Dry mud – AK GOUACHE

Dry mud – AK weathering gouache

Gouache is a water-thinnable opaque paint with a high pigment content. It dries to a completely matte surface and, and this is the part that matters for a modeler, it stays soluble in water even after it has dried. So you do not have to get the effect right the first time: what is too much can be weakened or taken off completely with a damp brush, and what is too little can be added. This shade represents dry, caked mud, a more muted and grayer tone than fresh wet earth.

Where it is useful

• The lower parts of the bed, the fenders, the wheels and the running gear, where mud settles the most.
• Spattering into fine droplets with a bristle brush, the most faithful way to get mud working from the bottom up.
• Dotting and then feathering with water for irregular dusty areas.
• Dirtying the boots and trouser legs of figures and the lower edges of structures in a diorama.
• Layering: darker mud low down, lighter dust over it higher up.

How it differs from a pigment and a wash

A pigment is a loose powder that is dusted on or fixed in place; a wash is a thin glaze that runs into recesses. Gouache stands between them: it is thicker and opaque, it can be applied even as a textured layer, and at the same time you can work it again with water at any time. All three can be combined, and gouache often forms the base layer that a pigment then completes with grain.

Who it is for

For modelers of military vehicles, builders of dioramas and everyone who wants to do weathering step by step with the option of going back. A beginner will appreciate above all that a mistake here is not irreversible.

Seal the finished effect with a matte clear coat, otherwise moisture can damage it. Work on a dry and sealed base.