discussion cliffs and hilltops

[Guest]

anyone help, im trying to create a hilltop/mountain road type scene. i have the model actually made, im just stuck on how to realistically paint it. i painted a road in black paint and to be honest it looked a bag of cack. anyone got ne tips?:respect1:

 

[Guest]

can i suggest building the colours up slowly, roads are rarely just black, they may be built up of greys, and washed out black/ grey colours, dont go for flat colours, they generally look unrealistic

what are the hills made from ?- is it a porous type material, or is it a non porous material ?- try building up the colours slowly, start with the lighter colours first, you can always darken them with multiple coats, its not so easy to make them lighter, ...keep the colours thin, dont use neat paint, build the depth of colour up in several thin coats....this gives the colours some ' weight' and realism

consider using scatter or other applied materials to build into the colour, use say a dark scatter material to represent the tarmac on the road, or use several shades of green or similar to show the vegetation/ surrounding area,

without seeing it it is hard to suggest methods to help , but this is a starter,

what scale are you working to ? - is the location ficticious ? is the diarama for another model to be placed on, or is it a pure topographical model ?

think about the type of terrain you are representing, would the earth run when it rains ?, if so show this in your paintwork ? is there some rockworks visible, show the details and cracks and shadows with multiple layers of colour, building up the colour with the pigments/ paints.

also study somewhere that is similar to the model you are building, see the little details and the way in which the terrain is in real life, then do your best to replicate that, if the road is ful of loose material, ( gravel, shale and similar) then add that to your diarama....

( I am currently helping a pal build a diarama to display his tamiya RC tank, a load of bombed out buildings, rubble, vegetation, oil drums, sand bags, tree stumps, tank track marks in the mud, - you know the stuff....)

it does take time, but if you have invested lots of time and money in the model then why not spend the time and patience in the diarama- it shows your model off to perfection then.....

i am hoping to offer this diarama as a kit on ebay soon with his consent !

any problems or more questions then give me a shout and i will try and help some more,

 

[Guest]

sorry but its a pretty crap photo but it may give you an idea.......

 

[Guest]

Hi Smiler86, you have probably finished this by now! But way back when I was into Warhammer40000 I used to build lots of scenery, I used polystyrene cut to shape then melted with polystyrene cement cover this with pva glue or textured paint depending on type of finish required, allow to dry then spray with white or grey depending on top coat colour, the paint on top coat. when dry use a technique called dry brushing! Simply dip a brush into the paint then wipe off excess paint on a paper towel then lightly brush over scenery this has to be done several times to build up the effect then switch to a lighter colour and start again, once again building up the effect continue till you have the effect you want. After the dry brushing colour you can use an ink Games Workshop do these inks expensive for a small pot but they do tend to go a long way, these can also be mixed with the paint and can be watered down. The result is pretty dam good, if I can get my camera working I'll see if I can post a pic.

 

[Guest]

Well, both new and graeme have good points so i dont need to cover drybrushing and landscape principles...

How about a bit of experimenting with texture and materials? Try mixing a bit a fine sand with your paint and using a cocktail stick build up a rough surface layer over part of your road surface, you can then shade this to look like a muddy/earthy deposite. use the same tecnique on the verges and on some rocks (pebbles work well) and shade with greens to look like moss (on the rocks) or earthy banks at the road side.

If you think about it, its rare to see an all black road surface apart from shortly after a re-surfacing. most of the time shades of grey predominate apart from in hot, dry countries where dust builds up to such an extent that yellow and brown are more dominant. you can simulate dusting with diffrent shades of scenic flock which you can buy from most good hobby shops...if your rearly having trouble finding it then games workshop stores carry their own brand at 5 times the price!

Good luck!

:knight: