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| Ballasted track at Donohue... not impressive. |
It's why most of the layout follow another technique often described on this blog with consist of painting the ties white and applying several oil paint washes to build up the color. I've always enjoyed consistent results with this method and it became a standard.
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| Unrealistic paint blotches. |
However, out of laziness, and because the photobackdrop was already in place at Donohue, I never dared to upgrade the track paint. A few months ago, I simply ballasted a few feet of that track and found the result beyond appalling. It was clear we couldn't go that way.
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| Tracks in the repainting process |
To save ourselves some trouble with spray paint cans, we thought about painting by hand each ties with white paint. It is not the fastest procedure out there, but in a single hour, with two people, we painted about 6 feet of track. Given it was a test, I suspect we will be faster next time and think it will probably take about 2-3 hours to complete the scene. It is certainly painstaking, but it only shows that shortcuts taken a few years weren't exactly the best idea.
I really do need to try your technique, building colour from that white primer base. I really like how well the end effect looks.
ReplyDeleteMy standard for plastic tie track is still much like what you describe as the Confalone technique that starts with the brown paint base. I think I've been doing that for decades now. Starting originally by using Humbrol's "Track colour" then Floquil's "Roof Brown" paint colours and most recently with the Krylon paint. For those tie accents I would initially wash colour over the dried brown base then finish with some dry brushing.
Chris
I suspect my failings are related to using far too much thinned down acrylics over the brown base. The watery mix dried in unrealistic fashion. Never tried drybrushing the ties, but it would be a neat experiment on the bridge track that needs an extra dose of color variation. Thanks for sharing!
DeleteI really liked the effect of drybrushing a lighter brown to orange tone along the track to blend the steel rails into the tie plates and even a bit onto the ballast and ties thinking it might better replicate the way rust bleads in colour and texture from rail downward (or even falling off the passing railcars as they move over the track).
DeleteChris
Yes, that chalky rust effect on ballast and ties is really the key. I've done it on Glassine Canada and it makes the scene blends together. I haven't yet done it on Hedley Junction, but it's a matter of time.
DeleteI used his method for my layout and found as long as you don't thin the paint too much, it works great. This is too much, and it becomes blotchy.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the clarification on the technique. You confirm my initial suspicion.
DeleteInteresting idea, Matthieu. I look forward to following along...
ReplyDelete- Trevor (Port Rowan in 1:64)
Thanks Trevor! I completed the rest of the track yesterday evening while having a nice chat with Louis-Marie and Jérôme to keep things motivating. No regret so far. Even went as far as to repaint already ballasted tracks.
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