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Scenery Construction Sequence

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Posted by reasearchhound on Thursday, March 28, 2024 12:05 PM

riogrande5761

 

 
Overmod

Something I learned is to pre-color the plaster in your castings (or other scenery) appropriately, and to include 'aggregate' or texturing material in the plaster where appropriate.  Then if any spots chip or crack, or you start reworking a carved area, you don't get that stark-white 'cliffs of Dover' look... 

 

 

I tried that route.  I tried ordering the color I needed (buff) and another guy showed pictures and it was very orange.  So I switched to adding powdered pigment to my plaster, and it looked decent when I put it down, but I had to spray it with water to remove the brush marks or other unnatural shapes.  It ended up fading the coloring.  I'd rather have the shape more natural.

I've painted over it now with a base desert sand stone color since.

 

 

I have also added colorant to my rock castings but find it doesn't allow me to use them "as is" but is only a bit of insurance against any stark white spots showing up when a chip or ding inevitably appears.

A little trick I like to use when placing castings, especially large heavier ones, is that once I think I like the placement of the castings I drill a hole (two for really large castings) through the casting and into the base. I then insert wooden skewers which help hold the casting more or less in place. I can then back away to view the placement from a distance, or from where it will normally be viewed, to see if it looks good (to me) before setting it with hot glue. The skewers also help with holding the casting in place while the hot glue dries. Even the hot glue can be undone with minimal damage if I still don't like the placement. Eventually Sculptamold worked in between the various castings and the base will secure everything (the holes from where the skewers were used can easily be patched with the SM) so final coloring can begin.

 

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Posted by riogrande5761 on Thursday, March 28, 2024 7:35 AM

Overmod

Something I learned is to pre-color the plaster in your castings (or other scenery) appropriately, and to include 'aggregate' or texturing material in the plaster where appropriate.  Then if any spots chip or crack, or you start reworking a carved area, you don't get that stark-white 'cliffs of Dover' look... 

I tried that route.  I tried ordering the color I needed (buff) and another guy showed pictures and it was very orange.  So I switched to adding powdered pigment to my plaster, and it looked decent when I put it down, but I had to spray it with water to remove the brush marks or other unnatural shapes.  It ended up fading the coloring.  I'd rather have the shape more natural.

I've painted over it now with a base desert sand stone color since.

 

Rio Grande.  The Action Road  - Focus 1977-1983

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Posted by hardcoalcase on Wednesday, March 27, 2024 1:40 PM

Overmod
 Something I learned is to pre-color the plaster in your castings (or other scenery) appropriately, and to include 'aggregate' or texturing material in the plaster where appropriate.  Then if any spots chip or crack, or you start reworking a carved area, you don't get that stark-white 'cliffs of Dover' look...

Me too.  To make rock castings, I add 1 tsp black tempera powdered paint (or acrylic craft paint) to 1 cup warm water and sift in 2 cups of plaster; pour it into the mold and let it set overnight.  The result is a light gray casting which serves as a good base that you can use as-is.  If you want to add paint for color variation or highlights, YouTube has only several hundred videos that will show you how!

You can still add small white specks for bird droppings if you so desire!Big Smile

Jim

 

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Posted by selector on Friday, March 22, 2024 8:33 PM

Yes, this saves some extra effort if there's a break, and if you can't fix it right away, the White Cliffs of Dover look persists.  I use(d) masonry dye powder in my ground goop mix a-la-Fugate. It takes some practice to get the amounts and mixes right for the look you'd like, but it works well, and when something breaks, you can just pour and glue more ground foam or leave it and add some tallus or something to look like a fall.

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Posted by Overmod on Friday, March 22, 2024 5:43 PM

Something I learned is to pre-color the plaster in your castings (or other scenery) appropriately, and to include 'aggregate' or texturing material in the plaster where appropriate.  Then if any spots chip or crack, or you start reworking a carved area, you don't get that stark-white 'cliffs of Dover' look...

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  • From: Ponte Vedra, FL USA
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Posted by mrnimble on Thursday, March 21, 2024 7:37 PM

Appreciae the tips guys.  Thanks.  Helps me make a plan for what to do next.

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Posted by MisterBeasley on Tuesday, March 19, 2024 3:56 PM

I usually paint my rock castings first, then glue them down.  I then put scenic stuff (Gypsolite) around them and paint it with thin washes of acrylic paint, green and brown.  That covers the edges.  I might add smaller rock castings after that, also pre-painted.

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

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Posted by kasskaboose on Tuesday, March 19, 2024 3:42 PM

Instead of painting the entire base first, why not use paper to identify the approx footprint of the structures you plan to use.  This way you avoid wasting time painting needlessly. 

Rocks and other scenery can get added afterward.

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Posted by wjstix on Tuesday, March 19, 2024 10:23 AM

If you're using rock castings, when you put then in place you'll probably need to add some plaster around the edges so it blends in with the rest of the scenery (i.e. doesn't have big gaps). So I would put the rock castings in place and then color the scenery. 

Stix
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Posted by snjroy on Tuesday, March 19, 2024 8:52 AM

I think there is a difference between a blended rock and a loose rock/boulder, such as those seen at the bottom of a mountain. Blended rocks should be blended in with sculptamold or plaster, so it's best to put the rockwork in first, blend with plaster, then paint both. For loose rocks, I paint my terrain first, glue the rocks, then paint them. 

I don't know about you folks, but I always end up doing touch-ups anyways, whatever I'm painting.

Simon

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Posted by FRRYKid on Tuesday, March 19, 2024 2:35 AM

In my opinion, I would say do your base first. If you have to get rocks in such a way that a small crack occurs, with having the color already, you don't have to get creative to cover the crack.

Even with my grass and such, I paint the base so that I'm covered if the glue doesn't hold the turf in a spot. You just see ground color.

"The only stupid question is the unasked question."
Brain waves can power an electric train. RealFact #832 from Snapple.
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Scenery Construction Sequence
Posted by mrnimble on Monday, March 18, 2024 8:20 PM

All terain is constructed but unpainted.  All rocks and boulders are cast and already painted.
In the sequence of next steps in scenery construction I have the following question:
a) is it best to apply the rocks to the terrain and then painton the base color,     cutting in around the rocks, or
b) is it best to paint the entire layout in my base color andthen go back and apply the rocks, touching up the base as needed?

    Thanks.

 

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