painting bricks

if you google this group for bricks and/or cobblestones you may find info on better ways to make brick, you can also buy pre made brick in resin/plaster and paper.

Craig

I have never used cork, so am unsure how well it will work. I usually use the vac-formed styrene "brick sheets", or build my own wall with doll house bricks, etc.

Here is my technique:

1) Prime the brick section with a matte white or gray primer.

2) On your palette...put down a "blob" of a reddish brick color, a dark dirty gray, and a dark brown. (Use reference photos to figure out the "general" color of the bricks in the area you are portraying.)

3) Now, for each individual brick...mix up a unique color using the colors on your palette. Yes...it is tedious and time consuming, but in the real world, each brick really is a unique (though close) color. Paint each brick its unique color, and go to the next one, mixing a new combination.

4) Let the finished brick section dry for a good while (a day at least). Then brush on a thick coat of full strength Burnt Umber oil paint (Winsor Newton "artist line" is my favorite)...Do *not* thin the oil paint...use it straight from the tube. Let it sit for about 10 minutes, then "erode" it away, using a wide soft brush, or even old T-Shirt cloth. The Burnt Umber oil will have filled in the grout areas, and also will have stained up the bricks a bit.

5) Let it sit for another day...then Dull Coat it.

Nice, dirty, weathered...and individually colored bricks.