(Note: What follows is a copy of my December newsletter)
The above image (taken in 2024) showing a quiet back street in Mankato, MN is about as unremarkable as they come. And….therein lies the point. It’s ordinary, it’s typical, it’s everyday. It’s what the eye is used to seeing when we’re out and about. The closer we can replicate “everyday” color palettes on our layouts, the more realistic things will appear.
The color strategies we apply to our layouts as a whole make up a major percentage of the overall visual impact, more so than staying totally true to any specific detail. That being the case, it makes sense to pay close attention to the subject. In studying photos like the one above a few things consistently stand out.
-Note the lack of shine, even on the vehicles. Objects viewed through atmosphere lose their shine.
-Note the general absence of vivid primary colors.
-Note the lack of color saturation in general.
-Note that most vehicles on the road are: white, black, silver, or gray. Check this out the next time you’re in a parking lot. These tones will account for almost two-thirds of the vehicles.
-The most common tones on manmade structures are: white, gray, oxide red (brick), beige, and burnt umber (rust).
This scene is a proto-freelanced rendition of Mankato on the Alco Line project currently in my shop. You’re looking south down Main Street. The Minnesota River is in the foreground. Hubbard Feeds is on the left. As I worked, I paid close attention to color palettes and color percentages with the emphasis on oxide reds, grays, and beige. The only primary colors are on the signs, fire hydrants, and the switch stand targets.
Here’s the scene on the west end of Mankato’s yard. On the left, the structures got a base coat of flat gray primer followed by a dusting of flat white. Same for the yard office. The steel structures in the back were painted with light gray primer followed by an India ink/alcohol wash. Notice how the red switch targets “pop” against the earth tones.
I keep my most frequently used colors together on a dedicated shelf in my workshop. Left to right we have: flat white primer, aged gray (302592), light gray auto primer (2081830), flat gray primer (334017), flat dark gray primer (2089830), flat earth brown camo paint (279178), any reddish primer, French beige 276271)
The color I use most is Rustoleum’s Flat Light Gray Auto Primer (pn 2081830). I apply it as a base in most situations. After it dries, I then lightly apply whatever the main color is I want for the surface. This two step approach gives depth and dampens over-saturation.
The first step in achieving visual success is knowing what elements contribute the most. Color strategies are at the top of the list along with composition and basic neatness. Brilliant, vibrant, primary colors should be used with caution and in low percentages.