Some thoughts on painting details

Hey mates, here's a quick thought/tip/opinion/call it whatever you want.

So, someone commented on the last video about the tarp looking weird with winter camouflage on top of it and I had to explain it's not painted yet.

Here I realised how some modellers paint stuff like details, stowage etc. in a wrong way. Now I rarely call something outright wrong because everyone has their own style and way of doing things, but think about it: you have your model base coated, you add markings, then you paint stuff like onboard tools, lights, periscopes, stowage, tarps, rubber wheel rims, spare tracks, etc... and then you cover it all with satin, matt or glossy varnish. And then you continue with oil dots, washes, chipping, rust, dust etc. 

I strongly believe this approach makes NO sense whatsoever. First, why would someone unify details with specific textures with the rest of the model? Rubber rims are usually matt, so are wooden tool handles and fabric tarps... then, you're blending oil dots which you choose specifically for the tank's camouflage color - how does that work with those details? It doesn't. Then you decide to apply some chipping with a sponge and maybe add some rust spots with the speckling technique - both of which are hard to control and you won't avoid putting some of that on those details and as far as we know, wood, fabric or rubber doesn't rust or chip to bare metal. 

For those reasons painting details early on makes the whole weathering process needlessly complicated and their only purpose is to get in your way. 

As such, I always recommend to paint all the details after you're done with varnishes, filters, oil paints, washes, chipping and rust. Then you can start adding the dust and mud tones, which would naturally cover all of those details along with the rest of the tank. 

It's just one of those random thoughts which are too long to explain in a video :)