Ok everyone after a mildly long delay here it is at last, my guide for realistic (or at least I think so) weathering.
Now I know some people cringe when they here the word "drybrush" but for me that truly is the best technique for what I'm about to show you. My weathering technique can be applied to any colors but for these examples I'm sticking to Bestail Brown and Graveyard Earth for a wet/muddy and dry/dusty look respectively.
The way I organize weathering is in 2 catergories that are not mutually exclusive.
1) Light, Medium or Heavy for the density of the dirtyness
and
2) Dusty, Dry, Wet, and Splattered for the type of dirtyness that is going on.
Techniques used:
Stippling and Drybrushing
Stippling is using a frayed brush by dabbing to get splotches of color to get a splattered look while Drybrushing is applying a light dry layer of paint to simulate dirt and dust.
The objective of weathering in my opinion is to be as realistic as possible in telling a story about what your model has been through. Dynamic weathering can really add alot of character to line infantry and is pretty quick and easy to do.
While most weathering occurs on the legs and boots dont forget that unless you're a Space Marine, chances are you've fallen down, taken cover, crawled, dove, rolled, layed down, jumped in a puddle, etc. on any battlefield of the 41st millenium. So think about what you're soldier has probably been through and dont be afraid to put some mud on his helmet if you say its fallen off or his elbows b/c he just crawled through fire etc. Weathering can be a great way to effectively give even stoic models the sense of being alive.
Step 1:
Paint the models and find a drybrush. Light, Dry, and Dusty I use a citidel small drybrush with either color depending on what I'm doing. For a medium, heavy, wet or splattered look I use a really frayed and beat up old drybrush.
Ex:
Step 2:
Put on your first color, I usually use my 'wetter' color, in this case Bestial Brown to define where I think dirty ares will be.
Ex:
Step 3:
Apply the second color. I usually do the dryer color after the wetter color for some reason and in this case is Graveyard Earth. Go over the areas you put your first color on using a lighter drybrush to sort of "dust" the muddy areas.
Ex:
These are the 3 basic steps for weathering but can acheive different effects by mixing and matching the 2 categories I've identified earlier.
*Notice in all of these examples how the weathering is not just confined to the usuall areas. I've done the Elbows, knees and up the front of the coat.*
Here are some Examples of each:
Stippling/Splattering:
Medium Drybrush:
Heavy Drybrush:
Medium/Heavy w/ Splatter:
Any questions or comments just ask, hope this is helpful to all,
BvL