A while back I had a page that gave really good tips on painting buildings, especially brick ones. For the life of me, I can’t find it now. It involved using spackling compound in the morter joints and colored paint pens to vary the color of random bricks. It was really great. Does anyone know what or who I am talking about and can help me find it again.
Thanks
Here is the link that you provided me a ways back. Good to be able to repay the favor. Scroll down a bit and you will find you item.
TERRY,
STROGEY has a great site there. There also was one done in O guager magazine a while back, I can’t recall the run number.
laz57
Terry, I know this has been talked about before. Two ways I know of depend on whether your building is glued together already and what color the base plastic is.
If you building isn’t yet built, I like to spray the whole thing with a flat grey plastic-safe primer, which makes paint adhere a little better. The flat grey in the cracks between the bricks will be the cement or mortar color. Then I’ve used red and brown magic markers to color the brick surfaces.
Another method is to use a water base grey latex paint of your chosing. Work in small sections, brushing the grey paint into the spaces between the bricks. Then using a damp sponge, wipe the suface that you have just painted. You’ll wipe away the paint on the surface of the brick face, leaving the paint in the cracks to represent the mortar. You’ll want to keep a couple damp sponges handy for this part, cleaning them frequently and wringing excess water out of them.
These techniques can also be used for stone bridge abutments, tunnel portals, stone walls, etc.
I start by gluing the buildings 4 walls together then spraying with a brick red primer. Then I will coat the primer with a layer of dull coat spray. I then take a small stiff brush and work into the mortar lines a white acrylic paint, cheapo stuff from Michaels. I wipe the brick surface clean with an old damp t-shirt, the dull coat spray lets you wipe the white paint off without wiping off the primer. It looks pretty nice when your finished and it is pretty quick. I just finished this Ameri-towne building.
And I refinished this Lionel toy store building the same way.
Paul
Nice work, Paul. I’ve used the dry brush method (white paint) on red styrene brick walls.
Great tips Brian and Paul.
Paul, I really like the building interior. Any details on how you did it?
Don
I use pretty much the same method as Paul
I try to mess it up a little so the building looks like it’s been around a while.
Ray, that is a great looking building. How did you do the faded signs on the building, especially the one above the pawn shop?
Paul
Thanks for the kind words Don, it was my first attempt and it was easier than I thought. I just blocked off an area from the bottom of the building, added some doll house wall paper I printed off of the internet, I built a counter and some shelves then added some customers and a doll house sized train set. The lights were already there I just glued a clear button to the ceiling under the bulb to simulate a light fixture and blinds to the upstairs windows. I am going to attempt another, the Ameri-towne Burke building is my next victim.
Paul
Paul
I started by scanning in the wall I was going put the sign on.
Next brought that into my software which I use for my work, but you could possibly use some photo software to do it.
Then bring in the sign I want
Here is the trick, change the sign’s transparency so the actual brick wall shows through
Now you can print out the faded sign and sand it thin, then align it to the bricks on the wall and glue.
Simple…
I didn’t create this method but copied it from a master some time ago.
Sorry Terry, I hope we didn’t get too far off topic.
Not at all. I love the tips presented here. I am very new at all of this and am learning a lot from all of you friendly and generous layout builders.
I love the sign. Is there a good source for signs like that? Can you just scan them out of a magazine? I have a great wall that I would like to break up with a few signs. Thanks.
Does anyone know how to do this in Photoshop?
Scan in an image of your wall.
Size it so it is the exact size of the wall.
Open a separate image of the sign.
Resize the sign image so that is is the size it needs to be on the wall.
Drag the sign image into the wall image. It should be on a separate layer.
Reduce the transparency of the layer the sign is on.
Print it.
Cut out the sign and glue it to the wall aligning the brick pattern carefully.
If you don’t know how to do any of the steps listed then you need to become more familiar with Photoshop before attempting this.
I’ll jump in here too, since no one has mentioned it. Pastel colored chalks. I have had a 12-pack of EARTH TONES for two decades, and they are one of the easiest mediums to use on structures and rolling stock. Simply scrape a small pile off with a hobby knife, dip a brush in and apply. Or simply lick your thumb, swipe a color, and streak down the side of a structue (this will also blend/fade signs into building). If you don’t like your results, a damp papertowel lets you start over.
Terry
I made this sign using Microsoft Paint which is standard on many computers.
There is also comparable software you could use.
You can type in whatever you want it to say, then change the size, font or color.
Then change the background color .
I usually make a few different ones because when printed the colors may be a little different then what you see on the screen.
And yes chaulks are a great way to weather your buildings.
About 90% of the weathering on this building is brown, black, orange and gray chaulks
I have very good luck downloading signs from the net.
I have a full list of sites that I use regularly, however you can do a search on Google for lets say “old signs” then clic on “images” this will give you many to choose from.
clic on one you are interested in then clic on the “full size” image
right clic on it and “save picture as” to put it in a folder on your computer.
From there you need to practice on how modify it to fit your needs.