Black & White Technique
By Jose’ Luis Lopez
Ammo by Mig Jimenez Publications,
ISBN: 978-84-944741-1-8
111 pages, full color
Lately, the folks at Ammo by Mig seem to be churning our paper products as fast as they do paint sets! Black and White Technique, is among their latest and features this unusual and interesting approach to armor model painting and finishing. If you’re a fan of the “Spanish” style of painting made famous by Mr. Jimenez and Mr. Lopez, you’ll certainly like this book and will want to add it to your library. If you’re unfamiliar with their style, the book offers a new and rather innovative approach to modeling that will certainly be of interest even if you choose not to try the technique. The works done by Mr. Lopez in the book are certainly inspirational.
What is Black and White you may ask? The author thoughtfully describes how the technique is employed but basically it entails painting the model in a highly modulated (shaded) black and white style, complete with scratches and chips, to impart a level of depth and volume over which you apply extremely thin, translucent coats of the tank’s camouflage colors. If you think this sounds like a lot of work, this reviewer would have to agree, but I’d would have to add that the results are stunning.
The book is organized into seven chapters. Chapter 1 describes a basic “technical” understanding of light and how light effects color. Chapters 2 and 3 go into more depth about the Black & White technique and more details on how light effects color on various surfaces. In chapter 4, the author begins taking the reader through the process using several, one-color armored subjects (Olive Drab, Panzer Grey etc.) as examples. The photos are very high quality and the captioning is well done and clearly explains what’s happening in the photo. Chapter 5 explains how the author applies the technique to modeling subjects with a multi-color camouflage scheme. The last two chapters include a summary of the basic steps involved I the technique and a photo gallery of completed works.
All in all, the book is a great source of inspiration for the well-seasoned modeler and intriguing to those of us who may want to take their skills to an entirely new level. The book also features clear explanations and photos of other useful weathering techniques of interest to most armor modelers including chipping, streaking, and oil paint rendering.
You can order your copy directly thought Ammo by Mig USA: http://www.ammomigjimenez-usa.com/
-By Tom Jett