How to paint A.R.C. terrain (Part 2)

Part 2: Glowing Lights

I decided to try an OSL (object-sourced lighting) effect on the lights, to give them a nice glow. This was done after all the weathering effects on the wall sections were finished and varnished.

To find out how to paint the walls, check out Part 1 of this tutorial series.

2.1 Creating a base for the glow

The first step was to lighten the area around the lamp and create a base for the colour. The aim is a soft glowing lamp – not a bright floodlight – so I kept this quite tight to the lamp itself.

My favourite product for spraying white is Liquitex 432 Titanium White ink. It can be used undiluted but it’s important to shake well and stir in the paint cup before spraying. I sprayed at about 30psi with a 0.2mm needle.

2.2 Base-coating the lamp

Next I gave the lamp itself a couple of coats of Vallejo 77.723 Exhaust Manifold. This is my go-to colour for a nice, dark metallic effect.

2.3 Light source

I painted the glass segments (where the light is shining through from) with white. I used the Liquitex white ink but you can use any white paint.

2.4 Colour

Next, the whole area was given a coat of Liquitex 412 Yellow Medium Azo. This creates the warm yellow colour of our light source.

2.5 Final touches

The centres of each of the glass segments were highlighted with white to represent the brightest points of the light source. I also added some edge highlights to the bulkhead and rivets closest to the lamp with Vallejo 70.858 Ice Yellow.