DIRT: MARKS SET pencils

Five pencils for marks of dirt and running water

Five watercolor pencils aim at one particular effect: the vertical streaks left behind by rain, dust and dissolved grease on the sides of vehicles and on the fuselages of aircraft. This kind of soiling is hard to draw with a brush, because the mark has to be fine and irregular at the same time, and a pencil lead handles that better than the tip of a brush.

The content is five tones: Dust and Rainmarks in one piece, then Concrete marks, Earth brown, Buff and Streaking dirt. The last of them serves as the base for long streaks, the concrete tone imitates dust settled from paved surfaces and the earthy brown suits landing gear, fenders and the lower parts of a bed.

Technique

The lead is water-soluble. Once the drawing has dried you therefore blend it with a damp brush or a cotton swab and draw it downwards so that a natural run appears. The more water, the softer the transition. A dry stroke, on the other hand, leaves a sharp line, for example under a drain hole or under a rivet.

Work on a smooth base. On a matte layer the pigment grips too firmly and cannot be moved; on a gloss or satin one it can be spread and even wiped away. Seal the finished work with matte varnish, otherwise even a touch of a finger will wipe it off. Sharpen the tip with an ordinary sharpener, or grind it down to a flat.

The set works together with dry pigments and with classic liquid products. The best order tends to be to suggest the direction of the run with the pencil, blend it with a brush and only at the end add dust to the lower areas. The opposite order pulls the powder away and the mark loses its sharpness.