Critique at a con changed how I weather armor

A few months back at a local anime convention in Cleveland, someone who does prop work for theater told me my armor looked too "clean" for a post-apocalyptic character. They pointed out that dirt and wear should collect in the low spots and edges, not just be a random brown wash slapped on top. I realized I had been rushing through weathering, just dry brushing whatever color felt right without thinking about how real grime settles. Now I take way more time to study reference photos of rusted metal and old machinery before I even pick up a brush. I also started using a mix of cheap craft paints and cheap matte spray sealer to layer in grime and scratches slowly. My last build came out looking way more realistic and honestly cost me like $3 extra in supplies. Has anyone else had a stranger's random advice totally change their build process?

3 comments

3 Comments

rivera.keith10d ago

Oh man, that Cleveland con advice hits close to home. I once spent two hours dry brushing a single pauldron with like five different shades of brown and silver, thinking I was a genius. When I showed it to my buddy he just stared at it and said "why does your post-apocalyptic warlord look like a showroom floor model?" I still cringe thinking about it. But yeah, that con critic was totally right about grime settling in low spots - now I actually poke around old rusty dumpsters near my apartment for reference photos. Sad but true.

benbrown10d ago

Wait, you actually took PHOTOS of dumpsters for reference? That's DEDICATION, @rivera.keith.

lilyfisher10d ago

Respectfully gotta disagree @benbrown. Sometimes shiny warlords just look cool, that's its own vibe.