So, How do you paint a brick building using a multi color scheme? That is, brick walls using a different color for windows, trim, etc.. There are many ways to do it. Here's how I do mine..
First, you need a brick building.. The one I chose for this particular clinic is the City Classics Ohio Street building.. There are actually going to be 2 of these in the area I'm preparing this one for.. They will be placed on either side of a double track and have a walkway between them on about the third floor..
The exact building we are working with is the tall taped up one on the left. Many people use cardboard mockups for determining building placement but I figure what's better than the building itself.. Unless you intend to modify the building in some way, there's no reason not to tape it together and use It for the mockup. See redlight for complete details of the layout section you are viewing above. I'm not going to demonstrate assembly here but before painting, the building should at least be Prepped for assembly. That is, all walls should be removed from sprues and cleaned up. Anything that will constitute a wall, should be assembled before painting. This particular demo deals with brick (or other) buildings that have cast in windows.. They are considerably more difficult to finish due to the fact that a lot of care has to be taken in painting them if you want the windows a different color than the brick.. Or Does it?? Let's see..
Once the prep assembly is done, we need to clean everything that is going to be painted.. Warm mild detergent water works wonders on the casting release oils, oils from your hands, glue from the tape (don't leave the tape on too long), etc.. The nicest tool I've found for cleaning models for painting is one of these..
It is one of those cheapo battery operated toothbrushes.. This one is particularly well worn as it was used for it's intended purpose for over 2 years.. Total cost, $5 and another $6 for the brush refills. I went to the store to get refills but couldn't find them so I had to buy a different one (don't want to be gumming those steaks now).. Once washed and thoroughly rinsed, the walls need to dry.. I hang them from wooden type clip clothes pins in my photo darkroom for about a day, or until I'm ready to paint.. Be sure they are Completely dry before even thinking about painting.. On to the painting..
I'm not going to show you actual painting, just the end results of each step.. I like to share my tips and techniques but I'm not going to destroy an $800 camera to do it.. So, Onward....
First, we lay down a coat of primer.. If you wish, you can spend all your money on 1oz jars of model primer paint, barriers, thinners, etc but the best thing I've found for the job is this..
That's right, Good old rustoleum... But it'll eat the plastic, you say.. Not true.. It'll cover all the detail, you say.. Again, Not true. See for youself.. This is the top corner of the front of the building after it was sprayed with the primer.
Plenty of detail in those mortar lines, Right? Here's the entire wall.
All four walls are painted at the same time.. Now, When ever spraying paint, Never let the spray pattern hit the same area for too long.. You just want to cover the wall, not drown it. Start your spray pattern to the left in blank space (at A, in photo on right), about 8 inches from the surface, make sure a steady flow is coming out of the can and with a consitant, slightly rapid motion, spray over toward the B blank space. On the back stroke, C-D, same thing.. The idea is to never start or stop ON the wall. Same is true when using an airbrush (we get to that next)..
Now, This is just the primer coat.. I also use this sometimes as a final building color, particularly when the windows and such are cast seperately. Not the case with this building, I want a contrast on the windows against the brick.. While this building (and it's mate) are in what I call the Redlight district, it is somewhat dirty, it is a well worn part of the town. At one time, the owners cared enough about it to try and make it look nice. For keeping it clean however, it's in a bad place because steam engines as well as diesels run between the two buildings.. Anyway, Back to the paint. Once the primer is dry, we hit it with the window color. This can come from a spray can like the primer, or it can be model (or other) paint. For spraying, I like to use Floquil solvent based paint. On this particular set of buildings, I chose the Earth color.
This bottle is typical of floquil paint that has been sitting for awhile.. The thinner seperates from the paint, leaving the paint quite gooey.. Something we DON'T want to spray through an airbrush.. Not to fear however, it is saveable, even if dried up.. This little gem came from Micromark, runs on a single AA battery and will turn that gooey mess of a paint bottle into smooth, sprayable paint..
Be careful using it.. It has two speeds. Stop, and bat out of hell. If you mistakenly raise it from the paint jar before turning it off, you WILL be splattered with paint. To clean it, simply dip it into a jar of thinner and turn it on.. The airbrush I use for a task like this is the Paasche model H airbrush with a number 5 tip.. I love this airbrush for projects like this because it is quick to use, and cleans up FAST. I also have VL airbrushes as well as an AB but use them only for certain things.
How do you get the paint from the jar into the airbrush.. 2 ways of doing it.. Put it in another jar that attaches to the airbrush or use a paint cup.. But wait!!! There's a third way..
The cap is an acutal floquil cap modified to fit the Paasche airbrush.. The tube is a simple plastic tube that can be removed for cleaning. More on that later.. Let's spray some paint.. For this airbrush, with unthinned paint, I hit it with about 50psi.. If you thin the paint, drop down to about 35-40 psi... Also, side note, Don't waste money on cans of air or an airbrush compressor.. Get a small compressor with a tank. It doesn't have to be huge, mine is 5 gallon and the compressor has a 110psi capacity.. One that is meant for driving a small nail gun is great for painting.
Viola.. Paint has been sprayed. You notice I covered the entire wall sections with the window color. This is to give a consistant base to apply the final brick color. You may also notice that the brick isn't completely covered on some of the larger brick areas.. It isn't imortant that it be, in fact, it adds to the overall final look if it's thin in some spots. The idea is to get the windows, doors, trim, etc, whatever will be that color, covered.
To clean the airbrush, spray some solvent (whatever solvent you use to thin your paint) through it, disassmble the airbrush, and use a pipe cleaner to soak up the solvent thinned paint inside the tip area.. Continue this with clean pipe cleaners (dipped in clean solvent) until they come out clean.. Let paint dry in your airbrush and you'll be replacing it.. This one takes all of about 5 minutes to clean.
That's it for part one.. I suggest letting the walls dry overnight so the paint can cure some.