For Realism…
Everything in the Star Wars universe looks “well used” and “abused”. So, to make my new crate look like an old crate, I first applied several acrylic washes using various combinations of black, burnt umber, red oxide, and rust brown. After the washes were dry, I used some sea sponges to add some slight “texture” effects more toward the bottom of the crate to mimic how it would look if it were used in a muddy forest floor.
After all of the acrylic work was completed and dry, it was time for the dry dust. In order to really bring out the details and make something look well used, it needs dust. So, I applied three different colors of fullers earth (dark grey, rust brown, and light gray) to all of the greebles. I also created streaks so it looks like some parts have rusted and been exposed to a wet environnent…
The four photos above show how it now looks…