Greetings all. I am working on layout with rock formations carved out of pink extruded foam, and I am interested in how some of you may have applied paint to this. I’m still a little confused on the washes process.
My plan was to prime it with water based gray primer a couple of times, and then apply some flat black into the crevasses to create the dark shadow effect. The next step is what makes me unsure.
I’ve read about washes without any specific detail on what type of paints to use, how to mix them down, or the best way to apply them to foam. I have purchased some acrylics in a variety of colors as well. The only thing I’m really sure about is that the colors need to be applied in order of darkest to lightest. The formations themselves should model dark granite.
Welcome to a wonderful club of people learning as they go.
I paint my rock formations as follows.
Artist acrylics in tubes, dabbed on full strength in a leopard spot pattern. I ussually use three related colors and cover about 1/2 of the formation with blocks of color about 1 inch in diameter.
I then attack the whole area with a larger brush and pure water alowing the dabs of color to fill cracks and run into each other but not so much as to make one big muddy color.
When dry I give a second coat, adjusting areas that do not look right.
When I like the color, I give a wash of black (very watered down black acrylic). I start at the top and allow it to run down and fill cracks. Error on the “too much water side” for if it does not get dark enough in the cracks for you artistic taste, just it give another coat. When you put this on it will look like you painted everything black, but if the wash is diluted enough it will dry clear on the surface and black in the cracks.
I then paint a light coat of dry brushed white (straight form the tube) on the top. If all the strokes are from the angle the sun is coming from, it will make nice highlights.
First, if you really are going to be painting just a carved foam surface, and not one to which you have affixed plaster cast rocks, you should paint the surface a thick undercoat that will become your base. So, light grey, all white, black, whatever, just use acrylic artist’s paints straight from the bottle. Slather it on like it was shaving foam on your chin and let it dry thorougly. In fact, it might not be bad insurance to add a teaspoon of white glue to the mix so that it really wants to stay put.
Now you have blanck rock faces.
Start with a light general colour for the area you are modelling. Have a look at decent photos for guidance. After you have a general colour, vary that by adding some brown, more grey, a hint of yellow, even some green in one batch (these “batches” are all less than 1 tbsp, by the way) and find out what it looks like…when it is dry. Once you have something that you really like, then go to some light washes of india ink. Go light at first so that you can appreciate what it will look like with the subtle alterations imparted by the wash.
The Selector and Spacemouse method works real well for subdued or weathered rock formations. I used it on the Kanyon. For a more dramatic and detailed formations, the coat of paint will hide the little details. For my blasted cut, I used the acrylics on the foam without the crack-filling latex paint. Your choice and each method has its own final look.