I’m working on my first layout since I had one as a teenager. I have installed a plaster rock wall coming from a tunnel portal. I’m having trouble with keeping the rocks a light color. I want them to be a light grey and not a uniform color across their expanse. Any reference material suggestions would help. I have used Dave Frary’s manual. Any suggestions are welcomed. Thanks, Joe
Joe, the best thing to do is to get a collection of colors that you can see in the rocks of some prototype, somewhere. A lot of the time, this will be some combination of raw umber, burnt umber, yellow ochre, slate gray, etc., etc. Woodland Scenics makes an earth-tones box set of paints that will help when in doubt.
When you get the paints, transfer a small amount of the normal-strength paint to something like a dixie cup, and add a few tablespoons of water. Mix well by stirring (shaking makes bubbles). Over-thinning is preferable, because it is easy to make the rocks darker, but hard to make them lighter.
Then, use a small paintbrush, and apply these washes in splotches on the rock. Let the washes overlap. You’ll end up with faint coloration of the rock. (Important: Do not pre-wet your plaster rocks, or they won’t absorb the color washes.)
After this has dried somewhat, you can make a thin, black wash, and run that over the whole rock. This brings out the crevices and crannies. Again, a really thin wash is all that is needed.
If you want to see the effect, look at this:
Also, you can check out a thread I started way back when, called “Some Experiences of a Novice Modeller,” which chronicles the successes and lessons I’ve had working on my stuff.
I use Delta Creamcoat craft paints. I prefer to start by painting the rocks a dark gray or gray/brown color first. Then I drybrush on lighter, and lighter grays, browns, and tans.
Pictures added
Nick
Thanks fellas, that helps a lot. I’m not an artist by any means and working right up against the rocks makes it hardf to really judge how it looks. I’ll also check out the other thread too.
Joe
I use cheap acrylic artist paints, watered down a lot. The key is washes that are too light and then you add another wash. As you lean to build up color you wil get what you want. For stata rocks like the painted desert, add the stripes and then washes. It is fun and you can learn to do it. If you really ruin a section, top coat it with light flat house paint and start over. You can also add detail with a knife after some paint and then add more washes for effect. I have read most of the books and they were helpful, but nothing teaches you better than doing it. Good luck.
I’m just about to start painting, so this is a timely thread. I have digested a lot of material from different books, but practical advice is usually more helpful.
They are a little further away in this shot, but I managed to get a similar effect to Nick,'s as you can vaguely see. He very correctly points out that, unless you are modeling dark Pennsy coal country rocks, you should water down a mix of maybe two or three paints so that when you apply them, they run a great deal, and the rocks will take no time at all to paint as a result…for the first coat. Then, you either weather, or continue to darken and stain, or you paint them white and start all over.
The best way to learn is by doing. You will have some unhappy experiences, but they will always be undoable. At some point you will say, “Yeeeessss!!”
Nick, nice work!!
[tup]
I found the cheapest source of acrylics to be Wal-Mart. They have small bottles for 97 cents. Diluting them to make washes (what you want, anyway) makes them last a long time…
Incredible pics, guys ! Wonderful inspiration too !
I’ll bookmark this thread so I can refer back to it when I’m about to paint my rocks.
Thanks again.