P0rtal's Paintjob On Spase's Helm. Looks Realistic!

[rowan]

Well, there's no doubt painting my helmet has been the hardest ordeal so far. I finally managed to find a good weathering method (thanks to some tips from bishopx).

After many failed attempts at color matching, I got some American accents oregano (which was a pain to find...).
I tried the Adam method of spraying black primer on and wiping it off, but it didn't work... (if anyone has any tips on this method, please tell)
So i followed the advice of BishopX and got some water based paint (he suggested latex, but they only had it in white) in a few different colors (black and yellow). I wish i had some pics of me applying the washes, its was messy and fun
I had considered using the same method but with citadel washes, which would have been incredibly expensive.... And i think this gave a nicer result.

I started by applying the yellow (from a spray bottle, to make it even). I wanted to get the golden yellow look of the 1st halo 3 trailer, and it worked! I had to wipe some of it off before it completely dried, ill make a video of the method when i get something else to paint. I then did the same with black.

As you will be able to see from the pics it looks pretty realistic! I am yet to apply the battle damage (silver), but it came out pretty well on my hand plate!
The yellow give its some tiny little spots where it looks like the green paint it turning yellow, sort of a rust effect, which i think looks great!
I should have the helmet completely finished on Monday. I had to re-glue the visors together... I've also finished the electronics! (no pics of them working sorry, those will come later)

 

[BlacRoseImmortal]

FTW!

Go Rowan, it's yer birthday, wez gona party liek it's yer birthday *starts jammin*

 

[Skullcandy Girl]

Looks AWESOME POrtalman Those Legendary doods know their shiz and then some! They suggested the weatheirng on my armor too

 

[tlither]

Looking really good Rowan! Excellent job.

 

[BlacRoseImmortal]

LOL! I just noticed that from the Index Board your thread's name is "P0rtal's Paintjob on Spase" XD

 

[Walter Spase]

LOL! I just noticed that from the Index Board your thread's name is "P0rtal's Paintjob on Spase" XD

You painted me What?..

From someone who opinion is not impartial, I like what you have done... looks great.

 

[Sean Bradley]

Looks like you're on the right track, it looks pretty good.

One suggestion though, it may be a little too subtle to show up in most photos. Remember that when people take pics of your costume, that they're not always going to be close enough to see subtle details like that. Just turn up the intensity a bit, and I think you have it nailed.

Good Job!


***EDIT: The trick to the Adam method is to let your base coat dry for at least 6-8 hours before applying the dark gray primer and wiping it. If you don't wait at least that long, you'll end up wiping away the oregano with the primer.

 

[rowan]

You painted me What?..

From someone who opinion is not impartial, I like what you have done... looks great.

awkward....
cheers, the helmet itself is great! I find myself just picking it up and looking at it sometimes....

Looks like you're on the right track, it looks pretty good.

One suggestion though, it may be a little too subtle to show up in most photos. Remember that when people take pics of your costume, that they're not always going to be close enough to see subtle details like that. Just turn up the intensity a bit, and I think you have it nailed.

Good Job!
***EDIT: The trick to the Adam method is to let your base coat dry for at least 6-8 hours before applying the dark gray primer and wiping it. If you don't wait at least that long, you'll end up wiping away the oregano with the primer.

Hmm, i hadn't thought of that. Ill have to try taking photo's in different lights and angles etc to make sure it looks good. If not, ill do another coat of thicker black. Thanks for the tip!

I wasn't wiping any of the oregano off with the primer, the black primer seemed to dry too fast, and i couldn't get rust-oleum, so i had to use an Aussie brand, I'm assuming that's what the problem was.

Thanks everyone!

 

[DogWizard]

One suggestion though, it may be a little too subtle to show up in most photos. Remember that when people take pics of your costume, that they're not always going to be close enough to see subtle details like that. Just turn up the intensity a bit, and I think you have it nailed.

That's what I ran into with mine - I was really happy with all of the subtle details on my initial paintjob but it lost something once you got 5-6 feet away or in photographs. I kept my original as a base and just went back and "tweaked" it by going a bit darker and more pronounced on the weathering/damage. Many layers and some 0000 steel wool to blend for depth seemed to get the effect I was after. I was really happy with the Duplicolor Black Automotive primer. It's extremely fine (much finer than the Krylon or Rustoleum I tried) and does a very smooth gradient application.

I would also recommend a test piece if you are planning on using a sealant or clearcoat - even though it's "clear" it will change the way the final paint looks...

Looks Great So Far!

 

[link4044]

im loving it, i love battle damage stuff

 

[Spartan 051]

glad to see some one else used some thing different then adams green

 

[FinnishSpartan]

Looks great! The color is not in for my taste (might be because of the camera).
But, a good quality paint job!

-FSS

 

[UNSC Leatherneck]

Looks good. I agree that the wash could be darkened. Don't overdo it, though. I like well done battle damage and weathering. I find that the best weathering and battle job is the one that you don't notice. What I mean is that people don't look at the armor (or whatever it is you're making) and say: Oh, look, it's battle damaged. They simply look at it and accept it as real. Anyway, good work P0rtal.

 

[noName]

I wasn't wiping any of the oregano off with the primer, the black primer seemed to dry too fast, and i couldn't get rust-oleum, so i had to use an Aussie brand, I'm assuming that's what the problem was.

had the same problem. i tried testing it out on a piece. and i couldnt wipe away the black paint and i did it really fast.
i thought it was just me.

 

[kensai111]

Nice details, glad people are straying away from standard MC Green. Keep being original.

Cheers,
Kensai

 

[rowan]

Update!
I weathered it some more, i use a similar method, but a lot less water and i just painted the black on, then wiped it off instead of spraying it, and i must say that it looks even better
I also got around to applying the silver scratches! I need to fix it up just a little, but i should have the helmet 100% finished tonight. Although i wont be able to upload any pictures till Friday

Edit: Now 100% finished
The visor isn't aligned perfectly... but you don't notice it unless you look for it. The color is great! I'm not that happy with the scratches, but thats something ill work on with my next set of armor.
Pics on Friday.