Building and painting a Steampunk style gun.

[Guyver]

Done!

I have had requests for "how to" painting tutorials after posting my prop guns so I figured I would spend the time I am working on a new project to give a paint and building tutorial all at once.
So lets start.
I always find inspiration in the oddest places. Last night I was walking in a local thrift shop and saw an odd shaped Nerf gun called the "Pulsator". They had 2 at $1.99 each so I grabbed them. I was taken in by the industrial look of them and had an idea for a "Mad Scientist Electro-gun".
Here is the untouched gun:

As soon as I had it home is sanded off the smaller "NERF" logos on the body and removed the stickers. The 2 large logos could not be removed without destroying some nice detail that I wanted to try to keep.
I started digging in the "B.O.D.A.G." (box of doom and gloom) where I keep all my junk parts and bits of junk I cant seem to let go of. I found some toy light saber parts, a lens canister, the front off of an older Nerf style gun and a few other bits that i thought might look good. Using "Gorilla Glue" and super glue to attach the parts I started to get a better feel of how I wanted the final paint job to look.
Gun with parts, no paint:

Normally I would us black Krylon Fusion paint as the base but this time I wanted it to have an industrial look so I am starting with a Gun Metal Gray primer that I have had for a few years. It is cold and damp outside and as some of you may know, paint is not going to dry right in that condition. I used that to a bit of an advantage. The paint, once dry, has taken on an uneven tone that I will use in the next painting step to give it a bit more personality.
Here is the gun now with the base coat :

As I work overnights and have to work this eve, I am forced to stop at this point for today so I can sleep. It is now noon and I got up at 7pm last night.

I will pick up again tomorrow night with the next step in painting.
Thank you for taking your time to read this and I hope I will be able to help out with your future projects.

Guyver.

 

[Ramiel]

Promising... :love

 

[Robot Monster]

I could really use some painting help so thanks for the thread.

 

[Roughneckone]

Hey Guyver,

Off to a great start on this one.

I'd just like to say thanks for taking the time from your obviously busy schedule to help us "Novice" Steampunker's out, I'm really looking forward to the next installment, YTB... :thumbsup

Roughneckone

 

[mgr]

Thanks for posting the how to.

 

[Bowelrock]

That thing reminds me of the rocklet loncher from the matrix

 

[Guyver]

Ok, so now you see the basic shape of the gun but it has no real depth. Because I did not start with a black base I need to add black in the places I want to make stand out. I use just enough black to get deep into the texture without caking it on so thick that you have no texture left to see.

The next step is to go with the darkest color (other than black) that you will use. I went with a dark bronze and painted over the black. just enough to highlight without taking away all the black. At this point you may be saying to yourself, "man that looks like crap. What is he thinking? It's so sloppy!!!"
Well thats part of the charm. All that "Slop" is going to work to your advantage:

Now you are ready to do the big area painting. I do everything by hand and leave streaks and uneven paint allover the place. Ever look at an old chunk of metal? Is it all one color? is it smooth or is is scuffed, dented and maybe even cracked? All of these things can give your gun or other prop a more real feel when done. I have now gone over the main body parts with a dark brass tone. It is lighter than the Bronze but still not the lightest color we will use. Also at this point it may look like I have just covered up all that shadow and detail work I spent time on before. Don't worry it is still there and still doing a good job of showing some nice textures and depth. the Areas that were darked will get a lighter brushing on this layer. don't let the paint get into the gaps you want to stand out.

Next time we add the last few layers of paint color and the section after that we will cover patina and tarnish as well as sealing your paint so that it still looks good years after you finish.

 

[LZeitgeist]

Oh, yeah! a friend of mine had one of those, but he never had THAT much fun with it... B)

 

[BlindSquirrel]

Boy, I loves me a good "How To" thread!!

Thanks a bunch! This is looking great!

 

[Guyver]

Alright, I got a burst of energy today and have the last installment all at once for you today.
Today I started by adding 2 more layers of color to the body. I went with a light brass and a bright gold. Both were dry brushed on to select sections of the body casing and electrodes. This color difference may be hard to see in the full shots but will be clear in the detail shots.

This is the best time to paint in any extra little parts you want to be different from the rest of the prop. I have added some silver detail to some numbers and bolts. After letting the paint dry your main paint work is done. It is now time to start adding patina to the copper / brass parts of the gun. To get that funky greenish tone that comes with weather and age, mix 2 parts emerald green paint with 1 part stark white paint. Water down the mix to the point that when you put it on the prop is just runs back off. Slather it into every area that you want it to show in. If you have too much for what you want just use a bit of water to wash away the excess before it drys.

After you have gained the tarnished patina you want to have and it has dried it is now the part that I love and I feel adds the most to any custom. I use a mix of "Future" Floor wax and dark toned paints (Brown, green, black). This mix you will want to do a wash over the full prop with. Let it settle into every crack and groove. Let it run on the surface and pool in spots. This mix will seal your paint AND add that look of grit and gunk. I always think of "Steam Punk" props as being covered in grime because it is industrial by nature. I have also added a little extra to this prop. Because it is an Electro-gun I thought it would be cool to show some scorching on the electrodes. This was done with nothing more than a few quick blasts with black spray paint before sealing.

Before and after shots:

I hope this has helped with understanding how I go from point A to point Z and I hope I have given you some food for thought. If I have skipped something or you have other questions please ask. I sometimes forget to explain steps or be a bit vague.
Thank you for reading and have a good day.

 

[Mr_Creepy]

Beautiful work!

Thanks for posting the tutorial--lots of cool ideas there:thumbsup

 

[Roughneckone]

That's really brilliant Guyver, many thanks for taking the time to put it together. :thumbsup

Hopefully we'll have a plethora of new Steampunk blasters popping up soon. :love

Roughneckone :lol

 

[Anima]

Awesome work! I'm thrilled someone saw the potential in the Pulsator. It's one of the more detailed Nerf guns. If I might suggest another model for painting, the Expand-a-Blast is an older model with some potential. It's a nice shape, though not as detailed.

 

[Guyver]

Thanks for the comments everyone. I am gong to be posting pics soon of a S.P. Rocket pack I have been working on for another friend. Hope to get those pics up soon.

 

[Guyver]

And a shot of the inventor. ME!

 

[Jedi Lawja]

That is a nice period photo replica! The jeans throws off the continuity though.

Jay

 

[Combat Gerbil]

Jedi Lawja....you do know how long Jeans have been around don't you?...

 

[Roughneckone]

http://www.newint.org/easier-english/Garment/jhistory.html Proves the shot is definitely feasible!! :thumbsup

Roughneckone :cool