Came here to get ideas for backdrop for a reptile enclosure. I guess most reptile owners aren’t artists. You train guys are truly no joke. Your practice piece is worlds away better than 99% of what I’ve seen them do. Just incredible work. Thanks for posting. Subbed!!
Reminds me of my rock climbing days. I think you are going in the right direction. Given how diligent you are in developing techniques you will have this down in no time. Looking forward to how you develop this into the future. Thanks for the link.
Looks good! If you haven't figured it out yet, those areas with the cutting ripples... Take a small piece of 100-120 grit sandpaper, and lightly sand those areas, until it's smoother. Never perfect, Nature's imperfect!! ;) Also, ONLY sand in the same direction as the strata of the rock. Even do a little sanding on those areas you didn't like, where there was uncarved foam base. It will make the tinting process a little more even. BTW, I'm one of those guys from the "model railroad world"! ;) I've seen a few of your videos before. It really helps to take a look at methods from other facets of the modeling hobby. It's shown me tricks I never knew about, in my world! :)
I think you are being Way to hard on yourself! It looks great!!!! I'm not kidding. All I have seen so far from Terranscapes has been very very nice. They look real. Keep it up!
Thanks. :) I'm a bit critical since I know areas I would want to change if I could. But even when I point out flaws, I still like the piece overall, or I wouldn't show it. **grin**
you my friend are a life saver. first i thank you for taking the time in answering. second now with your recomendation i now know were to look. hope is the right one that these guys have and solve my problem. thanks man. i will inform you if a hit jackpot or another dead end, but thanks. keep on modelling.
I'm glad you found it helpful. :) Scanning however, I see you had a comment I might not have replied to. If so, and you still have some questions, just let me know. :)
Yeah mate! You are right, it depends on what you are looking for. I just think that scoring the full surface eliminates some of the problems Terran talks about in his video. Love your work by the way!
Breaking the joins in more of a diagonal could throw the eye off of the join. Maybe some over lapping say if the walls are cut on a 45 degree angle from top to bottom. With the slope front to back. Then cut in reverse on the adjoining wall section. This might help with the overlapping join technique. If you keep the dual layer of foam, applying the bevel cut on the front sheet and then leaving the back edge flat might help with keeping it even and stable.
I think it looks great as it is. It's never going to be viewed as closely as you inspect it but ofcourse you want to make the best product you can. I think if you run a sander over the foam before you start carving you will get a more even texture. You may even want to lightly sand the flat surfaces with a sanding spounge after carving to remove some of the saw marks you dont like. You may lose more than you gain by doing that...
Love this video! But I have to add something, you will see smoothness on slate rock faces, especially after a slab has fallen down straight to ground or when a slab falls into another outcropping, creating a quick fracture. Always look at the bottom of these rockfaces and you'll see thousands of pieces of broken slab without much weathering at all. Slate has a very durable face and doesn't always show much weathering.
What I've you hit it with a hot torch gun? Dunno if that would help with the unsealed areas you were talkin about. It could have the opposite effect you had in mind tho
Maybe a small wire brush or a stiff toothbrush for the too smooth areas. Also something that be dragged lightly over the areas. To me a good test only noticed the areas when you pointed them out.
I would not say better, just different. It all depend on what type of geology you are going for. Thanks for posting the link, i will have to look for that glue here in my local stores. There were also some interesting techniques in it.
This is FREEKING BEAUTIFUL!!!! I have used a car snow brush to distress my surface and it really dose a nice job. That might save you some arm work with the extra leverage. Really an AWESOME effect Buddy:)!!!
+terrainaholic I appreciate that coming from you. I probably won't do this style of rock work in the future, but it's a great tip to post for others. Thanks! :)
One suggestion to help with the blending of each module is to have them staggered with alternating front and back sections. Maybe an overlap of an inch? It might help with stability too.
I am doing mountains for an On30 RR model, and whether you realize it, you are breaking new ground here. Your work is excellent. Here are things I have experimented with and my results are improving. I'm still screwing around with the painting which seems to be the harder part to me. 1) Always stack foam vertically; the seams show less than when done horizontally. 2) Try using a steak knife for some detail as it tends to 'snag' the foam. 3) Artists use tools called rifflers; they can be used to work inside the crevices and shape curves. 4) I find fine tooth dovetail and coping saws work best to remove the bulk of foam. I also use a fine and course wood rasp to get the basic shape. 5) I also find alternating between carving and coarse sand paper help layer the effects 6) While I don't have to do butt joints, think of using an overlap joint to prevent the light from shining through.
You're so hard on yourself. I know that being perfectionist can be a great thing, but your work is so amazing, and inspiring. Don't be so hard on yourself.(:
The wire brush must be with a light touch or as you said it will tear. I did a test with a light plastic brush and got very very light scratches, did not look good. I tried a piece of gravel and got compression indentations and lines using the sharp edge. Try a wire cat brush if you have one. :)
I have made a set of Argonath bookends, 16" tall, out of a Smooth On 65D rotocast resin, I now need to paint them with a realistic rock finish. All the tutorials I've found relate to plaster and foam where you can use washes but resin is not porous so it has to be a latex brush or spray. Do you have a resource for this
Your wall is great! I have been wrestling with making some rock wall back grounds for a terrarium. For a first go, it turned out pretty good, but can be better. Always wanting to improve. I am going to watch your other videos for ideas
Over those smoother sections your could try the larger pigmented tempura paints. The heavy grit of the pigment can yield some fine yet more random texture. Better than applying sand per se. Possibly using the softer brass brushes may be useful as well. As always Mike, fantastic video and review of the technique.
Very nice look. To help make it modular and natural you could try to make it like puzzle pieces. Some cuts out and a couple recessed and then reverse for the connecting piece. A way to hide the saw marks can be made by adding a little sand to the area. Maybe a few small rocks at the bottom of cracks. Broken flagstone is a good rubble maker for that kind of look. Keep up the awesome work.
It looks a really nice piece, one thing I picked up on was the statement that as a creator you question your own work, and being in Print production myself, I always look at the whole document and spot the minor imperfections, however 99/100, the end client are overly happy with the end result and don't even notice the ultra fine details or very insignificant blemishes. the best thing to do is take a step back and look at it as a whole.
Boy I would sure love to see a video of you demonstrating the rock cutting and painting technique you used here. I looked into that old site you posted. I think I found the right video, but its not up anymore.
Is there a video for the completed version. I would love to see how you worked out the modular rock face issue. The sawing blade look in the top left corner really looks for me too, but not all over. The flat surfaces definitely need to be brought back so the glossy finish isn't visible. Great work!
Awsome work. I like the few flat spots, and the sawing montions in the foam. The sawing motions almost gives it a dug out appearance or tool makers if you will. I also like the top how it is jagged and I will agree on the moduler design and the angle "locking" idea to bring other pieces together. What colors did you use on that to get that effect? The coloring is great on camera.
very inpressed i live in the lake district(uk) there are a lot of rock faces that look just like this..both colouring and as you side the way slate splinters randomly often from the underside leaving jaged outcrops..rock climbers love this kind of terian for that reason as for your knife marks again when slate splinters it will often leave srtiations...sorry about the speeling!
I think it looks great , I see what you mean about the coating on the foam. If you sand the surface lightly with 320 grit prior to working it should take care of that problem. I ,by the way like the cuts left by the blade, I gues its one of those things that adds to the effect but have to be careful not to over do it.
Just a little suggestion to get rid of the uncut foam. Use some medium or fine grit sandpaper on the surface before doing the cuts and it will get rid if the ''shinnyness'' and the ''sealed'' foam surface. Will give it a bit of a texture and will mostly go away with the stabbing :P Great Video as always!
Haha, jab jab jab must be a great stress reliever. To me it seems that this rock face is upside down though, with the chipping on the bottom instead of the top, if you get what I mean. Then again, this is meant to be representing a cave and not a mountain face so I guess it could make some sense like this. Thanks for the suggested video, always enjoy watching railway terrain modelers.
I really love this! Trying to make a King Kong log scene with falling sailors. Already have a modified Kong aurora model, vines, palm trees, and log finished. Only thing holding me back are the cliffs. This will help, thanks.
Awesome job. Do you think using the same technique cutting the foam but painting with an "icy"palette of colors would make the rock look like ice? Somehow trying to duplicate "The Wall" from Game of Thrones...
Really nice work on this, caught me eye immediately. I think your are looking too closely at your work but I can see your points when it comes to less realistic parts on the foam. When it comes to colors of the rock I wouldn't go much farther with it until you know for sure the colors that will be elsewhere in your scene.
Maybe use a mixture of fine and more coarse sandpapers to brush over the board to remove the sealed surface and create a fine textured surface before starting.
I think some sanding could definitely be used to refine the texture, or even alter it in some interesting ways. When sanding foam I have found 80 grit to be about the roughest you can go, and I prefer 120 or so to keep from getting tears in the foam.
always nice, tuto would be a good thing for all i see in your videos and would love to see the real rock work made for and with goblin town if u could ask customer would be nice
giovanni scarfini I don't think so since I make rock walls differently now. But if you follow the link in the description, you might find that helpful. :)
Very inspirational, nice work. Think your being over critical but that's you all over ...customer first. Thanks for sharing, will keep an eye on these ;0)
Model railroader who just found your latex mold episodes. There is nothing wrong with being a perfectionist if u have the time. You stated in this video that you have customers so u must sell things or services and obviously you would do good work. I visited the site you discussed for the molds and it is a site I looked at 4 years ago and it hasn’t changed a bit in all that time. The molds with no photos then still have no photos now. I believe that both of you could use each other’s help. You need to make a plaster blank of your largest mold that you made and then make any corrections to the blank and fill any spots that you think would grab the rubber mold. When you finish you can make yourself a new master mold and because you like the quality of the other sites molds, send the blank to him and have him make a new mold for you and a new mold for him. Both of you would then have a large quality mold without the imperfections you have found. He could list the new rock mold with a new number and you would have a new quality mold and if you chose to, you could sell them also. Bottom line, everyone wins! You win, he wins, and most of all we all win because we (railroaders and war gamers and anyone making any kind of diorama) benefit from you bringing us all together with a source for quality molds. Let me know if you do this. I would be glad to be your first customer. Thanks.
I think this looks awesome. I tried myself, same styrofoam type, and mine is nowhere near this awesome quality. Mine just looks like a knife has been going into a piece of styrofoam. I watched the video and will try again. Quick question, if you are building a rather large wall, stretching about 3 feet horizontally that is supposed to go around a bend, how would would attempt to make this wall curve itself around a bend? Thanks"
It does take some practice. I did a few (3?) attempts before moving to the actual piece. Looking at the tutorial linked in the description will be helpful as well. As for the bend, that may be difficult. Thick foam doesn't bend easily and doing a thin layer with this technique will be tough I think. What is the radius of the curve? That might give me some ideas of how I would tackle it. Thinking more right now, one way would be to stack foam for the total height (rather than using it as a wall panel) and then you could carve into it to your heart's content. That is probably how I would tackle it if doing this type of carving is your preferred method.
Use a back or dovetail saw and cut an angle (30-45 degrees) the full height of the foam. Layer your foam until you get the rough shape of the curve you want.
No, as Dessun say's - definitely not. I recommend checking out the LizardLandscapes channel. He is all about making items for terrariums and other pet environments. :)
Mike. Your work is on a different level. I know u r a Perfectionist. I seen the Video you are talking about when it came out but using that Brush did a lot for the detail on this. Great Job as Usual. U should Model Falling Water or the Philadelphia Art Museum with Rocky since I am from Philadelphia Born and Raised. Mad Skills and Raw Talent. Seen all your Videos and Have been Modeling for yes it now 3 Sons. Triplets. 9 yrs old so A long layoff. Take care Bud !!!!
This pink foam from what store or shop do you buy it from?. can it be ordered on line and shiped. i have asked here in my country and nobody knows what it is. so i get i have no choicebut to bring it in. thanks
I'm not sure about shipping it. I looked into it a long time ago and didn't have any luck. :( I normally buy it at home improvement centers, but you might try a lumber yard that carries insulation. It's primarily used to insulate walls.
***** Thank you very much for responding. when you mean that it has too much texture exactly what do you mean and how would that be negative? what i do see is that they are very small and have to join many in order to have something of regular size. Again sir, i appreciate vm your tutorials. Great school!!
I can't really explain every aspect of the project. My videos are long enough already. **grin** For most of my paint, I use latex paint that I have custom mixed. I recently did a paint overview and you might find that helpful. On color selection, it can vary so widely it really comes down to personal taste. I think I talked about color choice for rocks in an early Q&A. The Q&A's have the questions in the descriptions so they are easier to find. Take a look and see if it helps a little. :)
Looking forward to more Mike, really love that slate kind of cave. And by "stippling as hard as you can" does that mean I can Hulk Smash it? :) it really helps with anger :)
Hey Mike great piece once again. I was just commenting on the scoring marks you weren't so sure if you liked. I haven't attempted to work with foam yet, ( hopefully I'll get up the nerve soon, so I'm not sure if I'm qualified to give any advise) . But couldn't you just sand it with a fine grit sand paper? That way you could keep the ones that looked in conformity with the rock. And of course if nothing else you could just chip away the spots that you feel stand out too much. Anyway, thanks Mike for all the awesome vids, another big thumbs up.
How about this one.... Painting it with sand, to change the texture..... OR JABB sand on it.. And what about airbrushing or drybrushing it bit with thinner or acetone.... You must be able to produce some pretty unique things that way....
+Marco T I don't really do tutorials in the classic sense. However, if you follow the link in the description, you can see a pretty good tutorial that I used as a guide for my work. :)
i think im jinxed! i have searched in the various places and even insulation for a/c installations. they use the fiber glass type which is very soft and cotton looking like. what is the name of the manufacturer of your product, maybe i can write to them, see if they ship or maybe they know of somebody here that buys it from them that i dont know about. man, this sound like a search and destroy mission. sorry to be such a pain but im dying to use that stuff which is really great for our work. thnxs a mil bud.
Well, sometimes it can be a geographic problem. Some warm climates won't carry pink/insulation foam board. :( If you find someone that will ship for a reasonable rate, let me know. You are not the first person to have trouble find some.
Sadly no. But I did get the idea from a video showing the carving technique. I skimmed my favorites and I can't seem to find it. :( It was for a large railroad set up. Oh wait a minute! The link is in the description... ;) I forgot that. But your question at least got me to look at some of my old favorite videos. I should review some of them sometime. ;)
Great looking ... You really trying to find too many faults where there are none :D I do not know how big pieces you will make in the end but somehow easiest way to "tie" the down is by creating tunnel opening... if it connect on top and rest of opening shape is irregular noone will notice they are same height and you do not have to match faces that much... also solves gaming issue of access of units to tables.. Your client then can ake rule for games that units can deploy only near tunels... :P
Hey mate! Excellent work and video as always! I have come across this video that I think, uses a similar technique but produces better results (?) than the ones you suggested. Let me know what you think. By the way your rocks look fantastic! See below
The link in the description for the tutorial I watched doesn't work now. Here is the direct link:
th-cam.com/video/MQ_PF27nA4s/w-d-xo.html
Came here to get ideas for backdrop for a reptile enclosure. I guess most reptile owners aren’t artists. You train guys are truly no joke. Your practice piece is worlds away better than 99% of what I’ve seen them do. Just incredible work. Thanks for posting. Subbed!!
Definitely, hands down one of the more realistic rock faces I seen. Awesome Job. Just subscribed....
Thanks. :) Welcome aboard the crazy terrain train.
Beautifully done. This could have been used on a movie set. The detail and the texture is unbelievable! Thank you Sir. = )
We miss you! Hope all is well! Glad you left the videos up!
Reminds me of my rock climbing days. I think you are going in the right direction. Given how diligent you are in developing techniques you will have this down in no time. Looking forward to how you develop this into the future. Thanks for the link.
Looks good! If you haven't figured it out yet, those areas with the cutting ripples...
Take a small piece of 100-120 grit sandpaper, and lightly sand those areas, until it's smoother. Never perfect, Nature's imperfect!! ;)
Also, ONLY sand in the same direction as the strata of the rock. Even do a little sanding on those areas you didn't like, where there was uncarved foam base.
It will make the tinting process a little more even.
BTW, I'm one of those guys from the "model railroad world"! ;)
I've seen a few of your videos before. It really helps to take a look at methods from other facets of the modeling hobby. It's shown me tricks I never knew about, in my world! :)
Those are good tips. Thanks. And I agree completely... Nature is imperfect. :)
I think you are being Way to hard on yourself! It looks great!!!! I'm not kidding. All I have seen so far from Terranscapes has been very very nice. They look real. Keep it up!
Thanks. :) I'm a bit critical since I know areas I would want to change if I could. But even when I point out flaws, I still like the piece overall, or I wouldn't show it. **grin**
I think we are all super critical with ourselves. You have a real gift for making these creations.
you my friend are a life saver. first i thank you for taking the time in answering. second now with your recomendation i now know were to look. hope is the right one that these guys have and solve my problem. thanks man. i will inform you if a hit jackpot or another dead end, but thanks. keep on modelling.
I'm glad you found it helpful. :) Scanning however, I see you had a comment I might not have replied to. If so, and you still have some questions, just let me know. :)
Yeah mate! You are right, it depends on what you are looking for. I just think that scoring the full surface eliminates some of the problems Terran talks about in his video. Love your work by the way!
Awesome! Exactly what I was after. Thanks for sharing this
9:28-10:46. A good joint would be to do the full background with fissures unevenly spaced and break the board at the fissures or fractures.
ok, will do.
ill keep in touch. Again, a very heartfull thanks.
Keep on modelling
I like it. Looks really good. Having different rock styles is always a good thing
Looks great I wish you filmed/showed any cuts being done
Breaking the joins in more of a diagonal could throw the eye off of the join. Maybe some over lapping say if the walls are cut on a 45 degree angle from top to bottom. With the slope front to back. Then cut in reverse on the adjoining wall section. This might help with the overlapping join technique. If you keep the dual layer of foam, applying the bevel cut on the front sheet and then leaving the back edge flat might help with keeping it even and stable.
There is a great amount of variation in nature. Looks natural.
Thanks. :)
I think it looks great as it is. It's never going to be viewed as closely as you inspect it but ofcourse you want to make the best product you can. I think if you run a sander over the foam before you start carving you will get a more even texture. You may even want to lightly sand the flat surfaces with a sanding spounge after carving to remove some of the saw marks you dont like. You may lose more than you gain by doing that...
Love this video! But I have to add something, you will see smoothness on slate rock faces, especially after a slab has fallen down straight to ground or when a slab falls into another outcropping, creating a quick fracture. Always look at the bottom of these rockfaces and you'll see thousands of pieces of broken slab without much weathering at all. Slate has a very durable face and doesn't always show much weathering.
looks good, never noticed the knife marks etc till u pointed them out
The artist always sees the mistakes first. ;)
You could even make different length sections with a similar pin system to make a wall system you could rearrange.
What I've you hit it with a hot torch gun? Dunno if that would help with the unsealed areas you were talkin about. It could have the opposite effect you had in mind tho
Maybe a small wire brush or a stiff toothbrush for the too smooth areas. Also something that be dragged lightly over the areas. To me a good test only noticed the areas when you pointed them out.
I would not say better, just different. It all depend on what type of geology you are going for. Thanks for posting the link, i will have to look for that glue here in my local stores. There were also some interesting techniques in it.
This is FREEKING BEAUTIFUL!!!! I have used a car snow brush to distress my surface and it really dose a nice job. That might save you some arm work with the extra leverage. Really an AWESOME effect Buddy:)!!!
+terrainaholic I appreciate that coming from you. I probably won't do this style of rock work in the future, but it's a great tip to post for others. Thanks! :)
One suggestion to help with the blending of each module is to have them staggered with alternating front and back sections. Maybe an overlap of an inch? It might help with stability too.
I am doing mountains for an On30 RR model, and whether you realize it, you are breaking new ground here. Your work is excellent. Here are things I have experimented with and my results are improving. I'm still screwing around with the painting which seems to be the harder part to me.
1) Always stack foam vertically; the seams show less than when done horizontally.
2) Try using a steak knife for some detail as it tends to 'snag' the foam.
3) Artists use tools called rifflers; they can be used to work inside the crevices and shape curves.
4) I find fine tooth dovetail and coping saws work best to remove the bulk of foam. I also use a fine and course wood rasp to get the basic shape.
5) I also find alternating between carving and coarse sand paper help layer the effects
6) While I don't have to do butt joints, think of using an overlap joint to prevent the light from shining through.
Oh wow. These are great tips. Thanks. I'll keep them in mind for the future.
You're so hard on yourself. I know that being perfectionist can be a great thing, but your work is so amazing, and inspiring. Don't be so hard on yourself.(:
is that styrofoam I am not from England, or some special foam, is the same foam you put tv inside when you buy new tv?
The wire brush must be with a light touch or as you said it will tear. I did a test with a light plastic brush and got very very light scratches, did not look good. I tried a piece of gravel and got compression indentations and lines using the sharp edge. Try a wire cat brush if you have one. :)
I have made a set of Argonath bookends, 16" tall, out of a Smooth On 65D rotocast resin, I now need to paint them with a realistic rock finish. All the tutorials I've found relate to plaster and foam where you can use washes but resin is not porous so it has to be a latex brush or spray. Do you have a resource for this
Your wall is great! I have been wrestling with making some rock wall back grounds for a terrarium. For a first go, it turned out pretty good, but can be better. Always wanting to improve. I am going to watch your other videos for ideas
Is there a way to emboss such texture on semi- wet cement?
Best video on this ever!
Over those smoother sections your could try the larger pigmented tempura paints. The heavy grit of the pigment can yield some fine yet more random texture. Better than applying sand per se. Possibly using the softer brass brushes may be useful as well. As always Mike, fantastic video and review of the technique.
Very nice look. To help make it modular and natural you could try to make it like puzzle pieces. Some cuts out and a couple recessed and then reverse for the connecting piece. A way to hide the saw marks can be made by adding a little sand to the area. Maybe a few small rocks at the bottom of cracks. Broken flagstone is a good rubble maker for that kind of look. Keep up the awesome work.
It looks a really nice piece, one thing I picked up on was the statement that as a creator you question your own work, and being in Print production myself, I always look at the whole document and spot the minor imperfections, however 99/100, the end client are overly happy with the end result and don't even notice the ultra fine details or very insignificant blemishes. the best thing to do is take a step back and look at it as a whole.
cliff looks great, i think the sawing marks add more to the piece than they take away
Boy I would sure love to see a video of you demonstrating the rock cutting and painting technique you used here. I looked into that old site you posted. I think I found the right video, but its not up anymore.
Wow amazing work
looks amazing
very nice work, i like the subtle stippled details the brush left
personally i dont mind the saw effect, it does add to the texture imho :)
Holy hell that looks good.
Thanks. :)
Is there a video for the completed version. I would love to see how you worked out the modular rock face issue.
The sawing blade look in the top left corner really looks for me too, but not all over. The flat surfaces definitely need to be brought back so the glossy finish isn't visible. Great work!
Thanks. I 'think' there is a video of it finished. I'm not sure -- it was a long time ago. Knocking down the gloss... I would do that now. ;)
Awsome work. I like the few flat spots, and the sawing montions in the foam. The sawing motions almost gives it a dug out appearance or tool makers if you will. I also like the top how it is jagged and I will agree on the moduler design and the angle "locking" idea to bring other pieces together. What colors did you use on that to get that effect? The coloring is great on camera.
Will definately be trying this out
very inpressed i live in the lake district(uk) there are a lot of rock faces that look just like this..both colouring and as you side the way slate splinters randomly often from the underside leaving jaged outcrops..rock climbers love this kind of terian for that reason as for your knife marks again when slate splinters it will often leave srtiations...sorry about the speeling!
Thanks for that feedback. Much appreciated. :)
If you're using 2 sheets of foam could you overlap by staggering the foam making them some what interlock?
I think it looks great , I see what you mean about the coating on the foam. If you sand the surface lightly with 320 grit prior to working it should take care of that problem. I ,by the way like the cuts left by the blade, I gues its one of those things that adds to the effect but have to be careful not to over do it.
Good tip. Thanks. :)
Just a little suggestion to get rid of the uncut foam. Use some medium or fine grit sandpaper on the surface before doing the cuts and it will get rid if the ''shinnyness'' and the ''sealed'' foam surface. Will give it a bit of a texture and will mostly go away with the stabbing :P Great Video as always!
Haha, jab jab jab must be a great stress reliever. To me it seems that this rock face is upside down though, with the chipping on the bottom instead of the top, if you get what I mean. Then again, this is meant to be representing a cave and not a mountain face so I guess it could make some sense like this. Thanks for the suggested video, always enjoy watching railway terrain modelers.
I really love this! Trying to make a King Kong log scene with falling sailors. Already have a modified Kong aurora model, vines, palm trees, and log finished. Only thing holding me back are the cliffs. This will help, thanks.
looks good lots of potential forsure
Wow, this is amazing 🤩
Awesome job.
Do you think using the same technique cutting the foam but painting with an "icy"palette of colors would make the rock look like ice? Somehow trying to duplicate "The Wall" from Game of Thrones...
Neat idea. I never considered that before. I think it would made a great 'ice wall'. I'll keep that idea in the back of my mind. :)
***** Keep us informed!
Looks like rock face to me fella... nice work.
Thanks. :)
Really nice work on this, caught me eye immediately. I think your are looking too closely at your work but I can see your points when it comes to less realistic parts on the foam. When it comes to colors of the rock I wouldn't go much farther with it until you know for sure the colors that will be elsewhere in your scene.
I'm always picky. :)
Model Railroading is Exactly why im here , i will soon be building a HO layout in my new home.. :-)
+Fred Fadungy Nice. There is a lot of common ground between terrain artists and the RR hobby.
Maybe use a mixture of fine and more coarse sandpapers to brush over the board to remove the sealed surface and create a fine textured surface before starting.
I think some sanding could definitely be used to refine the texture, or even alter it in some interesting ways. When sanding foam I have found 80 grit to be about the roughest you can go, and I prefer 120 or so to keep from getting tears in the foam.
What type of foam are u using?
always nice, tuto would be a good thing for all i see in your videos and would love to see the real rock work made for and with goblin town if u could ask customer would be nice
Carving and Painting Foam Rocks.mp4
on 011ramblinjam channel!
I really like this effect a lot ! Cut cut cut . =)
Hi thanks for the nice video. Will you post a making of of a similar rock styro panel?
giovanni scarfini I don't think so since I make rock walls differently now. But if you follow the link in the description, you might find that helpful. :)
Very inspirational, nice work. Think your being over critical but that's you all over ...customer first. Thanks for sharing, will keep an eye on these ;0)
Model railroader who just found your latex mold episodes. There is nothing wrong with being a perfectionist if u have the time. You stated in this video that you have customers so u must sell things or services and obviously you would do good work. I visited the site you discussed for the molds and it is a site I looked at 4 years ago and it hasn’t changed a bit in all that time. The molds with no photos then still have no photos now. I believe that both of you could use each other’s help. You need to make a plaster blank of your largest mold that you made and then make any corrections to the blank and fill any spots that you think would grab the rubber mold. When you finish you can make yourself a new master mold and because you like the quality of the other sites molds, send the blank to him and have him make a new mold for you and a new mold for him. Both of you would then have a large quality mold without the imperfections you have found. He could list the new rock mold with a new number and you would have a new quality mold and if you chose to, you could sell them also. Bottom line, everyone wins! You win, he wins, and most of all we all win because we (railroaders and war gamers and anyone making any kind of diorama) benefit from you bringing us all together with a source for quality molds. Let me know if you do this. I would be glad to be your first customer. Thanks.
I actually did contact him about doing an exchange -- I photograph missing molds and get some in return. He wasn't interested... at all. **shrug**
I think this looks awesome. I tried myself, same styrofoam type, and mine is nowhere near this awesome quality. Mine just looks like a knife has been going into a piece of styrofoam. I watched the video and will try again. Quick question, if you are building a rather large wall, stretching about 3 feet horizontally that is supposed to go around a bend, how would would attempt to make this wall curve itself around a bend? Thanks"
It does take some practice. I did a few (3?) attempts before moving to the actual piece. Looking at the tutorial linked in the description will be helpful as well.
As for the bend, that may be difficult. Thick foam doesn't bend easily and doing a thin layer with this technique will be tough I think. What is the radius of the curve? That might give me some ideas of how I would tackle it.
Thinking more right now, one way would be to stack foam for the total height (rather than using it as a wall panel) and then you could carve into it to your heart's content. That is probably how I would tackle it if doing this type of carving is your preferred method.
thanks, the radius is not very sharp so that should be helpful. your suggestion i will take up, i think i have a beat on what i can do, thanks
Use a back or dovetail saw and cut an angle (30-45 degrees) the full height of the foam. Layer your foam until you get the rough shape of the curve you want.
A heat gun applied afterwards will randomize the look of the stone as well as hide the knife marks. It's not good for jagged looking stone.
Hoehner Tim
That is a great idea. With a gentle hand I can see getting some really nice effects that way. Thanks for the idea! :)
Is it suitable for aquarium? It look amazing and I would like to put it underwater. But what about chemicals, will colour stay?
No, as Dessun say's - definitely not. I recommend checking out the LizardLandscapes channel. He is all about making items for terrariums and other pet environments. :)
Ok. Thank you very much. :-)
I like this video and the reference, i think i try this technique! Really thank!
Have you tried dry brushing with a little acetone?
Mike Goss No, not on this piece (or similar). You'd have to be careful because if you go too deep into the paint, it's melted foam world. :)
***** I hear you!
Mike. Your work is on a different level. I know u r a Perfectionist. I seen the Video you are talking about when it came out but using that Brush did a lot for the detail on this. Great Job as Usual.
U should Model Falling Water or the Philadelphia Art Museum with Rocky since I am from Philadelphia Born and Raised. Mad Skills and Raw Talent. Seen all your Videos and Have been Modeling for yes it now 3 Sons. Triplets. 9 yrs old so A long layoff. Take care Bud !!!!
+Silk 68 Thanks. Much appreciated. :)
I've spend the last few days trying to get something like this and failing. I now know what I'll be doing tomorrow!
looks great
Thanks. :)
This pink foam from what store or shop do you buy it from?. can it be ordered on line and shiped. i have asked here in my country and nobody knows what it is. so i get i have no choicebut to bring it in. thanks
I'm not sure about shipping it. I looked into it a long time ago and didn't have any luck. :( I normally buy it at home improvement centers, but you might try a lumber yard that carries insulation. It's primarily used to insulate walls.
what is the specific type of foam that you use? is it the type you use to put flowers in??
No, floral foam has too much texture for this type of work. I used standard 'pink' foam and a sharp utility blade. :)
***** Thank you very much for responding. when you mean that it has too much texture exactly what do you mean and how would that be negative?
what i do see is that they are very small and have to join many in order to have something of regular size. Again sir, i appreciate vm your tutorials. Great school!!
Hey there. Do you know of any tutorials for making bubbling ooze pools
dear sir u explain every thing nicly but u dont tell us the couler how to mix and from where we can find it and the quantity mix how much
I can't really explain every aspect of the project. My videos are long enough already. **grin** For most of my paint, I use latex paint that I have custom mixed. I recently did a paint overview and you might find that helpful. On color selection, it can vary so widely it really comes down to personal taste. I think I talked about color choice for rocks in an early Q&A. The Q&A's have the questions in the descriptions so they are easier to find. Take a look and see if it helps a little. :)
thnx i will do and back to your Q&A
Looking forward to more Mike, really love that slate kind of cave. And by "stippling as hard as you can" does that mean I can Hulk Smash it? :) it really helps with anger :)
Bah, found it, no probs. great work by the way, thanks.
Hey Mike great piece once again. I was just commenting on the scoring marks you weren't so sure if you liked. I haven't attempted to work with foam yet, ( hopefully I'll get up the nerve soon, so I'm not sure if I'm qualified to give any advise) . But couldn't you just sand it with a fine grit sand paper? That way you could keep the ones that looked in conformity with the rock. And of course if nothing else you could just chip away the spots that you feel stand out too much. Anyway, thanks Mike for all the awesome vids, another big thumbs up.
Thanks. Those are good tips. I don't know when/if I will be doing this style again, but I will keep that in mind. :)
Can't find the description with link on my iPad. :/
amazing work!
How about this one....
Painting it with sand, to change the texture..... OR JABB sand on it..
And what about airbrushing or drybrushing it bit with thinner or acetone....
You must be able to produce some pretty unique things that way....
+Victor Fries I can see all of those techniques producing interesting effects. If using sand though, I would use a very fine grain size.
That is amazing
do you make custom pieces I am trying to get a cool background for a snake setup 6ft by 4ft
Modelling foam (pink/blue/green/yellow), tools and knives, and lots of studying.
You should check out Lizard Landscapes channel. He builds enclosures using some very similar terrain tools and techniques. :)
What kind of foam is this? This is giving me so many ideas!
Better late than never I hope. It is simple insulation foam - pink foam.
Nice but it doesn't work out for n scale. The cell size is too large for fine cuts. Believe me, I've tried!
Hey nice work, can you make a video, how do you make the rocks, please:)
+Marco T I don't really do tutorials in the classic sense. However, if you follow the link in the description, you can see a pretty good tutorial that I used as a guide for my work. :)
i think im jinxed! i have searched in the various places and even insulation for a/c installations. they use the fiber glass type which is very soft and cotton looking like. what is the name of the manufacturer of your product, maybe i can write to them, see if they ship or maybe they know of somebody here that buys it from them that i dont know about. man, this sound like a search and destroy mission. sorry to be such a pain but im dying to use that stuff which is really great for our work. thnxs a mil bud.
Well, sometimes it can be a geographic problem. Some warm climates won't carry pink/insulation foam board. :( If you find someone that will ship for a reasonable rate, let me know. You are not the first person to have trouble find some.
Reitero por favor traducirlo al Español son muy interesantes estas manualidádes.Me encantan y muchas gracias por compartirlos.
Do u have video of u carving the foam? Incredible
Sadly no. But I did get the idea from a video showing the carving technique. I skimmed my favorites and I can't seem to find it. :( It was for a large railroad set up. Oh wait a minute! The link is in the description... ;) I forgot that.
But your question at least got me to look at some of my old favorite videos. I should review some of them sometime. ;)
This looks great. It looks much lighter, and less time consuming than what I have done.
Might have to give this is go haha.
Great video. Thanks! :-)
I'm glad you found it helpful. :)
This is amazing! However, I can't seem to find the video tutorial in the blog you linked?
I should have linked directly to the video... I dug around and found it. You can see it here: th-cam.com/video/MQ_PF27nA4s/w-d-xo.html
can you get pink foam online?
fantastico ,exelente boy acerlo para mis belenes desde colombia
"cutcutcut"
"chipchipchip"
:D
Indeed. :)
Your a genius. I subbed~!
Glad you like the channel. :)
Great looking ... You really trying to find too many faults where there are none :D
I do not know how big pieces you will make in the end but somehow easiest way to "tie" the down is by creating tunnel opening... if it connect on top and rest of opening shape is irregular noone will notice they are same height and you do not have to match faces that much... also solves gaming issue of access of units to tables.. Your client then can ake rule for games that units can deploy only near tunels... :P
nice
Hey mate! Excellent work and video as always! I have come across this video that I think, uses a similar technique but produces better results (?) than the ones you suggested. Let me know what you think. By the way your rocks look fantastic! See below