11-29-2010, 10:52 AM
biL, Kurt, this project is moving along rapidly only because I spent the major portion of the holidays working on it. Many hours in this one so far.
Kevin, the concrete look is not difficult. First, the plastic is sanded with just a few strokes of 150 or 220 grit sandpaper in the horizontal direction, then it is sanded more in the vertical direction. The vertical sanding will help later when the dark washes go on, the washes will give the appearance of rain streaking.
Paint is next, and can be a mixture of white, light gray, and antique white. As you know, concrete can be in many shades, sometimes very white, sometimes gray, and sometimes even with a tannish tent. Gray concrete can be done with just white and gray mixed, while the tan coloration can be gotten by using antique white in the mix. You want this first coat of paint to be lighter in color rather than darker (the dark washes will make it darker, so better to start with the initial coat being lighter). If a second coat is necessary, put it on. I've found that on white styrene, the second coat is not necessarily needed, but certainly doesn't hurt. I use craft paint for this, and make all the brush strokes going up and down for the rain streaking purposes. Don't worry about making the paint smooth and perfect. Some brush marks actually help, and if a little dust gets in the paint, all the better!
For large expanses of concrete, I'll add a bit of variation by adding a little gray into the original paint mix to come up with a slightly different shade, and then paint various segments with that, you can cover random sections completely or drybrush it in random areas, just to create some variations as occur in the real world.
After the paint is thoroughly dry, a couple (or several) thin washes of either medium gray, brown, or black will do the trick (craft paint). If working from prottype photos, that'll help determine the color of the wash. Heavily weathered concrete would use mostly black washes, less weathered would use medium gray or brown. Starting with thin washes allows you to judge what is happening and make changes to the color as desired. After a couple washes, doesn't hurt to throw a spray of dullcote on before doing further washes.
Powders can be used as an alternative or in combination with the washes, really dirty mildewy stained concrete can be done with black and brown powder, mostly black. Several thin layers is easier to control than one heavy layer.
If the expansion joints or form segments aren't showing up enough, a very fine brush can be used to put a dark wash exactly in the cracks. Best to hold the piece horizontally so the wash will fill the entire groove.
Finally, if there are corners and edges, a dry-brushing with white will bring those features out.
That's about it. A final coat of dullcote will seal everything. Actually, I have been using Krylon Matte finish in the big can - about one fifth the cost of dullcote in the little can. Of course, if you have an air brush, it may change the entire process....
Kevin, the concrete look is not difficult. First, the plastic is sanded with just a few strokes of 150 or 220 grit sandpaper in the horizontal direction, then it is sanded more in the vertical direction. The vertical sanding will help later when the dark washes go on, the washes will give the appearance of rain streaking.
Paint is next, and can be a mixture of white, light gray, and antique white. As you know, concrete can be in many shades, sometimes very white, sometimes gray, and sometimes even with a tannish tent. Gray concrete can be done with just white and gray mixed, while the tan coloration can be gotten by using antique white in the mix. You want this first coat of paint to be lighter in color rather than darker (the dark washes will make it darker, so better to start with the initial coat being lighter). If a second coat is necessary, put it on. I've found that on white styrene, the second coat is not necessarily needed, but certainly doesn't hurt. I use craft paint for this, and make all the brush strokes going up and down for the rain streaking purposes. Don't worry about making the paint smooth and perfect. Some brush marks actually help, and if a little dust gets in the paint, all the better!
For large expanses of concrete, I'll add a bit of variation by adding a little gray into the original paint mix to come up with a slightly different shade, and then paint various segments with that, you can cover random sections completely or drybrush it in random areas, just to create some variations as occur in the real world.
After the paint is thoroughly dry, a couple (or several) thin washes of either medium gray, brown, or black will do the trick (craft paint). If working from prottype photos, that'll help determine the color of the wash. Heavily weathered concrete would use mostly black washes, less weathered would use medium gray or brown. Starting with thin washes allows you to judge what is happening and make changes to the color as desired. After a couple washes, doesn't hurt to throw a spray of dullcote on before doing further washes.
Powders can be used as an alternative or in combination with the washes, really dirty mildewy stained concrete can be done with black and brown powder, mostly black. Several thin layers is easier to control than one heavy layer.
If the expansion joints or form segments aren't showing up enough, a very fine brush can be used to put a dark wash exactly in the cracks. Best to hold the piece horizontally so the wash will fill the entire groove.
Finally, if there are corners and edges, a dry-brushing with white will bring those features out.
That's about it. A final coat of dullcote will seal everything. Actually, I have been using Krylon Matte finish in the big can - about one fifth the cost of dullcote in the little can. Of course, if you have an air brush, it may change the entire process....
Three Foot Rule In Effect At All Times