Hi,

  I've traveled quite a bit in the southwest and midwest and collected rocks especially from the Arizona/New Mexico/Colorado area.  There are soooo many hues of red, brown, yellow and grey there that you almost can't go wrong no matter what you do.  My suggestion however, is to get some tubes of acrylics (cheapest are fine) at Michaels or Hobby Lobby of the various browns and reds they have, and also some yellow, grey, white, and black.  Get a palette or mixing cups and play with the colors.  You will be amazed at how many shades you can come up with, and surely you will satisfy yourself as to what is best.

I just got back from a 2650 mile car trip thru Texas, Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and back to the Houston area.  I saw several areas of road construction, and the colors of the native "dirt" is just amazing.  As we passed by a very red patch in Arkansas, I told my wife that if I had that ground color on my layout folks would think I was a nut or colorblind.

My point is, you pretty much can't go wrong, and if you really want to be "right", get some sample rocks/dirt from the area and match with the acrylics.  Also, mix some matte medium with the acrylics as this will dull the sheen.

Last comment...... Mix your paint a shade or two lighter than you actually want.  The paint tends to dry darker and will be too dark if you are not careful (been there, done that).

ENJOY!!!!

Mobilman44