 Joined: 02/01/2006(UTC) Posts: 878 Location: Stockholm, Sweden
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Hello friends! Almost all layouts have a piece of bare rock somewhere. It's like a mandatory thing almost.  I've tried many different methods to create a good look of these rocks, starting with a simple natural gray paper in the mid 70's to 5 layers of acryllic paint on a styrofoam base today. It would be very intressting to learn about the methods you use in combination with a few pictures of the result of course. I would like to acieve a better result with less work. Pictures of each step is to come soon... 1st layer: White mat cheap wall paint to cover it all. 2nd layer: A mix of two acryllic colors; Raw Umber and Zink white creates a range of gray-brown colors. I use darker palette in cracks and holes and lighter on open surfaces. 3rd layer: Dry brush all with acryllic zinkwhite to lighten the overall impression, as well as highlighting edges and tops in the mountain structures.  4rd layer: Paint the entire mountain with a highly deluted black acryllic paint. I either ude a brush, or a soft sponge for this. Dry off excessive black paint if required.  5th layer: Paint details with a semi-hard brush using acryllic iron red and/or Umber burnt.  6th layer: Finish off any trackside rock with the airbrush using a thin coat of Pollyscale sand and rust (and then clean the airbrush for half an hour...[xx(] ) I feel this is rather complicated and time consuming, especially for larger areas of bare rocks. |
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 Joined: 08/01/2006(UTC) Posts: 2,218 Location: Shady Shores, TX - USA
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I don't like step 1 covering the entire area with paint, to me the details of the rock molds gets covered up. It makes everything look like it is coated with mud.
Since I work in sections with many months between work, I make a rock section just to practice on let it dry then see how it matches. Acrylics dry so much different than wet.
I try to make all rocks out of plaster instead of hydro cal because the paint soaks into the plaster better. If there is bare hydro cal around the rock area I put a light coat of plaster over it. before placing the rocks on.
Let the brush do the work
less paint looks better, I use just enough to stain the plaster gray. don't over mix the colors. I use very little Raw or Burnt umber, these colors look good for the American South West Sand Stone but Most European scenes show more Gray Grant. I even use a little green to get the effect of moss.
I do like to pant the plaster where grass will be a dark greenish brown then use a dark green blend for first layer of grass then a lite covering of lighter green grass. |
DT
Now powered by ECoS II unit#2, RocRail
era - some time in the future when the space time continuum is disrupted and ICE 3 Trains run on the same rails as the Adler and BR18's. |
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Joined: 02/01/2006(UTC) Posts: 878 Location: Stockholm, Sweden
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Hi
Thank you for good input!
I understand what you're saying about the paint ruining the structure of molded rocks, but for me it's no probz, because I don't use molded rocks.
Intressting thing about the choise of colors for different scenes. Currently I'm building a layout where as the sandstone color works well with the rest. Do you have some ideas about suitable colors to mix to obtain Gray Granit? Any mix on black makes the rocks turn blue...
- What is Hydro cal?
- Do you add green for the moss after as a separate layer, or do you blend it with the base colour?
I use to cover all with plaster first, but I stopped that since it was extra work. I instead mix a portion of plaster with the mat white color if I want a more rough texture. I actually more often grind down the surfaces and any sharp edges, which I think makes the apperance more realistic. |
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Joined: 08/01/2006(UTC) Posts: 2,218 Location: Shady Shores, TX - USA
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with acrylics or water colors you should start with a light surface and then add darker colors, add pant for shadows and don't try to paint the highlights. so I don't know of a good way to make black colors lighter. An interesting thing about rock formations in nature is that the flat surface on top of a rock gets dirty and stained and even though more light hits the top of the surface it can look as dark as the shadows. hydrocal is like plaster but stronger and used in the medical industry to make cast for broken bones http://www.woodlandscenics.com/ then search on hydrocal As far as the moss stain as I am dry brushing the plaster gray I will just use a small amount of green to small parts of the rock on the sides where shadows would form then with the brush clean just a little wet i blend it in. Remember moss grows on the north side of trees and rocks. Speaking of trees most of the trees that are pre-made or home made tend to have just one color on them. I have yet to see a tree in nature have one color all over. One should at least add a light coating of a lighter color over the tree, because as a tree grows the new leaves are lighter than the older growth. |
DT
Now powered by ECoS II unit#2, RocRail
era - some time in the future when the space time continuum is disrupted and ICE 3 Trains run on the same rails as the Adler and BR18's. |
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Joined: 23/08/2006(UTC) Posts: 2,597 Location: Beverly, MA
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Hi all, Quote:[size=1" face="Verdana" id="quote]quote: Originally posted by Martin T<br />Hi Thank you for good input! I understand what you're saying about the paint ruining the structure of molded rocks, but for me it's no probz, because I don't use molded rocks. When painting ant scenery,I always used a cheap (light)earth colored latex(matte) paint cut 50-50 with water.It flows much better and doesn't hide any details.Plus it also a bonding agent for the first application of scenery materials. Intressting thing about the choise of colors for different scenes. Currently I'm building a layout where as the sandstone color works well with the rest. Do you have some ideas about suitable colors to mix to obtain Gray Granit? Any mix on black makes the rocks turn blue... Take some paint color samples and look at them next to a piece of granite! Then get a lighter shade.Remember your layout lighting is far weaker than the sun,even on a cloudy day,... I also use India ink wash for the darkening of the cracks and crevices. - What is Hydro cal? A type of cement hard plaster used for rocks/scenery. - Do you add green for the moss after as a separate layer, or do you blend it with the base colour? Again a wash of green can do this,and it should be subtle,IMVHO. I use to cover all with plaster first, but I stopped that since it was extra work. I instead mix a portion of plaster with the mat white color if I want a more rough texture. I actually more often grind down the surfaces and any sharp edges, which I think makes the apperance more realistic. check out Ross's YouTube video,great stuff! Dr Dirt
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Joined: 23/08/2006(UTC) Posts: 2,597 Location: Beverly, MA
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 Joined: 17/09/2006(UTC) Posts: 18,771 Location: New Zealand
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 Joined: 27/08/2005(UTC) Posts: 11,071 Location: Murrumba Downs QLD
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When Mixing any Plaser type material I put some colour in the Mix. so It is not White.
Use Green or a Sandstone Powder that is used for colouring Concrete. Very nice result. then you can add other colours.
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NOt wearing the Pink Pinny, which is hard to see and now I have a white Pinny which also is hard to see against MY pure white Skin Still have 2 new shiny tin Hips that is badly in Need of Repair matching rusting tin shoulders
and a hose pipe on the aorta
Junior member of the Banana Club, a reformist and an old Goat with a Bad memory, loafing around |
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 Joined: 23/10/2007(UTC) Posts: 705 Location: ,
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Hehehehe,i think i have more plaster on my layout than the average skyscraper has. A mountain is a funny thing.Im not saying mine is any good.....but,the texture has to be right.You get mountains and you get mountains.Over here in Africa...our mountains are red and brown.I do not know any other mountain.So naturally i went with brown mountains. First step.Build the basic shape out of polystyrene off cuts.  We have a product here called "rhinolight".Its a finishing plaster.I then dip strips of newspaper into a fairly runny mix of this plaster and pull it over the polystyrene.I make sure that i get lots of crevices and folds in the paper.It looks like this then  I then make a very dry mix of plaster.You can actually pick it up and form it in your hand.I use a wide big paint brush and paint the plaster with short strokes all over the mountain.This makes it a lot stronger and gives it a very rough texture.  Then the fun starts.Another batch of very very sticky plaster.This time just enough water to absorb the plaster and then a handfull of plaster over the mix to make it tough.This i apply by hand...in thick wads.Now the world is your oyster.You can either take a large flat screwdriver and make rock shapes in it.....  Or you can go haywire and take an old credit card and carve the plaster into shape whilst still wet,  I use burnt umber,burnt sienna,flat earth,light cinnamon,slate gray and black on these.Even splashes of ochre.Little orange here and there and so forth.Im busy with this one.Has about 3 colors in it now.Will get better. This is also a nice texture  No funny stuff here.Just straight prodded plaster,painted on with a brush. A last one.I actually finished this mountain today.Just need to prod it and carve it.  |
If at any stage in the defusing of a bomb,you should see a bomb technician running,try your utmost best to keep up with him-Army magazine of preventative action.
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Joined: 10/02/2006(UTC) Posts: 3,997
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and a giant cuckoo will poke its head out of the framed hole in the mountain every hour right ? |
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 Joined: 15/12/2005(UTC) Posts: 3,590 Location: Spain
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I work almost the same as Martin. (Nice work, thanks for sharing!)
-Only I dont paint everything white. Instead, I mix in some acryllic grey and black already when mixing the plaster.
-This is to prevent later damages to the plaster showing up white.
(I dont know if this will weaken the strength of the plaster, but I certainly havent had any problems with that!)
A little "noise" is added randomly (a little dilluted red/yellow/ocker etc.)
Then I wash it all with heavily dilluted acryllic black.
Then I drybrush with white/light grey.
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Joined: 23/10/2007(UTC) Posts: 705 Location: ,
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Quote:[size=1" face="Verdana" id="quote]quote:Originally posted by DaleSchultz
<br />and a giant cuckoo will poke its head out of the framed hole in the mountain every hour right ?
Ummmm,it actually looks like i might have ants in there.  |
If at any stage in the defusing of a bomb,you should see a bomb technician running,try your utmost best to keep up with him-Army magazine of preventative action.
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Joined: 25/09/2006(UTC) Posts: 945 Location: Sydney, NSW
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Hi David, Thanks for the mention. Martin T, You rock painting results look very good. I used the spray paint method because I have large areas to cover. I mention at the end of the video that dry brushing can be applied to enhance details that appear closer to the viewer. (see John's layout part 28 under friends on my web page for results on my painting effort) The large area in the SW corner took approx. 2-3 hours to paint. Thanks for you contribution to the forum. Ross Quote:[size=1" face="Verdana" id="quote]quote: Originally posted by Bigdaddynz<br />Ross Stewart recently posted some links in a thread about some rock faces he has recently painted and weathered on a friend's layout. You can look at the thread here:- https://www.marklin-user...ault.aspx?g=posts&t=9215......... |
Ross
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