Building and painting cover

[Chaos_Turtle]

I've just started experimenting with terrain, and thought i would keep you all updated on it, and get your input. what i'm currently working on is a rock wall to use as cover, it's 6" long and 1" high. I used cork as a material, because it has a very rocky look to it if you play with it enough. here's a picture of the wall, cut out but not painted:

(cant figure out how to post pictures, will post as soon as i can figure it out)

what do you guys think?

I'm hoping to get better with the whole dry-brushing aspect of painting by doing this, and so far i've already learned a few things. It can be tough to paint the rock to just the right color though, and it takes a lot of paint since the cork absorbs it so much. I start with a coat of solid black, and I try really hard to cover everything, because if I don’t then cork color will show up through the other colors. Then after that I do a light coat of a darker grey, being careful to leave a little bit of black. Then I proceed to a lighter shade of grey, and I only dry brush this coat in order to make the rock have visibly different shades. The final step is to apply the mud wash, which gives it a dirty look.
Anything i should do differently??

[Xarboth]

I can't see any pictures, but on the topic of getting a good covering of black paint, have you thought about just spraying black undercoat onto it. That'll make sure you get a good even covering without the cork showing through, and should stop you using up so much paint? I've never tried spraying it onto cork myself, so I'm not speaking from experience, but I'd imagine it would work.

[daddy4count]

Black spray works fine, but you'll still end up needing to brush some areas. Cork can be tricky to paint... just take your time with the initial black. Do two or three coats until you're sure it's covered.

Otherwise it sounds like you've got it on track... can't wait to see pictures!

Personally, when I do rocky terrain I simply coat it in black, then drybrush with grey one time. It isn't Bob Ross quality or anything, but it does the job.

Try using dense poly foam sometime... like foam insulation. The 1-inch thick panels work great, and it's very simple to cut or pinch and pull rock shapes out of it.

Just don't spray paint it... the solvents make it melt... unless that's the look you're going for.

[Omega1907]

I used bits of styrofoam (from old packings) on some bases which I painted to look like some wierd/volcanic rocks.

I coated the whole bits in PVC glue and then sprayed them black, but for larger pieces I wouldn recommend that, takes a lot of time and PVC glue.
After that, I did a heavy drybrush of grey followed by a wash of badab black. And as final stage a light drybrush of white to bring the edges a bit more to pop

[daddy4count]

I have done the glue over foam too, works well on small pieces but I agree that larger ones can be a pain.

Also, if you use a MDF board as the base DONT add water to the PVC glue. Yes, it helps it get into the cracks and such in the foam... but it soaks into the MDF and will warp it...

[Chaos_Turtle]

how do i post pictures?? i'm not technologically retarded, but it seems unreasonably hard to post pictures...

[daddy4count]

Click "Go Advanced"

Then click "Manage Attachments"

It will let you upload photos...

[Omega1907]

Or make your own album here on the forum.

Look on the top beneath the "Forum" button, there should be "Gallery". After clicking you have the option "My Albums", there you should be able to create one and after that it's somewhat self-explanatory ("Add Picture", "Upload Pictures", choose pictures, save the album).
After that, if you look through your album, you find both, link and [IMG] code for the picture.

That's how I get my pictures on here

[Chaos_Turtle]

this is the cover, and then the cover coated in black. hope the picture works..

[Xarboth]

Yeah, the pics work. Looks good - simple but effective. A quick grey drybrush and it'll be even better.

[Chaos_Turtle]

That's the next step. I'm also working on a ruined building/structure made out of the same material, using sheets of cork again. it'll have 2 floors (but not a whole lot of room on the floors). also, a word of advice to anybody who wants to paint a base coat on cork, USE SPRAY PAINT! it's WAY cheaper and more efficient than using a brush. i know this is pretty obvious, but you can take my word on it.

[Omega1907]

Yes, simple but effective barricades!

But a building made of cork, I don't know, I would fear to brake it everytime I set it on the table

[Chaos_Turtle]

that's true, and also it's probably going to be tough to assemble...but i'm trying anyways