What would be your step-by-step for modeling this garage's paint?

[Hedron]

I love the weathered paint on this brick garage. How would you go about replicating it? The brick most importantly, not so much the lettering, but if you have an idea for that I'm all ears.

[peteski]

I also like faded old signs painted directly on brick walls. 

Considering that in N scale bricks are very small and the mortar lines are even smaller, it will not be easy to replicate that look (even though most n scale bricks and mortar lines are oversize).  It also depends on the material used. Some brick sheets or kit walls have flat brick faces, others are domed.  The mortar lines also vary.  I'll also be checkign tis thread to see what ideas and  techniques will show up.

[chessie system fan]

What a great building. It looks like it was painted white and the paint is fading away?

I've never done this, but this is a great building to try:

1. Paint the bricks red with acrylics
2. Do the lettering.
3. Paint the whole thing off-white with oils.
4. Remove the white as wanted.

[Chris333]

I'd find a straight photo, just scale to N scale and print.

It has since been painted:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Rogers,+NE+68659/@41.4668335,-96.9166223,3a,62.2y,126.45h,78.34t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s5fuIak3qm7Hl4ABFm0z0Eg!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D11.664705249174034%26panoid%3D5fuIak3qm7Hl4ABFm0z0Eg%26yaw%3D126.44880932636143!7i16384!8i8192!4m6!3m5!1s0x87911750b2d6f307:0x66c599116bd7649a!8m2!3d41.4645354!4d-96.9155704!16zL20vMHg1czU?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDkwMy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

[Hedron]

EDIT: Here's the target. A good bit smaller face than the original, not really going for a exact model of the prototype, just the look. 3D resin print (my first building made this way), which may inform the painting process. At layout distances the build lines (and the less than perfect wall alignment) are not so evident, but it may affect how the paint lays of course. The print is an stl file from thingiverse, user Chris33333, perhaps someone here?

[Chris333]

Perhaps 

It was meant to be a N scale version of the HO scale DPM Schultz's Garage. the first one (before I knew anything about 3D) was scratch built for wall sections:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/4fiiyeRuECBuyk2Y9

[Hedron]

I'd find a straight photo, just scale to N scale and print.

It has since been painted:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Rogers,+NE+68659/@41.4668335,-96.9166223,3a,62.2y,126.45h,78.34t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s5fuIak3qm7Hl4ABFm0z0Eg!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D11.664705249174034%26panoid%3D5fuIak3qm7Hl4ABFm0z0Eg%26yaw%3D126.44880932636143!7i16384!8i8192!4m6!3m5!1s0x87911750b2d6f307:0x66c599116bd7649a!8m2!3d41.4645354!4d-96.9155704!16zL20vMHg1czU?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDkwMy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

Nice find! Curved roof...that would be a nice feature to give it more personality.

[Hedron]

Perhaps 

It was meant to be a N scale version of the HO scale DPM Schultz's Garage. the first one (before I knew anything about 3D) was scratch built for wall sections:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/4fiiyeRuECBuyk2Y9

Many thanks for the upload. It's been a fun first 3D project for me.

[Hedron]

This is what I came up with, with some advice from here and the interwebs.
The result is not quite there. It's a little too dimensional, not flat like the prototype. More of a homage than a duplication.
I did not attempt to incorporate lettering. Still looking for ideas there.

Standard brick building painting procedure. Secret sauce was to use torn foam to get the heavily weathered look.
I don't presume to think I am covering new ground here but for the good of the order here is what I did.

1. Gray primer rattle can. Not too heavy to keep detail.
2. Full coat of Tuscan red, lightened a little with off white acrylic Walmart craft paint
3. Fill mortar lines with wash (white, touch of black, matte medium and IPA)
4. Use torn foam from a paint foam brush to dab white (muted with a touch of gray) over most of the model
5. Use torn foam to dab brick color in just a few spots, very limited
6. Dry brush with dilute India ink for weather streaking and to tone down brightness of the larger white patches
7. Finish with Dullcote

[davefoxx]

This is what I do in HO, and, depending upon how well those mortar joints are molded on your N scale model, this may not work for you:

1) Spray paint the entire building with a brick red paint.
2) Lightly sponge on a few different shades of red and orange paints.  I use cheap craft paints for this and the next step.
3) Using a toothpick, paint individual bricks with shades of red, orange, terra cotta, burnt umber, and even tan.  The more time spent here, the more variety will show in the final result.  But, you’ll want to go crazy, because the mortar will tone this down.
4) Spray Dullcote or your preferred clear flat spray to seal these colors.  Otherwise, your mortar may change color.
5) Spread lightweight spackling over the entire brick area as mortar.  Experimenting with methods on how to best do this led to me leaving it on a little heavy, waiting a day or two for the spackling to dry, and using a moist paper towel to work it down to nice even mortar joints.
6) Weather with chalk and powders.

I stop here.  To match your photo, I would then sponge on the white paint to capture the faded, chipping look.



You could use a decal for the sign.  I borrowed a photo from online, but, since my printer won’t print white, it couldn’t be used on its own.  It needed to be applied over the completed brickwork described above, getting this look.  If I were to do this again, I might drybrush some white under where the decal would be placed.



Hope this helps,
DFF

[Maletrain]

Getting the effect of the mortar lines showing thought the sign would be really tough with a decal approach.

How about painting the building the way you want it for the bricks, first?  Probably sand the bricks a bit for flatness and adhesion, then paint the red color, then wipe on some mortar color and wipe it off so that it just stays in the mortar lines.  Or, maybe use the "flowing ink into the cracks" method with mortar colored ink? 

Then, instead of decals, how about press-on dry lettering?  It might be able to not get into the mortar cracks but still stick to the bricks - not sure that would work. 

Then do an airbrush white fade on the entire structure face.

Never done this myself, but it is what I would try if/when I decide to do something similar.