Case in point: the team/bulk track at Somerset. I'd done the first pass of scenery in this area 8 years ago (almost to the day, as I discovered), but I hadn't ballasted/covered any of the track.
Somerset - 11/27/2009 |
Tuesday, 11/21/17 |
Friday, 11/24/17 |
Lesson learned - do all scenery in an area at the same time, or else risk that it will "weather" differently and you won't be able to match it in the future.
So now the question is - What do I do about it? Any suggestions?
- If I had more of the dirt (which actually matched the old stuff in color and texture), I'd cover the dark area and just leave it loose without soaking/gluing it.
- I could try going over the dark area with PanPastels/chalk to try and match the color of the surrounding area (at least the texture is the same), but I think that'd look just as obvious - I won't be able to match the subtle gradations of color of the prior scenery.
- Alternatively I could go over the entire dirt area around the siding with some pastels/chalk to try and at least blend it all together.
- Last resort - I could spread some glue over the entire dirt area and add static grass.
That last idea would certainly kickstart my static grass practice, but talk about jumping in the deep end of the pool! I'm afraid that just might make things worse. Problem is - I don't know what I don't know - and certainly don't have the experience to know what to expect from these different options.
So I'm asking for any suggestions/advice on how best to proceed. What would you do?
Hi Chris,
ReplyDeleteI've had this happen...I just airbrushed the whole area (not just the "watermark")with paint - in this case maybe a Grimy Black base will do and then add a mottling of medium grey and Roof Brown or Earth here and there for effect. Just like weathering a model.
Cheers
Rick (Fillmore)
That's a great idea - and will give me a good opportunity to practice my airbrush with little risk... Thanks much for stopping by and leaving a comment!
DeleteIf you have any leftover material at all, sprinkle it on the area and rub it into the surface with your fingers. The friction will embed the dry material into the surface, covering the dark stains. I did this on my layout where the glue stained the natural dirt I used and it worked fine. You can vacuum up any obviously loose particles.
ReplyDeleteMike
Thanks Mike! I wish I *did* have even just a little bit of that material left - it'd certainly soften the edges. Thanks for taking the time to weigh in!
DeleteChris, I'd suggest both approaches but also would comment that "real" railroads do ballast track section at various times. The "different" look is somewhat natural.
ReplyDeleteRoger
Hey Roger and thanks for that reminder - that's pretty much where I'm at at this point. Vacuuming the area softened things a bit - removing the light dust from the old scenery area made the new scenery area a little less obvious. But I may still use the airbrush and/or some powders to even things out a bit more. And if all else fails - static grass! :^) Thanks much for the feedback!
Delete