Detailed Description:
As we’re working on one of our current craftsman kits that included laser-cut shingles, we wanted to show you how we painted them using multiple layers to create depth and to add a little bit of aging to them.
This technique is very simple and it really only requires some basic painting supplies like a brush, water dish, some acrylic paints of your choosing (even though we show you the paints we used, feel free to do it your way with different colors), and a section of a sea sponge (optional).
NOTE: On all steps of painting and sponging the shingles it is important to only paint in the vertical direction of the shingles. This will create the effect of dirt and aging of the shingles as if they were on the roof for many years. DO NOT DRY BRUSH HORIZONTALLY.
The first step is to dry brush the base coat of the shingle color to the laser cut shingles. This is the color that we wanted to be the most predominant color with the shingles. You could call it our base color. This step is a dry-brush, but it is the wettest and most covering coat of dry brushing you’ll do with this technique. In each subsequent step, you’ll want to dial back the amount of paint you’re applying gradually.
Step two is to pick your next color, and dry brush it on! Like we just said, make sure this layer is a little less “covering” and more dry on the brush than the first.
Step three is exactly like step two, just a little less coverage and the third paint should be a little darker. If you’re planning on doing it the way we did in this video with a sponge, this is the final step with the brush.
The final step is to pick your darkest color of the ones you chose, most likely a brown or a rust color since the effect we’re trying to achieve is a streaking and dirty look you often see on shingle roofs.
You’ll want to dip your sea sponge into the final color you chose and dab it onto your paper or cardboard working surface until it’s almost dry. Once you’re satisfied with the amount of paint being applied on your scrap paper or cardboard work surface, you will gently streak up the shingles in the same pattern and direction that we just dry-brushed. This will gradually create dark streaks on the laser cut shingles and once they’re cut out from the sheet, will be random and add a neat looking roof to your next model!
Here’s the Sea Sponges that we use: Natural Sea Sponges for Artists
