This is the very first time I have painted rocks. Please give me feedback. I’m trying to paint the rocks as in the Royal Gorge near the hanging bridge. The acrylic colors I have used is Marshall Black, Titanium White, Burnt and Raw Umbra, Burnt and Raw Sienna. There are some plaster showing but it’s just a test so…
I am not familiar with the rock in your area but what you have done looks excellent to me. You have given the rocks a nice texture with the multiple shades. If I had one suggestion it would be to try some weathering to take the gloss off the rocks. I’d experiment with alchohol/India ink washes or powdered chalks to see which give the best results.
Excellent! Isn’t it fun?
I would like to see the prototype in true colour for a comparison. Still, I think you may need to tone the colours down a notch by using an alcohol and white acylic wash. Again, it is hard to say, both because of colour balance in your camera and compared to the real thing…you know?
Those are spectacular rock formations, though, EL.
I think it looks extremely life like.The color and detail are excellent.There is one thing however you have forgotten.
You need to “name” your pet rock.
It looks pretty good but may i make one suggestion?..Try to get the darker colors towards the bottom section of the rock and work the colors up until there are light colors towards the top…you won’t believe how this will really make the rock stand out when it’s on the layout. The sun when it reflects off of rock throws dark shadows towards the base where not much sunlight can get to it and as it rises closer to the sunshine the colors become lighter and lighter the further you move towards the top of the rock…just a suggestion, but all in all it does look pretty good…chuck
I am not familiar with the rock in that area. I like the coloring and have see rock like that in Washington. When it is shinny, however, it is usually wet. I agree if you are modelling Colorado, that you should try a wash that reduces the shine with maybe more graying.
You could put vegetation over the white spots.
Sue
Very good start! I agree that it’s a little dark. Highlighting the higher surfaces would help. Otherwise, really good! I should think a shot of Dullcote could take care of the sheen, although you’ll want to test it on a small area before doing the whole rock face. I don’t know how colorfast the pigments are that you’ve used.
Um well i dont know how to tell you this, yeah ok to be totally bluntly honest not gonna sugarcoat it bur holy smokes those are asome rocks. Great job.
That’s some dam fine work, electro. I agree also about the darker shades towards the bottom. Keep in mind, too that not only would shade make it look darker on the bottom, but also moisture tends to collect going towards the bottom, too. Isn’t there going to be water at the bottom? If so, some green algea and maybe some moss wouldn’t hurt. They look fantastic just like they are though, and would be fine if you didn’t change a thing.
Add a bit of color to the plaster when you mix it and the little white places will not be there and if they are already in place a wash of inks before coloring should work, nice job by the way, sure this is a first time?
Do you offer a Clinc for us “Rock creating Challenged” People?
Hi Electro.
First off, I want to say that you have done a fabulous job on your rocks. It is actually some of the best rocks I have ever seen done by any one. I saw a video by Dave Frary (Whom everyone will agree that if he isn’t Model Railroader’s all knowing God of Scenery, he is at least a confirmed master at it) where he was making rocks, and while his rocks look really good, yours look alot better in my opinion. I actually had to do a double take because I thought you had some how managed to shrink a real rock face down to size.
However, I compared them against pictures of the Royal Gorge. Now there could be 1001 different reasons for this and I am just stating my humble opinion. However I think, that if your trying to match the Royal Gorge, your rocks need to be more gray in color. To me the rocks you painted look like what I would expect to come from like some where in Ohio, or Pennsylvania, and not the rocky cliffs of the wild wild west. However If they look like a good match to you, go a head and use them, They certainly are fantastic rocks.
James.
Those sure look like New England rocks on a rainy day. The rust color is perfect for rocks with just a bit of iron in them. How big a casting is that, and how long did it take to paint it. I’ll agree - if you post a step-by-step process for those rocks, a lot of people will print it out and carry it down to their workrooms.
WOW guys! I’m really flattered… I have learned three things from your answers.
1 - Lighter colors at the top, darker at the bottom.
2 - Dullcoat or similar to take away the shine.
3 - You guys are great!
But the real hero is Darryl Huffman that learned me this. If you want to paint rocks like this, buy his DVD. I have it and it’s really good. He is a real gentleman.
[link]http://www.darrylhuffman.50megs.com/custom.html[/link]
Next time I will have a photo of the real Royal Gorge rocks to look at when I’m painting. I’m pretty satisfied with the rocks but, they do not look like the rocks in the Royal Gorge. Maybe close but not 100%. And 100% is the only way for me… With your great answers I have passed 80% [swg]
Ugh, those rocks look awful. Even a 4-year-old can do better! You call those rocks? More like something the dog left behind. I spit on them! Pah!
JUST KIDDING! Okay…you wanted us to criticize it, after all 
Seriously, they look real nice, and realistic too! Might I say, your rocks…rock!
I don’t know if you just painted them but they look “wet.” you need to make them look drier, “dustier” somehow. Maybe dull them a bit and put a very light tan tone to it.
Here is a reference. I just rafter the Gorge this last summer, and it was an awesome trip!! Lots of great scenery through there. BTW, the rocks are looking great!!
Thanks for that photo. So, I will stand by my suggestion to do several white washes, followed by a couple of india ink ones to get the shadows and relief to stand out more. The white washes will mute the colour EL has already and render them closer to the photo, in my opinion.
Electro… those are some fine rocks, might fine. I hope mine, when I get to it come out half as good, I’ll be tickled. I do agree the color is a little on the red side, need to be quite a bit more grey and tone down the shine. Heck, you’re going to be the Rock Painting Teacher around here!
Let me say this though. It is very hard to judge whether someone has posted a picture that truly represents the accurate color of their model. Digital cameras are notorious for producing ‘offcolor’ photos. It is very rare that any given model camera will do it correctly. Adding to the problem is the color balance of the light we shoot our model in. Tungsten light bubs give off a light in the orange/red, florescent tubes throw a greenish cast most of the time. Some brands of tubes… other colors This is assuming a person is using those lights as the primary or only source of light for the photograph. Flash units will ‘usually’ give accurate colors, but most photographers think the light from them is too much on the blue side. Direct flash, that is when the flash unit is fired directly at the model or subject is a little harsh and is mostly responsible for the extreme shiny look. I usually use bounce flash for my photographs, never direct flash. People that are into digital photography, as much as we are into trains, go to great lengths to get accurate, color balanced pictures. I’ve been doing it for years and I also color profile my monitor so that it will show colors as accurately as possible. Not all computers monitors show accurate colors.
I only go into all this because if I were to see your rock out in the sun at around midday, it may be ALOT less red and maybe is more grey than we can tell. In other words, it might be pretty much just what you wanted.
Nonetheless, you did a fine job and I’d be more than proud to have them on my layout.
JaRRell
I agree, those are great rocks. Looking at the last pics posted, I notice a white highlight, more from the reflected sunlight than the color of the base rock. One way I simulate that, is when I have the colors right and enough black washes to get the shadows right, I lightly dry brush some white on the tips and the edges of the rock faces, Always rubbing the brush the same way will get give the sunlight an “angle”.
First of all I’ve got to say that those are the finest looking rocks I’ve ever seen. Very nice work!! They look exactly like the rock faces I’ve seen along roads going through the Appalachian Mountains on a rainy day. (this may not have been the effect you were going for but its still great) I noticed a few round depressions in a few spots that were probably caused by bubbles in the plaster. Try tapping the mold while the plaster is still wet to get rid of them. Would you mind telling us if you used a commercial mold and if so which one? I’m modeling CSX in the Appalachian Mountains and this is the kind of rocky appearance I hope to achieve.