FORUM CLINIC: Building realistic scenery

[Bob Hayes]

Joe,

 Now that I've looked at the previews, I can't wait(don't have much choice) for the whole video.  Want to see how you hide the seam in the vinyl backdrop, among other things.

 Bob Hayes

 

[SBCA]

Joe, I enjoy reading your material.  Am I not following the link correctly?

Where's the new info?

Edit: It's cool to see a person in the same shot as those trees.  Wow, I would not have guessed they were that big.

Often times HO stuff looks like O stuff when you really start to model larger items.

[jfugate]

Joe,I find the best teacher for scenery is Mother Nature..Its always good to study on how to do scenery work but,Mother Nature is the best teacher that shows how things should be even with man's interference.

From the script to my how-to video on model RR scenery -- I'm talking with newcomer Rick about the secrets to realistic scenery ...

"The first thing you need to do is learn to observe nature. Studying photographs works good too, as long as the photo is properly exposed and has reasonably good-looking color."

So I couldn't agree more.

[BRAKIE]

Joe,I find the best teacher for scenery is Mother Nature..Its always good to study on how to do scenery work but,Mother Nature is the best teacher that shows how things should be even with man's interference.

[jfugate]

For some newly updated information on my scenery how-to's, see my web site here.

[jfugate]

Here's a bit of news for those who are interested in my how-to DVD volume 4 on Scenery.

I'm finding there's so much to say and demonstrate about my scenery techniques that I've decided to split the Scenery and bridges volume 4 into two volumes. So Volume 4 will come out in the next month or so as Scenery and bridges - part 1.

Then later in 2007, Volume 5: Scenery and bridges - part 2 will come out. For more, with a photo of the new volume 5 cover, click here.

[jfugate]

Time for a bump on this clinic, to answer some scenery questions.

[jfugate]

Actually, this is *not* the latest and greatest version of this clinic.

I now actively maintain an up-to-date version of this clinic on my new Siskiyou Line website, with lots of new photos and some more discussion. See:

http://siskiyou-railfan.net/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?1270

Far easier than continually doing "bumps" on here.

[Anonymous]

bump i had to bring this back it was sooooo helpful and others need to c it

[pcarrell]

Bump!

[PennsyHoosier]

bump

[pcarrell]

bump

[jfugate]

Just updated the opening post with the latest link to a new, improved, updated and easy-to-find version of this scenery clinic on my forum at:

http://model-trains-video.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=157

[electrolove]

BUMP

[DavidGSmith]

Thanks again I will give the technique a try.

[jfugate]

David:

Masking tape can be kind of slippery, making the initial application of the plaster sometimes a problem if the surface is sloped. If you can get the plaster to stay put, bonding to the tape as it hardens has never been an issue.

To solve this problem, paint the plaster with a coat of dirt-colored latex paint. This gives the tape some "tooth" and will help it not slide around while its wet. Another trick is to use two coats, first applying a very thin coat that is almost plaster "paint" and after that sets up, applying a much thicker coat to give the scenery shell strength.

As an interesting aside, applying masking tape to the cardboard strips, then painting the tape dirt brown can, in a pinch, give you some rough layout scenery. It's fast, and it looks a whole lot better than bare benchwork! [swg]

[DavidGSmith]

Sorry I didn't get back sooner, having too much fun doing a lot of scenery. Your suggstion to soak the existing castings worked, thank you.
In rereading this topic I read that you use masking tape over you cardboard strips. I use screen and the add the plaster soaked towels. It does the same thing and the plaster soaks through a bit and bonds nicely. I had a cheap ( free) supply of screening now I have used it all I will try the masking tape method. Will the plaster bond to the tape or is that not really a concern?

[jfugate]

With the latest crop of scenery questions, time to resurrect this thread ...

[Bob Hayes]

Bump

[jfugate]

NOTE: For the latest version of this clinic, see: http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains/forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=157

[electrolove]

Bump!

[Anonymous]

ARTHILL

I was going through old RR mags the other night... the article you want is June 1969 RMC (Am I aloud to name that here)? P43 "Will the real Bill Baron". I reckon this is the best way.

While looking I also founda Sept 92 article on telephone wires (P80)... someone was asking about that recently... and a Feb 80 article on a location receiving corn syrup.

So, if whoever asked those questions is reading this...

[jfugate]

>sigh< ... digging this FORUM CLINIC out of the din ONCE AGAIN ...

[DavidGSmith]

Thanks again. I will be working on the area today and will try your method. I usually let the plaster dry for a couple of days. theres no rush, its a hobby not a job. Im retired now and can spend as much time as I want on Model RRing.

[jfugate]

David:

The other thing you can do is paint an opaque base coat of gray or some other basic rock color over the plaster and let it dry. Then stain the rock wall with a dark color to bring out the crevices and cracks, apply some very thin yellow brown, blue gray, or red-brown washes in blotches to give the rocks some variation in color and finally dry bru***he high spots on the rock face with a light color to give the rocks some snap.

The opaque color first would solve your "different colored plaster" spots neatly.

[DavidGSmith]

Thanks for the suggestion. I wet the area of the joint but maybe not enough. I use powdered paint in a very thin wa***o colour the plaster. Sorry if I gave the impression otherwise. 1/8tspn to about 4ozs of water. I never put detergent in it it just seems to sink in and colour the castings. A number of washes with a base colour and very light almost dry brush for the other colours.Then a wash of thin black.

[jfugate]

ARTHILL:

The thing most people do wrong when hand carving rock walls is they don't use thick enough plaster. You need to put the plaster on from 1/2" to 1" thick. Mix the plaster to be like soft butter so it holds its shape well.

Since you need to put the plaster on so thick when you hand carve rock walls, you need to plan ahead with your scenery sub-base so it's about 1" farther back than you want the final rock face to be.

I prefer to use patching plaster rather than plaster of paris for my hand carving work. Plaster of paris sets up in about 10-15 minutes, while patching plaster sets up in about 30-45 minutes. I prefer to have the extra working time.

If you have the plaster the right consistency (soft butter), you can push, prod, pull, and smear it around to get a rough, irregular rock wall-like shape. Then I give it about 20 minutes and come back just as the plaster is starting to get stiff.

I then gouge and break off bits and pieces of the plaster to "weather" the rock wall. You want to make the plaster do the work for you, because as it breaks off, it will form natural looking cleavage lines and rough edges ... far better than you could ever imitate with any shaping of the rocks you might do.

It helps to also carve some general cleavage cracks into the rock wall. Don't just do something random, create a sort of grain that is somewhat along the same direction. But don't do too many of these exactly parallel or completely connected -- or you will get a sedimentary look to the rocks.

Once the rocks have set up, I like to weather them a bit more with a small wire brush. The hand shaping you did at first doesn't do much to give the rocks a natural look, but the breaking, gouging, and cracks you carve later, along with the wirebru***reatment once they have set up well is what gives the rocks a more natural look.

Hope that helps. Perhaps I can demonstrate some of these techniques in my scenery DVD I'll be releasing next spring. Rock carving is one of those things that you just have to see done to *really* get it.

[jfugate]

Let's take the different plaster colors question first.

When plaster has set up and new plaster is added to it, the old plaster tends to rob moisture from the new plaster, which will make the new plaster dry out too fast and set up differently from the older plaster.

To solve this problem, make sure and totally soak the previous plaster with a spray bottle like a plant mister. And I mean SOAK the plaster until it stays visibly wet for at least a minute or so (the water doesn't just soak in).

Then add the new plaster and let it set up. Once the new plaster is firm, mist the entire plastered area ... old and new plaster ... a couple of times and let it set up for a couple of hours.

Once the new plaster has set up well (give it at least two hours), you should be able to stain it and have the stain go on uniformly.

Also, its best not to stain dry plaster. Mist it well again with water before you do any staining.

Keep a plant misting bottle full of wet water handy (put a few drops of dish detergent into the water) whenever you do plaster work and *always* wet the previous plaster well first and you should have much better success getting things to look consistent with your stains.

[DavidGSmith]

Thanks jfugate, I use plaster of paris to cast rocks in a mold. When I fill in the gaps with plaster of paris it seems to be a different colour and does not take my colour washes the same as the molded material. Has anyone else had this problem?
I mix the plaster in the same type of CLEAN containor.

[ARTHILL]

I read about carving rocks and have been trying (without success) for 45 years. I would like a detailed tutorial on how to carve non-sedimentary rocks (Granite etc.) I have tried in plaster and now in foam. It does not look like John Allen.