Realistic scenic rocks - Acrylic wash technique

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In the latest vid in the realistic rocks series, we look at creating awesome rock faces with a few simple acrylic washes.
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[@maximillianrhavahl3367]

You, sir, are the Bob Ross of terrain! Thank you for making these videos :D

[@zainevenable6896]

I'm into model railroading and I've watched this video a dozen times and learn something different everytime. Cheers

[@billd.iniowa2263]

One of the biggest tips I ever got from you Mel, wet it all down with water first. This single tip has made it possible for me to really have a good time with painting rocks/walls and it has virtually eliminated the problem of tide pools. Funny how something so simple can make such a huge difference. Thanx mate. ;-)

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Simple tips are always the best mate

[@billd.iniowa2263]

TheTerrainTutor Thats me, simple. Thank you Mel :-)

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Bill D. in Iowa Simple is always reliable mate ;-)

[@thaliaburr2306]

Discard all those things that are not worth your time

[@Amah-Lady]

THANK YOU FROM HEART. This video came just in the time I really needed. My best wishes.

[@jefffeineigle-ed4se]

Thank you for teaching me to wash my rocks for my n scale mountains. Your technique is great, I am very pleased with my mountains and hillsides. Thanks again, jeff in the US.

[@allisonplayzz3840]

This is going to help me paint my dad's wall!! Thank you so much

[@BrentWalker999]

So simple and really really good looking terrain. Thanks.

[@johnkelley9877]

Simply outstanding! Another great and useful tutorial. The rock looks a lot like the rock formations I see along highways and is very realistic. Thanks for sharing this. I will use it for sure.

[@tonyharwood8408]

Thanks again for a very useful tutorial - I find myself checking back to you when ever I have a new terrain project - the grey stonework/rockwork being one. Thanks again. Tony

[@duck853]

Excellent video, excellent technique! Thank you. However, made the mistake of play the Terrain Tutor drinking game, "Everytime time you hear 'yah' you take a drink". I've just regained consciousness in the emergency room after having my stomach pumped.... ;-)

[@TheTerrainTutor]

you're not the first lol

[@neilwestlake5994]

I’m one of those guys with 24 feet of rock wall and mountain to paint. Thanks for the tips, they will be a great help in the future

[@jpmcraze2123]

You really enjoy your work and I really enjoy learning from your techniques, thank you.

[@HobbySauce]

Another excellent rock tutorial. I've always just drybrushed grey on black for my rocks, but I want to give this a try soon!

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Enjoy buddy!

[@SpenserClark]

Looks great! I'm going to have to pick up some of those molds...

[@jjab99]

Great results on the rocks Mel, nice video. Great to see you doing what you do best, teaching us how to do terrain. Many thanks mate.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

It's what I do buddy!

[@aanler]

These are my favorite rocks so far. Great stuff Mel!

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Cheers mate

[@antiquariancrafts2454]

You're on fire this week, Mel!

[@tidetight]

Great work Mel!

[@iainmalcolmcocks1883]

great rocks will have to try them out and i agree with Louis that adding some lichen with theleft over yellow could give it evan more

[@joeytorres9302]

I just wanted to say thank you for all the videos, I've used many of your techniques for landscapes I make for my reptile terrariums. My bearded dragon's tank I'm working on right now needed a good rock effect, thank you again for all the time you put in to these videos. Also quick add on my brown anole Iggy has a World War 2 theme I made him a hiding place to sleep at night based off of your sandbag bunker designs lol, keep up the great work!

[@TheTerrainTutor]

That's awesome mate!

[@sunchaserw1477]

job well done... very realistic!

[@diecastmodelfever1174]

Another brilliant tutorial. Well done ! :)

[@anthonymurray3550]

Thank you. Right when I needed it!!

[@blowing_chunks1845]

Doesn't look like you even made the rock... looks like you took it off the side of a cliff!!! Great vid and great rock!

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Cheers bud :-)

[@timshoemaker.9752]

I just did 16 feet of rack cave walls with mortar in my basement- im totally doing your technique on it! Thank you very much!

[@timshoemaker.9752]

Rock not rack lol

[@euansmith3699]

I keep hearing "tinting and yellow" as "Tin-tin and Yellow"; like the title for one of Herge's older, slightly dodgy comics. "I don't want any pigment on my rocks", how often have we said that? That is a great tutorial. It really looks like you are poking a real chunk of rock with a paint brush. The effective is really subtle and super cool. Another smashing tutorial.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

I'm exploring the art in scenic artisan mate ;-)

[@modellerphil]

Excellent vid bud

[@WarmasterPainting]

Great vid man.

[@Dallas-Nyberg]

Great stuff!.... I am in the process of creating a rock face section on a model rail layout... This by far the best demo I've seen on coloring rock... Cheers

[@TheTerrainTutor]

no worries mate

[@Galorn]

Also if you add a little detergent to the water it will flow even better. A drop of dish washing fluid works brilliantly.

[@9163chris]

Definitely trying this tonight!

[@markgriffith3076]

Love your videos mate....YEAH😉💯🙏👍

[@IDICBeer]

Nice one mate

[@HushNinja]

This is an Art Attack!

[@Sean_S1000]

@3:24 i said to my self that looks sick already, cant wait to see the rest

[@logowatchman]

Eureka! Wet the plaster first! Thank you, very nice.

[@bageldrone]

Looks really good mate :)

[@Maltise1]

Always learn from your videos :)

[@soundrew]

Well done. Thanks.

[@australianconsumer1816]

THANKS FOR THE GUIDE ITS A GREAT HELP

[@watersplash5287]

great technique☺

[@watersplash5287]

thank you, you've helped me a lot👍

[@TheyMakeItLikeThat]

Shout out to all the railroad folk!

[@robinwatkins6408]

This has been the best break down of "how to" i have seen et. than k ou for sharing our knowledge and skill.

[@Yamanoochi]

Maybe I was wrong with section, but I will try to offer - the technology of production the rubber molds of rocks by TheTerrainTutor. Great video !! 4 colors!! 4 colors Karl!!! )))

[@dynamicformsstudio1417]

Thank you! It helped me a lot!

[@peacefulpigeon7254]

Fab thanks!😀

[@ffblitz7990]

A real artiste

[@anitacoffey]

You have the most helpful tips! Thank you for sharing them. Will this technique work on drywall compound? What about grout?

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Should do mate

[@poseidon.-]

it's countless time i rewatch this video. it's shocking to know this beautiful tutorial is 6yrs old. i hope you make coloring rock tutorial again 😢.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Been painting rocks today actually ;-)

[@poseidon.-]

@@TheTerrainTutor 😄, i can't wait to watch it.! thank you very much my Tutor 🙏

[@xx1norm1xx]

Haha "that's some high quality H2O"

[@HouseOfChaosUK]

Very realistic

[@evelinam.5835]

So well thank you

[@sylviajennings5495]

Get this... I spent this morning trying to paint a waterfall I created from scratch based on a waterfall that I love... Another new challenge for me. Create clay reproduction, create mold, cast the waterfall from Plaster of Paris, and now painting for realism. I'm taking a break when, voila! I just got a notification that you have a video on how to make realistic cliffs. I'm not sure if this is the one in the notification, but it's the one I got. This is SO timely. I'm struggling to get the realism. I got your method before about watering down the paint, but the results didn't seem right. I did okay with the overall wash but keep getting defined lines around the shading. You've resolved my dilemma. THANK YOU! Coincidentally, your rock feature is very similar (but better) than mine, right down to the colors... the type of rock cliffs we get here in Ontario Canada. What are the odds? 🤔😁 You wouldn't believe the challenge I'm having painting a cast of a real rock with neat light and dark lines running around it. Lines are very fine gray and whitish, others are a bit thicker... and then there's these random reddish spots overall. Not easy getting the right color. Fun, but it sure isn't as easy as you make it appear.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Crack on mate!

[@trixter2768]

What brand of molds do you use for the rock in this and your other shading videos? Great videos, mate! Cheers!

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Woodland scenics mate

[@dan319611]

Nice work I agree perhaps the green was a bit bright, but what if you had added the burnt umber to the green. Not a critisem just want to know your thoughts?

[@vikkiwilson5069]

You're indeed an artist, Mel.Your use of paint is what we in the Art Criticism World call "sensitively handled":) Thanks for this thoughtful demo of how to use washes. I found I very helpful, I have a tendency to slop too much stuff on, enjoy playing with it too much. I'm not making much terrain so I'm currently using dilute Modelmates weathering liquid (inspired by your Modelmates vids) to paint a rock/ruin - so far I totally recommend the Mould+Dirty Yellow for the most beautiful glowing green .I've now got the superstar " AGRAX EARTHSHADE" wash they use to shade minis - would this look good on stone??Do you have any tips for painting with Modelmates washes and the Agrax on rock and stone??

[@TheTerrainTutor]

No tips yet, but no doubt I'll keep experimenting mate

[@seanmcbride8]

This is excellent and I am excited to try this. How would you seal this?

[@TheTerrainTutor]

varnish or watered down pva

[@kurtkyre]

Hey Mel, I use Merlin's Magic, which is grey when it dries... any different treatment that you know of for this? I am going to go out and give it a go, and see, but I thought I'd ask... UPDATE: Ok, I went and used the technique on some woodland scenics rocks that I had cast, but I had already airbrushed them sort of a medium grey. The wash worked very well, and I thought the darker color of the Merlin's Magic added to the overall look. I did however end up doing a white wash over a couple of the high surfaces, to see if that would make it pop a little bit more... will have to see how that looks in the morning

[@s7ewie]

I have a black polystyrene / foam background for a reptile Vivarium that came painted really badly. I'd like to do a similar technique to this to improve it. I was thinking of spraying it with a grey primer and using this technique with darker grey and black. Do you think it would work? Should I use white primer instead or should I coat it with something before priming? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks :)

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Checkout lizard landscapes mate, hew has a vid on animal safe materials ... I'm not strong in the area and I'd hate for my advice to hurt your pets mate, so check him out materials wise. Techniques will be the same as this though ;-)

[@s7ewie]

+TheTerrainTutor Awesome thanks 😊

[@prenticelennon3087]

Hi Bob - I have a medium size resin statue of Gabriel that I want to put as a grave marker for beloved pet. Do you think this method will work on it to make it look real? A video would be too much to ask for - BUT - it would be very helpful for many of us! Cheers!

[@TheTerrainTutor]

As long as you seal it, it should be fine

[@jonathanbrouwer8795]

Awesome! Will this work with custom-shaped polystyrene rocks or does the material need to be plaster?

[@vikkiwilson5069]

Gesso is really great (made for) painting on top of if you need to seal. See Bragdon Rock Enterprises techniques.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

as long as you seal it mate, it'll be fine

[@afcnutts]

thumbs up for the great work...keep it up. what I would like to know is if you have a link or you can address me where to buy those moulds for the rocks. thanks and all the best for the coming year

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Checkout Woodlands Scenics mate

[@Rzymek85]

Which plaster is it? I know people used dental so it won't chip easily?

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Crystical

[@aaronmac4115]

Saw a similar effect on Scene'a'rama channel 8 years ago. Nice to see techniques shared mate.

[@euansmith3699]

Mel is doing a great job of gathering in a bunch of techniques in to a single channel. I like seeing him learn new techniques and passing them on over the years.

[@willparsons32]

Awesome tutorial! Do you not use rubbing alcohol to your water? (I understand it breaks the surface tension of the medium) because using water with acrylics does about the same thing - I think!

[@TheTerrainTutor]

dont need it mate

[@dingar7191]

You wouldn't wet primed resin like you did here would you? I've got a Idol of Gork(or Mork) that I'm looking to paint up and I really enjoyed your method here!!!!!!

[@TheTerrainTutor]

No reason why not mate, should work fine

[@iHunterKiller]

Nice cheap acrylic grey paint isn't super easy to come by in my area, I saw some cheap emulsion though, how well does it mix with the acrylic paint for scenery pieces?

[@TheTerrainTutor]

did you actually watch the video?

[@iHunterKiller]

Yea I did, i have been binge watching your back catalogue ^^ I'm aware of some emulsion not working with acrylic, or something along those lines, im completely new into the crafting scene and do it for tabletop RPGs with modularity and re-usability (and thus durability) being top factors. So I was not sure if i should bank on getting it over regular acrylic paint. Emulsion seems to be cheaper. I guess i should have phrased the original question as "Why are you using emulsion over acrylic". No offence was intended =)

[@TheTerrainTutor]

iHunterKiller I've never had problems mixing or working with the two mate, it'll be fine ;-)

[@stingray4567]

cracking

[@NeonsStyleHD]

yeh yeh yeh yeh yeh? Yeh yeh yeh yeh yeh yeh yeh yeah yeah yeh. Omg

[@04Stefan07]

NeonsStyle Yeah?

[@TheyMakeItLikeThat]

@@04Stefan07 yeah.

[@brystonecowboy]

Hi, i'm rebuilding and repainting a full size Tardis prop, do you think these methods would translate to life size weathering?

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Nah, get yourself some 'dirty down' sprays mate

[@GregoryGeilman]

What do you think of Woodland Scenics Earthtone pigments?

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Prefer paints to be honest

[@elderman1967]

Crackin' Tutorial

[@lorddragonxf]

Did you make the rock with foam. Or witch material?

[@TheTerrainTutor]

casting powder mate

[@f.catfracassofracasso404]

hi mel can this be done with india inks made to a wash using alcohol. does it have to be sealed right away to lock in the color????

[@TheTerrainTutor]

can't see why not mate

[@scout273021]

Thank you. Any tips or tricks for applying these techniques to cement? Building a den for our coyote, (conservatorscenter.org) have the rough layer down and will have a dogloo boulder tomorrow. Want it to look as realistic as your art.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

You want the stippling rock technique for that mate

[@redgreen09]

well looks good to me ho that other thing that 1812 thing say no more see on sun day LOL

[@818Vallero]

Can I use liquid acrylic inks?

[@sttm1283]

ïnstead of preparing it with water. couldnt you just spray it with a matte clearcoat or something? that way you seal the pors. or am i thinking wrong?

[@insanedaemon]

Perhaps, but water is also much cheaper and more accessible. Enamel may also change how the paint applies to the plaster or even reduce the overall texture.

[@pastuh]

some blue and red/orange could improve this rock for sure :E

[@TheMcLeish]

you sure that's now a plaster rock?? hah hah... excellent

[@GotoHere]

Where can I buy high quality H20?

[@hayden9944]

Hay dude - can you do fossil rock. Like Dino bone! ?

[@aishashaikh5699]

Can Any One tell me why washes are used to paint rock I am new to plaster crafts because I want a rock base for my action figure And from Google it seems like normaly acrylic are used the normal way except when painting rocks

[@TheyMakeItLikeThat]

Watered down craft paint is all I use for washes and it works great!

[@anonymousXDmd]

0:06

[@EmperorsTeeth]

Dude you sounds just like Art Attack!'s Neil Buchanan.

[@Pagrod]

I think the dislikes are the competition smh 🤦🏼‍♂️

[@drigrid]

Damn, my water just isn't good enough. :(

[@pinetreeYT]

I can't find high quality H2O anywhere, what the hell?!

[@TheTerrainTutor]

I pity you ..... ;-D

[@benthk3dprt136]

I think some dark blue would have been better instead of green

[@henningmaier7960]

Anybodyelse see a face in the rock? :D

[@athoughtprogression]

Why not find a rock that looks scenic?

[@markl3893]

Nice video, but always disappointing when people can't write a simple chemical like water correctly with the '2' as a subscript. It's not H squared O.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

I'm a modelmaker, not a scientist Jim! 😉

[@steveford5763]

I see a human face in it, haha

[@athoughtprogression]

Why not find a rock that looks scenic ?