Model Boat Mayhem
Technical, Techniques, Hints, and Tips => Painting, Finishing and Care. => Topic started by: Sandy on April 10, 2012, 10:44:55 pm
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I was wondering ...
The real, full sized ship is painted colour XYZ.
The five foot model is also painted XYZ.
Is the colour perception then that the modle looks darker or lighter than the real thing?
And hence, the colour of the model lightened or darkened?
Or, is there no difference at all?
Thanks.
Sandy
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Interesting one this,colour perseption differs form one person to another,lets face it Sandy any model Will never look exactly the same as it is now simply as the paint would have faded etc so in my humble opinion it doesn't matter at all.If you are Happy with it then it doesn't matter a hoot what others think
Dave
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I remember reading in a magazine recently there is a method for determining the correct colour to use on a scale model so that it looks right compared to the real thing.
I think it was actually a model railway magazine, but I cant be sure. I head off to the loo and have a look tonight (Im pretty sure its in the mini library in the bathroom :embarrassed: )
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I've seen articles that demonstrate beyond doubt that;
1. there's a scale effect to colour, and it gets lighter/darker with increasing/decreasing scale, (perm any 1 from 4).
2. there isn't a scale effect, and the scale makes no difference to the colour.
Go figure :-))
As Dave said, if it looks right to you, then it is right :-))
Mark
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I once, many moons ago, worked at ICL. A chap in their test labs showed me a very expensive piece of colour testing equipment they'd been obliged to buy. A large client had bought a full suite of computers from them, all in matching colours. The client insisted that the screen surrounds were not the same colour as the computers themselves and were very cross. So the expensive kit was bought to prove that they were exactly the same colour. It was all down to textures and angles and perception.
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As Dave said, if it looks right to you, then it is right :-))
Mark
Unless you are like me and colourblind lol
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I typed a reply to this last night and it seems to have evaporated. :((
Oh well.
Sandy, there's a thing called aerial perspective. This isn't how you view your TX %), but how light is affected by distance.
Far away objects have reduced contrast, reduced levels of chroma, and a blue shift. Think of mountain landscapes (http://freebigpictures.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/mountain-landscape.jpg) - the further ones look washed out and tend towards the colour of the sky. This is due to the presence of air and haze particles between the object and the observer.
A scale model on the water tricks the eye into thinking (as long as you're not like Father Dougal (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vbd3E6tK2U)) it's actually a big ship far away.
Of course, we don't have "enough" air and haze in these short distances, so it would be appropriate in certain circumstances to paint a model with less zingy paints than the original vessel, if that model is to appear realistic at a scale distance of, say, a few kilometres. But this model would then look a little washed-out when seen close to.
It naturally boils down to personal preference. Large scales (my 1/8th Racundra) I'll try to paint as per the original (whatever colour that was - I only have black and white photos and a few notes!). Small scales (my 1/72nd Dreadnought) I'll be painting in slightly more muted tones than the original (dark greys instead of blacks), since I'll tend to want to see it at greater distances, patrolling local lochs against the Hun. %)
Andy
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This may be of interest.
http://www.landships.freeservers.com/new_pages/scale_colours.htm
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This may be of interest.
http://www.landships.freeservers.com/new_pages/scale_colours.htm
Yes very.
Reminds me of something my art teacher at school said about always painting using the same light source as the place it will be veiwed