need help to paint stones

[mystic badger]

Ok, I\'m trying to make raised stones , LOTR style, which means heavily eroded stones. My problem is : the paint doesn\'t fill the cracks ! I have the main part of the stone painted, but the yellow polystyrene is visible in the cracks. How can I paint this ?

 

[james9487]

So the paint won\'t go in the cracks? I would paint the whole base black, then work my way up with highlights.

 

[Shawn R. L.]

Take a spray bottle and with the nozzle close to the piece, spray it with water. The paint should now run into the cracks. I have had luck with this tecknique.

 

[Trevor]

Add black ink to the paint. Do a couple of coats if necessary.

 

[Avelorn]

If you break the surface-tension with washing up liquid.. you could be successful too.

 

[Modderrhu]

If you\'ve already painted the rest of your stones, it\'s unlikely that you\'ll fill those gaps without damaging the rest of your paint job.

I\'d suggest making a wash and using that to fill those gaps. Dish washing liquid will allow the wash to wet the surfaces and flow into the gaps. Acrylic floor wax will help to draw the rest of the wash into those gaps. If not floor wax, then a bit of PVA glue in the wash will help that effect too.

Here\'s what I\'d try first:
1 part black paint, 4 parts water, 1 part floor wax.
or
2 parts black, 8 parts water, 2 parts PVA glue, 1 part dishwashing liquid.

This is fairly thin, so you might need to use a couple of washes to make sure the black covers properly. And next time, wash the stones before painting them.

 

[mystic badger]

The stone, made from polystyrene, is not yet painted, just based in black. I can\'t use a spray because it would melt. I will try with the dishwashing product. Thanks

 

[Modderrhu]

Originally posted by mystic badger
I can\'t use a spray because it would melt.

I don\'t think Shawn was suggesting spray paint, but rather spraying the rocks with water to wet them. The effect is the same as using a dishwashing liquid wash really; getting water in the cracks will let the paint flow into them. In fact, spray paint has the nasty habit of missing those cracks, necessitating a wash after spraying anyway.