Water Level RouteLooks great Kevin. How much do you thin the paint as you apply it?
Thank you for the comment.
The only paint I thin is the initial black. I thin it with about 2/3 water and a few drops of photo-flow from Kodak. I apply three coats of black so no white dots show up in photos.
Then... there are still white dots in some photographs.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
SeeYou190There you have it, quick and easy rock colors
Mike
This is what the rock face scene looked like when I first glued the rock castings and Mountains In Minutes tunnel portal into place.
END OF THE LINE UPDATE #3:
I did get some good work accomplished today. The big rock face is now painted using my standard technique for coloring rocks.
I start by painting the rock face completely black, then go over 95% of it with Delta Ceramcoat Charcoal. I add a few splotches of a rusty color and an earth color.
Then I color about 40% coverage with Delta Ceramcoat Hippo Gray.
The next step is about 15% coverage with Delta Ceramcoat Pewter.
The final step is a dry brush with Delta Ceramcoat Granite Gray.
There you have it, quick and easy rock colors.
OK, this is it, and I am calling it.
This river experiment has been a COMPLETE FAILURE. I WILL NOT be using this technique on my final layout... PERIOD. I will go back to envirotex with ripples added with compressed air as it hardens... like I have done a dozen times before with amazing results.
This garbage river actually looks better in real life than in these photographs, but that is the opposite of what I would accept. I would rather it photograph better but look like cow-pie in actuality.
Here you go... my epic failure...
END OF THE LINE UPDATE #2:
I installed the printed portions of the backdrop. All four of these backdrop scenes were cut from the Walthers Eastern Foothills To Country Instant Horizons pre-printed backdrop.
I put the continuation of the river at the point where the river bed meets the backdrop.
I put two tree scenes on the left side.
And I put a small tree scene on the right.
I love cutting and using the Walthers Instant Horizons in this way. The backdrops do not look as generic as when they come out of the tube, and I have never been a fan of the hazy sky on the Walthers backdrops.
Pieces from several different backdrops can be used in the same scene, and the Detail Associates backdrops can be intermixed with them for even more variety.
I first used these backdrops on my friend Randy's NORFOLK SOUTHERN N scale layout thirty years ago, and they have held up great.
The backdrop sections are attached with normal wallpaper paste.
hon30critter SeeYou190 I am going to let the colors all dry overnight, and then I will put the diffuser overlay into place and see how it looks. Hi Kevin, I think that looks good for a very muddy river, but I would suggest feathering the transitions between the different tones a bit more, and maybe not have as much difference between the lighter and darker areas. If you want the river to look deeper and not quite so muddy then consider adding some dark green down the center, and again, feathering the colours together. I think the trick is to feather the colours so there are no harsh deliniations between them. Dave
SeeYou190 I am going to let the colors all dry overnight, and then I will put the diffuser overlay into place and see how it looks.
Hi Kevin,
I think that looks good for a very muddy river, but I would suggest feathering the transitions between the different tones a bit more, and maybe not have as much difference between the lighter and darker areas. If you want the river to look deeper and not quite so muddy then consider adding some dark green down the center, and again, feathering the colours together. I think the trick is to feather the colours so there are no harsh deliniations between them.
Dave
One of the best ways to do that is to simply dab the paint onto the river using a light shade and a dark shade of the same color...just add more white on the pallett. Move from the light shade on the outside to the more darker shade towards the center. Use two colors. As you dab on the wet paint, they will blend as you work them near the center. If it gets to dark, dab in more light shade, and visa versa.
Don't do one color then the other. Just shmere it all together by dabbing.
Bob Ross. Mixed the paint right on the canvas. Keeps the colors blended rather than separated.
Along the banks, Kevin might want to use some of the surrounding earth tone to dab into the wet river paint to make it look like a shallow bank.
- Douglas
SeeYou190I am going to let the colors all dry overnight, and then I will put the diffuser overlay into place and see how it looks.
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
hon30critterI'll put this as politely as possible - you're crazy!!
I know, and there is no debate about that.
I have put so much planning into this final layout that I need to test everything I have had ideas about before they hit the final product.
END OF THE LINE UPDATE #1:
I went and repainted the riverbed today, after a six month delay. I chose a color pallet with a lot less blue that was based around browns and grays.
I mixed up ten diferent variations of these colors in a pair of dispoasable six-well pallets from the dollar store.
The paint mixture and the thinner was all throughly mixed before I went to the garage to begin the painting.
The river base was coated with a new layer of a medium brown color before any of the texture colors were layered on.
I went to town with the blended colors being layered and blended in a slightly haphazard fashion until I was satisfied.
It certainly looks a lot different than it did when I painted it blue.
I am going to let the colors all dry overnight, and then I will put the diffuser overlay into place and see how it looks.
I have a feeling this will be a big improvement.
rrinkerand when I was actually out on it visiting the USS Kidd museum.
That is a pretty neat place to visit. Touring the Kidd gives you an idea of the nightmare in the cramped spaces below deck when a Japanese plane crashed into her. It is well worth the time to see it.
York1 John
Doobie Brothers - Black Water, talking about the Mississippi: "Ol black water, keep on rollin'"
I was on the Red River in Shreveport, the clays give it a reddish tint. On the Mississippi at Baton Rouge, definitely blackish looking, both rolling past the casino I was working at and when I was actually out on it visiting the USS Kidd museum.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
DoughlessNot sure where your railroad is going to be located.
I am not sure either.
Previous versions of the STRATTON AND GILLETTE have been in Appalachia, Rugged Western Mountains, and Midwestern Plains.
The final version will be two towns, a waterfront, and hills, so I guess it could be any number of places.
SeeYou190 Track fiddler I don't know, ... That River looks pretty darn good to me Kevin. It's got that murky river water with depth to it. I think you are looking at Rio Grande 5761's river. Mine turned out looking like a well maintained swimming pool! -Kevin
Track fiddler I don't know, ... That River looks pretty darn good to me Kevin. It's got that murky river water with depth to it.
I think you are looking at Rio Grande 5761's river. Mine turned out looking like a well maintained swimming pool!
IMO, the bottom of a river should be painted dark green/gray.
In FL and the South, I've seen very slow moving rivers have an almost black appearence.
Higher up in the western USA mountains they might have some reflective blue cast to them, but still pretty dark, IMO. Like RIoGrandes effort, clearer water means the banks show through, so the sides of the river can be a little lighter than the center.
In the midwest they are an olive green all over due to the fert runoff.
IN the GA Piedmont, they can be reddish due to the clay runoff after a rain storm.
Not sure where your railroad is going to be located.
It's all in how you paint the river bottom, and the details you ad, BEFORE any resin, or any other gloss coat is applied.
Mike.
My You Tube
SeeYou190I have a 20 yard roll-off dumpster being delivered on April 6th, and this layout experiment is going to be the first thing loaded into the dumpster, so I have from now until then to get it done... then get it out.
I'll put this as politely as possible - you're crazy!! Seriously, I admire your approach. You have taken the time to find out what works for you and your layout will be all the better for it!
As for the river, if I may be so bold, the surface doesn't look like flowing water to me. IMHO most of the water should be relatively smooth with only a few waves or ripples where there might be some underwater obstacles. The 'smooth' areas should have some slight flow lines running down the river. Doctorwayne has mastered the technique using only a very thin layer of Durobond 90, appropriate paint colours and some varathane over top. Hopefully he will chime in.
I hope you are not offended by my comments. I admire your work. I'm just sharing my impressions of the river scene.
Oops, ... Sometimes I go a little too quick. I guess I just gave Rio a heck of a compliment and that's okay. The sky looks great Kevin but I would have to agree on redoing the river.
Everything else is looking great so far.
TF
Track fiddlerI don't know, ... That River looks pretty darn good to me Kevin. It's got that murky river water with depth to it.
I don't know, ... That River looks pretty darn good to me Kevin. It's got that murky river water with depth to it.
The surface ripples turned out great and you can see the sandbar in the translucency of the water on the right.
What's wrong with it anyway? Looks impressive to me and I wouldn't just say that. I had some constructive criticism to say about your first sky backdrop color way back in your thread. And you ended up blending it to a lighter blue gradually towards the horizon.
P.S. Don't throw that away, you put a lot of work into it. If you don't have room for it make a neighbor kid happy
It has been sx months since I updated this project of mine... Now it is quite literally under the gun to get it done.
I have a 20 yard roll-off dumpster being delivered on April 6th, and this layout experiment is going to be the first thing loaded into the dumpster, so I have from now until then to get it done... then get it out.
The Mustang is out of the garage, so I can get to it again with no problem.
I have nothing new to update today, but there will be frequent updates over the next few weeks, then it is gone.
I will be starting with re-coloring the river.
Stay tuned.
It does look like a swiming pool, agreed.
Colors do vary but I followed Rob Spanglers mix of acrylics using light tan, black and medium cadmium yellow. I mixed up several different small batches and then applied them, darkest where the water was deepest (middle and near outer banks where scouring action deepens the channel) and lighter shades where shallow.
Once you put simulated water (various choices) it looks pretty realistic.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
hon30critterNatural rivers are rarely blue. If the river is deep, I would start with a light to medium beige on the edges of the river and then blend that in with with progressively darker brownish greens as you get to the center of the river.
.
Thanks Dave.
After looking at pictures of Dr.Waynes rivers on his layout, I believe this is exactly what I am going to try.
I know my river is very narrow, but this is an experiment, and I want to try to make it look deep.
I am not going to be able to work on this for the next few weeks, but stay tuned. Progress will happen.
I appreciate all comments.
SeeYou190I will try to color the water again. The colors I chose were too light, and it looks cold and icy to my eye.
I have to agree with your analysis of the colours. To be honest, the river looks like a public swimming pool.
I would get rid of the blues altogether. Natural rivers are rarely blue. If the river is deep, I would start with a light to medium beige on the edges of the river and then blend that in with with progressively darker brownish greens as you get to the center of the river. If the river is shallow, I would start with the same medium beige but use lighter brownish greens as the channel gets deeper.
Just my worth! I respect your modelling skills.
PERIODIC UPDATE #10
I worked some more on the water scene this weekend. I mixed the water color using Apple Barrel craft paints.
I blended the color together using Gel Medium and Float from Delta Ceramcoat.
With the water surface made from the light diffuse in place, the overall effect is pretty good.
I will try to color the water again. The colors I chose were too light, and it looks cold and icy to my eye.
Progress will continue.
PERIODIC UPDATE #9:
I worked quite a bit on the first of the scenery details this week. In another thread, some people were talking about the Busch Grass Mats, and I have used them several times, and I decided to install one today on the upper rail line.
I took the masking tape off of the tunnel portals and bridge abutments for the last time!
I began by rough cutting the shape of the grassy area from a sheet of Busch Grass Mat. I went with a dark green long grass mat.
Then I trimmed the grassy area into a randomish edge with lots of curves. This always looks more natural than a continuous even arc for an edge.
Then it was time to glue the grass mat into place on the layout surface. I squeezed a line of Modge Podge Matte along the edge of the bottom and trasferred this outline to the layout surface. Then I filled in the area with a layer of Mod Podge Matte.
Weights were added to hold the grass mat in place while ther Mod Posge Matte set up and dried. I found 2 ouce bottles of craft paint worked just fine.
Ballast an the adjacent track came next.
I am experimenting with a few different colors of ballast, so I took a picture with the package label so I knew what color ballast was used on which track section.
Hiding the edge of the grassmat is critical for a natural appearance. I use caulk to glue ground cover in place along steep edges of the terrain.
Some Scenic Express Alpine Meadow Blend was used to conceal part of the front edge, and Woodland Scenics Extra Coarse Conifer Green Turf was used on the other side.
Before applying diluted Mod Podge Matte from a squeeze bottle I sprayed the entire area with a solution of water and Photo-Flo 200 from a misting spray bottle.
The finished results look pretty good to me.
More will come soon. Probably not next week, but I sould be able to get some more forward progress sometime in August.
DoughlessWhile the overall project is impressive, this may be the most impressive display of layout planning I've seen in a while. Not entirely kidding.
Thank you for the kind comments Douglas. The need for cup holders is something I learned the hard way.
I learned so many things the hard way when it comes to model railroad layout building.
mbinsewi I have one on all 3 of my garden tractors. Mike.
I have one on all 3 of my garden tractors.
Three garden tractors? What kind?
I have yet to figure out a good cup holder location for my garden tractor, but, admittedly, I have not worked real hard on the problem.
Sheldon
SeeYou190 PERIODIC UPDATE #8: The first thing I needed to add was a drink holder. Once scenery is in place cold drinks need to be kept off of the layout surface. I found this product called "The Mugger" at a Flea Market years ago, and I bought 10 of them thinking they would be useful someday for a layout. . . I mounted one to the front fascia in the center, and sure enough, this product will make a great cup holder for the edge of the layout. It folds up out of the way when not in use, and it is adjustable to hold larger cups or mugs. . .
PERIODIC UPDATE #8:
The first thing I needed to add was a drink holder. Once scenery is in place cold drinks need to be kept off of the layout surface. I found this product called "The Mugger" at a Flea Market years ago, and I bought 10 of them thinking they would be useful someday for a layout.
I mounted one to the front fascia in the center, and sure enough, this product will make a great cup holder for the edge of the layout. It folds up out of the way when not in use, and it is adjustable to hold larger cups or mugs.
While the overall project is impressive, this may be the most impressive display of layout planning I've seen in a while.
Not entirely kidding.
Track fiddler Good job on the blends of ground foam.
Thank you. It will look even better after this weekend when I really go to town on the painting and rocks.
Track fiddlerI like how you recessed the power pack (transformer) and control panel in the fascia.
I have wanted my power packs recessed like that for quite some time. I never had the ability to experiment with and learn how to use a router before. this was absolutely a skill worth developing.
Track fiddlerNow the Mugger drink holder and you say you have 10 of them. I did see you had a Fresca planted in one.
I have enjoyed Fresca for while I am working for years. It does a good job refreshing me in the hot garage. Beer is for operating, Fresca for building.