Mountain Village Part 2: Weathering Wood with Brush Pens
Mountain Village · Part 2 of 2
With the roofs finished, it’s time to weather the wood. Water-based brush pens let me put the colour where I want it, then soften it with a damp brush.
This is a different take on dry-brushing and colour washes. I use it for the full weathering treatment shown here, or as an undertint before dry-brushing over the top.
Choose water-based brush pens
Brush pens have a soft, brush-shaped nib and come in a wide range of colours. You can draw straight onto the building, which gives you more control over where the colour goes than a wash alone.
I used Ecoline water-based pens for this guide. The next stages show how I soften the marks with water on a painted surface.
Start with a thin matt coat
Give the building a thin coat of matt paint. That can be spray paint, or a rough dry-brush of emulsion or acrylic.
I go over a sprayed base with acrylic to add a little texture, as the spray can leave a very flat surface.
Draw in the weathering
It sounds odd, but that’s what you do. Roughly mark the areas where you want shade, staining and weathering. For these buildings I used brown, orange and green.
Soften the marks with water
Let the marks dry, then work over them with a damp brush. You don’t need much water: just enough to soften the colour and feather it across the surface. Different brush sizes and shapes help you work around the details.
It takes a little getting used to. The process feels more like watercolour painting than an ink wash. A light matt seal between stages lets you build up the effect in layers.
Pick out the beams and planks
Once the weathering is how you want it, give it a light coat of matt sealer. I then add a little more shading to the beams and planks. This is where the pens are useful for getting colour exactly where you want it.
Paint the infill panels
These buildings are timber framed with infill panels. I use a simple three-colour method for the panels, starting with olive brown, then beige and finally a bone-coloured wash.
Keep the beige coat thin. Add water to the brush so the edges feather and the base colour comes through. Thin the bone colour too, letting it feather and pool. This gives the plaster and limewash a faded, washed look.
The pens have a place here as well. I use a mid-grey around some of the edges and soften it with water to vary the surface.
Add a final dust coat
I lightly dry-brush the building with light grey. It blends the layers and brings out the texture. Around the foundations I use a light dry-brush of olive brown and bone.
Bring the building down to the ground
Give the building a matt seal before adding any further washes, so the water doesn’t disturb the brush-pen colours.
There’s still a place for an ink or mud wash. A little around the joint between the walls and base helps the building sit in its surroundings. Add some grass or grit there too.
Equipment and materials used
These are the paints and pens I used for this build.
Base coat and wash
- Humbrol Acrylic Spray: Sea Grey 27
- Citadel Shade: Seraphim Sepia
Acrylics
- Revell matt Olive Brown (361-86)
- Revell matt Beige (361-89)
- Revell matt Light Grey (361-76)
- Citadel Layer: Ushabti Bone
Ecoline brush pens
- Black (700)
- Deep Sepia (440)
- Light Orange (236)
- Bronze Green (657)
- Sepia (416)
- Yellow Ochre (227)
Keep a copy on your workbench.
Get the free Mountain Village Part 2 guide.
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