Base Color for layout

Any "dirt" color would be just fine.  Depends in large part on the area of the country you are planning to model because there is no standard "dirt color."

 

As long as it's a light to medium flat brown, you should be okay because you'll likely be covering most of it with other materials in the long run.

Two threads from last year.  Click on the underlined phrase to access.

Base color before laying track

 

Ground color

 

I picked a sandy muddy color (light brown)

Chris, I would use Black or a dark Brown, I my self put Black then a brown.

Layers remember layers

Chris, I can identify with Alan's description above. When I was ready to paint the base of my layout I went to the local Home Depot and asked for a paint color of "dirt". It got a laugh from the person behind the counter, but he said he could make it up for me.  After looking at hundreds of paint chips in the brown / beige family that they had on display, I chose one that I thought looked like light to medium brown dirt.  He then color matched the chip.

The base that he started with is a Behr Premium Plus Medium (#1400) Interior flat.

The formula label on the top of the can reads like this:

CLRNT      BL      CL     FL

  OZ         0        1      0

 384th     252      40     124

It's the 1 hour dry / 2 hour recoat / soap and water cleanup variety paint.

Sure enough, it came out looking like dirt.  And since it will take years, if ever, to complete landscaping, it looks a whole lot better in the meantime than bare soundboard or plywood. 

Also, I have noticed that when I need to touch something up, or fill in a wiring hole if I relocate a building or accessory, the paint matches great - can't even tell where I did it.

 

Good luck.

 

Jim

 

I agree that dark colors are the best choice. The reason is that it produces good shadow effects where it pokes out behind the actual landscaping. This is especially important on rock and other vertical surfaces, but it apples to the ground as well.  This is much more effective than trying to add shadows later using washes. It is easier to add highlights to a dark background than the reverse. You have to learn to think like a landscape painter: You start with the shadows and other background features, and layer the foreground on top of it.

And I will respectfully disagree.  A basic dirt color is what Ma Nature starts with, and if it's good enough for her, it's good enough for any model railroad.   

We went a tan color over all the homasote and satin black for the fascia around the perimeter.

 

Pictured below[Feb 2010] is sort of an "earth tone" that was a mixture of darker brown,white and a little yellow that Home Depot mixed and gave me from their mistake and return inventory. Almost two gallons for $5.50 as I recall.

 

Well, the wonderful thing about this hobby is that good results can be had in so many different ways.  However, the reason I don't buy the "ma nature" argument is that the situation is different in a very specific way: Unlike nature, most of our layouts aren't illuminated from a single point source (i.e., the sun). If there is only one very bright light source in your train room, then you will get real shadows, and you should ignore my advice.  But, most of us have uniform lighting, and so have to simulate the deep shadows seen in natural scenes. Starting with a dark background is the best way to do this, IMO.   This assumes that the base is going to be thoroughly covered with landscaping material.  If you are just putting track on a board, as in many holiday layouts, then I of course agree that an earth color is better.

 

All of this is similarly offered with genuine respect for other opinions. 

Dirt, mud, etc... I did the same thing as everyone else. Asked home depot to make me mud colored paint. The guy told me to go pick 3 paint chips off the wall that were close and he'd mix them all together. The color I got was pretty decent.

sealing your sound board will partially defeat the sound deadening effects.. but for the color which will not have track or roads, choose a color a little lighter that the soil in the region you are trying to represent.  so for south east US pick a ruddy clay color, north east sandy or rich humus, midwest varies from rich humus soil to ruddy clay to sandy, if you are modeling an area that goes from mountains to a well established stream or river, you base color will vary from a medium "DEAD" brown to ruddy ( where clay has settled in the distant past to sandy  go just a little lighter, while at it pick the same color, (Hue) but several shades darker this would represent damp or fertilized areas

for what ever base color you are using, remember that you essentially want a middle color as your base, then using a rough sponge stipple the color with alternately a darker hue and then a lighter value of the same base (or middle) color.

While you are at it use a dark gray to represent roads and a darker variant of the ballast you plan to use.  the same trick of stippling can be done on both roads and track bed.

the stippling tracks the eye into seeing more texture than is actually there and will give you a wonderful result before you commit to ground foam or other techniques.

the images attached show the evolution of such a paint application.

 

I use a medium to dark brown called "Sacred Ground." Forgot the brand, but I got it at Home Depot.

I use a mix of browns and grey for the part of country I modeled. think a mix of tint gives better results

 

 

 

Is the sound board, grey in color?
I would not recommend starting with anything really dark, it is always easier to darken a spot or area than it is to lighten an area, once it is dark. Also color is one thing, the amount of pigment is another. Washing the sound board(if Grey) with watered down latex paint of another color would immediately give you a layered look, especially if you don't treat the entire surface the same. This can easily be accomplished by adding more paint or water to the wash, as you move around the table.

Scenery not complete but.......

Hi Chris

 

What ever color you do decide on this paint is very good paint.

Home Depo  Behr Premium Plus Medium (#1400) Interior flat. IMO

to be perfectly honest, being a scotsman, I usually buy the $5 per gallon "its close to brown" flat latex paint.. a couple of tubes of either burnt siena, raw siena and or rawe umber, burnt umber.. and paint wet on wet with various shades..

subv: nice sky boards, are they painted or prints?

 

Absolutely!

       
       
The back drop is paint on canvas. A template is made of the major scenery pieces, then transferred to the canvas. Once the composition on the canvas is complete, it is then installed like wall paper, except this particular back drop is 2 pieces, totaling about 45 linear ft.