Hello all! I am a professional painter based out of the Kansas City area, and after painting for awhile, I realized that it was time to start passing on the knowledge to a more general audience than who just bothers me for help when they see me. And to be totally honest, when I get specific questions, the most common one is how to create a weathered look on miniatures. You know, rust, tarnish, scrapes and such. You want to make your stuff look like it’s been through hell and won the battle, right?

So let me tell you how I do it when I’m trying to make it happen. It’s certainly not the only way, but I feel like it’s the easiest ways for just about anyone to do. And it involves making your own washes. Yes, it sounds complicated – is it really? No…and I’ll prove it, dang it!

Now here’s what you need….
A bowl or an empty paint bottle to mix in.
The paint colors I will list below or something similar.
FloAid – a paint thinner you can get at just about any hobby store – Reaper makes a good one! Just ask someone that works there to help you find it on their paint racks.
Rubbing Alcohol

Just so you all know, I am using Vallejo Game color for these directions.

To make a tarnish wash :
1 drop of Magic Blue
2 drops of Goblin Green
1 drop of Pure White
15 drops of FloAid
15 drops of water.
3 drops of rubbing alcohol
If it’s in a bowl, mix it up with a paint brush. If it’s in an empty paint dropper, cap it and shake it up!
It’s then ready to use! Just put a little out in a paint well, and apply sparingly around the joints. Should end up looking something like the picture!

Now, the rust wash!
1 drop of Beasty Brown
5 drop of water
10 drops of FloAid
1 drop of rubbing alcohol
And….GO! Mix away!
And there you go! Quick and easy ways to make a wash. Just apply over all the areas you want to look rusted or tarnished – it will sink down into the crevices and form pockets just like real rust would on a real machine.