I would like to add a wet look to my cement and asphalt streets on my layout but am not sure how. I don’t want puddles, just a look as if there are still some wet spots after a recent rain.
You could try testors gloss coat applied with a brush.
On my UK layout I used to brush on some acrylic gloss varnish. It worked quite well. With all the dust my space gets, the effect tended to wear off after a couple of months.
For a just-rained look I even used to brush water on, then take the pics in a hurry
Mike
I don’t think I have ever seen anyone model wet streets, nor have I ever tried. If I were to try to get that look, I would look at wet streets, mainly for the right color. I would think the grayish look of dry asphalt roads would look almost black when wet. And the lighter gray color of dry cement or concrete roads, would be a much darker gray when wet. So I think when I got the color right, I would paint them with a thin coat of magic water.
Again I have never tried this, but I think that is something I would try on scrap material first before doing on the layout.
Sam
I would try a very little gloss medium in some pure black paint, or maybe some charcoal grey, and paint the asphalt. I tried that for an oily streak between the rails and it looked good. My painting sucked because of my inability to keep the bristles spreading consistently as I drew it across ties in succession, but the principle was sound.
Crandell
Mike,
That’s a really nicely done scene. I can almost smell the rain in the air.
I didn’t intend to make this street look wet, as it’s supposed to be in a dry landscape.
Inadvertently, it came out looking a little “wet” despite being painted with grimy black matte acrylic paint. The “street” is actually .010" styrene sheet that I laid down to conceal the joint between the roadbed and the styrofoam liftout.
So I’d say keep in mind that the material the street is made of can contribute to achieving this effect. This wasn’t what I was trying for, but suggests that it could be useful for your project.