Rob - good advise - great photo.
What did you use for the snow/ice?
[bow]
When i try to mix paint for wash its always to runny? What measurements do you use to mix the black? And how do you apply it?
It’s unfinished white plaster in that photo - actually on the way to being a summer scene! The white areas were later painted with tax latex in preparation for adding ground cover.
I mix VERY thin stuff, probably 90% water or more. I don’t use a set ratio, but rather keep adding black to some water until I get a mixture that works for the effect I’m after at the moment. I apply with a worn artist’s brush. I think the one I was using for the scene pictured was about 3/8".
By way of contrast, the dry-brush application of the later colors uses almost no water at all.
I pretty much follow Rob’s procedure and here is how I last diluted a black wash for staining rock plaster molds:
Woodland Scenics Black Pigment (Product No C1220), which comes in a 4oz bottle, was diluted 1:32. One part black pigment to 32 parts water. But like Rob, this varies depending upon the application and I also use India Ink as a black wash with one teaspoonful added to one pint of 70% Isopropyl Alcohol.
Hope this helps,
Wayne
wp8thsub. how did you make your rock faces?
I mixed some casting plaster about 2 plaster to 1 water (measured in 16-ounce plastic cups), and threw in a handful of paver sand to give texture and retard setting time a bit. As it started to set I applied it to the base scenery shell with a 2 inch putty knife, then used the same tool, plus an artist’s palette knife, to chip away at the plaster and leave rock texture behind. Except for adding the sand, it’s pretty standard hand-carving procedure from scenery books and articles I’ve seen over the years.
Here’s another mostly complete scene from my previous layout showing texture and color from the techniques I’m describing.
This area still needed some final ground cover, color matching for the talus material, and more vegetation, but shows the general progression of things.
Sheesh! That’s darned GOOD!
Ok cool. Tomorrow i will do some plastering on some cut foam i have left over. for testing. I’ll be using durabond 90. so that should give me plenty of time to work with it. Will post pics of the test when done.
How does this look so far?
I already plastered the first section with a thin coat. I put the lines in it to help the second coat to bond better. and the second coat will be the one i will try to sculpt.
Any particular reason why you’re doing multiple applications? Even if it’s applied a couple of inches thick, it doesn’t crack. If your first application is damp, it should be okay to add more, but if it’s dry, mist it lightly with either plain or “wet” water - this is to prevent too much moisture from being drawn out of the newly-applied batch.
Wayne
I tried to put it on thicker. But it wouldn’t stay where i layed it.
Well i plastered it up and painted it. Hope it looks ok? If not oh well. i worked on this part to long. I’m just going to get started on the rest of the lay out.
