let your cosplay armor
look more authentic!

Before the priming and painting process be sure about what you want to create: An armor fresh from the blacksmith or an armor that has seen lots of fights?

So maybe you'll have to add stuff like scars, bumps and cracks with the multitool on logical places. You may also add rivets and screws that should appear in the same color like the whole part. If not, paint those details separatly and attach them later.

preparations

How worn is your armor?

After at least two completly dried layers of primer start the painting process with the darkest color of your armor. Make use of the flexible, non-cracking characteristics of black Gesso and mix it with nuances of acrylic paint e.g. violet for a colder look or orange for a warmer look. Apply it everywhere thin but thoroughly, especially in grooves. Let it dry!

Take your favorite main color and apply it nearly opaque. If you wanna create metallic armor pieces, Rub'n Buff is a great choice: It looks amazing and dries extremely quickly due to its waxy consistency. If you choose other acrylic or oil paints make sure to let it dry completely before continuing.

Now choose a color for the used-look effect. I used Burnt Umber and sometimes hints of Orange for a rusty look. Use a dry brush, pick up only a tiny bit of paint, dip most of it off and put it everywhere where you can imagine that there could be rust or "dirt". If in doubt, apply it over a bit larger area. Allow the edges to fade out really softly. Let it dry again.

first steps

Take your main color again and apply it carefully. Set highlights like shiny accents on places where you believe the armor could easily be polished and put less paint on difficult accessible areas. Let it fade out softly again and don't overdue the effect.

This step is really fulfilling! Now things like battle scars and dents from kneeling will be highlighted almost automatically.

Even a few paint strokes could look naturally when they were done earlier in an logical direction and now get patinated. If you're not satisfied, try repeating adding your "dirt paint color" again and overpaint it with the metallic color.

finish the effect

For extra persistence add some clear, flexible varnish. They're available in frosty or glossy appearances.

If you want to let your painted foam not look like painted foam: PRIME it! :)

extra tips

You can use oil paint over acrylic paint - the other way around it could cause problems. So better try it out before!