What is the best way to paint a brick building kit?
Often primer in spray cans is available in the colors white, light gray and red brown.
This brown primer is a nice base for a brick wall and is much less expensive than PollyScale etc. specially if the build is large.
My method:
Assemble the building.
Paint the base brick color/colors.
Do any highlighting of individual bricks.
Paint the trim colors
Apply a wash of mortar color.
Use steel wool to remove any excess “mortar” (after the wash dries).
Do any touch up.
Some people paint before assembly. Some people do bricks first then trim. Some use a plaster or spackle for mortar.
YMMV.
Does “apply a wash of mortar color” mean that you make up the mortar color into a thin liquid, brush it on letting excess run off or let the wash sit until dry?
I try as much as possible to paint everything before assembly. It’s usually easier to paint the individual parts, like doors, trim, etc. before applying them to the building. Plus it’s easier to work on brickwork when it’s flat.
I like to spray both sides of the wall sections primer gray. That seals it in so light doesn’t leak, plus the primer gray on the interior side can be left as is or painted another light color as an interior color.
For brick, you can go either way - spray the building with a good red / brown brick color, and then add gray mortar in a powder or a paint wash etc., or paint the building exterior a good white/tan/cream mortar color, then use a brown or dark red art marker to color the bricks. In either case, I usually go back with a very small brush and paint some bricks different shades of red or brown to contrast with the base color.
Someone a while back suggested using art pencils to color the bricks rather than a marker.
Oh… Krylon Plastic paint has a somewhat finer texture than the Rust-O-Leum plastic paint. Buy it at Wally World for better price; Michaels Art also carries it (higher price) along with the acrylic matte finish spray (better deal than some other RR brands).
Take your pick…
Walls spray painted red and wiped with light tan acrylic craft paint for mortar:
Walls sprayed beige and wiped with brown acrylic craft paint:
Walls sprayed with Rustoleum primer and wiped with beige paint:
Walls sprayed white and colored with art pencils:
Walls sprayed gray and colored with markers:
Walls sprayed gray and drybrushed with brick color:
Nick
Thanks. I like the last one. Sprayed grey and drybrushed brick color.
There is an old building in Springfield Mass that is painted gray; brickwork, sills etc. with no visible mortar lines (except where the paint was worn off allowing the actual brick to show). <link to Goggle Street view - east of highway)
Anybody have any good/easy ideas on how to paint window and door frames on N-scale DPM building kits?
Bob
Yup. Shoot the whole wall with the color you want on the windows. After it dries thoroughly, maybe 2-3 days, Get some clear packing tape, and lay it over the whole wall. Then take a sharp X-acto knife, and carefully trim around each window opening, leaving the rectangle of tape covering the window frame. Then shoot the wall color. Give it some time to set up so you don’t smear the paint, then simply poke the tape masks off the windows. Easy peasy.
Lee
Lee,
Excellent idea. I thought of trying to mask each opening separately, but it seemed like a lot of work. Your method sounds a lot easier and quicker. Do you use the clear packing tape rather than the blue painters tape so you can see the openings better when you’re cutting around each opening? I assume letting the paint dry for 2-3 days keeps the clear tape from taking off the paint on the window and door frames when you remove it after you spray on the wall color.
Thanks,
Bob
That is correct. You end up with a little touch up no matter what you do, but I just spray some of the paint into a cup so I can brush on the touch up.
Lee