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Styro Foam Hills?
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I see you have already received several replies, so you probably have the information you need, but I want to let you in on my scenery methods, which were developed while I was a poor high schooler, and which I still believe to be superior to any other methods now that I am over 30. <br /> <br />I use papier mache, but I use it as part of home-brewed mixture. Get yourself a bag og this stuff called "Cellu-clay", which should be available at any hobby or art/craft store, and use it as the foundational material, to which you add a variety of admixtures. You just mix the Celluclay with water, and then start stirring in things like real dirt, acrylic paints, scoopable kitty litter, and joint compound, to create a paste with the right color and texture. Use a plastic spoon as a trowel, and you'll soon learn how to use the scoop of the spoon as a reservior to hold the "plaster" mixture, while applying and "carving" with the edges and bottom. <br /> <br />I mix all these components (about half of the mixture is the Celluclay) in a single plastic party cup, and work that one batch in, sculpting as I go (for smooth hillsides, it's easy to just smooth out a layer about 1/8" deep over the carved foam substrate), covering about one square foot at a time. What you end up with is a finished plaster that is colored like real dirt throughout, is somewhat flexible (it won't crack or chip), and is lightweight, and also which can be easily cut. This means that you can do as someone else suggested, making the top of your mountain removeable, by plastering right over the whole thing and then slicing through it later; that way, your scenery will match up perfectly. <br /> <br />My goal when plastering is to create a model earth surface that looks like what the ground would look like without any plants at all, and this method achieves that. Then, when I add "plants", it looks that much more real. I hope this helps. <br /> <br />BTW, all the materials I mentioned are far cheaper than their equivalent in conventional plasters.
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