Couldn't find this anywhere, thanks for any help.

"ness" is accomplished by adding "khwam" as a prefix to the adjective. Example: "khwamsuay"

Sometimes adding อย่าง or แบบ before it will be more appropriate to get the -ness effect.

For example, Red-Shirt-ness comes out as แบบคนเสื้อแดง.

but will Thais understand -ness being added to anything we may be accustomed to adding in English?

khwam suay = beautifulness????

what rules to we have to apply to ness...

and can it be used in this way...

kwam mai suay etc = is that ugliness?

Sometimes adding อย่าง or แบบ before it will be more appropriate to get the -ness effect.

For example, Red-Shirt-ness comes out as แบบคนเสื้อแดง.

Can you substitute ความเป็น for แบบ in this example ?

Sometimes adding อย่าง or แบบ before it will be more appropriate to get the -ness effect.

For example, Red-Shirt-ness comes out as แบบคนเสื้อแดง.

Can you substitute ความเป็น for แบบ in this example ?

yeap . . . slightly different meaning, but yes.

ความ- is added to the front of adjectives to form nouns (similar to the English -ness and several other suffixs with rather complicated rules and exceptions), while อย่าง- can be added to adjectives to form adverbs, similar to the English suffix -ly:

สวย beautiful ความสวย beauty อย่างสวย beautifully

ร้อน hot ความร้อน heat อย่างร้อน hotly

อุ่น warm ความอุ่น warmth อย่างอุ่น warmly

เร็ว quick, fast ความเร็ว speed อย่างเ็ร็ว quickly, speedily

สะดวก convenient ความสะดวก convenience อย่างสะดวก conveniently

Note that in none of my examples does the English translation of the ความ- word use -ness, though they all have a certain -nessness about them. Also note that Thai adjectives often take somewhat more elegant, alliterative forms, particularly when used with ความ- and อย่าง-, such as สวยงาม for สวย, ร้อนระอุ (in the sense of hot weather) or ร้อนแรง (in the sense of hot debate) for ร้อน, อบอุ่น for อุ่น, รวดเร็ว for เร็ว, สะดวกสบาย for สะดวก, etc. etc.

แบบ- and ความเป็น- are a little different in that they are affixed to nouns. แบบ-noun means in the style of that noun, while ความเป็น-noun means having the qualities of that noun:

ผู้นำ leader แบบผู้นำ like a leader ความเป็นผู้นำ having the qualities of leadership

ไทย Thailand, Thai แบบไทย Thai-style ความเป็นไทย having the qualities of being Thai, "Thainess" (This is kind of a funny word--can you say "Americanness" or "Chineseness"?)

The above is based simply on my observation of the way these words are used around me, and may or may not be 100% on the money... if anyone wishes to correct or comment on anything, please do! 

ความ- is added to the front of adjectives to form nouns (similar to the English -ness and several other suffixs with rather complicated rules and exceptions)

Not just adjectives. ความ can also be added in front of most (but not all) verbs to turn them into nouns as well.

ความตาย death

ความคิด thought/thoughts

ความหิว hunger