GWR and BR(W) building colours...

[simond]

It’s not just me then.

not disagreeing with Chris & Dave re the scaling, but I simply take the easy way out, and use the paint with the appropriate label on, Precision as noted above, for most things, but I do have most of a litre of Land Rover Deep Bronze Green celly, which is ideal for locos, even if it is a b——y nuisance to clean up after.

I really would like a decent match for Dark & Light stone in acrylic.

 

[Pencarrow]

Colour and memory. You can't remember colour accurately. Period.

When the color we see isn't the color we remember

Brain generalizes millions of colors to 'best' versions of basic colors, research suggests

hub.jhu.edu

The research is against you.
Tony

It's not just colour I can't remember...

 

[Pencarrow]

Then there's colour perception after eating certain foods. An article by Dr Janet Voke in AHFAP Journal #9 lists all the common drugs that affect and produce significant changes in colour vision. Just look at what caffeine does, reduces sensitivity to red, enhances blue.

Association for Historical and Fine Art Photography

ahfap.org.uk

So when your reading that book with a nice strong coffee, BR maroon will fade faster than your memory, but the sky will look great!

I really wish modellers would stop fussing about colour. You've no hope, just be happy with what pleases you!
Tony

I've noticed a distinct tendency for everything to go very dark when I've drunk far too much.

 

[Peter Insole]

In fear of causing upset, I was making a determined effort not to comment on this discussion, until I read that article about colour memory.

I feel compelled to point out that published articles like the "Hub" example are terribly misleading.

What is notable in such an overly brief report, is the complete failure to acknowledge is that there are many, many artists out there, for whom colour memory is the key element of their creative abilities - whether that is a peculiar acuity or not!

Just crawling back under my stone now...!

Pete.

 

[Overseer]

In fear of causing upset, I was making a determined effort not to comment on this discussion, until I read that article about colour memory.

I feel compelled to point out that published articles like the "Hub" example are terribly misleading.

What is notable in such an overly brief report, is the complete failure to acknowledge is that there are many, many artists out there, for whom colour memory is the key element of their creative abilities - whether that is a peculiar acuity or not!

Just crawling back under my stone now...!

Pete.

I am glad you commented. Pointing out a fundamental fact which may not have been fully explained by science should not cause any upset. As someone who makes a fair proportion of their income matching and specifying colours I am aware there is a wide range in peoples ability to discern and remember colours. Understanding the properties of the pigments used, how they react with light (and the colour of the light and its make up) and how eyes change with ageing all helps with understanding how we perceive colour.

Back to the original question, I thought the GW colours in question were called light stone and medium stone.

 

[oldravendale]

In fear of causing upset, I was making a determined effort not to comment on this discussion, until I read that article about colour memory.

I feel compelled to point out that published articles like the "Hub" example are terribly misleading.

What is notable in such an overly brief report, is the complete failure to acknowledge is that there are many, many artists out there, for whom colour memory is the key element of their creative abilities - whether that is a peculiar acuity or not!

Just crawling back under my stone now...!

Pete.

That is absolutely true, Pete. My experience is limited to the Motion Picture industry where there are (highly paid) people called color timers (USA) or Graders (UK) who are employed to ensure that films have the same colour balance and density at least throughout scenes unless there's a need for change in the look for dramatic purposes. The effect of failing to do this successfully used to be seen on reel changes in the cinema when the colour characteristics of one reel was not matched to the next, usually because of changes in the processing chemistry over the time of the production.

This is a simplistic explanation but serves to explain that some people are, indeed, gifted with remarkable colour memory.

Brian

 

[Andy_Ross]

I come at things from a long history of military modelling and over the decades have come to the conclusion that all model colours are to an extent completely subjective.

When I entered models in to competitions I used colours matched to average indoor artificial lighting where most of them were displayed. I used a slightly different mix at home and again slightly different mixes depending on the modelled age of the subject.

Remember the colours you see now on real buildings are not what the were when they were applied,. Old paint is not as stable as modern paint, pigments started to degrade and change as soon as they were applied.


Old paint was effected much more by the UV in sunlight than modern paint and some pigments were just unstable even without sunlight and were effectively completely 'fugitive' and didn't last long at all.
In WW2 there were certain mixes and batches of Khaki Drab and Olive Drab applied to vehicles that weathered to a completely different colour within weeks of being applied, sunlight or not.

Then there is the 'scale effect' to consider. Actual full size colour is always too strong for a model.

Then there is the lighting to consider.
Colours that look right in sunlight will look wrong under artificial light indoors. If your layout has it's own lighting that needs to be taken in to consdideration. Choose and apply colours under the lighting that will be used on the layout.

In the end choose shades you are happy with and use them across your layout and models, if they are consistent they will look right. Add some slight variation for a realistic look, uniformity will kill the impression.

 

[Phil O]

Hi All,

Just resurrecting this thread, as I have accidentally found an acrylic paint that is a very close match for light stone. Ammo Atom beige pink. Atom-20044.
Why accidentally, because I have a swatch of dark stone and when matched against the pot it was very close, but upon trying a small area, it's almost a direct match for the light stone.
Back to the drawing board, as precision don't have any and no idea when it will be available again.

 

[SimonT]

Forget Precision, there are loads of shops offering it from an interweb search.

 

[Phil O]

The only alternative I have found is railmatch and when I used there paint in the airbrush, it gummed up the nozzle and took several attempts to get it clean. I had to resort to cellulose to get it clean. I have no wish to go down that road again. If you have a suitable alternative, or a source of precision, please share it.

Thanks.

 

[Lawrence Boul]

I come at things from a long history of military modelling and over the decades have come to the conclusion that all model colours are to an extent completely subjective.

When I entered models in to competitions I used colours matched to average indoor artificial lighting where most of them were displayed. I used a slightly different mix at home and again slightly different mixes depending on the modelled age of the subject.

Remember the colours you see now on real buildings are not what the were when they were applied,. Old paint is not as stable as modern paint, pigments started to degrade and change as soon as they were applied.


Old paint was effected much more by the UV in sunlight than modern paint and some pigments were just unstable even without sunlight and were effectively completely 'fugitive' and didn't last long at all.
In WW2 there were certain mixes and batches of Khaki Drab and Olive Drab applied to vehicles that weathered to a completely different colour within weeks of being applied, sunlight or not.

Then there is the 'scale effect' to consider. Actual full size colour is always too strong for a model.

Then there is the lighting to consider.
Colours that look right in sunlight will look wrong under artificial light indoors. If your layout has it's own lighting that needs to be taken in to consdideration. Choose and apply colours under the lighting that will be used on the layout.

In the end choose shades you are happy with and use them across your layout and models, if they are consistent they will look right. Add some slight variation for a realistic look, uniformity will kill the impression.

This is the best painting advice you'll ever read. While original colours are interesting and a useful start point (maybe), if you want something realistic and believable you need to move on.