Thought I'd share with you a simple way to do rocks Here are pics of the area I just completed the rock work was an extension of the mountain range I had completed a few months ago You can see on this picture the pencil mark for the outline of the rock work First of all I mix approx 1.5 cups of plaster with 1 cup of water. I wait until the plaster is set to a consostency of putty then use a knife to spread it on the area. Once the plaster starts to go hard i use a toothbrush to work the plaster to give a texture of rock. I also use the knife to cut crevices in the plaster. Keep adding approx the same amounts of plaster untilyour rock work is complete. Do not try and mix too much plaster as it will go hard to fast to work with. Once the plastering is finished use the toothbrush with water to rub over the plaster to give it the final texture. To colour the plaster I use quite a simple method, 2 teaspoons of coffee in a cup with warm water and paint it on. It may take 3 or 4 coats over a few days to colour but if it ever fades just brush on more coffee Here is the finished rock work
Thanks for sharing this with us Paul, I hadn't thought of using coffee as a stain but I am sure it is a natural way to do it. Do you use anything to make the crevasses and cracks show up or is it just the coffee. No reason to throw out old toothbrushes any more either
You clever thing Certainly gives that area a 'complete' look. One day, some visitor will ask "how did you get that coffee colour on the rockface?"
Nice work Paul! Clever thing is the "natural" stain of coffee... It will do the trick for realistic looking rock faces. Just a side note.... Hope Watash never shows up and your out of coffee the smell and look will drive him bonkerz! HA! All joking aside... Thats some real imagination you've got... I haven't seen that real looking artificial rock at all. I mean for the ways you've done it compared to a painted rock surface... I don't believe paint would really get that realistic looking without some actually real dirt put onto the rock faces... Its just another of.. "One of those things" I guess... Anyway I admire your imagination... That is exactly what it takes for this hobby. An imagination, if you don't have one and your a model railroader, you'd better learn to have one really fast!
Nice work. What I like to use to add texture is a basting brush. I find it gives me a little more control and it is a lot easier to clean then tooth brushes. You pull off the top cap and the brush completely opens for washing. When staining my rock work, I like to use different colors of artists acrylics diluted in a lot of water. That way I get a lot of variations in color. Rougher surfaces absorb more color as do more horizonal surfaces. The big thing is to go light on color. You can always darken but it is hard to lighten.
Paul .. I didn't know there was a railroad running along the base of Ayers Rock !!! Good methodology. I'll keep it in the back of my mind for when I start "growing" rocks on my pike.
