Hey Tom,
The following is probably over the top for most folks but if you haven't solved your rock painting problem, here are some things that might work for you. Try these on a scrap of something else before you apply it to the egg. In parts of my varied past in designing exhibits for natural history museums, I have painted backdrops for small and large dioramas. Rocks were a common item. I've never done a rock wall like you're attempting but some of these techniques I used might work for you here.

The rocks are generally more varied both in shape and in size and almost never have hard clean edges. They also will vary in depth in how recessed they are so some of them should appear slightly darker than the others because they recede slightly beneath the one above and rocks naturally vary in color and value as well anyway.

As previously mentioned, highlight and shadow is important but also think about what it would look like if one rock protruded out further than another. It usually works that way. The space between them varies a good bit as well thick to thin and light to dark depending on how far in or out the rock above is.

As to color, there are very few natural things that actually turn grayer when in shadow. Mixing black with the base color will help but don't use just variations of the black or gray by itself. As a rule of thumb, color temperature varies with shadow and highlight. What I mean by temperature here is how cool or warm a color appears.

Let me get this out of the way as information only but I wouldn't think you should get this far into it. Peripheral color objects will bounce their color onto other objects. If you look at a photograph for instance, the white of a white house looks bluer in winter, greener in summer because in summer there is a preponderance of reflected green from foliage. We don't usually see it because everything has the same amount of green reflected on it and the color shift becomes relative. OK forget all that.

Color temperature changes can give your rocks more volume. These are subtle things but may make the difference you are looking for. Take a red sweater. If you make the shadows not only darker but slightly more magenta or leaning toward the cooler blue range and the highlights slightly warmer by leaning toward orange then your volume appears more realistic and natural.

The one thing that will likely make the most difference is how you apply the paint. Get a half dozen natural sponges. Synthetic ones will work but pluck the cut edges so what you end up with is rounded on all sides. Make some of the sponges oblong, some oval etc., just vary the shapes. Paint the base color and then give the rock dimension by dabbing the mixture of colors on. The more you dab the darker it gets. The more colors variations (these should be slight variations) you use the more realistic it will be. remember even the interior of the rock face will go light to dark due to its receding or protruding they aren't flat.

Try tearing box cardboard for a painters edge if you like. You can move it around and dab against it for an edge. Use several so they can dry in between and you don't start to get a pattern of the same torn edge. The torn cardboard and slight height should give you the softer edge definition you need. This all sounds like a really tedious process but once you get the hang of it it goes pretty quickly.
Good luck, and I got to say you are the modification king!
Lanny

That's what I meant. :wiggly
Thanks, Lanny. I enjoyed that wheather Thomas did or not.

Yeah, well I figured it was more than anyone probably wanted to hear but I thought just in case....

:wave Hi Lanny,

Fantastic hints. But what I really need is you. Where do you live?
All joking aside, Your very sage advice along with others may now give me the courage to carry through. I kept doing a couple of rocks, and not liking the results, repainted flat hoping for a better start.

Promise I will incorporate all the good ideas I've been given.

I just got back from my first camping trip. Was very very nice to be in a FG trailer. I always used to bring a lot of gear before Skimp, and always have had that "Packing Up" dread be with me the whole time. This was the first time ever that I didn't have that concern. I was never able to put my finger on it till now.

I was very pleased to get the occaisional thumbs up by people passing me on the road. But most rewarding was the Harley Biker dude who did it too. I always wondered if my paint was too cutesy but that guy confirmed that it was OK. It will looke even better for the next trip.

All in all, my first outing in the Skimp was more relaxing than I could have imagined. I've just discovered what you all already know.

Thomas

Good for you.Fiberglass is Cool;)

Can you believe how much easier it is? I still get this feeling when I'm pulling out that I've forgotton something. And, what about coming home? All that unpacking - NOT! :banana There's just nothing like it, is there? They have magical powers, I tell ya! :wink

It's interesting when this happens. I was taking my 1978 Toyota Land Cruiser truck out to the west kootenays for 4 days of offroading. For these trips, the boler just doesn't have the clearance, so I sleep in the back of the truck under my custom cover. http://www.beer.org/noname/trips/aug2003/i...53.jpg&d=d.html

Anyway, as I'm heading out on the highway, I see coming towards me, a 1940's street-rod painted bright canary yellow, chopped roof, just awesome, and best of all, towing a Boler painted with matching paint and sporting black tinted windows. The whole package is awesome. Anyway, just as I get my thumb stuck out to say "Nice Rig!", the driver sticks his thumb out at me too...

Dear Thomas:

I see you've been given more techniques than a human can easily digest.

You've done so well on the rest of your trailer, I think you've perhaps hit a mental block. Maybe you don't want the project to end? :)

ANYWAY...I see you're near San Francisco. We're just southwest of Death Valley. If you find yourself (with trailer) in our area, drop us a note. We can meet up and I'll bring the paints and tools and we can finish your rocks. Should take a few hours spread over maybe two days, unless you work faster than I do!

Steve & Tarona Stanfield
Ridgecrest, CA
barongrey@mchsi.com

By the way: Awesome concept, beautiful trailer!
14' Burro.

:wave Howdy Steve,

What is the nices time of year there? Thanks for the kind offer too, I bet there are some good examples of rocks near you.

I suspect you're right about not wanting a project to end. Better though, more have crept onto my list.

Tom