Perhaps I'm trying too hard?

        I have tried my hand at a few different patterns of stonework on the Bastle House project. After an exhausting afternoon I decided to "go back to the beginning" ( as Vizzini would say) and spend some time looking at pictures of REAL bastle houses. This was less than entirely helpful.

 

my first attempt, the differences seem rather stark

 

even though the inspiration has decidedly different colors

 

 

so I looked at other pictures of structures from that era and location

 

there was a great variety in the colors on some

 

 

and almost absolute monochrome on others

 

some were gray, others a deep brown-red

 

others were buff

 

some included all

 

so I decided to find a paint that nearly matched the spray paint already on the models

 

and dabbed it on random stones

 

then I mixed in another shade of gray to the first color

 

and applied the mix to other random stones

 

then a third color got involved

 

and a fourth, I was starting to like where this was going

 

by keeping a base of the previous colors the tones and values of the colors seem to blend 

 eventually seven different shades of gray made their way into the mix

 

I rather like the less distinct differences and the muted tones

 

 

so I applied it to a few more structures 

       The downside is incredibly labor-intensive and there are a LOT more buildings to do. I might just have to shoot these back to gray and go with a dry-brushing approach.