Friday, March 2, 2018

Stepping Stones

After much experimentation, watching video tutorials, etc., I have finally figured out one way to do stonework that I find works well for me. I glued pieces of "dollar store" foamcore (the advantage it has is the paper on either side of the foam is easy to peel off) to some of my basic building structures. Then I cut in the stonework with a sharp hobby knife. Then I traced over all of the cut lines with a ballpoint pen to deepen them and to separate the individual stones more. I used the scrunched up ball of aluminum foil trick to imprint some texture on the stones. Then painted the stonework with gray gesso, followed by a light wash of black ink mixed with water. Then painted some of the stones in various shades of gray. And finished off by sponging on a light gray.

I made 2 low stone staircases, and small archway, a building "riser"/foundation, and a full stone building.



13 comments:

  1. Very effective and an interesting technique. I forward to seeing the scenery used in a game.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks!
      I do have plans for gaming, but I need to finish painting a few more "fancy" orcs first.

      Delete
  2. That's turned out very well Fitz, how was it time wise ? not that if you get the right result the time taken doesn't really matter & you got the right result well done : )

    ReplyDelete
  3. That worked very well Fitz, did it take long to do the stone work ? Not that if you get the right result that matters & you got the right result well done : )

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks!
      Not too long to do once I worked out the technique.

      Delete
  4. Replies
    1. Thanks!
      Sometimes experimenting and learning is useful even though you don't seem to make much progress while trying things out.

      It's not perfect - for example, the lines in the arch piece aren't as pronounced as the ones in the staircase pieces. I probably needed to go over that again with the pen. Maybe I can still do that.

      Delete
  5. Looks great! Very effective, I wouldn't worry about the arch, a bit of variation is good in my book!
    Best Iain

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks!
      You're right, especially before standardized mass production techniques. I did test one spot, but realized it wouldn't really help and might just make things worse, so I will leave it be.

      Delete
  6. I seemed to have missed all this building going on! These are brilliant!

    I was just thinking the other day while playing the Pikeman's Lament game that I needed to build a few timber frame buildings - maybe enough for a small English village or at least a few farm buildings. I will have to be check back here regularly for inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Tim!

      Maybe some day I will do some terrain boards like some of yours.

      I am having fun making these little buildings. I've been keeping the footprints of them pretty small, but the same techniques could be used for larger buildings. Anyway, I'm thinking that if I ever need interiors I will do those separately and more in scale to the minis.

      Now I need to get some more minis painted so I can use the buildings! :)

      Delete
    2. I really LIKE the small footprint of these buildings. Perfect for the tabletop. At least in a game like The Pikeman's Lament where they're really just representing areas you cannot pass through (which is what I'd be building some for). For a smaller scale skirmish or role-playing game, where you want to model the insides, yeah, they'd probably need to be bigger.

      These remind me a lot of a few buildings I built 30 years ago for Warhammer - I think there had been plans in White Dwarf or something. I made them out of foamcore, matt board, and balsa. They're long since stepped on or squashed from being put in a box with heavy stuff on top of them... This time around I shall use MDF to make them a bit more durable.

      Delete
    3. Oh, yeah. Small footprints are great for representing buildings or built-up areas. And really useful on smaller tables. I'll be able to have streets, alleys, town squares, etc., even on a 3 foot by 3 foot table.

      MDF is a good material and less susceptible to crushing. I've used it in the past. But these days foamcore and balsa wood are easier for me. I'll make sure I don't pack anything heavy on top of them! :)

      You have done some Middle East style buildings out of mdf, haven't you? (thinking some of the buildings in your Tallarn pics look like they could be made from mdf)

      Delete