The "Muddy" Look

falconeyed · Post by **falconeyed** » Sat Oct 16, 2004 1:40 pm

Here's a pretty quick question ... how do you go about making your players look a little muddy? This, oddly enough, was the first thought I had when I woke up this morning. I was thinking of something like a very light brown wash on certain parts of the mini, to make it look as if he'd been playing in slightly muddy conditions.

Brown ink? Extremely watered down regular paint? I'm imagining essentially a quasi-translucent effect ... being able to see the colors and detail under the mud, but giving the effect that the mud or muddy water was there.

Any advice from anyone is appreciated.

Duke Jan · Post by **Duke Jan** » Sat Oct 16, 2004 1:54 pm

No advise on the painting, but am wondering what Freud would make of your first thought in the morning.

madrobot · Post by **madrobot** » Sat Oct 16, 2004 9:06 pm

I would suggest using a textured paint if possible, to give it a chunky/gritty look as if there were bits of mud stuck to the players (as oppossed to just a wash wich will look like the player fell in some brown water). If you can't find suitable textured paint, then I would suggest mixing in acrylic retarding medium and very fine sand or other gritty substance with the paint color you want to use. The retarding medium will give the paint a rather goopy and sticky quality and should help the sand adhere to the paint. Then add water to create a wash and give it a go. I would also suggest trying it out on a model that has not been painted yet, just primed, to guage it's effecteveness. Also note that with the retarding medium mixed in the paint, drying time will be increased.

P.S. I know, this isn't how I planned my first post to be either....

Post by **Dave** » Sun Oct 17, 2004 12:16 am

just a simple drybrush (brown obviously) should do the trick

Laxon Hrull · Post by **Laxon Hrull** » Sun Oct 17, 2004 8:07 am

Adding a little orange to the brown can be quite effective too.

sturmjarl · Post by **sturmjarl** » Sun Oct 17, 2004 8:10 am

I think the previous suggestions of textured paint or drybrush would work. I would also suggest possibly the "splatter" method usually used for blood but should work for mud. Just get a nice stiff brush with watered down paint and flick the bristles with your index finger...shooting the splatter onto the mini. It's certainly erratic and spontaneous so be careful. I would NOT suggest a "transparent" ink wash though. I think the ink would react so differently with various colors that it would look more like a mistake and not "planned" game grime.

Count Zappa · Post by **Count Zappa** » Mon Oct 18, 2004 1:53 am

Well, since every player on my Undead team is named after Frank Zappa songs, I have one ghoul called The Mud Shark.

And he's got lots of mud on him. It went something like this: I took my brush, dabbed the tip in dark brown from the Partha paint collection and dipped the brush in water.

With the dab of brown sitting on the end of the brush and water saturating the rest of it, I applied the paint and manipulated the brush so water would mix in some spots.

The result was like streaky mud of varying consistencies.

juck101 · Post by **juck101** » Mon Oct 18, 2004 7:46 am

no offense aimed at anyone... but i tend to hate broken armour and splattered paint work. Great idea problem is you have to paint like a pro to even get close. Sorry these idea tend too look poor 999 in a 1000.

However i am the sort that tries...
so why not go slighty mad and achieve it like many people base? paint figure as normal and apply a thick varnish, when varnish 5-10 mins i drying bung on a few flecks of dirt/textured sand. I have done something similar before with herbs (dont ask). Just treat the area like graveyard dirt on a base -becuase same look overall.
goog luck