I have some rolls of black tar paper roads made by Busch (i think). They are way too dark to look realistic on my layout. Whats the best way to make them lighter more grey like?
I would use weathering powders or grind up a little chalk and dust it on with a fluffy brush. Think a tan or light gray would be better than white, make it look dirtier.
Good luck,
Richard
Even “school” type white chalk, if ground up and applied with an old toothbrush or mascara brush, would lighten up that product. For that matter, talcum powder from the medicine cabinet would work, assuming the perfumed odor is not a problem.
Dave Nelson
How about a small bag of ‘‘Mortar’’ brushed on slightly,color is there…
Cheers,
Frank
Hire to keep it in place once it’s brushed on? Hair spray?
Put your lines on,whether,they be paint,or tape,spray with Matte Medium,or brush a cote of Dull-cote,you’re done… Hairspray,will be sticky…
Cheers,
Frank
Try brushing on black and brown pastels/weathering powders. Fix them to the road with Dulcote. This technique has been the subject of past articles in Model Railroader. If the road surface has enough “tooth”, the Dulcote might not be necessary. DO NOT use hairspray.
S&S
You should have a more durable “finished” surface to prevent scarring of any pastels/ chalks. I would recommend a base coat of acrylic dry brushed on the surface first. Select a good overall base color that will be slightly lighter. Let the artist’s acrylics dry before weathering. Road striping can be done at this point. I still would use dry brushing of paints over weathering powders- a much more lasting finish.
This is a method used most often for the club’s scenery. Instead of “painting” the paper we color/ paint Hydrocal or Durham’s water Putty- same results.
Most of the asphalt shown is dyed Hydrocal, painted w/ the base and drybrush weathered. You can get the same results on any other medium. The advantage of “pouring” the roads w/ plaster, Durabond 90 or water putty is you can trowel the finish to a more irregular surface w/ crowns, uneven shoulders, drains, manhole covers, cracks, gouges or broken portions are easily done into the surface somewhere in the process of the painting or weathering.
Sponging it on works pretty well. I used that technique on black craft foam. Dab the sponge onto a scrap piece of cardstock first to remove most of the paint (sort of like dry-brushing.)
Steve S