Building Downtown Deco kits, Brickwork

[chicken45]

Howdy folks!
I'm doing my first one of these hydrocal kits. I have read the instructions several times about how to finish.
I gave it a few light spritzes of flat white just to take off some of the absorbency. I hit it with some red acrylic craft paint that was more a wash that was brushed on. Not sure where to go from here.

The directions clearly state "don't put on 20 coats of primer to seal the plaster; it will remove the positive characteristics of having a plaster surface."

My brick is a bit too vibrant. Should I use additional earth color washes to tone it down or should I spray?
Should I worry about mortar lines? I'm not crazy about how the epoxy seeped out. Can I just paint over this?

Thoughts?

[arbomambo]

actually...
even though I believe I understand why you're 'not crazy' about the look as it sits right now, I think it's a pretty effective result for what I believe the "Downtown Deco" kits are trying to represent: A building or group of buildings that have seen better days and aren't in the best repair...
 At this point, the only thing I'd do is a little drybrushing to age and weather even more, or add a remnant of a faded, painted ad or sign, then drybrush more from there...
 I actually like the 'seepage' you mention and the discoloration of the concrete.
Bruce

[RBrodzinsky]

Here is how I did that same kit.  A lot of the highlights are dry brushing, and not full coats of paint.  The mortar is achieved by a very dilute wash allowed to drizzle down the joints.  I also chose to change color between the two styles of bricks, as well as the bricked off door and windows.

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[railnerd]

Another trick on these kits is to use fine steel wool to "dry brush" highlights…  You can always re-wash a thin coat back on if you'd like.

Lots of THIN washes are your friend here.

-Dave

[chicken45]

Nice stuff, guys! Is this really N scale?
Did you apply the mortar towards the end?
How'd you guys do the graphics on the side? Just white glue and paper, thin plastic and press?

[RBrodzinsky]

Yes, it is N-scale. I do a single light undercoat, an off-white. Then, the main color, spray, then brush any other colors. Then I do the washes for dirt and mortar, and finally, the dry brushing.

I printed the sign on tissue paper with my ink-jet, then used matte Modge Podge to glue to surface. Used a burnishing tool to ensure it was down, and, as desired, some light sanding to where it down further. (Other signs I will sand from the back until very thin)  On these buildings, let the signs rip or tear a bit at the edges, then glue down with the tear very visible.  Same with chips in the paint.

Yes, I did put an interior light, and the visible interior is actually a photo, backlit.

[sd45elect2000]

I do the same thing as Bill Brodsky. I do the mortar color first then brush on the brick color. I've been using artist acrylic titanium white mixed with burnt umber.

Randy

[mighalpern]

how do you print on tissue paper, ??  Like the idea

[RBrodzinsky]

how do you print on tissue paper, ??  Like the idea

What I did was take a piece of new clean tissue paper, ironed it flat. Then, I carefully taped it to an 8.5x11 sheet of paper, making sure it was flat, and no curl on the paper from the tape. Then, fed it through the ink jet printer.  Took a few tries to get it right.  On the printer settings, just used "normal", and not "best", since did not want too much ink.

Cannot be used for hi-res printing, of course, but perfect for these types of signs.

[Rich_S]

Josh, I would suggest painting the concrete parts of the building a concrete color, then add the mortar and see where you stand. Right now it seems too red, because everything is red.

[Blazeman]

Rick: How's the corned beef at that place?

[RBrodzinsky]

Rick: How's the corned beef at that place?

On marbled rye, some potato salad, a good pickle, and a chocolate egg cream (or a Dr Brown's Cream Soda) -- EXCELLENT

[chicken45]

Josh, I would suggest painting the concrete parts of the building a concrete color, then add the mortar and see where you stand. Right now it seems too red, because everything is red.

I actually did just that last night! I did some dry brushing of the concrete and it looked better when aplied lighter. I also did some burnt washes and another light red brown coat.

[RBrodzinsky]

Looks good, Josh.  Another idea to use for color variation would be some weathering powders. You can rub those on the sides, non uniformly.  A light brushing of them would allow the colors to accumulate in the cracks, while rubbing would add highlights to individual bricks and areas.

[chicken45]

Looks good, Josh.  Another idea to use for color variation would be some weathering powders. You can rub those on the sides, non uniformly.  A light brushing of them would allow the colors to accumulate in the cracks, while rubbing would add highlights to individual bricks and areas.

Thanks for all the tips! I'm gaining confidence in my path to success in that I'm thinking along these lines, too.
I plan to use a few more washes to add depth. I'll do mortar. I'll also do the concrete patches. I really like the streaks around those horizontal diamonds that the model photo shows.