Painting Stone Finishes

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Contents
Black Marble

How to paint a faux black marble finish.

White Marble

How to paint a faux white marble finish. 

Honey Marble

How to paint a faux honey marble finish.

 

Red Marble

How to paint a faux red marble finish.

 

Green Granite

How to paint a faux green granite finish.

Red Granite

How to paint a faux red granite finish. 

Caen Stone

How to paint a Caen stone colour scheme.

   

 

Black Marble

Stage 1

Undercoat in black.

Stage 2

Stipple on dark grey using a stiff bristle brush, and the same amount of paint as for drybrushing.

Stage 3

Stipple mid grey over this using less paint. Try not to cover all the black.

Stage 4

Stipple light grey using even less paint.
If the result is too even or light, stipple black on top.

Stage 5

Using a fine sable brush and light grey paint, add some veins. First using very watery paint create an uneven stripe.

Stage 6

Highlight this with a very fine line, whilst wobbling your hand a little. Apply gloss varnish to finish.

Example:

An altar with a black marble top.

Example:

Pillar painted as black marble.

   

 

White Marble

Stage 1

Undercoat in white.

Stage 2

Stipple on light grey using a stiff bristle brush, and the same amount of paint as for drybrushing.

Stage 3

Stipple mid grey over this using less paint. Try not to cover all the white.

Stage 4

Stipple dark grey using even less paint.
If the result is too even or dark, stipple white on top.

Stage 5

Using a fine sable brush and dark grey paint, add some veins. First using very watery paint create an uneven stripe.

Stage 6

Highlight this with a very fine line, whilst wobbling your hand a little. Apply gloss varnish to finish.

Example:

An altar with a white marble top.

Example:

Pillar painted as white marble.

   

 

Red Marble (Click thumbnails for larger images)

Stage 1

Undercoat in black.

Stage 2

Stipple on burgundy using a stiff bristle brush. Try to cover most of the black, just leaving a few darker patches.

Stage 3

Stipple burnt sienna over this using less paint. Try to leave some of the darker areas.

Stage 4

Stipple a mix of burnt sienna & terracotta using even less paint.
If the result is too even or light, stipple burgundy on top.

Stage 5

Using a fine sable brush and white paint, add some veins. First using very watery paint create some uneven, jagged stripes.

Stage 6

Highlight this with a very fine line, whilst wobbling your hand a little. Apply gloss varnish to finish.

Honey Marble (Click thumbnails for larger images)

Stage 1

Undercoat in white.

Stage 2

Add some uneven washes of a milky coffee colour. Keep the paint very thin - you just want to slightly stain the piece.

Stage 3

Stipple some of the same colour over the piece.

Stage 4

Using the same colour, add some veins. The stippling should suggest some divisions between darker and lighter areas - just accentuate some of them.

Stage 5

Changing to a burnt sienna or chestnut brown colour and a fine brush, add a few more veins, and "highlight" some of the existing ones.

Stage 6

Add a very thin wash of the second colour to one or two areas. Finish with gloss varnish for a polished appearance.

Example:

The base of a statue painted as honey marble - the base is about 25mm / 1" square.

Example:

The opposite side of the statue base.

Example:

A section of floor tiles painted using this technique.

  

Green Granite (Click thumbnails for larger images)

Stage 1

Cut a piece of nylon pan scourer to about 1/2" x 2" to use for the stippling the paint. This gives a rougher texture than using a bristle brush.

Stage 2

Undercoat in black.

Stage 3

Stipple on a light grey, twisting the scourer in different directions between dabs. A few dabs on a piece of scrap card will help you decide when there is the right amount of paint on the scourer.

Stage 4

Stipple a mid grey over this - it doesn't matter if the first coat is dry.

Stage 5

Mix a 50% Emerald Green to 50% light grey colour, and stipple this on next.

Stage 6

Mix a 50% Forest Green to 50% mid grey colour, and apply this coat. Add a coat of gloss varnish, if you want your granite to look brightly polished.

  

Red Granite (Click thumbnails for larger images)

Stage 1

Cut a piece of nylon pan scourer to about 1/2" x 2" to use for stippling the paint. This gives a rougher texture than using a bristle brush.

Stage 2

Undercoat in black.

Stage 3

Stipple on a 50/50 mix of burnt sienna and terracotta. Twist the scourer in different directions between dabs. A few dabs on a piece of scrap card will help you decide when there is the right amount of paint on the scourer.

Stage 4

Stipple a 50/50 mix of burnt umber and black over this - it doesn't matter if the first coat is dry.

Stage 5

Add a drop of a cream colour to the first mix to lighten it. Stipple this on next.

Stage 6

Add cream to the second mix and stipple this colour. Add a coat of gloss varnish, if you want your granite to look brightly polished.

Example:

A gravestone painted using this technique.

 

       

  

Caen Stone (Click thumbnails for larger images)

Stage 1

Prime in white, if necessary.

Stage 2

Undercoat in a "clotted cream" colour. It doesn't matter if you miss a few small spots.

Stage 3

Drybrush with a light cream colour.

Stage 4

Liberally brush on a wash layer. My recipe is 25ml water, 25ml Pledge and 3ml GW Flesh Ink which I then diluted with more water when applying it to the model. Add a tiny amount of black ink and apply the darker mixture here and there.

Stage 5

Once the ink-wash has completely dried, drybrush again with the light cream colour.

 

 

 

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