When making large boulders or small rock outcrops, this is the system I
use. It's really simple, and highly effective. I prefer this to using
actual rocks, which are heavy, dirty, and scuff the table frequently.
- With your knife, carefully cut a square from your styro board (an
inch or so to a side, size to taste). You want a really sharp blade here,
as a dull one will rip up the styro...I use an extra long 'exacto' blade.
- With the rough shape ready, start taking pieces off the edges and
corners, shaping the cube until you think it looks like a boulder.
- Now you have some choices... You can either glue the 'rock' to a
base, or use it without a base, placing it right on the table (I've done
both). Either way, you will want to paint it, usually some shade of grey.
Be careful here, many paints react badly to styrofoam, especially
spraypaint - you might want to test on some scraps first.
- After painting, you might want to snazz the model up a bit with some
landscape items... licken or frock around the base, or some simulated
moss on the top and sides (heck, you could even shove a sword in it for
laughs).
- Variations to consider: this method also works well for crystaline
formations... a crytal forest really kicks home the sci-fi feel (and is
a refreshing change from dull old trees). Crystal shoots should be long
and thin, and can be painted virtually any color.
|