Ok.. I am finally at the point where I can work on my mountain. I have the rock castings now but I dont know what colors work best on a typical mountain you'd see in Denver, kinda like the rocky mountains. Anyone have any pics of their mountains they finished? Need some ideas on rock placements and especially colors. Oh and what mixture of water and hydrocal (Plaster) works best for this? ANY help or advice would be great! One of the sides is almost a sheer drop.
Thanks in advance!
I'm using lighter shades of grey. Diluted craft paint works well as a stain. The Woodland Scenics earth tone stains look and work real good. If you don't seal your castings first, the stain soaks into the plaster and gives you a real nice uneven look. I start out with a light color and then add some darker accent shades. You'll have to chose what colors simulate your area the best.
I just use kiddy plaster cause it's cheaper. Mix your plaster into your water, not water into your plaster. This cuts down on air bubbles in your rocks. I shoot for REAL thin pancake batter consistency. Spray "wet" water into your molds before you pour and tap or vibrate your full molds to get any air bubbles out.
I'd post some pics, but Photobuckets down for maintenance right now.
Following loather's suggestions as to the washes your castings will look like these pics
I still like to use hydrocal, bought in bulk 90# bags and add powdered masonry dyes for base color. This avoids any white showing if you get any chips. This method also works for wall/ abutment castings and asphalt or concrete roads.
For a very large or long cut where individual castings tend to have that patchwork quilt look I tried the rubber rocks from Cripplebush. These need to be sealed with an acrylic base coat and washes and dry brushed accent coloring is needed. I am pleased with them, however they are somewhat pricey.
If using the washes on the hydrocal castings, proves unsatisfactory, you can just seal them with a base color and then add the washes and highlightes to suit your taste.
Modeling B&O- Chessie Bob K. www.ssmrc.org
I used WS molds and plaster of paris, mixed fairly thick (like pancake batter). Rather then washes, I paint the castings dark gray and then drybrush on a series of lighter grays, browns, and tans. I also use the same techniques for painting cut stone tunnel portals, bridges, and retaining walls.
Here's a good overview of one section, including a tunnel:
Here's a nice outcropping:
A dam/retaining wall:
And a bridge:
Nick
Take a Ride on the Reading with the: Reading Company Technical & Historical Society http://www.readingrailroad.org/
When it comes to rock castings, I'm lazy. I usually take the hydrocal casting outside, and spray it with cheap gray primer in a rattle-can from Lowe's. After the paint dries, I brush it with an India-Ink-in-water wash, which highlights the cracks and dulls up the rest. If it's not dark enough, I do it again. Done.
But, this is a more New England granite. Old rocks, older than the dinosaurs, even older than me. I think the Rockies are much younger, and may have different coloring. See, you should have listened in Geology class. If I had listened in Geology class, I would know these things. Instead, I'm just guessing.
For some of my rock walls, which are also castings but more cut stone vs. cliffs, I took a can of Rustoleum speckled brown paint, the "textured" stuff. I sprayed the rock walls with that, and then once again did the India Ink wash. This really looks good - more brown, with black flecks and highlights.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Start from pictures. Rocks change color, from area to area, even from range to range, even within the same range. Colorado's South San Juans aren't all the same as the San Juans proper, solid sub-basement formations in the former, crumbly ash in the latter.
Here's a few from not too far from Denver:
Torrey's Peak, an hour west, give or take.
Steven's Gulch, an hour west.
Torrey's peak again
Boulder Canyon, 30 minutes north of Denver
More Boulder Canyon
The Bastille, Eldorado Canyon, 30 minutes north of Denver
More Eldo
Lumpy Ridge, RMNP, 1 hour NW of Denver
More RMNP
McGregor Slab, Estes Park, 1 hour NW of Denver
Either use photos from the prototype area you are modelling, or else use photos from rock faces you just like the look of.
If your main goal is the layout itself, blow the pictures up, print them out, and place them right on the layout while you paint.
If you are more into photography or publication, paint some test areas, on the layout, under your normal lighting, take digital photos of the layout, then compare the layout with the real photo on your computer to get the colors blended right.
Lighting makes a HUGE difference.
We used Wal-mart acrylic craft paints to mix our colors, and this image from the San Juan range (6 hours SW of Denver) as a reference:
The color match came out reasonably close:
We painted dark gray first, making sure to fill in the deep cracks, then a medium gray, then drybrushed with a very light gray, almost white, then detailed with some dry dirt colors, some variable sized sand from a chuckhole in the driveway, sprinkled on wet paint, and then some greenery to flesh it out.
Don't be afraid to experiment. Dark colors can be harder to cover than white ones, but they eventually do, and once you get something you really like, be careful adding more layers of paint, test them first in a small , out of the way area.
What I have learned
1. get the rock face the basic colors you want it. I like several slight variations of that color.
2. Put a few very light washes of black over the tops. Lots of water, not much color. Unless it takes more than three washes, you are using too much color.
3. Dry brush an off-white lightly o the tips of the rock face, with all the brush strokes going the same way and the way the sun it hitting the face. A little red for evening, a little yellow for morning, a little blue for mid day. This needs to be very light.
Expermentation works better than instruction with this.
ARTHILL wrote: Expermentation works better than instruction with this.
And remember, your going to be adding grass and bushes and trees around them that will blend it all together. I didn't think my rocks looked that good till I started adding other elements. They're blending in nicely now.
bogp40 wrote: Following loather's suggestions as to the washes your castings will look like these picsI still like to use hydrocal, bought in bulk 90# bags and add powdered masonry dyes for base color. This avoids any white showing if you get any chips. This method also works for wall/ abutment castings and asphalt or concrete roads.For a very large or long cut where individual castings tend to have that patchwork quilt look I tried the rubber rocks from Cripplebush. These need to be sealed with an acrylic base coat and washes and dry brushed accent coloring is needed. I am pleased with them, however they are somewhat pricey.If using the washes on the hydrocal castings, proves unsatisfactory, you can just seal them with a base color and then add the washes and highlightes to suit your taste. Did you cast your own abutments in the 3d picture down of the city? Those are very nicely detailed! If you bought them, who makes them? Thanks for all the info guys! I really appreciate it! I will be "Experimenting" maybe tomorrow.
Did you cast your own abutments in the 3d picture down of the city? Those are very nicely detailed! If you bought them, who makes them?
Thanks for all the info guys! I really appreciate it! I will be "Experimenting" maybe tomorrow.
Everything above but, you might want to use powdered paint when you mix up your plaster. This way if the plaster chips you won't see white. You can always paint over it with any colors you choose for the final effect. You can get it at Michaels and craft stores. A little goes a long way.
Jellybean