Hi All I’m building a diorama that includes an old stone railway bridge in 1/48 scale. The base material is air-drying clay (colour white). I just can’t get a realistic stone colour onto it. I’ve tried all sorts of combinations of grey/brown etc of varying tones and used both oils and acrylics. I’ve searched the local hobby shops in the hope of finding a paint magically labelled “stone” but no luck. Has anyone here successfully replicated the look of rock/stone? Cheers
Well, one problem is that stone comes in all the colors of the rainbow–hard to set just the one hue to it.
Secondly, with man-made objects, the stone used might not be native to the region where the construction is located.
Thus, a railway bridge of limestone might be built in an area whee chalk or shale is common.
But, that’s just geology.
As ro just technique, I’d probably start with a base coat of lufrwaffe or horizon blue as a base. Over that would go a rather wet drywash of radome tan and unbleached linen. which would then be highlighted in Antique White and Sky Type S. Then a wash with burnt umber. This would probably benefit from pin washes galore.
For a more ‘yellow’ rock, I’d start with an umber base, then layer with ocher & yellow ocher with highlights of ‘flesh’ and ghost grey. The wash would be a purple-violet not quite black.
Hopefully that’s worth more than 2¢
I have done a couple of stone structures this year. My current build includes a stone wall in Normandy. I had originally aimed to a lighter grey finish as it shows on the box. I started out with a coat of grey using Tamiya. It wasn’t a specific colour just a mix I use for airfield bases. I then used various shades of grey going over individual blocks and this was followed with several oil washes’. The end result was darker than I planned but I really like how it looks.
Earlier this year I did a classical ruin. Again, I started with Tamiya acrylics using there desert sand. It then got a pin wash and successive dry brushing with Yellow ochre oil adding more and more white. But keep in mind this is meant to be something that’s sat in the North African sun for the best part of 2000 years.
Hope that helps.
CapnMac82 and Bish, Thanks guys, great suggestions, I appreciate your help.
WOODLAND SCENICS makes a range of transparent colors including umbers and stone gray. i mold my rocks with hydrocal (white) and start layering colors using various colors. they can be really thick or watered down to seep into cracks.
wayne, is that their pigment colours. I can’t find any paints on the place I get my woodland scenic things from.
yes woodland scenics
Thanks wayne. I have seen those on the UK site I use, but wasn’t sure if they were worth while. Going to have to get some of those.
i used these on all my rocks on all the bases you’ve seen. it helps to start with white rocks so you can start with light colors and add darker ones or dilute the color on the rock. in fact i have to touch up abase this week. hydrocal is easily chipped. my RR gun may turn into a diorama
Have you used it on plaster. Both of those I posted above were white plaster items and many of the others I have are plaster.