Reference · How-tos · Stern and ornaments

Painting gold-coloured carvings

Paint white metal carvings in antique gold over a yellow base coat, so the gold covers and looks fuller, then age them with a wash and drybrushing.

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1. 1Check the coverage in a photo

   If you paint antique gold straight onto the white metal, take a photo. To the naked eye nothing was wrong, but in the photo the paint on the large carving turned out not to be covering. You only see that from a certain viewing angle.

   

   Tip from Pingu57: Poor coverage of the gold colour is only visible from a certain viewing angle. A coat of yellow paint under the gold makes the colour fuller and then it does not show.

   Watch out: I had read that somewhere before, but of course did not think of it at the crucial moment.

2. 2Scrub the carving clean

   Scrub the carving thoroughly clean, even if it already has paint on it; a failed first coat comes off easily. Start on bare, clean white metal.

   

   Tip from pietsan: The metal carvings and mouldings are best given one thin coat of primer first.

3. 3Apply a few very thin coats of yellow ochre

   Apply a few very thin coats of yellow ochre as a base. Do not try to cover in one go; two to three thin coats give the best effect. Let each coat dry.

   two to three thin coats

   Tip from pietsan: If you use the yellow ochre from Admiralty Paints, two to three thin coats give the best effect. Do not try to get it covering in one go.

   Watch out: Without primer and in thick coats the yellow ochre on the moulding looked distinctly orange. I am a little colour-blind myself, so have someone check.

4. 4Paint thin coats of antique gold

   Then apply a few thin coats of antique gold over the yellow base. Hold the carving on a block with a piece of tape, so you can turn it without touching the wet paint.

   

   

   Watch out: Too much bling did not appeal to me; hence the next step. One thin coat of gold is enough anyway; a second full coat of metallic clogs the relief. And for anyone who finds the kit's ochre too orange: historically the kit is closer to the truth. According to Boudriot (translated by ward on the forum) all carving meant to represent gold was Naples yellow, and gold on models is 'flattering but not realistic' (modelbouwforum, 'Kleurstellingen en bladgoud in de geschiedenis', 4 October 2014, forum post). We chose gold anyway, because then the whole hangs together.

5. 5Give it a subtle wash

   Apply a subtle wash so that the recesses of the carving become darker. Keep it subtle: a wash quickly becomes too heavy, and you can always add another coat.

   Tip from Pingu57: You could perhaps give the left one an extra wash.

6. 6Drybrush with antique gold

   Take an almost dry brush with a little antique gold and stroke lightly over the high points, so that only the edges light up again. That gives depth without losing the shine entirely.

   

7. 7Compare and repeat where needed

   Put the carvings side by side and compare in good light. If a piece does not please you, scrub it clean and start again; that is perfectly possible. We did that with the left-hand figure, and afterwards both matched.

   Tip from pietsan: Tape the ornament against the stern and carefully trace its outline with a hobby knife; pencil does not show on the blue. Then mask, sand lightly with 400 grit and paint the area underneath red before the ornament goes on. (modelbouwforum, 12 June 2015) (pietsan)

   Watch out: In a photo taken in poor light the colours come across very badly, especially the gold. In reality it is fortunately much nicer.

8. 8Glue only once the paint is fully hard

   Put the carving back only when the paint has fully hardened, and not with thin CA: it blooms white on paint. Use Pattex extreme repair or UHU hart on a cocktail stick, press down with a cotton bud and dab away any surplus glue at once. And make sure the ground (the red and the blue) is already painted, because afterwards you cannot get in between carvings and scrolls.

   Tip from Jan Veraart and pietsan: Thin CA on painted parts gives a white bloom (Jan Veraart, glue topic, November 2014). Piet glues painted parts and carvings with Pattex extreme repair: it does not react with paint, stays adjustable for ten minutes, but dries more slowly (in my own thread, 16 December 2018). (Jan Veraart, pietsan)

   Watch out: On the gunlocks on the barrels the drop of CA or UHU hart is still in plain view. On a gilded carving you would not forgive yourself for that.

Result

With the yellow base coat the antique gold covers and looks fuller; the wash and drybrushing take the bling off. Later the yellow mouldings were also made gold, so that mouldings and carvings form a whole.