Burnt Sienna

Burnt Sienna — a powdered Vallejo pigment

A pigment is a fine colored powder in a jar, not a liquid paint. It has no binder of its own, so it will not hold onto a model by itself — and that is exactly what makes it such a universal tool. It can be applied dry and rubbed into the texture of a surface, it can be mixed into a paste, and it can be added to another weathering product as a tinting component. Burnt sienna is the classic warm red-brown earth tone, which on a model works for dry soil, brick dust and fresher rust.

Use

• It is applied with a soft dry brush or a spatula and rubbed into the surface. It takes best on a flat surface — on a gloss finish it has nothing to hold onto and slides off.
• Once applied, the pigment is sealed: with a pigment binder, with mineral spirits or by spraying a very fine flat coat over it. Without sealing, the first touch of a finger will wipe it away.
• Sealing always darkens and deepens the tone slightly — count on that and lay down a little less powder than you want to see in the end.
• It can be mixed with other pigments, so you can mix the particular shade of local soil for a whole diorama.
• An excess can be carefully polished back with a dry brush or a cotton swab even once it has dried; that is the main advantage of a pigment over paint.

Who the pigment is for

For modelers of vehicles, military equipment and dioramas who want to build dust and earth effects up gradually and keep them under control. It also suits figures, where a hint of dusty boots and trouser hems is enough. For a purely display model without weathering it is unnecessary.

This is a very fine powder. Do not inhale it, do not blow into the jar, do not work in a draft and wash your hands afterwards; for longer work with pigments use a respirator. The volume of the package and the shade are given on the label of the jar.