I’m still working on the perfect method of coloring scale brick as found in DPM kits, and I’ve come up with a couple of new pieces of info that you might be interested in:
First of all, the photo below is my latest project. I got so excited about the results that I didn’t want to wait to put up a photo of the completed structure. On this wall, I used 3 shades of marking pen. The first is a light brown (Letraset Tria Pantone 154). This was used as a sort of “base coat” on the entire wall. Then, I used the fine tip of a Pantone 168 (a darker brown) to highlight random areas of the wall. And the third application is a Prismacolor pen (Mahogany Red), which was used to deepen the colors and blend them together.
The thing that is interesting is that I had assumed there was nothing that Prismacolor could be used for because it wasn’t “permanent”, but I found that a light spray of Dull Cote was all it needed, in order to prepare it for an acrylic wash. In fact, after each application of color, I didn’t want to take a chance and have the colors melt into each other. So, I sprayed lightly with Dull Cote.
Now, if you want to try this technique, you don’t have to invest in 3 markers. Just go with a rather dark color that reminds you of brick. The acrylic wash will, to a certain extent, provide some variation.
Here is the wall (the trim hasn’t been painted yet). Remember to click on the photo to get the high-res image…
Hi. The effect is very nice, although I would have used different colours…, perhaps it is the colour balance in the camera or something…it seems purplish to me.
Thanks for posting the technique. About how long would it have taken you to do this face?
You’re right - it does look a little purplish to me, as well. I’ll probably choose a different final color for the rest of the walls.
As far as how long - I didn’t really keep track, but if you go with one color, a spray of Dull Cote and the acrylic wash, it’d probably take longer to let the Dull Cote dry than the entire wall would take to color! [;)]
If you consider how little material is actually on the model - the ink is extremely thin, as is the wash, it would be relatively easy to recoat any faded areas. If you decide to paint the walls, you always run the risk of applying too much material and filling the mortar lines so that any wash becomes very inconsistent. Of course, if you don’t care about the mortar lines, the point is moot.
I decided to try something else - I used a Prismacolor Dark Brown pen directly over the finished wall! This seems to have toned down the purple without obliterating the mortar lines. Notice the original color below the two rows of three windows - I did not paint this area with the Dark Brown.
This also demonstrates how easy it would be to touch-up a wall that has faded!
