How to Paint Wood Buildings?

[Deathwing]

Greetings all.  I have started to paint some of my 40mm Wild West items and I’m not happy with the results that I have been producing for the exterior wood.  Frankly I just painted a shack using some low end paints from crafts store and the results just stink.  I was wondering if the collective genius that is the Lead Adventure Forums would be able help with a better method, a recipe actually, for how others paint their wooden buildings.  Please note that for various reasons my buildings are primed black so staining methods will work at this point.  Since I am also located in the US double points go to those whose methods utilize materials that can be found stateside.  Thank you very much. 

Joey

[Svennn]

Without seeing pictures of what you have done and want to achieve it is difficult to know what to suggest.

I usually spray black and dry brush up with cheap craft paints. The actual colours you use can make all the difference and I find the dryer the brush the better. This takes a lot longer to build up to a final finish and wastes a lot more paint (thats why I use craft paints) but it works for me. I often line in hard edges/panel joins in a very dark brown or very dark grey after dry brushing to create some contrasts.

[Captain Blood]

I use the same method as Svennn.

Black undercoat spray, then drybrush with khaki, then mix a bit of white into the khaki and drybrush again, and again, and again, so the final (very light) drybrush is almost white.

Gives a nice effect of aged timber, which is greyish, not brown.

For instance...



or



or



All done using the method described above...

[Hitman]

My hat's off to you Captain Blood....beautiful workmanship!! Thanks for sharing.

[Deathwing]

Gentlemen, I thank you for your time and advice.  Special mention goes to Captain Blood for the excellent photos and inspiration.  Sir, I tried your method and am quite pleased with the results. Thank you kindly.

Joey

[Ramshackle_Curtis]

As the guys above have illustrated, old wood is grey not brown!

A good quick method I use is to drybrush with white, then wash the model with brown/black mix of watered down paint, then another very light drybrush in white. Sometimes you need to do another wash.

[Malamute]

I have a different approach which works for me!
I undercoat mostly in white. Or when it come to painting wood effect I usually apply a basecoat of GW bleached bone or similar off white/cream colour.
I then water down artists acrylic paints (from a tube) mainly raw umber, but also some burnt sienna, and apply these in washes, waiting for each coat to dry and then reapply, varying the washes over different parts of the model to give variety in the colours.
Once I am happy with the coverage I finally drybrish with a cream/off white finish to bring out the wood effects.

I haven't got any photos of completely wooden buildings painted this way. I can take some pics if you want, but it will not be until the weekend. In the meantime check out the woodon these models. They are painted exactly to my method above. It gives a nice sunbleached finish.:

[sukhe_bator]

I use a similar technique to Ramshackle, but use a Peat Brown Windsor & Newton ink wash over bare balsawood/matchsticks or surfaces painted a mid brown, then dry brush with white/light grey