Miniature Buildings

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Weathering

The art of growing old gracefully.  

At some point in the life and work of most modellers they reach the point when they want their brand new model to look old and used.  Knocked about a bit, softened at the edges, realistically grubby and lived in. The urge to get away from showroom finish is probably most pronounced in military modellers and common among railway modellers.  My impression is that this desire for realism is becoming a developing trend among building modellers outside these genres as well.    In Weathering for Railway Modellers: Volume 2 - Buildings, Scenery and the Lineside the author George Dent begins by saying that " 'Weathering' is an odd term [that] does not quite do justice to the art of improving realism". I have to confess that this is a book I have only, so far, seen in preview but it is now on my Christmas list.

The weathering on this cottage (the real thing, not a model!) is low key and would need a particularly gentle touch when modelling it .  Note the central panel of brickwork.  The bricks are the same mix of colours as in other panels but repointing has changed the overall impression of colour.  Note also the irregularity of the tile lines - uneven but not jagged. This characteristic could easily be overdone.

Elements of Weathering.

Weathering is not simply the application of a grubby or lightening wash over pristine paintwork.  Or in George Dent's words "It's the vagueness of the term that I object to, especially when I hear folks using it to describe plastering black paint over a highly detailed model". It has multiple aspects:

    §  A softening and dulling of colours - faded paint, aged brickwork and bleached timber

Bizarely, this image features on a decorative mat for a kitchen offered by a firm called Lunarable.

    §  Accumulated dirt and grime, both on the surface and around the base of walls.

Creating and painting a miniature version of this wall and footpath would be a true challenge for any modeller.  Lots of colour variation in the muted tones and some thin and subtle foliage.

 

    §  Water staining

A good illustration of how water, rust or other staining often takes a triangular shape.  Sometimes real life looks too extreme.The paradox is that if you made a model of this prototype, people would probably say the weathering was overdone!

    §  Chips, dents and cracks

    §  Partial collapse of structures, sagging roofs, broken windows

Or all of the above!

    §  Bits and pieces nailed onto the structure, graffiti, signs and other extras.

'Ghost' advertising signs have a big following on the web.

    §  Repairs and alterations

Not strictly weathering, but closely linked to it, is evidence of alterations and repairs over the years - patches of slightly different brickwork or repointing,  replaced or filled in windows and doors, lines showing where outhouses etc have been removed.

    §  At ground level

Chips, lumps, cracks and staining are a particular issue at ground level, where a building joins its surroundings. As this picture shows. This sort of thing can be difficult to reproduce in N scale or 1/87 but if you are modelling in one of the larger scales this sort of detail can be clearly visible from the sort of distance onlookers observe models.

An associated issue, where many building models let themselves down, is that buildings need to be bedded into the landscape they are part of.  I notice this most on model railway layouts where many otherwise good structures are clearly built on a flat base plate and then sat down on top of an existing surface.  An often recommended fix for this is to construct a building with sections of wall extending below the final ground level,  placing the structure into a hole on the baseboard and then backfilling the ground surface around the outside walls.  Many of the examples in this article also show how important the ground and materials around the base of the building are in giving a realistic effect. 

    §  Not everything is flat

Unless you are from areas such as the Netherlands or East Anglia a surprising number of real buildings are built on some sort of slope - even if this is only a foot or two from one side or from back to front.  Allowing for this, or something more dramatic, can add plenty of detail interest - both at the top and the bottom of the model.

Very effective use of a slight gradient in Roger Beckwith's 'Wrenton' model

    §  Postscript

One final picture, from the preview of George Dent's book, just to reinforce what a big task we set ourselves when we try to mimic real life.  He has plenty of other stunning examples.

How to do it?

Weathering is not an art I have personally mastered and what follows is a jackdaw-like gathering of real life examples and bits and pieces from the work of others - the work of experts in the field.

But be warned. You may become so depressed by their expertise that you will feel the urge to hang up your brushes and craft knife and go and find another hobby.  The best work in this field is quite stunning and is as much help to most of us as the Sistine chapel is to the beginner water-colourist.

Simply splashing dollops of mud on a pristine building will not cut it.  Just like the art of make-up we are generally looking for a subtle and natural effect.   Weathering can be overdone and become a caricature.

As I said, I have no particular skills to pass on to you. I'm a complete beginner trying to pick up tips from wherever I can. As I find things I will share them with you.

There seem to be two main classes. The first is structural.  Some elements of a weathered building have to be modelled as a miniature is constructed.  Sagging roofs are a good example.  Or boarded up windows.  Constructing old and derelict buildings in model form is probably an article for another occasion.

The second is decorative; after constructing the building it needs to be painted in some way and have extra surface treatments added.  Fading, water stains and graffiti clearly come in this category.  But cracks in brickwork, or rot at the bottom of doors, or debris at the foot of a wall?  Sometimes they will be built but it seems they are often added at the end. It is this decorative work that is commonly described as weathering in a modelling context.

Washes and powders

The most common technique for a weathered look and the first step in more complex weathering exercises seems to be applying a wash or weathering powder to a surface that has already been painted to show a clean and new looking building. Or to a model purchased in a finished form.

The world of Zombie apocalypse urban gaming does not often feature in my articles but you might like to take a look at this YouTube video from a guy calling himself the Terrain Tutor. His explanation of how he weathered a building to the point of dereliction (and fit for zombies to march around) is clear and full of practical tips, even if his presentational style takes a little getting used to.

His key tip about washes, at least for me, is that before actually putting the thin wash paint onto the model he first wets the whole surface with plain water so the wash flows freely rather than sticking.

The building he is working on came from Derbyshire based Sarissa Precision Ltd. I've not previously come across them but they produce a huge and varied range of buildings and terrain for wargamers, mostly in 28mm but also in 40mm, 20mm and 15mm scales. The range is truly enormous. I had not realised the wargames market was so big. The models, made from laser cut MDF, come unpainted in kit form and there are specialists like Gary Peach, trading as March Attack who will paint and make them for you.

Four very different 28mm buildings from Sarissa Precision Ltd
A cricket pavilion, an American church, a Roman forum and a pissoir. A welcome change from cottages, Georgian rectories and terraced houses.

Anyway, I digress.   For my first serious attempt at producing something weathered I tried my hand at a retaining wall on a table layout I am currently building for Brio type trains.   Fun for me and fun for the grandchildren.  Not that a five year old will really appreciate subtly painted brick walls.   If nothing else it avoided the risk of ruining a more substantial building.

I found the Terrain Tutor's tip about wetting the whole surface before applying the wash to be very useful.  But what I hadn't realised was how thin a wash need to be.   The idea, as I understand it, is that the wash flows into crevices and corners and highlights them (darkens or lightens according to the wash) while leaving the main flat surfaces largely untouched.   Though it seems that it also has the secondary effect of softening the surface tones of the bricks or planks or stones themselves.

My muddy grey wash was however not the first piece of weathering on my wall. I had used Model Builders Supply (MBS) plastic sheet for the brickwork and it has deep lines for the pointing. Much more than just a trickle of paint or wash is needed to fll the gaps between the bricks. I had begun the painting with an all over coat of my favourite primer - Rustin's red oxide, . It gives a good solid and even coat in a useful deep redbrick colour. It dries properly matt and, on bigger surfaces sands nicely to a smooth surface.

I then pointed it.   In MBS's own how-to video they use 'spackle'. Although it began as a trademarked product it seems now seems to be used on the other side of the pond just as a generic term where I would say 'filler'.   Again, DIY products, not a specialist modelling product. I used what is now with what is currently one of my favourite fillers.  It is sold as wood filler rather than a filler for plaster walls.   Which means it is tougher and holds its shape better when sanded to a lovely smooth and hard surface.

Just like the MBS lady I didn't try to do it neatly but just smeared it on all over.  She did it with her hands on a plain sheet before construction but I had to use a small spatula as my low wall was already made and in place.

And then I wiped the surface with a damp sponge. Which acted just like a wash on the brick surface.   Not only did it soften the colour it made it even 'matter'; slightly rough even and made the colour irregular. The wash itself then had something to cling to and darkened the natural yellow colour of the filler, which absorbed much more wash than the painted surfaces.  The MBS lady had added a little bit of paint to her white spackle but I hadn't needed that step. Next time around I am going to try thinnng the filler just a little bit and being a bit more careful.   I did end with rather too much pointing on the surface rather than in the cracks - which had then to be gently scraped off the tough red oxide surface.   (Just like some of my full sized attempts at grouting!)   It's never going to win any awards but as a first attempt I'm pleased. Once all this was done I then picked out a few of the bricks by hand with some variants on the basic brick colour.

I had used a water based paint - from a tester pot of emulsion from the DIY store - for my wash. Cheap and easy to dilute.  But there are alternatives. The pictures, above, of the work of Al Sohl (the hotel with rubbish at the base of the wall) came from weatheringdoctor.com, but that site now seems to have disappeared.  In an article on that site Al described how he used a "weathering brew" made from black or brown shoe dye mixed with rubbing alcohol.  It looks as if the weathering doctor was a predecessor to the (very) commercial site called . Like Al's homebrew, their products are alchohol based. I haven't tried them yet but I did read a warning about being very careful about which types of paint to use them on top of!

I mentioned earlier Gary of March Attack because I really like his guide on how to paint in a weathered style. At the risk of being repetitive can I also mention one more time George Dent's book on the subject which goes into great detail on materials and methods.

I said earlier that this article was a bit random, with bits and pieces picked up from here and there.   This piece was one I spotted at the excellent, but discontinued, Brighton ModelWorld exhibition several few years ago.  My first assumption was that it was an interesting piece of scratch-building but I now think it might have been a commercial piece.  There may be buildings in this state of decay but on reflection the damage to the timber cladding seems an bit overdone for a building still in use.

One other site you might like to look at is www.gatewaynmra.org/structure.htm where you will find an article on the Basics of Building Plastic Structures by Richard Schumacher and Venita Lake, which includes advice on weathering as part of the construction process. While  Googling may not always deliver what you are looking for,  the search combination of the  words model, weathering, house and structure will lead you to a wealth of useful sources.

From cradle to grave

Just as a postscript, do remember that buildings do not start weathered, they go through all the stages of life from construction through new via weathered to ruined. 

Lots more modelling is required for something only part constructed

Quite possibly a much more interesting subject than many finished buildings

Brand new and shiny -by Miller Homes at Admirals Wood. Not everything is stained and grimy.

A ruined barn by Michael Tucker. The Michael Tucker who started the BBC models unit?

Finally,a couple of links to You Tube how-to videos you might find interesting : 'The terrain tutor' and Luke Cowan. Once you start searching there is loads of such stuff.

Which is all I  have to offer on the subject for now.  If an expanded article full of hints and tips is something you could write, or if you have an example you would like to show to the world, please do e-mail Miniature Buildings  and we can include your work in Miniature Buildings.  . Or if you have any other comments, criticisms, errors to report and so forth.

David Brush updated October 2022