Hey, a while ago I posted a question trying to understand why modelers paint dirt when making dioramas. Well I am now at the stage in my dio where I want to paint my dirt before I apply static grass. Dio is going to be taking place in Normandy circa June 10, 1944 (yes few days after the landings). Any good hints for colors and techniques?

Cheers
Marty

hi there! with me, acrylic paints work, just mix different shades of browns to play with lights and shadows. then when you reach your desired look, with me, i sprinkled lots of other stuffs to ad texture. try sprinkling real dirt on diff areas. i also used bottled food spices that can be brought from any supermarkets ( i used mcormic ) then just choose the finest of the spice that will suit your needs. hope this helps

i made a dio using this technique. you can view it here

http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/crismags2002

I use pretty much the same method with the added use of rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol to thin the paints for easier painting. I apply a couple of coats with varying shades of browns.
Most often I'll brush em on as opposed to ABing.

Marty,
I use sanded Tile Grout that is close to the color of the dirt I am going for. It dries quickly and can be worked for added texture and depth. If I am adding grass I do this BEFORE painting as the ground color will tie everything together. I try to avoid stark contrast between the two. I use acrylics for the base coat, usually mixing various colors and just letting them fall where they may. Application varies from brushing them on and airbrushing them. Once the base colors are laid in I apply washes of oils here and there to bring out the cracks and crevices. When it comes to the grassy areas I always use and airbrush for the initial color. Once it is laid in and dry, I do the same as with the dirt. An oil wash then I drybrush lighter shades of greens and yellow. When everything is complete I seal with a generous flat coat and use pastels around the bases of buildings or structures. Might seem kind of a drawn out process, but it works well for me. If you have a hairdryer handy, you can really cut the drying time down.....alot. Hope this helps you. #:-) "Q"

Hola!

Nice looking dio crismag!, Its different but I really like the rally car in its natural surrounding!

As for ground work,
I always paint the brown earth colors, althogh you can see them after the grass is applied and painted, however, If I didnt do this I wouldnt sleep at night :-)

Hola,
Here is a picture of a base that I recently finished for the Steyr 1500 that I built,
I painte the ground work (celluclay) with brownish earth tones, but after all the washes etc you cant see it no more

Thank you all for your replies. I think I might try to do an acrylic wash of earth tones. The base is still soft in few places so I think I might put it outside for a little bit. It is hot enough for the water to evaporate completely. I should be able to apply the wash sometime later on today.

Marty

Anders, this is one good looking dio base.

Marty,
If I read correctly and understood correctly, dont wash the plaster, slab the paint on good!! Then after you have applied the base coat in earth tones, THEN give it a wash to bring out the textures! and dry brush it also, remember to use several different tones of the same color as the gorund sure aint the same color everywhere.

Thanks for the compliment on the base I posted
Here is how I did it:
First taped the edges off with masking tape. Then I used celluclay and formed the basic ground work. Set aside to dry for a while, then I painted the whole base in several different earth tones. Now I got the white glue out and started smearing it all over, the biggest grass patch in the road was a spill and then I added the static grass. Let it dry for a while, then I painted the green areas in acrylics and started using oil washes of burnt umber, vandyke brown, yello ochre, yellow and green all over where appropriate. Let this dry, and then used the same oils for dry brushing. After all was dry I sprayed it with Dull Coat.
Then I wanted to paint something on the base or a name plate, I used Woodland Scenics dry Transfer letters for all the letters and numbers, free handed the wiking symbol. Looking at it as a picture I can see where I need to touch it up.
Also the white spots are probably pastel spots on the scanner...yes, im guilty of not cleaning it and used it to take "pictures" of some of my models :-)

Hi marty,
I am in the process of a dio and found that painting the ground Flat earth followed by a thinned mix of deck tan and am quite happy with the tone for Normandy late 44