Weathering Models

Weathering is used in miniature painting by both beginners and advanced painters, as it adds realism and helps tell the story of the model. Weathering is a term for many different techniques that add dirt, battle damage, or create a worn look to materials on your models. It is typically applied to the lowest part of the model, as it is closest to the ground, and it tends to be the dirtiest part of the model. Weathering is the last stage of the painting process, as the dirt and grime on the battlefield will accumulate on top of your miniatures' painted armour. It can be the final step that brings your army to life, showing they are midway through a long crusade that has included many hard-fought battles.

You can buy the Notts Hobbies Complete Weathering Set, which contains everything you need to weather your models, including oil washes, weathering sponges and a weathering sponge holder.

Painting Rusty Steel

Before the model is primed, Chinchilla sand is stuck with PVA glue to the areas that are the most heavily corroded. Chinchilla sand is used to create a textured surface, which will be painted later in the process. We recommend Chinchilla sand due to its fine nature, as coarser materials may create excessive texture.

Then, the Tank Trap was primed and heavily drybrushed with Leadbelcher. Any silver metal recipe is suitable, as other colours will be used to build interest later in the process, highlights were not required at this stage.

The Notts Hobbies Heavy Weathering Sponges were used to stipple Rhinox Hide onto the bottom of the Tank Trap. When using the heavy weathering sponges, the excess paint is removed from the sponge before it is applied to the model, similar to drybrushing. The Rhinox Hide is to show dried-on mud that has been built up while the Tank Trap is sat on the Battlefield.

Then, Notts Hobbies Rust Oil Wash is painted onto the Tank Trap where rust would build up and heavily around the areas of Chinchilla sand.

The areas of Chinchilla sand are lightly drybrushed with Jokaero Orange to show new rust that has formed recently.

The Notts Hobbies Light Weathering Sponges were used to sponge on  Skrag Brown around the muddy areas to show fresh mud splatters.

Finally, Runefang Steel was sponged onto selected edges of the Tank Trap using the Notts Hobbies Light Weathering Sponges. This bright silver was used to show fresh scratches, with new metal showing through due to the recent scratches.

Painting verdigris on copper

On this model, a subtler pitting effect is applied than the rust above. After the model was primed, Typus Corrosion was applied to the areas where we expected Verdigris to form, in deep and damp joints, particularly from the knees down. 

After the Thyphus Corrison had dried, Hashut Copper was overbrushed over the model, followed by a wash of Agrax Earthshade.

Notts Hobbies Verdigris Oil Wash was applied to areas where Verdigris would build up; it was used more heavily on areas where the Chinchilla sand was glued to.

As with the steel, Runefang Steel was sponged onto some edges that are likely to be scratched using the Notts Hobbies Light Weathering Sponges. Almost all of the paint was removed from the sponge before it was applied to the model, as less is more when it comes to this technique. These scratches were concentrated around the knees, elbows and shoulders.

Painting weathered concrete/stone

Before the barricades were primed, battle damage was added using a pin vice drill and a hobby knife. Several small holes were drilled using the pin vice to represent bullet holes in the barricade. The larger holes were created by drilling several small holes around the edge of the large hole, then a hobby knife was used to connect the holes. The edges were scraped with both the sharp and blunt sides of a hobby knife, to show light battle damage at the edges of the barricade.

The barricades were primed, then drybrushed and stippled with dark, mid and light grey paints to build up texture on the surface. Working from dark to light, each paint covered less of the model than the previous layer to show a battered barricade with many small divots and raised edges, we used Stormvermin Fur, Dawnstone and Administratum Grey.

On the bottom edge of the barricade, we sponged on a basing texture using the Notts Hobbies Heavy Weathering Sponges. When painting with sponges, the excess paint is removed from the sponge before it is applied to the model, similar to drybrushing. This indicates a significant accumulation of mud at the bottom of the barricade, which remains in its current position for an extended period.

The Notts Hobbies Grime Oil Wash is painted in small patches on the front of the barricade and larger patches on the underside of the barricade. We are painting on moss with the Grime Oil Wash, which grows faster in dark and damp conditions, such as the underside of the barricade, than on the front of the barricade.

Finally, recent mud splashes are stippled onto the barracide using the Notts Hobbies Light Weathering Sponge and Mournfang Brown.

Stone Chipping Space Marine Armour

Sometimes, most of a Space Marine's armour can be the same colour because it covers the entire model.  To add more visual interest, you can apply stone chipping to edges such as the shoulders, elbows, and knees, which are most likely to be chipped.

Stone chipping is a simple process that elevates your paint job to the next level. This technique is applied once you have painted the rest of the model. For this tutorial, we are using an Ultra Marine that is already painted.

For the chipping, we used Mournfang Brown and the Notts Hobbies Light Weathering Sponges. We placed some paint on our Texture Palette, then dipped the sponge into the paint and wiped most of it onto the Texture Palette. Then we sponged the paint onto the parts of the model that were most likely to be chipped.

Once this paint had dried, we then placed tiny spots of Rakarth Flesh into the Mournfang Brown chips. This adds highlights and shows that the chip has penetrated the Ceramite Plate armour.