For the longest time, I’ve been trying to find a technique that would take care of several problems with painting and pointing plastic or resin brick. I’ve finally been able to combine several techniques I learned about online, to come up with an ideal solution that solves all of my problems, which include: Applying too much paint and obscuring the mortar lines, using a different method of coloring the plastic other than paint but having it be too fragile to work with a cement-based mortar, which requires you to rub off the excess, and applying a wash over a super-flat paint, which absorbs the wash inconsistently.
DPM and Cornerstone Modulars are very popular and you’ll be able to use this technique on them, or on similar products. First of all, I use a permanent marker (Letraset Tria, Prismacolor) in a brick tone to color the plastic. The ink flows smoothly and leaves a very thin, shiny film on the surface. The shine is good because it will cause the mortar - very thin acrylic paint in a wash - to flow into the mortar lines while only absorbing enough to modify the sometimes garish look of the pure ink into something that very closely resembles a brick color.
Here is a photo of my first kit to use this complete technique (Freight Depot by DPM)… Make sure you click on the image to view it full size!
Thanks! [:I] Please do try it and let us know if you find it solves all of the problems we have with the blah-colored plastic and resin being molded into faux-brick by DPM and Walthers.
I’d like to try your idea even though I’ve found a pretty good approach using spray paint in a can and diluted joint compound for the mortar. I found the markers you mentioned at an on-line store for $2.28 each and wondered how many building walls can be done for that price. The reason I’m asking is that I can do many walls with a can of paint that costs around the same price or less.
It sounds like the main reason you like your approach is that you can’t apply too much brick color like you can with spray paint, which can hide the details. Could you please let us know which color marker you purchased because there are dozens of colors available and I’d like to get the one you used which looks pretty good in your photo.
Gladly, but it may be several weeks before I’m able to do that - I’m up to my eyeballs re-tracking and rewiring a classification yard these days!
Another thought: Would it be practical for you to maybe post step-by-step photos of your procedure? I can sort of understand what you’re describing, but pics would make it crystal-clear.
First of all, let me comment that this technique is best used on products that are molded in “scale” brick. Some of the Cornerstone plastic structures have larger brick that is not in scale, and if the color is already brick-like, you could just jump right into mortaring.
The main reason I don’t like using any kind of paint on scale brick is that you could get too much buildup in the mortar lines, which would prevent a consistent job of pointing the brick. Secondly, a dead-flat paint will absorb some of the material placed on top of it, whether that be an acrylic wash or a cement-based product. A permanent ink has a slight sheen to it that prevents most of the wash from penetrating, and actually “sheds” it into the mortar lines.
The unfortunate part is the price - yes, the markers are comparatively expensive, but how far they will go depends, of course, on the size of the structure and how much of it is actually scale brick. This is my second small building using the same pen - the first one was the 3 in 1 Cornerstone Modular kit, which also produces a fairly small building, but has a lot more brick to cover.
For DPM kits, I was accustomed to spraying on a Floquil brick shade and pointing with a cement-based product, like Roberts Brick Mortar. The final look was inconsistent - in other words - some lines refused to accept the mortar, while other brick areas absorbed too much. That’s why I tried the permanent ink/acrylic wash technique - it produced the most consistently pleasing results.
How do you mix your “white ink wash”? BTW, you could probably eliminate the Dullcote step by using a wash of flat Acrylic paint, like I do.
Your immediate results look really good,however I’m concerned that the marker will eventually fade over a couple of years dispite the “permanent” label.I’ve done artwork in the past with markers only to have it fade a lot due to light sensitivity. I’ve had the same results using RIT dye in my plaster work. It looked good at first but faded out about a year later.
I agree that trying to paint resin or styrene brick and mortar and have it look realistic is difficult. For my DPM Freight House, I took a different approach.
First, I airbrushed the walls with Americana’s “Heritage Brick.” After it had dried thoroughly, I flowed a wash of black alcohol over the surface. (Much of it ran off rather than staining the acrylic surface, but that was okay.) Then I powdered a medium gray chalk stick and brushed it over the surface with a wide, flat brush. The final step was to work the chalk powder into the mortar courses with my thumb. Contrary to what some folks think might have happened, most of the chalk powder did not disappear with handling the model after that. That which did just added to the uneven, mottled appearance of old brick and mortar. [:D]
(As a sidenote, I removed the plastic block foundation and replaced it with a hand carved plaster of Paris foundation and stained it with Woodland Scenics’ Scenery Pigments.)
I dilute Delta Ceramcoat Antique White at least 5-1 (water to paint). Then, I flow it on the surface with a 1/2" brush and allow the paint to seek out the joint lines. When this process slows down and it looks like the paint isn’t going to flow any further, I flow on some more in an adjoining area where there is unwashed color, and repeat until the entire surface has received the wash. If the paint pools up at the outside edges, I use a clean cotton rag to blot up the excess without actually touching the surface. Hope this helps! [:)]
Good point, but at least with this technique, you can re-ink and re-point later on if necessary, because there is such a thin coat of material applied. [:D]
You bring up another point - you could really use a white alcohol-based ink, to save one step, but I have tried thinning Fiebing’s White Leather Dye with alcohol and it turned into a gooey mess. The company that sells the dyes says that white has a ton of solid pigment in it; so, it’s no wonder you can’t really turn it into a “wash”. If anyone knows of a white ink, I’d sure like to hear about it! [?]
Can you give me the brand name of the water-based ink you’re using? Actually, it can’t be that much different than the white acrylic paint I’m using, but I’ve never heard of a water-based white ink! [:O]
You can get inks in all colors, not out in the work area but believe I used peligan last time, but kon-i-nor should be the same. get one at art supply stores.
A couple of years ago, Finescale Modeler ran a cover article/photo about how to use tempra paint to “highlight” or define panel lines and seams on combat aircraft models. Basically, the procedure involved applying a thin coat (wash?) of brown or umber liquid tempra to the wings of the aircraft. After it dried, a barely damp cloth was used lightly and gently to remove the tempra from the surfaces, leaving behind only the color in the seams/lines. It looked pretty effective.
So I thought “why couldn’t this work for mortar on DPM kits?” I bought a bottle of white tempra and black (so that I could make a gray “mortar” color), but that was as far as I got with the idea. I’ve been scratchbuilding with wood for the last several months and haven’t had a chance to try the tempra idea out on a plastic kit.
Maybe one of you guys could take this idea and give it a test.[^]
The only problem with this is having to rub the surface to remove the excess material - ink is my base color, and it’s very thin and fragile. That’s why I wanted to develop a technique that didn’t require rubbing. [2c]
