Fantasy Buildings and Walls

Here is a tutorial on painting buildings and walls in a quick and nice looking way.

Walls and Stones

Base Coating

Start with a black undercoat across the entire model.
Follow up with a grey or white spray applied from above to create natural highlights.
For the base color, I used Stonewall Grey (Vallejo) and applied it with an airbrush for an even coat.

Adding Color Variation to Walls
To avoid a monotonous look, paint individual bricks in slightly different colors. Choose 2–3 tones close to your base grey but with subtle differences.
I opted for one darker brown and one lighter brown.
Avoid overdoing it—small differences will give the wall a natural look without appearing too jarring.

Drybrushing the Walls
Next, drybrush the walls with a sand or bone color to bring out details and add depth.

Weathering with Streaking Grime
This step creates a lived-in, weathered look:
– Use Streaking Grime (AK Interactive or Ammo) on lower parts of the walls and areas around doors and windows. Make larger spots also to bigger stone areas for some variety.
– Remove excess grime with white spirit. A sponge works best for this—I recommend nail art sponges. Nail painting stuff is surprisingly useful for modeling projects.

Applying white spirit blends the grime into recesses while leaving a subtle, dirty texture on the surface. It adds depth and realism to otherwise flat walls.

Painting Roofs
Now this really depends on material you want to represent. Its good to take a moment and do some short research. Look up real-world materials to guide your palette. I opted for darker browns with occasional blue or red tones. I was making a mix of different colors for each roof as i also wanted some parts of roof to have sligthly different tint than. I would rather avoid bright colors.

Steps:
– Apply your base color mix. Mix color intensity around some areas for diversity.
– Drybrush with a light brown (I used Vallejo Model Color’s light brown, which has a yellowish tint).
Im mentioning this because after this step im doing a second drybrush with another light brown – this time vallejo model air (but game color should be similiar i think). This one is a lighter color so drybrush should also be more delicate and not in all places.

Consider adding moss effects for extra realism, but more on that later.

Painting Woodwork

Wood varies widely depending on age and exposure. I used Vallejo Game Air Charred Brown for the base, followed by a drybrush of Vallejo Game Color Leather Brown.

Tips: Experiment with washes or subtle color variations to avoid a uniform appearance.
Finish with a light drybrush using Vallejo Model Air/Game Light Brown for a natural finish.

Adding Greenery
To simulate moss, use Moss Deposits (AK Interactive). Unlike Streaking Grime, this is applied delicately. Brush it lightly into crevices, along the lower parts of walls, or under roof tiles. You can also add small amounts to wooden sections for a more natural look. As with all weathering, less is more—overdoing it can overwhelm the model.

Consider adding tufts or model plants for extra detail.

Finishing Touches
Don’t forget the small details like metal nails, door handles, or accessories.
Unless they’re meant to stand out, keep these muted to blend into the overall aesthetic.
By following these steps, you’ll create a striking, realistic medieval building with weathered character. This approach is versatile and can be adapted to various styles and settings. Happy painting!