Scenery - How Do You Make It?
David Mathews
Hey!
I am interested in hearing from all wargamers/modelers who make their own
scenery for their games. How about it? Anyone up to the challenge? Here
are a few thoughts to start with:
1.) (How do you model) trees and vegetation?
2.) Castle-type (fortified) structures?
3.) Non-fortified structures?
4.) Hills?
5.) Rivers?
6.) ETC?
I have been modeling my own scenery for several years now, but am always
looking at other people's models, listening to what they say about
modeling and painting technique, and trying new ways of doing things. I
have found that the more I examine, ask questions about and test
techniques, the better I get.
I know that some people jealously guard their techniques, and that is OK
for them, but I would really like to hear from those of you who aren't
afraid to share with those of us who are "old hands" and with the newer
crowd just coming in!
Thanks!
WGNetwork
In article <4qg5ke$1t...@usenetz1.news.prodigy.com>, PDJ...@prodigy.com
(David Mathews) writes:
>I know that some people jealously guard their techniques, and that is OK
>for them, but I would really like to hear from those of you who aren't
>afraid to share with those of us who are "old hands" and with the newer
>crowd just coming in!
I wrote a book called "Miniscapes" that describes how to make trees,
buildings, walls, fences, etc. Sold a bunch of them at conventions. It's
$15 post paid. E-mail me if interested.
Gary Leitzell
Ray
>
>Hey!
>I am interested in hearing from all wargamers/modelers who make their own
>scenery for their games.
There has been a pretty good thread going in
rec.games.miniatures.warhammer. You might want to go check it out.
--
.------------------------------------.
| Ray Rangel |
----====| 8915 Mansfield |====----
------======| San Antonio, TX 78251, USA |======------
----====| -----==============------ |====----
| xr...@texas.net |
'------------------------------------'
Tyranid
We will be releasing a book on making scenery, coming out in August (some
copies will be doorprized at Games Day next week, too). It should be
pretty helpful. There are also articles every issue in White Dwarf on
scenery construction.
Tim Huckelbery
Games Workshop USA Customer Service
Give us a call! 1-800-492-8820
And visit the Games Workshop Web Site:
http://www.games-workshop.com
Disclaimer: All rules clarifications are _unofficial_ until they appear in
White Dwarf, etc.!
Todd Sheldon
Hello,
I'll tell you what I've done for terrain.
trees:
-------
bought the bag-o-trees that they sell for model railroad. It includes
pastic tree trunk/branches piece (which you bend into shape of tree)
and chunks of green stuff to glue on. I used contact cement to
glue them on.
I then used epoxy to glue the trees to big washers (heavy base so they
won't tip over). Flock the base.
Buildings:
-----------
Well, I play WFB, so I got ton-o-cardboard buildings from chronicles of
war and the basic set. So I was set here. Oh yeah, hot glue guns do
a real good job glueing these together.
Rough Terrain:
---------------
To do rough terrain, I bough one of those paper sheets with dark
green grassy stuff on it (again, RR supply type stuff). I then glued
the sheet to a big foam board. I then cut out circles of the material
to use as rough terrain.
Walls:
------
I took some of the leftover foam core with green grass on it, cut
it into rectangles (about 4" long, 1.5" wide). I then glued rocks
onto the paper with a hot glue gun (after washing rocks in water).
I made about 8 pieces, some straing some into 'L's and some bacward
'L's and then I can do whatever kind of wall I want.
Bushes:
--------
Well, bought bag-o-lichen and I was set.
This may not be the super-neato-greatest terrain around, but It looks
good.
Regards,
Todd
s...@uno.edu
In article <4qg5ke$1t...@usenetz1.news.prodigy.com>, PDJ...@prodigy.com (David Mathews) writes:
>Hey!
>I am interested in hearing from all wargamers/modelers who make their own
>are a few thoughts to start with:
>1.) (How do you model) trees and vegetation?
>2.) Castle-type (fortified) structures?
>3.) Non-fortified structures?
>4.) Hills?
>5.) Rivers?
>6.) ETC?
>I have been modeling my own scenery for several years now, but am always
>looking at other people's models, listening to what they say about
>modeling and painting technique, and trying new ways of doing things. I
>have found that the more I examine, ask questions about and test
>techniques, the better I get.
>for them, but I would really like to hear from those of you who aren't
>afraid to share with those of us who are "old hands" and with the newer
>crowd just coming in!
A good generic source for all kinds of scenery ideas is the books
available at most well stocked hobby shops for making model railroad
scenery, this will tell you how to do vegetation, hills, and rivers. If
you find one that describes plaster or resin casting for things like
tunnel portals, then you've got castles as well. There are a few books
out on making dioramas for military miniatures that also have some good
ideas.
I have a few old _White Dwarf_ magazines that had plans for small
buildings made out of foam core and cardboard which are pretty cool and
easily adaptable once you get the idea.
One general tip I'll share is to use acrylic matte medium for sticking
things down/together rather than white glue, because it's waterproof
once it's set.
HTH
-* Stephen *-
Stephen Posey
University of New Orleans
Email : S...@uno.edu
WWW : http://www.uno.edu/~slp
David Mathews
Since I made the original post in this string, several people have e-
mailed me with their methods and to ask questions. Thanks to all who have
replied. I started to post all of the methods that had been sent, but
decided instead to ask everyone to post on to this message.
Several people asked about sand dunes, which was not originally on the
post, but I am now adding. Since my group has never used sand dunes
(having never fought a desert campaign) I was at first stumped. But, I
sat down at the bench and started experimenting. I have come up with a
method I think turns out fairly decent dunes.
HOW TO MAKE SAND DUNE MODELS FOR MINIATURE WARGAMING
Devised and Written by: David R. "Bo" Mathews (pdj...@prodigy.com)
LAST UPDATE : Monday, June 24, 1996 02:45:57
Materials: 1/4" luaun plywood; pink styrofoam insulation board; Elmer’s
White Glue All (NOT School Glue & NOT Water Solubleafter drying kinds!);
sandpaper; Elmer’s Carpenter’s Wood filler; white spray paint; CHEAP
paintbrush (preferably one of those plastic handled cheap kids watercolor
brushes you can buy 10-12 in a pack); tan paint or burnt umber paint;
Polyurethane sealer; sticky back felt. Substitutions per preference.
1. Cut the Luaun plywood into a circular shape. Sand off rough edges. Put
aside. You could also use foam core illustration board or such. I just
prefer plywood, as I have the facilities to deal with it.
2. Cut the pinkboard into shape roughly fitting the plywood. Cut out two
more, each smaller than the other. Glue first onto plywood. Cut gentle
slope on sides (about 30 degrees or less). Glue second piece on. Cut
slope here too. Finish gluing pieces, cutting slope as you go. (If you
want, you can leave flat spots for minis to stand on). Let each layer dry
before gluing on next one. Use the sandpaper to smooth out the transition
from one layer to the next. Fill in gaps with wood putty. Make an
undulating dune that seems to flow - if it doesn’t look like you want it
to, just keep working.
3. When all layers are dry, spray paint with a coat of flat white. MAKE
SURE that the spray paint won’t eat your foam!
4. Now, paint the whole thing with either a tan color or a burnt umber
(brown) color, depending on your preference.
5. Dilute glue with water at 3 parts glue : 1 part water ratio. Mix this
with sand to form a putty-ish mixture. Keep some sand in reserve. Brush
undiluted glue on the dune-to-be, and spread this mix on lightly. Let dry.
6. When mix is dry, brush on glue diluted with 1/2 as much water and
apply loose sand. Work in small sections. Repeat this until you are
satisfied with results. Two or three applications should do it.
7. Add embellishments as you like (skulls, cacti, etc.)
8. Give the entire model a coat of a good polyurethane sealer. Don’t
forget the bottom! (I prefer Red Devil Satin #71 Polyurethane.)
9. Put a piece of sticky back felt on the bottom. You can get it in
several colors. Tan or brown would look best with a desert. If you can’t
find sticky back felt, or can’t find the right color, just use a piece of
regular felt cut the right size, spray with 3M spray adhesive and stick
on bottom. This keeps model from scratching tables. Don’t forget to sign
your model on the bottom before putting on the sticky felt. Only you will
know it’s there of course, but if someone tries to claim your model, you
will be able to peel off the felt and prove it’s yours!
10. Put on gaming table immediately with minis and play a desert
campaign!
Rick Rutherford
David Mathews (PDJ...@prodigy.com) wrote:
: HOW TO MAKE SAND DUNE MODELS FOR MINIATURE WARGAMING
: Devised and Written by: David R. "Bo" Mathews (pdj...@prodigy.com)
: LAST UPDATE : Monday, June 24, 1996 02:45:57
Hmmm... I'm a big fan of the KISS principle. Why not just squish a blob
of white glue onto some thin cardboard and sprinkle sand into it?
After doing this four or five times on the same spot, it should be
built-up enough to be an actual sand dune.
I'll try it and let you know if it works...
--
Rick Rutherford ri...@digex.net The above opinions are mine.
"It seems to me that the nearer painting approaches sculpture the better
it is, and that sculpture is the worse the nearer it approaches painting."
-- Michelangelo
Delaque
How 'bout this for a desert battle: A sandbox!!!
That way they can hide in the open (push them down into the sand) and
vehicles get bogged down.
Donk
I favor simplistic scenery to focus attention on my minis, so I just
covered my game table in a sheet of green felt and cut various scenery
pieces (tree canopies, snow/ice patches, sand, swamp) out of other
pieces of felt. Felt sticks to felt so nothing shifts around!
I like having flat 'tree canopies' which denote the exact edges of
tree groves for line-of-sight and coverage purposes.
I also cut out various river "sections" (curves, straights, Ys) out of
blue felt so a meandering river can be laid in about any pattern you
desire.
For hills, I got a sheet of 1" foam insulating board from the hardware
store and went to town cutting shapes with my utility knife. Then I
painted the edges brown and glued green felt to the top and bottom
(reversible hills!). Concentric hill sections stick to themselves
because of the felt so you can stack 'em high. I got more hills than
I'll ever use out of one 4'x8' sheet of foam.
Enjoy!
Donk
Binhan Lin
I've had some success in making 25mm Victorian Style houses from
cardboard, balsa and foam core. I use the foam core for the walls monted
on a cardboard base. Using 3/8 inch balsa strips i reinforce the outer
corners of the walls (so that it appears like an exposed timber) and
using 1/4 inch balsa add timber-like trim. Doors are framed with 1/8
inch balsa with 2, 3/8 "planks" for the door. Windows are similarly
constructed from 1/8" balsa frames and either 3/8" "shutters" or outline
window panes with thin slivers of balsa. The roof is constructed of thin
cardboard (cereal box stuff) with a large sheet creased in half to form
the base. Then cutting 1/2" strips of the same cardboard (same length as
the roof) I trim out thin triangles every 1/2" to simulate a row of
shingles. Then by gluing a strip then another on top (offset the
trimming of the triangles to get an alternating pattern of shingles)
until yo reach the top. So far I've been using a 3/4"strip of paper to
cover the peak of the roof.
I've been faking bricks by applying a dozen or so paper squares to the
wall and then painting with a black primer and drybrushing dark gray,
leaving lots of black remaining, especially around the "bricks".
If anyone knows a good way of making chimneys, please post.
--Binhan Lin
Tobias Rasokat
Cool idea! Just ask your wife/husband/mother/whoever-you
happen-to-live-with (delete as appropriate) what he/she thinks of a
sandbox in the living room... 8-)
TOBIAS
Tobias Rasokat
Sounds like the most interesting GW release for ages! I hope they don't
just re-print the articles already published in 'White Dwarf'...
TOBIAS
David Mathews
Sounds as if you make scenery about the same as I do! Lots of time and
effort, so you end up with few pieces, but really nice ones.
>If anyone knows a good way of making chimneys, please post.
How about making a chimmney out of foamcore, gluing card on edges to
simulate bricks (and to hide edges), and maybe a few on the "body", using
drinking straws or polystyrene tube for smoke holes (would look like a
Victoarian era chimnety top).
Hope that helps. Have you tried my suggestion for dunes? I kind of like
the idea of the sandbox, but since I don't have one, or access to one, I
think I will stick with my dune model idea, and use tan cloth or felt for
other parts.
"Bo"
Kennedy How
>
> Since I made the original post in this string, several people have e-
> mailed me with their methods and to ask questions. Thanks to all who have
> replied. I started to post all of the methods that had been sent, but
> decided instead to ask everyone to post on to this message.
>
The original message has expired, but I took this one to reply.
I am in the process of making a Special Forces Combat Camp in 20-25mm
scale for Vietnam Skirmishing. I already have some 20mm terrain, but
when I started, there wasn't much to choose from (I now know that
Brookhurst Hobby in CA sells 20mm Vietnam firebases).
Anyway, I use 1/4" lauan as the base. I'm making trenches and fighting
bunkers, as well as other bunkers in the jungle. I use 1/8" and 1/4"
wood dowels to create a wall. The posts are sunk in about 1/8" by
drilling holes and cutting the dowel to length. The wall sections are
about 5-6 dowels high. Everything is glued together with Elmers glue
first.
Outside the wall, I use Sculptamold (from model railroading) to make the
dirt portion, and it also holds the wood dowels against the fence posts.
This is painted red-brown to simulate the dirt. Woodland Scenics grass
and turf are applied for effect.
What you get is a trench section with a wood floor, with log walls and
log fence posts every so often. For the bunkers, the 1/4" dowels make
the corner posts, where the roof will rest on. The roof is a square of
lauan with Sculptamold on top. From a distance, the bunker looks like a
dirt mound. My 20mm Platoon 20 figs are mounted on a penny (they're
cheap, only costs 1 cent!) so that is taken into account when determining
heights.
For the field bunkers, there is a lower log wall to hold the "dirt" back,
although I'm going to make a few that are just dug-outs. The roof is a
log roof, made from the 1/8" dowels. I fabricated a fixture to hold the
logs in place while I tie them together with sturdy thread. This allows
the roof to be somewhat flexible, since the top of the bunker is not
level. A little Lichen completes the effect.
I'm going to use some of them this weekend at MichiCon in Detroit; I'm
running a Vietnam Skirmish on Saturday.
Kennedy
Binhan Lin
to switch blades every couple of feet when cutting foam core. trying to
cut foam core with a dull blade is tough and tends to shred the edge of
the board. I've tried a shapening stone with mild success, I can get
another couple of feet out of the blade but then I have to re-sharpen
more and more often the further I go. Is there a commercial device or
stone that will allow me to put back that razor sharp edge on x-acto blades?
--Binhan Lin
Richard Grady
In a previous article, PDJ...@prodigy.com (David Mathews) says:
>Binhan-
>Sounds as if you make scenery about the same as I do! Lots of time and
>effort, so you end up with few pieces, but really nice ones.
>
>>If anyone knows a good way of making chimneys, please post.
>
>How about making a chimmney out of foamcore, gluing card on edges to
>simulate bricks (and to hide edges), and maybe a few on the "body", using
>drinking straws or polystyrene tube for smoke holes (would look like a
>Victoarian era chimnety top).
I would make a solid core (using foam card or something) and then
sculpt bricks/stones using putty. It was time consuming, but it looks pretty
good when I finally get done with it.
Rich
--
cI trIstil
>--Binhan Lin
There's a really great product you should look for at a local hobby
store. I don't remember the name, but it's essentially a high-powered
battery attached to a taut wire. When the wire heats up it goes
through foam like butter; pretty neat. Some representatives from
Heartbreaker came down and was using one to make some really
impressive scenery. But most important, the price in my store was $10.
.................................................cI trIstil
E.R.G.H. Meaning is nothing, Acronyms are everything...
Steve Patterson
>
>Is there a cheap way to resharpen x-acto's?? I'm getting tired of having
>to switch blades every couple of feet when cutting foam core.
Try one of those cheap, disposable knives with the sliding blade pre-
cut into sections. That way, when the first section gets dull, you can
just snap it off and slide the blade out until the next section shows.
I used a pair of these when making hills out of corrugated cardboard and
they made the job a *lot* easier. And they were only about $1 each.
---
"Animals have contempt for animal rights; cats don't treasure diversity,
except in a gustatory sense." -- Frederica Mathewes-Green
<BRAG>Creator and maintainer of the Legions of Steel Web Page!</BRAG>
http://www.hookup.net/~losglobl
WGNetwork
<tobias....@uni-duesseldorf.de> writes:
>Cool idea! Just ask your wife/husband/mother/whoever-you
>happen-to-live-with (delete as appropriate) what he/she thinks of a
>sandbox in the living room... 8-)
Who scoops the Kitty poop?
Gary Leitzell
MorgulVale
>
>Is there a cheap way to resharpen x-acto's?? I'm getting tired of having
>to switch blades every couple of feet when cutting foam core. trying to
>cut foam core with a dull blade is tough and tends to shred the edge of
>the board. I've tried a shapening stone with mild success, I can get
>another couple of feet out of the blade but then I have to re-sharpen
>more and more often the further I go. Is there a commercial device or
>stone that will allow me to put back that razor sharp edge on x-acto
blades?
Not that I know of. I go thru the same *blade switch blues* when cutting
molds. The thing is with small surgical style blades the edge is so thin
that it dulls quickly. You might want to go to a box knife when cutting
the foam core stuff. A box knife is a lot beefier and wont dull so fast.
-Jeff Benefiel
You wouldn't say an axe handle has style to it. It has beauty, and an
appropriateness of form, and a "this-is-how-it-should-be-ness." But it has
no style because it has no mistakes. Style reflects one's idiosyncrasies.
- Charles Eames
David Mathews
>stone that will allow me to put back that razor sharp edge on x-acto
blades?
>
of foam board - way more than a regular x acto. Found mine in an office
supply store, but a good art supply store might have one.
Try a medium grit diamond lap stone, and then a fine one. But it might be
cheaper to just change blades.
"Bo"
Sevrenn
>One general tip I'll share is to use acrylic matte medium for sticking
>things down/together rather than white glue, because it's waterproof
>once it's set.
>
>
Perfect for those underwater games o' Stargrunt II I plan to play with my
pals in Atlantis. :)
Gene.
Wanna get a fun, free, crummy little Toy Sojer game ? E-Mail me for your
copy of OLIVE DRAB ALL OVER..... For Gaming the way you remember
it........
T. Jordan Greywolf Peacock
PDJ...@prodigy.com (David Mathews) wrote:
>1.) (How do you model) trees and vegetation?
I generally just use plastic trees obtainable from railroad hobby
stores, plus the foamy foliage that usually comes with them as leaves,
with the remainder for bushes and such. One nice effect is to apply a
few dabs of glue (or spray adhesive -- but I don't have that) to the
top of the foliage of a tree and then sprinkle some flocking of a
lighter shade over the tree, to give it an impression of highlights.
(Oh yes, and I usually dry-brush the plastic tree bases with a lighter
shade of brown, to bring out the bark texture.)
Unfortunately, I just can't seem to remember the name of the brand of
plastic trees I've found the most useful... I know! I'll look it
up...
(...)
Woodland Scenics "Realistic" tree kits -- You get a bunch of plastic
trees you can twist and turn, and they won't pop back. The trees come
with separate little plastic bases which are meant to be used
"temporarily" to stand the trees before you more permanently affix
them to your scenery. However, what I do is to glue the bases to some
thin plywood sections (or perhaps a hill or some other bit of
relatively flat scenery), paint the sections dark green, flock with a
slightly lighter shade of green (and possibly some random patches of
dirt or even flowers), and give it plenty of time to dry -- I tend to
go heavy on the glue.
The result is that I have a bunch of "woods" areas demarcated by the
borders of the sections I've made. These can easily be stacked away
in a case for storage, and all the trees stuck into a bag. When I
need to use them, I simply plug in the trees! (Granted, it's not as
fast as having the trees already plugged in ... but I COULD just leave
them plugged in and dump them all in a bigger box. I like to have
this option.)
>2.) Castle-type (fortified) structures?
Foam insulation board seems to be the best to work with for any big,
thick structures -- especially for stone, whether it be a rock you're
making or a castle. Basically, I cut out the pieces, file them (and
vaccuum up the mess!), assemble the pieces with white glue, and then
seal the structure with some plain ol' latex house paint before
coloring it to suit with acrylics. (Acrylics will just soak right
into all that foam...) Beware not to use spraypaint! That will just
eat that foam right up. I've also seen some folks use texture paints
-- or else just some house paint mixed with some gritty sand -- in
order to give the surface an even more rocky look -- especially if you
drybrush it for highlights.
>3.) Non-fortified structures?
The best I've found to work with for this (aside from insulation
board) is with "foam-core" board. It has a smooth surface on each
side, and a layer of foam in the center. The type I obtained was a
bit tricky, as it would cut well in one direction (with the "grain"?)
but somewhat messily at 90 degrees to that. I assembled my pieces
with white glue, with tacks for reinforcement. (The foam center is a
nice place to stick those tacks, but they won't completely hold on
their own.) I think I've heard that they use this stuff to make those
fantasy buildings in the pictures for Warhammer Fantasy Battle. That
would explain why they always have some "bricks" visible at the
corners -- The exposed edges of the foam core are best to cover with
/something/. Anyway, the smooth surface I tend to give a nice coat of
spray paint, and this also melts away some of the foamy bits sticking
out the edges. Then, I glue on lots of sprue sections and bits of
junk for a techno look. Er -- Probably the wrong genre, eh? =) (I
was working on structures for Mutant Chronicles/Warzone.)
For decoration, I've done quite a few different things -- One thing to
do, other than just relying on junk, is to find some knick-knacks and
make molds of them. For instance, I found some jewelry bits called
"Celestial Charms" or somesuch, being little round faces with an
antique look, suggesting the "faces" of the sun or moon. One such
design I made a one-sided mold of, and then have made several castings
of using resins. (The detail was too fine for plaster or water
putty.) The result is a fanciful item I can use as decor for either
my fantasy buildings or my techno-fantasy environs ... or, given the
roundness of this particular item, it also makes for some pretty
interesting decorative wheels for a home-made War Wagon. =)
For a cottage, balsa wood is expensive but convenient for making all
those external framework structures on the house. The shingles I make
from strips of cardboard layered one over the other, up the slope of
the roof. For a chimney, I make a stack out of insulation board, then
then stick a couple of straws in the top for pipes to stick out, or
else hollow out the chimney a bit.
For windows, you could just use a few toothpicks on the inside for
cross-bullions, or else one option I've found is to use plastic
cross-stitch grids from a craft store. This stuff cuts easily, and
you could put a bit of it, turned 45 degrees from parallel, on the
inside of the window, after you've painted it a nice silver or gold or
brass (depending on your fancy). The same material also works rather
nicely as "grilling" for catwalks or barriers for a techno setting.
If you want to get really fancy, some scrap cloth on the inside might
even do for a suggestion of curtains. I also take a cue from the WFB
pictures and sometimes decorate the grassy base outside the building
with various knick-knacks -- sections of fence made from balsa wood,
or sections of short wall built up from "bricks" of clay. In some
craft stores I've found some wooden "pickle barrels" (intended for
shadow boxes) that paint up nicely as kegs. Also, with a little bit
of clay, it's very easy to make some sacks to pile outside a door.
As for the doors, there used to be a game called Advanced HeroQuest,
which contained a number of plastic doors which could open on the
hinges. (The same door design appeared in the "DungeonBowl" expansion
for the old BloodBowl.) If you get a lot of these, you could use the
actual doors -- or else, if you don't care for the doors to actually
open, you might make a one-sided mold of a door, framed in a doorway,
and then make resin or water putty castings of doors to affix to your
buildings.
>4.) Hills?
I just use some insulation board, given a good coating of house paint
so the color won't show through. I put some gobs of glue in parts
(particularly on the stepped sides) and press the surfaces into a bag
full of "dirt" (some "gravel" from a railroad hobby store). Then,
after that has dried, I smear the whole thing with watered-down white
glue and sprinkle it with flocking.
On even your hills, it's sometimes interesting to add a little bit of
scenery, even though that may limit the "re-use" possibilities of your
hill for different games. (After all, a hill is a hill -- whether
you're playing at skirmish or epic scale. It's just a little BIGGER
in the latter case! ;) ) For instance, I've made some low-quality
molds of some "tombstones" I made from plasticene, then made water
putty castings to have a number of tombstones (standing and fallen) on
a hillside. Or else you could have the occasional rock pile, fence or
broken wall on a hill ... or perhaps even a signpost or some wreckage
of some broken-down wagon. Of course, such things could just as well
be used on their own as "terrain stands" on the battlefield, but
sometimes I just don't want my hills to be boring. =)
>5.) Rivers?
The big problem I have with rivers is that in order to have banks, you
have to give your river pieces some THICKNESS, which inevitably raises
your river a bit too high over the comparatively flat battlefield to
be realistic. Anyway, I try to make my river sections as flat as
possible, and to make them modularized -- with some straight sections,
and some with slight curves, with a uniform width so that I can mix
and match them. I've tried using wax from railroad hobby stores for
the "water", but it didn't work very well. Generally, the best result
I've had was to make a mold of one straight section and of one curved
(30 degrees) section, and then make water putty castings. I then
base-coated the casting, and gave the banks a dark green color, while
the center of the riverbed I painted brown -- gradiating to black
toward the center of the river in order to give some suggestion of
increasing depth toward the center. Then, I just got some clear coat
paint and sprayed away down the center. The shiny look was enough to
suggest water. I then touched up the banks again with some more paint
to dull out whatever gloss coat reached them, and added flocking and a
few extra rocks. For one of my sections, I used some pebbles to make
a "ford" across the river. One thing I intend to do (but haven't done
yet) is to put some felt or something on the bottom of each piece so I
don't leave any marks on the table. (However, given that I generally
cover the table with a big green cloth first, this hasn't been a high
priority.)
>6.) ETC?
Well, one thing I've tried recently for Mutant Chronicles/Warzone was
to make an "alcove statue" of a Dark Apostle. I used Super Sculpey to
make the stonework of a gothic archway forming a niche within which I
sculpted a nasty-looking statue. I fired it up, and then later on I
started applying coats of latex Mold-Builder. (On my first attempt, I
sprayed it with Pam first as a release agent. Big mistake. A release
agent isn't needed for something as large and low-detail as what I
made, and all it did was to make bubbles in the first layer of latex.
My first mold was rather ugly ... but just happened to work out anyway
for castings of a strangely "deteriorated" version of the first
statue, with lots of "cobwebs" and "biotechnological growths".)
This process is pretty slow, as I would apply one or two coats (be
really careful with those recesses!) over the course of the next
several days. Once I was finished and removed the mold, I boiled it
to "vulcanize" it, and then made some water putty castings. One
problem with such a mold is that it's pretty floppy. One way to
offset this, if you have a mold with a lot of depth to it, is to make
a "shroud". A shroud is a harder layer that you make outside of the
flexible mold. In my previous place of employment, this would consist
of a fiberglas layer on the outside ... or for a quickie casting, you
could make do with a plaster shell. The shroud should be easily
removeable for the mold. The point of it is to make something that
the mold can rest in and hold its shape in, rather than flexing
outward due to the weight of the casting compound you put into it.
Another option is to suspend the mold from a cardboard box, but I find
the shroud more convenient (albiet messy to make it the first time).
(Another problem is that you can't use some types of resin with the
latex mold. I used some resin and found that the latex had a chemical
reaction with the resin which suppressed the effects of the hardener
toward the edges. The result was ... very ... MESSY!)
After spray painting the figure black and then giving it several
different shades of grey applied by drybrushing with a big, old brush,
I ended up with a decent statue to affix to wall sections to suggest
the interior of a Dark Legion Citadel ... or else it would probably
work as well for any ol' "evil castle" or "evil temple".
...
On a related matter, some of those clear resin products can be handy
for making stained glass windows. I'm still experimenting with
different methods, but one method of mine was to make a form of a
whole "window" -- framework, panels and all -- and make an elastomer
mold of it. Then, I pour in some clear resin, and -- VOILA! Instant
clear window. I just have to paint the framework black, and then use
some acrylic paints to color the panels (They're semi-translucent
already). The effect is pretty nice if you have a good back-light.
I've been able to get similar (and, actually, in SOME ways better)
effects just by using clear plastic cut out of miniatures blister
packs, and painting THAT to suggest a "stained glass window". You
have to be careful to cover every bit of surface of the plastic,
though -- the light will shine brighter through any gaps in the paint,
giving an unpleasant effect ... as if you had lots of holes in your
window!
...
Anyway, I hope SOMETHING in all of that mess might be of use to you.
=)
Jim Venn
TJ > One nice effect is to apply a
>few dabs of glue (or spray adhesive -- but I don't have that) to the
>top of the foliage of a tree and then sprinkle some flocking of a
>lighter shade over the tree, to give it an impression of highlights.
Use thinned Elmer's Glue-All from a beautician's mister bottle
(or a SO's bottle of hair spray also works..)..
spray, sprinkle, spray again..
TJ >Woodland Scenics "Realistic" tree kits
Excellent stuff. tho it can get pricey..
I use liquid plastic solvent directly on the branches.. then press
on the "foliage" clumps. They do NOT come off, as they are
welded to the plastic..
TJ >For a cottage, balsa wood is expensive but convenient for making all
>those external framework structures on the house.
Look for wooden coffee stirring sticks in the supermarket..
they are a little less that 1/4" wide by cardboard thickness..
stain and drybrush first, then just glue on as needed.
TJ >>5.) Rivers?
TJ >The big problem I have with rivers is that in order to have banks, you
>have to give your river pieces some THICKNESS, which inevitably raises
>your river a bit too high over the comparatively flat battlefield to
>be realistic.
Check out the patterned sheet-plastic covers for flourescent lights in
a hardware store.. these are fairly thin, yet rigid.. and can be cut
using a hot knife or woodburning tool..
>effects just by using clear plastic cut out of miniatures blister
>packs, and painting THAT to suggest a "stained glass window". You
>have to be careful to cover every bit of surface of the plastic,
>though -- the light will shine brighter through any gaps in the paint,
There are translucent acrylic paints available.. the cheapest way to get
a selection of colors is to buy a kid's paint-by-number "sun charm"
or window-hanger.. whatever they're called..
Jim
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