GRAFFITI

Mike Steenhuisen

GRAFFITI Modern Image Modelling

28 NZ Model Railway Journal September 2018 On the modern New Zealand railway scene, graffiti is commo place and covers all aspects of the rail corridor and rolling stock. There is a series of woodchip containers that traverses the North Auckland line. This container is modelled off one of that group.

1. Once the model has received its final coat of paint, subtle weathering wash is applied and then sealed with dull coat. This is the base to begin the graffiti detail. I use reference points on the real life wagon as guides to ensure the correct positioning and scale, starting with an outline in pencil. 2. I start applying the colour and detail starting with the background to mimic the layering effect in the original work. I mix up one batch of colour at a time and complete all the details using that colour in one sitting, where possible. Sometimes, due to the duration of the work I keep the paint wet by sitting it on damp handytowels. If the work takes more than one sitting, I store the paint in an air-tight container.

3. Once the background is complete, I do the outline of the lettering. This is done with a #0 soft round brush. I use cheap, generic paint brushes as the tips bend after roughly 40 hours work.

4. I have applied silver to colour the lettering. I use a #2 soft flat brush for this part to cut through the work a bit quicker. These seem to last forever, so I invest in a better quality of brush.

5. Here you can see how all the little details start to bring the graffiti to life. I use cheap acrylic paints for all of my graffiti work, as they come in small tubes and a plethora of colours. Acrylics are also water soluble, meaning they are more forgiving to work with when it comes to blending, covering mistakes and cleaning out the brushes. The final details are added and then a layer of dull coat is applied to seal the acrylic to the model. I applied a light weathering wash is applied to blend the graffiti into the already weathered container.

6. This is the reference photo I used for this HFC wood chip container, parked at the yard in Whangarei.