Some paints!

My friends, I was struck by man flu, so you can imagine the suffering I'm currently going through! But despite this tragedy, I managed to slap some paints on the factory facade. 

I started with the concrete because this is the only "sloppy" part of the paint job. Sponges are heavily involved in this process, and basically you slap a few grey colors + Light Earth and Deck Tan over each other, then give it a diluted wash with black ink, add various stains and streaks, and then, using a smaller brush, pick out the various textures and details. I tried following my reference image as closely as possible, and although I think the cracked pillar looked better before, it's a part of the learning process! I must give a massive shout out to the black ink, it's an absolute game-changer when it comes to weathering using acrylic paints. I bought some more (dark brown, sienna, green and red) but didn't have the opportunity to try those yet. 

Bricks were painted with very diluted paints. Again, I decided to follow my reference and instead of trying to paint each brick in a different tone, the result was more like a cluster of different shades in different areas. The light-colored base coat treated with a black wash is an amazing tool in this process as it creates some beautiful yet subtle textures right from the get-go. I quickly gave them a few layers of very diluted Light Earth and Deck Tan for that faded, dusty finish, and others received a diluted wash with pure black, again, following references. Basically, bricks that are darker indicate some kind of moisture. Be it near the ground, or where the broken downspout will be later - in the right corner. 

Next up I'm going to play around with the mortar, and this will be yet another layer of amazing texture. Not only it's not present everywhere equally (basically the entire right side has the mortar washed away by the damaged downspout), but also the color is not the same everywhere. Grey mortar in the middle of the wall, black and grimy on the left. 

It's a ton of fun and a great learning experience!