I need painting lessons!

[nalmeida]

Well, as you guys know I like to scratchbuild structures and motive power/rolling stock, as of late I get stuck on the last step in completing a model, I have two autorails and a dresine almost finished but I'm afraid to loose all the work I put in building these models when I try to paint them!
I'm also trying to paint a structure I made out of cardboard but I don't seem to find/mix the right color to represent stone! It's either too yellow or too grey!
Is there a place/website/tutorial/pdfs where I could start learning how to paint from the beginning? Preferably orientated in a scale model philosophy!

Thanks in advance for any help.

[JESTER]

Search around the Painting & Weathering Techniques or the Tips, Tricks, Techniques & Tools Forums.

http://www.finescalerr.com/smf/index.php?topic=1759.0

[darrylhuffman]

There are several good books on painting buildings and structures in art supply stores or online at Amazon.com

They talk about painting buildings, including stone and brick.

No-one can give you exact colors to use as stones vary almost infinitely in color.

What you have in mind is not what I have in mind.

I like to use very light colors as our layout rooms are so dark.

[finescalerr]

This forum has countless threads dealing with paint finishes. My Modelers' Annuals, available as downloads, are full of step-by-step instructions. Forgive me if I have misunderstood what you mean but, if you spend any time at all on this forum, why do you ask those questions? (They seem too basic. Maybe you should be more specific.) -- Russ

[nalmeida]

Thanks for the input so far, as Russ pointed out I probably didn't explain myself very well.

I know there are lots of information scattered along various internet forums including this one but most of the times in these posts it's assumed you already have some kind of knowledge in painting, also these posts usually cover a specific subject.

What I asked was understood by Darryl, I need some kind of book that explains step by step the basics of painting (preferably using brush and airbrush) because I have a feeling that I miss some basics steps like directions on mixing paints (what colors to use in order to achieve a certain color/tone). I know about amazon and the books themselves but since there are so many digital documents these days I was asking if someone knew any available, that would spare me some cash that I could use in paints. If I don't find any I will probably spend it anyway.

On a specific subject, this station I'm building has stones on the sides that I would like to match to the prototype below, what colors should I mix to get to this tone:

[mad gerald]

Nelson,

I understand your considerations about painting, as I try to achieve matching results myself as the experts 'round here do, but IMHO it's almost impossible to follow an SBS and get an identical result. I'm still not an expert in painting, but my recommendation would be: practice, practice, practice ... and in this particular case I'd suggest to use artist water colours like Schmincke Horadam. These consist of premium pigments and do not fade in (sun)light. Each colour is available separately. For my concrete paving slabs, whose colour seems to be comparable with the gray quoins of your prototype, I used diluted "chinese white" and "paynes gray", apart from the pre-coloured joint mortar ... HTH

Cheers

[marc_reusser]

If it were me, I would initially do several test pieces.

I would seal the masonite with a good primer, such as Mr Surfacer. If paper, I would probably do a quick thin (but not overly wet) application of a very light slightly warm grey...then let it dry. Once dry, I would apply a good coat of matte varnish (either an oil based artists type, or Dullcoat....I prefer the latter as it dries/cures faster).

Let dry for a day or two.

To do the coloring,  I would likely do an anotial thin base color of a light beige or a arm grey....I would use Tamiya colors for this. It doesn't have to be perfectly opaque or even.

From here on in I would work with thin layered washes....working wet....using a selection of Vallejo and life color acrylics. What colors, where and how dark really would depend on what I am trying to represent insofar as age, wear, grime, weathering, etc. Etc.

The danger here is falling into the pitfalls of going too dark too fast. Always work in thin semi transparent layers....building up some variety of shades and coloring, and depth. Do these layered washes somewhat randomly. Instead of B&W pics, take, or find online some really good color reference photos to use as reference and work fromm (this is of utmost importance). Don't try to do the whole thing at once. An don't fall into the mistake of the ) overall ink wash, to create releif/accent details....this should be done carefully via pin washes and again paying attention to how the darkness and intensity may vary depending on location and desired effect.

[nk]

I am in agreement with Marc. Painting is never a one shot deal. You get there gradually through building up layers and careful observation, and experimentation. Many of the great painters achieved their results by layering paint over and over. And if you are nervous, practice on something similar that doesn't matter until you feel comfortable. I completely understand your anxiety, painting worries me too. Just know that getting the final result is a slow process, and there is no one right way to get there.

[nalmeida]

Thanks for the input guys,

Marc, just a few questions following your tips,

About the washes, do you have these already prepared or do you mix them when needed?
What thinner do you use (for acrylics) and approximately how much thinner should a wash have?
Is it right to do it on the fly, dipping the brush on the thinner and then on the paint?
How much time should I wait between washes?
What's a pin wash?
Are this tips for a airbrush, brush painting or both?

Thanks in advance for your help.