nag, nag, nag! here goes:

Since my first try detailing a Walthers Cornerstone Build Up several months ago, I decided to give it another try using some of the lessons learned not only from that first attempt, but those also gleaned from the generous and timely advice I have received both here and from other sources on the internet.



The first step is to spray paint the entire structure a flat white. I have always used Flat White Gesso in a can, but I'm sure another version of flat white would probably work just as well. I learned from my first build that working directly on plastic causes a number of issues: the most important of which is that paint just doesnt stick very well to the bare plastic ... tends not to adhere and comes off easily. The undercoat of flat white provides a base that color sticks to much better. Please note that it is not advisable or practical to get a thick coat on ... just enough to provide some tack for the brick colors to stick to. Also, too much paint will cause the mortar lines in the bricks to be less pronounced, causing issues further down the line when adding mortar.



That white, although dull, is still a bit too strong. Using a mix of brown (or black if you wish) india ink and alcohol give the white-walls two thourough washes. No need to be neat and tidy, just get it on there. Not much of a difference, but it is noticeable as you can clearly tell from the picture.



Using the darkest of the three colors, randomly chose bricks for the darker bricks. I think no more than five per horizontal line of bricks works well for me, though its totally up to you how many you wish. Here is a picture of the darker bricks in my build.



Now, going with the middle shade for the bricks (and the most numerous) fill in the blanks. This should go pretty smoothly and easily as you can just put the marker down and 'draw' the lines on. Keep in mind that you should leave a number of bricks per horizontal line free and un-markered for the ligher shade of bricks. Like the last step with the darker shade, leave four or five bricks per line untouched as seen in the picture below.



Next, using the lightest shade of brick color you have chosen, hit up those remaining bricks. Also, to further enhance the variety of bricks coloring, chose a few bricks to hit again with the marker. One more pass on individual bricks will darken the color slightly, just enough so that it stands out a bit. The overall effect of this will become evident once you finish the marker routine.

I have had some trouble with these markers staying put during the later stages of this build (ink wash and mortar work). It is advisable to spray the entire model with dull coat to seal the marker coloring in. A very important step, and one that will save much heart-ache in the end.

Once sealed, its time for the second brown india-ink wash. Again, its up to you but I recommend going at it with a little more vigor than the first wash a number of steps ago. I have found the best approach is to brush two coats directly onto the dull-coat sealed and markered bricks, making sure you wait for the first layer to dry before proceeding to the next wash. Once the two coats are dry, use the Pollock apprach. For those of you unfamiliar with this artists work, he would drip and splatter paint on his canvas to achieve his version of artistic beauty. Using the same approach, dip a brush into the india ink and alcohol mix soaking it thouroughly and then 'splatter' the mix directly onto the bricks. Hold the brush about five inches from the bricks and flick. Again waiting for each layer to dry before adding more splatter, I used about four layers of splatter to get the look just right.



Again, another coating of dull coat to seal the india ink in and avoiding issues with the final step of mortar work.

Last, but not least, the mortar. While there are many approaches, I have had relative success using the 'lightweight' spackling. Its not as thick as the normal stuff and cleans up off the brick face much more easily. I just stick a finger in and get some on the tip and then work it in. A little will really go a long way, just make sure that you rub it both length and width wise. Work in small sections at a time so you dont get ahead of yourself or allow time for the spackling to cure too much. On this build I worked on ten rows at a time. Using an old cotton t-shirt dipped in warm water, I then ran the shirt over the mortared area removing the excess. Keep using un-used sections throughout the mortaring process to ensure that the old mortar doesnt get spread around the newer section you are working on (tends to lighten these areas more than the others). It took two layers of the mortar to make it really stand out. Again as with the india ink, let each layer dry for a spell before going after it again. Here is the finished product.



Sorry about the quality and lighting of the photos. I tried to keep it as uniform as possible throughout the build. If you would like to see what the full sized building looked like through the process, please check out my post on this week's sunday showcase.

I hope you enjoyed this build and I hope you take an opportunity to check out other builds by the many talented and imaginary modelers on the token three railer blog. Also, if you havent already done so, please take time to vote on next month's Token Build ... again, it looks like it will go down to the wire as to which of the four choices will win out.

fish, great how-to and wonderful job on the walls. You gave me a few ideas for different techniques I had not thought of. And may give a shot in the future.

Thanks for the step by step fish. I'm still playing with diferent ways to make foam bricks so I'm going to try the technique of the white undercoat first. If I have any success, I'll post results toward the end of the week.

Nag not lest ye be nagged,

Now I just have to build something out of brick instead of wood sticks (straw?) and not build it brick by brick unless it's for that wall,

So, can I be the big, bad wolf?

.

.....Looks great Fish! As usual Hey, you havent tried using Red Oxide primer [brick color already] for your 1st coat, instead of the white primer?

Excellent job fish, that was a great tutorial for sure thanks a million.

fish, nice how-to. Thanks

Thanks Fish! Great work!

You put me to shame.

George

Really nice looking wall. I like the different colors, I'm going to steal that one.

Flicking the wash is the answer, normally I just spill it.

Gene Anstine

Thanks for the tutorial. Very useful, and in my case, timely!

Very well done tutorial Fish.

Nice work, Fish!

Looks great !
Thanks !
I will try this on a future project.

Steve P.
SIRT

Fish - great tutorial - thanks for the time and effort to post it. Like Jeff R. I have sometimes used the red oxide for brick color. For lighter brick or for a base coat on hydrocal, I usually use a light gray primer - requires less paint on the overcoat.

quote:

Originally posted by Vulcan:
So, can I be the big, bad wolf?

Whatever floats your boat,

Just put another brick in my wall, Floyd,

thanks for the kind feedback everyone! anyone see the spurs / lakers game last night ... i think we could all learn a thing or two from the spurs on bricks: they are now fully qualified for a masonry license!

the markers are prismacolors and are available individually at michaels, hobby lobby, or i assume at art stores. they come in a wide spectrum of shades and tones and have two types of tips at either end ... wide and fine: [insert tasteless joke here]. a little expensive, but much easier to control and imho, worth it.

the light-weight spackling choice was a recommendation from right here on the scenery forum. cant remember who, but thanks a million. this stuff is great, and makes the process so much easier and less messy than the other stuff. one tip i can add here is to use the wet t-shirt (or closed cell foam sponge) and wipe off the excess only from the FIRST application and dont dry it up completely. makes the second layer of mortar go on much more smoothly if the bricks underneath are slightly damp.

jeff and dean: good idea with the red oxide as the base coat. i actually did this on my first attempt a few months ago. it worked, but since my base coat was acrylic paint and i didnt seal it off with the dullcoat, it turned into a bit of a disaster when i went to wash off the excess mortar ... most of the paint came off with it! live and learn, no? part of the charm of this hobby no doubt! here is an old picture of the red brick version, and the un-touched version on the right (which eventually became the candidate for this latest how-to):



again, thanks for the feedback and nice commentary ... i appreciate it very much!

Your brick work is outstanding. Thanks for posting your technique. I was very interested in the process after your post on the Sunday Scenic Showcase this past weekend.

Thanks fish. I just coppied and saved this to word for the future.

quote:

check out other builds by the many talented and imaginary modelers

So --- How many imaginary friends do you have?

mark: are there any other kind?

I know for a fact...I don't exist.

'As I was going up the stair,
I met a man who was not there.
He was not there again today,
Oh, how I wish he'd go away.'

Perhaps we're all figments of our own imaginations.......

bfishma - that is some of the nicest brick-work I have ever seen. Great work!

John

bfishma,

Thanks for the great tutorial. I'm ready to try it! Would I need to make any big changes in the process to use it on Korber cast resin parts?

Thanks,