Some terrain pieces I've been working on

[Necron2.0]

These are some terrain pieces I've been working on. They're made out of paper mash, as in newspapers I've repulped. I'll be the first to admit they're not over-the-top, tingly-naughty-bits, wow examples of art, but I couldn't see paying $20+ for a terrain piece that I could make for free. I could easily afford to, but what's the point in that?

Click on an image for a larger view:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6238/6230518302_0bce7b53ef_m.jpg (http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6238/6230518302_0bce7b53ef_b.jpg)

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6237/6229999007_c6a1b1eebf_m.jpg (http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6237/6229999007_c6a1b1eebf_b.jpg)

This is a work in progress. These are going into a ruined temple piece I'm in the process of making. (Edit: My 4-year-old daughter calls this one "Mr. Grumpy Face."):


http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6222/6230517948_af2c6b2f11_m.jpg (http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6222/6230517948_af2c6b2f11_b.jpg)

[eldargal]

Very nicely done, and I agree, my brothers and I make most of our terrain too (though we may use bought parts for some, like GW parts for Imperial cities and GW/Tabletop World kits for Empire stuff, but all the hills, trees and whatnot we make).

Do you make a mould or just pile up the mash? Curious as to how you texture it, I've only worked with foam and cork for hills anf cliffs.

[Necron2.0]

For the faces I used a mold (which is probably apparent), but for the terrain I started by making a rough shape out of modeling clay. I draped plastic wrap over the clay and overlaid that with paper mash. As the mash dries it shrinks, so I had to continually press the mash to the clay and (if need be) add mash at the base.

Once the first layer was dry on the outer surface (the inner surface against the clay will still be wet), which took a couple days, I gently pulled the shell off the clay. Most likely there will be some cracking at this point, but that can be fixed later. I then let the shell dry an additional day.

Afterwards, I added additional details (the craggy rock formations). Because the wet and dry portions would not want to adhere to one another unaided (again, the wet stuff shrinks), I'd put down a layer of white glue on the dry shell before applying the wet "rocks." I would also make sure to reinforce any cracked portions in the shell.

When the whole thing is dry, most likely what will happen is the uneven drying on various portions will cause a gap to form between the terrain and whatever surface it rests upon. At first I would use a piece of sand paper to sand the whole thing flush, but that was tedious, and I found I could just successively add more mash to the gap, and eventually everything would be flush.

I should note, I live in a very dry climate (think Dune), so the process might take longer in a humid environment. A hair dryer or an oven set to 150 degrees F (65 degrees C) might help with drying times, but warping could be more pronounced. There also might be a need to seal the final product, both outside and inside, to prevent water absorption and subsequent rot.

The recipe I used for the paper mash I pulled from an ancient craft book I found at a local library (with some translations added by me):

4 sheets of full-size newspaper (16 pages) (~1.5 cups wet)
2 tablespoons whiting (AKA lime, AKA Calcium Carbonate)
2 tablespoons white glue
1 tablespoon linseed oil
2 tablespoons wheat paste flour (Used for wallpapering)
2 drops oil of wintergreen or cloves (preservatives)

1) Cut newspaper into 1" squares/strips or smaller.
2) Soak overnight.
3) Boil and beat for roughly 20 minutes.
4) Cool.
5) Place in a blender and beat till gelatinous
. . . . (Note: blenders DO NOT like paper - liberally use water, make it soupy)
6) Strain the paper gel, till paper forms a doughy ball
7) Sprinkle in whiting with white glue and lindseed oil
. . . . (Note: Use rubber gloves - lime does a number on your skin)
8) mix thoroughly
9) add wintergreen oil, mix

[Necron2.0]

Forgot to add, for an idea of scale, you can check out my necron warriors in the gallery (http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/photopost/necrons/p1954-necron-warriors.html). I posed them on the cratered landscape. The hill has the same basic footprint as the cratered terrain.


... my brothers and I make most of our terrain too (though we may use bought parts for some, like GW parts for Imperial cities and GW/Tabletop World kits for Empire stuff, but all the hills, trees and whatnot we make).

Yeah, me too. That's why I'm not further along with the ruined temple. I've been debating whether to add the faces to a basilica model I've yet to build, or if I want to go fully original. I'm actually leaning toward going original, creating a ruined temple based loosely on this Google SketchUp model: >>Masonry Rotunda<< (http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=ee07734fd54bc6cb9c7f9368cdd89df4)