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Roman Buildings
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In architecture, as in many other things, the Romans were strongly influenced by the Greeks. Many of the Roman buildings produced by Monolith are therefore suitable for earlier Greece. The style of building developed by the Romans continued to be in use centuries after the fall of the Roman Empire, especially in the Mediterranean and in CFrench, Spanish and Italian colonial outposts.

Archaeological evidence shows that the Romans chose the finest materials and devised or developed sophisticated construction techniques to ensure the longevity of their architecture. To put it bluntly, they were highly skilled builders.

Before the Romans, most of architecture was Trabeated (that is, buildings whose walls or columns were capped by beams of wood and stone). The romans developed the circular arch (taken from the Etruscans) which enabled builders to span much greater distances than was previously possible. The Romans also developed concrete by mixing mortar with stones or rubble.

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Roman Painting Guide
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Two methods may be used. The first method is slower but relies less on technique and is easier to repeat if a large number of models are being painted. The second method produces more variation and is suitable for structures produced over a period of time by different builders.

Method 1:

  • Cover the roof with a thinned layer of light red or terracotta oil paint. While the paint is still wet, wipe it off with a clean, dry sponge.
  • This process will stain the primed roof and leave traces of paint in the crevices. Repeat as desired to deepen the colour, then, when you are happy with the finish, put aside to dry.
  • Repeat the process with the model's walls using raw sienna oil paint.
  • Exposed stonework and woodwork can then be detailed. Undercoat with burnt sienna and allow to dry.
  • Drybrush with white, then raw sienna (or yellow) and then white again. Alternatively, stonework may be undercoated grey or black and then drybrushed with white, grey or blue and then white again.

Method 2:

  • If you are in a hurry to do a couple of buildings, acrylic colours dry much more quickly than oils or enamels (although this technique works with enamels if you prefer to use them).
  • Paint the roof with a mixture of Winsor and Newton burnt sienna ink, yellow (acrylic or ink) and chestnut ink.
  • When dry, the walls are undercoated with raw sienna (or any light brown) and left to dry.
  • Using vertical strokes, wet-brush with a colour that is about half-way between the undercoat colour and white.
  • Allow to dry, then wet-brush again with white. The two undercoats should be visible in areas, creating a feeling of character and depth.
  • Paint any exposed stonework and woodwork as described above.

Additional details, like coloured window and door borders (red was a favourite) can be added when the model is dry. Coloured borderrs around the entire house have been observed. Again, red was a favourite but black was also known. These lines were painted at heights ranging from the base of the wall to about half the height of the doorways:

  • Allow the model to thoroughly dry, then lightly mark the edges of the borders with a pencil and ruler.
  • Carefully paint to the line with thinned acrylic or oil paint. If desired, a second layer can be added to deepen the colour.
  • Alternatively, mask with smooth masking tape or frisket and airbrush the coloured lines. If using ink, apply several, very light coats to avoid blobbing and to to ensure proper coverage.
  • If the spraying has been correctly done, the paint should be almost immediately touch-dry and the masking tape can be removed immediately.
 

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