Pigment is the subtlest weathering tool there is. It is not paint – it is powder that catches in the texture of a surface exactly the way real dust does. That is why it reads naturally where painted grime would read as painted. The category holds eleven AK Interactive shades, two Abteilung 502 effect pigments and three products that fix the pigment or turn it into mud.

What is in the category

How to work with pigments

There are two modes. Dry, the pigment goes on with a brush and can be moved and wiped until you are satisfied – and only then fixed. That is the way for dust, light soiling and shading. Wet, the pigment is mixed straight into fixer or white spirit and laid on as a thin slurry; that is how mud in recesses, deposits around wheels and running water marks are made.

One rule always holds: never a single shade. Real grime is never one colour, and two earth pigments mixed in different ratios at different places on a model do more than any technique with one. If you are starting out, buy European earth, light dust and the fixer – those three cover most models.

Frequently asked questions

Why does pigment darken when fixed and then lighten again?
Wet powder refracts light differently. Once fully dry the shade returns to its original dry colour. So never adjust the amount of pigment while the surface is still damp.

Can AK and Abteilung pigments be mixed?
Yes. They are powder pigments on the same principle, so they layer and blend together and take the same fixer.

How do they differ from liquid pigments and washes?
Liquid products go on at a fixed ratio and dry as a layer. Powder is dosed by you and sits on the surface as a deposit, so it can be built up and removed locally. For fine dust, powder has no substitute.

What else do I need?
Groundwork from the Textures category, vegetation from Vegetation, and brushes – an older, stiffer brush from the AK range suits pigment work.