PAINTING:
Scale Color

I recently read a little blurb about achieving true scale color. It stated that color intensity needs to be reduced depending on the scale of the model or figure to achieve correct results. For example, add 15% white to colors for a 1:32 aircraft, 25% white for 1:48, and 33% white for 1:72 scale. It refered to "atmospheric distortion" due to lack of "atmospheric transparency" that reduces intensity of color at distances, and the fact that viewing a 1:48 aircraft at 1 foot is equivilant to viewing the full scale subject at 48 feet.

I am actually using the method on my latest project, and I am quite happy with the results. I am adding white to the colors in varying amounts, not sticking to a specific ratio but rather adding until the color "looks right." The results are definitely less harsh and easier to look at than without the addition of the white.

You have to take this technique with more than a few grains of salt. In the first place, if the contrast reduction due to the atmosphere were noticable from 48 feet, it would have to be a very hazy or foggy day. With 1/600 warships, however, there is something to be said for it. However, adding white does not just affect saturation, it affects luminance also. Adding grey may be more appropriate, depending on exactly the sky conditions on a given day. In fact, scattered light due to atmospheric aerosols (fog droplets) actually adds frequently a bluish cast rather than white.

In addition, saturated paint colors soon bleach when exposed to sunlight. So some people reduce saturation to model how long the prototype has sat in the outdoors. That is, a very weathered model should be far less saturated than a pristine, clean, freshly painted one.

On the other hand, I do advocate reducing saturation greatly on figures. If you observe real clothing, you will find that dyed cloth has nowhere the saturation that many paints have. The easiest way to realism on figures is to flatten as much as possible, and reduce saturation, of colors used.

For a technical discussion, reference the book by Middleton, Vision Through the Atmosphere. For less technical discussions, read almost any book on learning to paint, where atmospheric perspective is one of the early subjects taught.