Well it was good, now it's superb. Nice job Cap'n.

How does it compare with the Townstreet water tower you used on Bleakhouse CK ?

How does it compare with the Townstreet water tower you used on Bleakhouse CK ?

Well, I suppose the Townstreet one is slightly more generic, it doesn't seem to be of a Midland pattern, but I bought the kit before the layout and wanted to find an excuse to use it...! In this case, the Skaledale one is of a Midland pattern, which is right up my street as regards the layout and it's setting. It was probably easier to paint the Townstreet one, certainly the panels on that didn't need the centre portions picking out in a lighter colour!

Can you provide some information on the brick work as I have to paint a brick goods office attached to a stone goods shed, e.g. what water colour paint have you used for the morter colour.

Hi Dave,

I always use watercolours for mortar on top of an enamel main brick colour. You can get these results with ordinary, 'cheapo' artists water colours, the kind that come in a solid 'lump' and start to dissolve when dampened. In my case, I use some old Rowney jars of solid water colour paints that I have. I always mix it up, using white and combinations of grey, umber and Burnt Sienna, but mostly white and umber. I wash the somewhat dilute mix of mortar all over the structure, wait for it to be touch dry, and then wipe it off.

The way the excess mortar gets wiped off the top face of the actual bricks is important. I find an old but clean cotton handkerchief, pull part of it round the tip of my index finger, and dampen it in a bit of clean water. Then squeeze the excess water from the small bit of handkerchief until it's just damp, not wet. I then start wiping the mortar off the face of the bricks in a diagonal motion, ending up in a vertical motion. A diagonal motion ensures that minimal, if any, mortar is accidentally picked up from the mortar grooves. You will find that you need to frequently change the bit of handkerchief on the index finger, to maintain a clean area of cotton to do the wiping.

The water colour will also tone down the main brick colour. You can then pick individual bricks out again, dry or 'wet' brushing with enamels, to suit the appearance you're after.

John Farmer (Re6/6) has also been experimenting with acrylic water colours, with good results, although one thing we've learned from that is that you have to wipe the excess mortar paint off quickly, whereas with bog standard 'old fashioned' (ie. non-acrylic) artists water colours, you can leave it much longer.