After the boards are washed with 2 coats of nimbus grey and 2 coats of raw umber,make pin holes for nail positions on the boards(any pattern you like)If the wood is too hard you can brush on some clear water to soften the wood.Use a pointed grafiteHB pencil or softer and twist tip of pencil into the pin holes.Fill each hole with watery burnt sienna so that the wood swells back again and the pin holes will disappear.Shade edges with medium grey pastel.Randomly shade light grey into the centers of some boards.Flick on some watery raw umber with your trusty toothbrush.If things get too brownish shade again with light grey pastels or flick on some nimbus grey.Play around with it until you are satisfied with your antiqueing technique.There is no need to overcoat but if you do, use matte acrylic spray.Personally I leave it as is, as I find that the raw wood looks the best.My diorama will be going in a plexiglass case at the museum so I am not worried about dust or crud buildup on the exterior.Cheers! John.
