A lot of creators jumped on the 'I try dirty down rust/verdigree/moss for the first time's
Bit none of them have done a 'I've perfected using this stuff' video. Eugh.
They won’t do - it’s not a popular thing any more and it’s also nigh on impossible to perfect!!
My first encounter with this stuff was on set many years ago now and the costume lady was using a spray version to - funnily enough - dirty down costumes. Beauty of that is that it’s washable so can actually be removed from costumes or props, though in some rare cases staining can occur.
The more liquid stuff we’ve got comes from that but it’s designed for full size props, 1:1 scale, so to speak. Putting it on tiny miniatures makes the scale wrong and often it looks less like 28-32mm scale rust on a sword or something and more like you’ve just used a rusty metal thing as a sword.
It’s also got to be shaken to the extreme, and both the pot and the destination is supposed to be warmed beforehand to get the correct reaction. The surface shouldn’t be porous either otherwise it’ll soak in and will just not react at all*.
Its also unable to be wet else it’ll come off or you’ll get a weird reaction which ruins the initial effect. There is also the possibility that you get no effect at all and just end up slapping an orange/blue/green ink-like substance all over your model and it looks awful. At least you can wash it off though.
Best I’ve seen so far is people attempting to exploit the weird reaction you get with water by slapping it on neat and then slapping a wet brush over it. That’s not how it’s supposed to work though.
But of course they get a video out of it by calling it a “hack”.
So all in all… I’m not sure how it got into the miniature hobby? I think people were using the sprays to weather scenery a long time ago and somehow it was thought that the product could be marketed direct to modellers.
In the end - it can work on big enough surfaces, like some large scenic pieces, where the effect becomes plausible. Though I still think for most you’d be better off learning how to simulate the effect you’re after using conventional paints.
There is a reason after all that top painters learnt Non-Metallic Metal (a 2D painters technique to simulate light reflection on metallic surfaces) rather than just slapping some chrome paint on!
Scale of effect!!!
*the spray just dirtied the surface. This hobby stuff is supposed to react when drying to simulate something - it’s not supposed to be on porous surfaces.
Our Products: Ageing Sprays for breaking down costumes and props, making them look dirty and old. Used by film, television and theatre since 1985. Also used in cosplay for dirtying costumes – see a Captain Jack Sparrow costume here. Frost & Snow Spray is a realistic snow effect in a spray can...
dirtydown.co.uk
