Detailing Brick Buildings

Get new model railroad videos, articles, and tips every week when you sign up for the free Model Railroad Academy newsletter! 🚂 https://bit.ly/3gGUJyt

It takes extra time and care to make your model railroad layout stand out. Detailing makes a complete difference in the final outcome of your layouts appearance. Detailing can be meticulous, but it’s definitely worth the effort. To help you improve your layout, NMRA Master Model Railroader Gerry Leone offers a step-by-step tutorial on detailing brick buildings.

Adding the Details
Gerry demonstrates how to color individual bricks scattered along brick wall structures to add dimension to the walls. He offers some visual examples of brick structures on his own layout to show how much of a difference this detailing technique makes. As you’ll see, the detailing adds to the dimension of realism and makes the walls stand out.

In order to accomplish this technique, you will need at least one paint color slightly lighter or darker than your base color. Gerry suggests using two different colors, one lighter and one darker. He demonstrates how to mix paint to get the perfect shades.

Gerry uses two very fine brushes to apply the paint once the colors are mixed. He offers a few tips on where and how to apply the paint to the brick wall. You will quickly see that the detailing adds dimension to the walls.