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Author Topic: Painting Brickwork Tutorial.  (Read 8320 times)

Offline Thunderchicken

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Painting Brickwork Tutorial.
« on: December 29, 2012, 11:13:20 AM »
I’ve been asked a few times recently how I do the brickwork for my Victorian London builds so thought I’d start a separate thread. Most of the methods I use I picked up from this forum. This tutorial is for London Stock Brick which was a popular building material in Victorian London and achieved its distinctive colour from the London clay used in the production of the bricks.

Anyway, enough of the history lesson. I don’t intend to teach people to suck eggs but thought I’d be as thorough as possible with the tutorial to demonstrate the method that works for me and why.

For my brickwork I use South Eastern Finecast embossed plastic sheets (in this case 7mm Flemish Bond). There are other manufacturers available such as Slaters Plastikard but I find the detail on the Finecast sheets better defined and therefore easier to work with.  Some people emboss their own brickwork onto blue foam, if only I had the time and patience! I use two fairly cheap sable brushes, size 2 and 4. The size 4 does most of the work for me but after the abuse meted out to it during each build it is retired to the bin. I sometimes use flat brushes for dry-brushing but not for brickwork as I find they can be inconsistent with the amount of paint they apply over large areas.




Firstly I prime the brickwork I want to paint with Army Painters Skeleton Bone primer. This will form the colour of the mortar.  It’s not cheap stuff but it’s a good colour and a nice fine spray that doesn’t obliterate the detail. I usually hold it about 12 inches from the brickwork when priming, any closer and it tends to ‘clot’.




For the brickwork I use actual masonry paint (a good tip from Overlord). I use Homebase’s Smooth Weathercoat (Bitter chocolate). It has a great rich texture and is easy to dry-brush with. Horrible smell until it dries and usually invites derisive comments from the other half.




Brickwork primed and dried to a nice matt finish.




Using the No.4 brush the first application of paint is only light and done at a 45 degree angle to the brickwork. If you use the masonry paint you’ll find there isn’t much excess moisture to be absorbed before brushing.




Once dry I then apply the second coat at the opposite angle. To get the weathered effect, every now and again I slightly increase the pressure on the brush (most noticeable on the larger section at the bottom of the picture). There are loads of other methods for weathering brickwork, especially for red brick so perhaps someone can chip in with some other ideas.




Finally, the boring bit. Using the No. 2 brush paint random individual bricks with a third coat. It’s worth it as it gives the brickwork a more realistic appearance.




That’s it. Tadaaa! Not too bad eh?  I hope it helps and if I can do it you definitely can do it!

Any questions I’m happy to help.   
Don't!

Offline Silent Invader

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Re: Painting Brickwork Tutorial.
« Reply #1 on: December 29, 2012, 11:56:34 AM »
Excellent - this should be a sticky  :)
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Offline OSHIROmodels

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Re: Painting Brickwork Tutorial.
« Reply #2 on: December 29, 2012, 12:17:00 PM »
Great stuff cheeks  :-*

cheers

James
cheers

James

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Offline Mason

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Re: Painting Brickwork Tutorial.
« Reply #3 on: December 29, 2012, 12:48:31 PM »
Brilliant!
 :-*

Consider it nicked!
 :D


Offline Oldben1

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Re: Painting Brickwork Tutorial.
« Reply #4 on: December 29, 2012, 01:03:39 PM »
We don't have that kind of brickwork here in Winnipeg Canada.  I personally liked the history lesson.  I actually started using brick sheets myself because of you Thunderchicken.  Thanks for the tutorial, I'll have to start using it for the pale mortar between the bricks.  I usually cheat and use black.

Offline Sterling Moose

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Re: Painting Brickwork Tutorial.
« Reply #5 on: December 29, 2012, 01:37:52 PM »
Nice work Neil.

oldben, we have yellow bricks here in SW Ontario.  I would have thought it would have been siding only in Winnipeg.
'I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.'

Offline Thunderchicken

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Re: Painting Brickwork Tutorial.
« Reply #6 on: December 29, 2012, 01:51:44 PM »
Glad to help chaps  :)

Offline Oldben1

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Re: Painting Brickwork Tutorial.
« Reply #7 on: December 29, 2012, 02:02:14 PM »
We have a lot of brick buildings from the turn of the century, especially in our 'exchange district'.  We also had a lot of brick buildings from the 1950s.  Most of the houses here are stucco, but probably 1/3rd are siding.

Offline Andym

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Re: Painting Brickwork Tutorial.
« Reply #8 on: December 29, 2012, 04:46:53 PM »
Great tutorial! This is well ear-marked!! Cheers!!

Offline Admiral Benbow

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Re: Painting Brickwork Tutorial.
« Reply #9 on: December 30, 2012, 01:00:53 AM »
Smart and simple, but really effective!  :-*

Thanks, TC!

Offline Malamute

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Re: Painting Brickwork Tutorial.
« Reply #10 on: December 30, 2012, 05:01:35 PM »
Great stuff cheeks  :-*

cheers

James

Seconded, most informative. :)
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Offline Hammers

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Re: Painting Brickwork Tutorial.
« Reply #11 on: January 08, 2013, 09:24:46 AM »
Great stuff. This will become a classic.

The picking out of individual brick really make the wall sing *). I have, to emulate other type of brick, used grey, black and yellow ochre to pick out individual bricks

*) This makes one ask the question, which tunes by which bands do walls hum to? Something by Pink Floyd perhaps?
« Last Edit: January 08, 2013, 09:27:47 AM by Hammers »

Offline Westfalia Chris

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Re: Painting Brickwork Tutorial.
« Reply #12 on: January 08, 2013, 09:35:13 AM »
*) This makes one ask the question, which tunes by which bands do walls hum to? Something by Pink Floyd perhaps?[/size]

Unless it's feeling a bit suicidal, then it will go for something from The 'Hoff.

;)

@Topic, that is quite marvellous! When I went for light mortar brickwork, I usually painted in the mortar afterwards using light washes, but this is a far less messy and possibly quicker method!

Offline Remgain

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Re: Painting Brickwork Tutorial.
« Reply #13 on: January 08, 2013, 10:32:51 AM »
Great tutorial!!!

thank you!

Marco


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Offline Elk101

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Re: Painting Brickwork Tutorial.
« Reply #14 on: January 08, 2013, 04:29:10 PM »
You make it sound so easy  :D

It's a brilliant effect. Thanks for sharing it. I must check out the plasticard supplier you mentioned. Cheers.

 

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