STREAKING DIRT pencils

AK Interactive STREAKING DIRT — a weathering pencil

STREAKING DIRT is a color from the Weathering Pencils range from AK Interactive. It is not a kit and not a paint in a jar but a modeling aid for weathering: a pencil with a water-activated lead which you apply dry and then blend with a damp brush. The lead is semi-hard and contains less wax than ordinary watercolor pencils, so it is built directly for modeling effects.

The name says what it is for: streaking dirt. It is the typical effect that appears on real vehicles when rain runs over them and the water drags dust and dirt with it — vertical streaks of dirt and dried water down the sides, under rivets, around hatches, under ventilation grilles and drain holes. It is exactly these marks that turn a clean model into a machine that has stood somewhere and driven through something.

How to make streaks step by step

• 1. Draw vertical strokes — with the pencil dry, always from the top down, where water would really run: under rivets, under the edges of hatches, around grab handles and openings.
• 2. Vary the length and the spacing — do not make a regular comb. Irregularity is what looks natural.
• 3. Blend with a damp brush — again go from the top down, in the direction of the run. The mark softens, loses its edge and fades out smoothly.
• 4. Control the intensity — a wetter brush gives a finer, more blended effect; a merely damp brush keeps the mark stronger.
• 5. Build it up — once it has dried the effect can be repeated and strengthened only where it is needed.
• The surface — the manufacturer recommends a matte surface; on gloss clear the lead grips less well.

Who it is for

For modelers of military vehicles, aircraft and ships who want to add realistic dirt without mixing paints and without a palette. It draws precisely and under control, so it is the easiest way into weathering — and at the same time a useful aid for advanced builders who need to adjust streaks quickly on a finished model.

A modeling aid for weathering, not a kit. Keep out of the reach of children. Do not inhale the dust from the lead when sharpening it; sharpen it over a mat. It is not a toy.