Coloring Rock Casting/Carving???? Newbie mistake!

[Anonymous]

OK, I made the classic beginner mistake. I did not try coloring my rock castings before I had them all installed and looking great on the layout. I tried an India ink wash, followed by diluted "dirt" wash, as suggested and demonstrated on Dave Frary's DVD. I guess I did not have the "dirt" wash sufficiently diluted and/or my sprayer spayed too much. The rocks ended up way to "dirt" colored and way too little gray. I tried adding more India ink wash and it's better, but too dark and still too "dirt" colored. I made another rock casting and tried it with more diluted "dirt" (after a single India ink wash) and it came out great.

The question: Is there any way to fix everything I have already installed that came out wrong when I tried coloring it? I have thought about airbrushing or otherwise painting the rocks white and starting all over, BUT I am concerned the look will not be right because I will not be washing the porous rock casting, but rather an already painted rock casting. Any ideas?

Also, what do folks use for carving rocks? I need to do some of that around the entrance to a tunnel. This would be over foam, rigid wrap and a thin "painting" of Gypsolite.

Thanks in advance (on both counts).

John
Austin, Texas

[dehusman]

I never use a sprayer, especially on raw castings, have never been able to get a good even color.

Get some cheap flat white latex interior wall paint. Buy some black and shades of brown craft paints (the ones in the little plastic squeeze bottles, Ceramacoat, Apple Barrel or Folk Art, lotza times they are on sale for 50-75 cents a bottle). Pour some white paint in a container (plastic cup or jar) add craft paint to tint the white paint to the base color grey or brown you want. Paint the entire rock surface the base color. Let it dry really well. Then use washes of india ink or the craft paints to stain the rockwork. Use thin washes applied with a cheap 1 or 2 in brsh (the "chip" brushes with the white bristles and wooden handles) and apply a couple coats, letting each coat dry thoroughly. I find that doing it this way gives me more control over the density of the stain.

Dave H.

[bogp40]

After staining as dehusman suggests, you can fine tune the shading and highlights by drybrushing acrylics. White or light highlights on the outer tips, rust coloring controlled as weathering or striping for veining. The options are endless, you are to determine when it's just right. Practice on a sample piece first as not to get deeper in trouble . Good luck.
Bob K.

[Anonymous]

Thanks guys, I'll give those suggestions a try.

J

[Anonymous]

For an opposing point of view: I used sprayers sucessfully for years (lots, with slightly different colors). I used Hydrocal plaster and never had any problems with plaster not taking the color. I used the leopard spots method of coloring described in the Woodland Scenics handbook. The rule for coloring plaster with stains is: "you can always make it darker, but never lighter." It is much like watercolor painting where the paper is the white and in that situation as well, if you get things too dark, they are hard to fix.

Here is an example of some of my rocks:

[Anonymous]

So, Guy, I guess you are saying, once I messed it up, there is not much I can do to fix the problem.

Know the spray system will work because after I messed up, I made a new casting for practice (which is what I should have done originally). On the "practice" casting I sprayed the India Ink wash, followed by "dirt" wa***hat I thinned much more than I had before and it came out perfect. First time around I did not thin the "dirt" color enough, had sprayer problems, and as a result the dirt "wash" overwhelmed the gray wash making the rocks look like the surrounding dirt. I tried more gray on top, but that just made it darker. What I am trying now is to find a way to make the rocks that are too dark and too dirt-colored look better (without have to yank all the castings out of my terrain and start over. They looked so good before I started with the washes (blended with the surrounding terrain, etc.). Oh well, live and learn.

Thanks for your comments. This is a great forum.

J

[jwar]

Jsoule
Nothing to worry about. Take a look into Bragdons website, www.bragdonent.com This is the method for Geodesic scenery, scrol down to painting scenery. I used the same tecnique for a plaster cliff face, worked far better for me then the wash method. Be sure to use gesso for the white base if you do, that is what really brings out the colors.

I have yet to have someone enter my trainroom and ask "are those real rocks, how did you do that". so with that said im not going to do it any other way...John

[Anonymous]

Gracias, John.

John
Austin, TX

[hminky]

Paint the castings with Kilz Acrylic primer it works better than gesso. Then just stain the primer. Priming the castings is better because there are no hard or soft spots.

Just a thought
Harold

[Anonymous]

J,

QUOTE: So, Guy, I guess you are saying, once I messed it up, there is not much I can do to fix the problem.

Essentially that is correct, if you are going to use stain.


I think that the others on this thread have the right idea which is to repaint them (the castings which are too dark) white and then use colors again more sparingly, thinking more drybrush/ wet on wet rather than staining. You can also lighten them up by blowing light colored dirt on them in the crevices, using light green foam on them to simulate plants etc...You might also try dry brushing white and the very light dirt color on them to see if that can lighten things up a bit...

What we have are the two common methods for coloring plaster rocks:

Method one: Stain using light colors of washes working gradully to build up a desired color range...

Method two: seal the rocks with paint/gesso etc. and paint them with the same washes only not expecting them to soak in..

The excellent scenery modelers I know are divided evenly between the two methods....depends on what you can get to work and what you like in the finished look..

[jwar]

Hi Harold.
The main reason I use the Gesso as you know it used for preparing artist canvas for painting. By using extreamly light washes of artist acrylics, it not only brings the color out, but as each color is washed on the rock and layed over each other, it really brings out the earthy colors and details. The gesso makes it eluminate out. This method is very different the staining the rock castings.

I havent tried using Kilz, but when my supplys arrive I will try a spot. Have about twenty square feet to go on two layouts.

[hminky]

The Kilz primer is cheaper than gesso. It gives a rockier texture, I have used it on my ceiling tile rocks.



I discuss it in my web article on ceiling tile rocks:

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/more_rocks/

I also use it in my weathered wood technique:



and discuss it in my weathered wood aricle:

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/weathered_wood/

Thank you if you visit
Harold

[jwar]

Hi Hminky

Tried the kiltz yesterday and works great with plaster and woodland scenics products.
I tried it on the Geodesic foam and it dident work as great. Geodesic foam scenery is a foam resin shell with sort of like hard resin on the outer side, as it come out of the molds, sort of like a gel coat on fiberglass when in place and cures. Any how I wash very very thin coats of watered down artist acrylics, overlaping and overcoating all areas with different colored washes, going over it several times, the under coat will show and the combinations of washes give vareying effects. the effects are awsome and I liked the kilz, but not quite the same effect on this product. Your rock outcropping is great and enjoyed your site. Thanks for the tip....John

BTW....After the Kilz/gesso drys, using a stiff brush I dab black tempura dry powder in the crevices, then wet water the area, then wet sponge 95 percent off leaving it in the cracks. After this drys I use tha very thin washes and is easy to control the effects wanted. Best part if one doesnt like it repaint, Take Care...John