So, I had this idea recently about possibly weathering a freight, to make it appear wet as if it’s been in the rain, how do you think I should go about this?
Gloss coat dry-brushed over flat.
Faded, weathered paint will show a darkening (deeper coloring) when wet also. You may need to “fog” weather the overall paint before using Jeff’s suggestion of applying the gloss. Practice your technique of vertical streaking/ dry brushing the glosscoat. If not satisfied, you can always return the finish with an overall “dull” coat. Don’t forget to “dirty” up the trucks, side sills and car ends to show wheel spray in the initial weathering for a more realistic appearance.
I think the big challenge is with room lighting. Gloss coat should indeed make the item look like it was glistening with rain, but with “normal” room lighting all it would look is shiny and Tycoish (to coin a word) – or at the least, that it was wet but sitting in bright sun. It would be particularly difficult to photograph realistically. Some reduction in intensity and perhaps also “color” of the room lighting would seem necessary to fully capture the effect.
I recall a magnificent model photo years ago in MR that was supposed to be shot during a rainstorm on the layout - the photographer had taken a piece of Plexiglass and etched it with sandpaper or some other abrasive to capture the look of driving rain, and shot the pic through that. It may have been tinted as well, I cannot recall or find the pic.
I wonder if those throw away plastic sheet “sunglasses” that they give you at the eye doctor’s office so you can drive home with your eyes dilated could be similarly etched, and then just hand those to all your eyeglass wearing visitors and tell them they are there during an intense rainstorm.
Dave Nelson
OH! From the title,I thought you were caught in the polar Vortex. Sorry, BILL