From Larry Fields:
I have used felt tip marks, mostly black, that work okay, but sometimes are just too large or too hard to control. I have also used colored pencils, both regular and watercolor. The watercolor pencils sometimes will wet the paper too much and distort the model. I have had the best success with regular color pencils but cannot get them to cover spots where there is some glue.

From Jim Nunn:
I have used colored markers, black markers and colored pencils, and what I have settled on is watercolor paints. The cost is low�you can pick up a set of 12 colors on sale for under $10.00. Don't use the dry type paint�it's not worth the effort. Get the paste type in the small 12 ml tubes. You can mix any color you need and if it dries out just add water, I add a couple of drops of liquid soap to the water this allows the paint to cover better. I know your first thought is that we are applying colored water to a paper model and you would think that the model would warp out of shape. This can happen if you apply too much paint and it is too wet.

The downside of watercolors is that they tend to not be permanent, by this I mean that they will rub off and can also flake off of slick surfaces. To over come this problem you can apply a very light coat of Future® Floor wax to "set" the paint and this also gives the model an even finish. I have also used watercolors to color Future® Floor wax and acrylic flat clear paints.

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From W.M. Elzerman:
I mostly use a kids' paint box, cheaply bought in a kind of Dollar-store. And for that price I got over 20 different colors of water paint�those hard discs/blocks that just need some water to become paint. Just give it some time to soften and use the paint only when it has more thickness than water.

Use it sparingly. Some products (I have several different boxes) dry very quickly, so there�s almost no delay. When the colors don't match exactly you can mix some other to get closer, but keep in mind that that the wet paint is darker than it will be when it dries! And when dry it has a very matte finish. This becomes most appear ant when it's used on other places than the paper-edges. On areas were there's glue, mix some paint with a drop of water based glue. I try to color all visible edges before gluing the parts just to avoid this.

And for the rest it's just: TRIAL & ERROR

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Hints & Tips Editor David Sakrison (sakrison@dotnet.com) is a paper modeler, model railroader, Private Pilot, and professional writer & editor. He lives near Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA.