HI I am new to model railroading and I am wondering what kind of paint, to paint hills and mountains? I am also wondering if there are any techniques of painting to look better.
Welcome to the forum.
Flat, latex house paint works well for a base coat. Either a light brown or a light gray would work. As far as adding more colors to base coat, I use artists acrylics. They can usually be had for under a dollar per tube. Personally, I use diluted acrylics sprayed on with a hair spray bottle. They are more like washes than layers of paint. That's why I would suggest starting with a lighter base color. The washes will darken it up and add more depth. Burnt sienna, raw sienna, burnt umber, and raw umber work well for the rocks and hills I build. The key is to use different variations and shades of color. If you're doing gray rock, you will just have to do many shades of gray. I hope this helps.
What colors do you use? Are they layered, or is there a technique to making it look realistic?
The colors vary by the part of the country you want to model and the time of year, etc.
Are you painting the layout surface or the backdrop? If its the layout surface it will change colors depending on whether its soil or rock, sandy or fertile, etc. If its the backdrop watch a few of the (late)"Bob Ross" painting shows, he does beginner landscapes on public TV a lot of times. Plus many art and craft stores carry instruction books by him.
Dave H.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
I use flat latex wall paint for my base coat. Tan for ground areas, and dark green for any areas (like mountains) that will be covered with masses of trees.
I use acrylic craft paint for highlights, rockwork, roads, etc.
Nick
Take a Ride on the Reading with the: Reading Company Technical & Historical Society http://www.readingrailroad.org/
That's just the base color. It still needs the ground foam applied.