198 : Getting the Windows Painted

My Essling village began with a model of the church. With little reference to go on I relied heavily, if not exclusively, on the superb work done on a model of the Battle of Aspern-Essling displayed in Vienna at the Museum of Military History. I had to modify my design to suit the very small space available due to the pressures of ground scale – while at the same time trying to maintain the height of the church and its steeple.

I found it a good idea and time saving in the long run to paint the windows and any window recesses before assembling one of my laser-cut building kits. So, after designing and cutting the pieces for my Essling Church, I got down to getting the windows painted.

I found painting my laser-engraved 10mm windows relatively simple. I didn’t much care for window panes painted sky blue as if they were fully reflecting a sun-soaked clear blue sky. I also avoided painting the panes black as if the entire inside of the building was in pitch darkness.

I began by painting the window panes with a dark blue-grey (slate grey) acrylic paint – ‘wet’ with the point of a brush. I then painted the frames a lighter grey – ‘dry’ this time with the flat of a brush. I felt it best to avoid too much contrast between the colours of the window pane and the frame. I preferred brown timber frames for more low-life dwellings and mid to dark greys for more upmarket buildings. After making sure the painted outlines were neat and tidy, a little brown or black ink could be lightly washed over the windows either to add weathering or to emphasise the outline of the window pane.

The windows were finished off with a spot of gloss varnish on each window pane. The varnish didn’t need to get into every corner for the panes to catch the light and give a glazed look.