bit more. However, nothing prevents you from using both methods. Andrew Dextras uses his own method called "Dual Diffusion" that utilizes both pre- and post-shading. He also sprays the top coat as a dense "mottle" on the surface of the model. Then he sprays a lightened version of the base color in random patterns.

 

This allows you to get 1) paint density differences along the surface of the model and 2) tonal differences in any localized section of the surface. Both of which result in something that closely resembles how the paint on the real thing would fade. After all of that, you would go and post-shade and weather with washes, pastels, etc.

[DaveJ]

So, I end up watching them all - and going and buying one bottle of each color of the wash!

 

We'll just see how easy it is when this old ham-fisted modeler gets ahold of them...

 

You'll positively love them! They're idiot-proof. And I can say that, being an idiot and all...

[LSP_Kevin]

Sloppy pre-shading can be covered with the top color

 

I see your point, but it always occurs to me that with "pre-shading" you're kinda obliged to rely on it to be just right as once you spray over it you're stuck with it, whereas "post shading" gives you the option of adjusting your efforts to your taste. I guess it depends how good/reliable your "pre-shading" technique is. Maybe I'm not quite so confident and I'm more inclined to get the right overall finish first and then start worrying about weathering it, rather than vice versa!

 

This is an interesting point, because my approach to applying camo after pre-shading is similar to how you would post-shade a completed camo job anyway. In other words, I'm kind of post-shading the pre-shading with the camo colour, if that makes sense. Lately though, I've been experimenting more with the technique mentioned by Randy, where you pre-shade the entire model with a dark colour, before building up various shades of the camo colours to create a highly dynamic finish. In capable hands the results are stunning, and much more effective than simple pre-shading. It's also much more difficult, and time-consuming, to do. But it does deal with the one main issue I have with pre-shading, which is the inevitable patchwork effect you end up with. When taken to extremes, it can look rather silly.

 

Kev