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How to Paint a Model Mountain Landscape

Once you have created your model railroad mountain, the next step is to paint and landscape the terrain. This will vary somewhat from project to project. If you are modeling the Rockies, for example, you'll have a more rugged, rocky layout and use rusty browns and orange tints. The Appalachians will require slate blues and grays and limestone colors. The Sierras may require light browns and tans, and the Alps would require more grays and whites. In any case, painting is fairly straightforward.

Things You'll Need

Acrylic paints in various earth tones
Shallow plastic container
3-inch sponge brush
1-inch nylon or horse hair flat brush
1/4-inch flat brush
Water
Rags
Black India ink
Rubbing alcohol

Instructions

- 1
  Choose a reasonable earth tone for a base coat, typically a light tan or brown, and pour some of the paint into a shallow plastic container.
- 2
  Paint the base coat from top to bottom in horizontal strokes using a 3-inch sponge brush and allow to dry.
- 3
  Mix a selection of two to four different diluted paint mixtures called "washes." For lighter colors, use approximately 1 part paint to 16 parts water. For darker colors, use 1 part paint to 32 parts water.
- 4
  Select a wash that represents a dominant color in your color scheme and randomly paint spots and streaks here and there. Use a large 1-inch brush if the mountain is fairly big and a 1/4-inch brush if not.
- 5
  Rinse the brush and switch to another color, repeating the process until you have at least three different shades painted on, allowing them to blend here and there for a natural look.
- 6
  Mix together equal amounts of all color washes into a blend and add water to create a thin master wash.
- 7
  Lightly apply the master wash over the entire surface to help blend the colors and allow to dry.
- 8
  Create an India ink wash by mixing approximately 10 drops of ink per 1 cup of rubbing alcohol and apply to the surface of the mountain from the top down, allowing it to seep into the cracks.

Model Railroads