Terrain boards - 04

Gettin' dirty! I've been looking forward to this stage, the point at which all the splatters of filler, the cork bark and the blue foam get brought together and become a unified surface. In a word, gloop.

So, I hear you cry, what is this gloop? For it certainly looks like... well... you know... Yes. Yes it does. Fortunately it is somewhat more wholesome and freshly scented, even if it's just as messy and sticky.

It's a full tester (250ml?) pot of B&Q's own brand paint, "Valspar", in a rich chocolate brown. I forget its name. Forest mushroom? Something ridiculous, anyway. Added to that, the same volume of pva glue and a good splodge of kiddy craft black paint (both from Wilkinson's, costing about £2.50 in total), then two big handfuls of builder's sand, again from B&Q. As a tip for those of you in the UK, get your sand from B&Q if you have to buy it - ask if they've got any split bags; I got more than I could comfortably carry without lifting it from underneath for the princely sum of one pound. I'll never use that much sand for hobbying even if I remain active until I'm over a hundred.

I went from this last night (cork bark cliffs primed with black paint + pva):

to this:

I think I must have smeared my phone's camera lens on that shot, but here are some close-ups of brown things to compensate. You get a good feel for the variation in grain size of the builders' sand - I didn't sort it - and how it gives the whole thing texture. I'll probably rub off any of the pieces I feel are too large when it's all dry. I'll want to check for any missed spots, as well as adding larger talus at the base of the cliffs etc. before the next stage anyway.

I put the ankle-biters to work as well; they painted the fourth, flat, board below:

I'll drybush/flock this one to leave a beaten earth area that will be suitable for plonking buildings down on to form a village ready for raiding/defending.

Now I have to wait until tomorrow while it all dries! And plan flock purchases while I do so...

Until then,
Rab