Chooch Resin Abutments

[theodorefisk]

I would like some ideas on how to make the Chooch grey resin abutments realistic. I think one way is a wash, but I have no idea how to make a wash to do so. Please let me know. Thank you

[peahrens]

You didn't say whether yours are concrete or stone tyoe.

I used Chooch stone abutments and a pier for a trestle-to-girder bridge combo.  I think they were colored (I forget) but I wanted them to blend with some rock in the area and, particularly, some Chooch rock retaining wall vertical stick-on veneer that is adjacent.  I painted the bridge items and the retaining wall with an acrylic craft paint "slate gray" that I might have toned a bit (I forget) as desired with another craft color.  I might have also given it a much diluted black (or india ink) wash after full drying for a bit more character (did I say I forgot?).

I think you can get the effect you want with craft paints, mixed to the color you want.  The key is what color you want in the end.  I have a bunch of $1 craft paint colors that I use for building kit painting, etc.  This is one of the "etc" items.  You may want gray rock, some yellowish / brownish tone, etc.  It's not hard to get a shade you like.  Just mix some in a toothpaste rinse cup; start over if it gets "wrong' for what you want.

On the india ink, make sure to buy the water soluble type for easy dilution and cleanup.  Just read the label at Hobby Lobby.  Make a wash with a few drops in water.  Adjust the dilution and use multiple washes as needed.  Do let things dry before repeating.  A bottle may last a lifetime.

[SeeYou190]

I treat all my minuatures the same, whether stone abutments, resin cars, people figures, or tree trunks.

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I always start with Flat Black as a base coat, then work in lighter drybrush coats to the lightest color. I finish with accent color washes. Citadel Colour "Shade Paints" are the best washes I have found, but they have very limited color selections.

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-Kevin

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[jjdamnit]

Hello all,

A "wash" is basically diluted paint or ink. 

For ballasting I uses a wash of a few drops of India ink in about a cup of isopropyl alcohol.

I spray this mixture over the ballast to take the sheen off of the glue I use.

What ever you use to dilute the paint/ink needs to be the same as the base. 

Ink is water based so you could just dilute it with water or isopropyl alcohol.

Acrylic paints are also water soluble. There are acrylic thinners available but water will work just fine.

Oil base paints are typically made with linseed oil and typically thinned with turpentine. These also give off volatile fumes and should only be used outdoors. 

These oil based paints can often harm or destroy foam and some kinds of plastics.

To make a wash begin with a given quantity of liquid compatible with the medium that is to be diluted.

I begin with about a cup (8 fluid ounces).

Add a few drops of the coloring agent and mix well.

Some folks use test cards; applying the wash to white paper or cardboard to determine the opacity of the wash.

You can also apply the wash directly to what you are modeling. Allow the wash to fully dry to get the full effect.

If the wash is too light you can...

• Add more pigment to the wash, to darken it
• Apply more coats of the same wash, allowing the previous coat to fully dry. (Be aware aggressive application of the subsequent layers might remove the previous layers.)

If the wash is too dark you can...

• Use a wet cloth; with the same liquid used to dilute the pigment, and wipe away the excess pigment until you get the effect you want. (This method is often used to highlight the mortar joints in brick buildings.)
• Further dillute the wash.

For most folks it's a matter of trial and error to get the look just right. Taking notes and labeling your washes with dilution ratios helps you reproduce the results with less chance of inconsistent results.

Hope this helps.