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How Do You Make Rocks?

5K views 20 replies 17 participants last post by  Tarok 
#1 ·
I'm looking for instructions on how to make large rocks for bases but have not had much luck finding any. Does anyone know a good way to go about doing this? Thanks for any help!
 
#8 ·
How large are we talking about? Is this something you intend a model(s) to stand on or something to have off to one side next to another model?
If it's just general rocks you are wondering about I got my grubby mitts on some "stoning" stone. It's basically just alot of small rock which is mixed in with somesort of cement and sprayed on houses (makes 'em really durable).
Anyways there were two types. One is very coarse, lots of angles and looks gritty enough (used on foundation that later gets covered with earth, no need for fancy stuff). The other is smooth, more curvy (fancy).
Barring access to that sort of stone...well. Seeing as I live next to a active volcano and have extensive fields of lava stone all around I've never really thought of clever ways to emulate rock.:)
I've seen cork used to nicely make a kind of sloping cliff edge.
The herdstone tutorial linked earlier is excellent, and if you don't have access to any natural materials is propably your best bet.
 
#10 ·
I'd recommend going to a place that sells masonry products, bricks, cement and that sort of thing. You'll be looking for the "pearls" that're added to the cement mix. Ofcourse it might be called something completely different than "stoning" & "pearls". But you can ofcourse just describe the process and someone might recognize it.
Best of luck to 'ya!
 
#12 ·
1) Rocks
2) Bark chips
3) Bits of leftover plaster, greenstuff, dense polystyrene from other projects.

The key would be the finish. Drybrushing, textured paint (brush or spray if you can find it)
 
#15 ·
I've got to back the guys saying wood bark- the stuff you find used in gardens. It's easy to cut with a scalpel if you need to and comes up very nicely with drybrushing. Plus it comes in lots of sizes- good for basing and making matching scenery.
 
#16 ·
I have found that bark is a paint to paint with a brush, best painted properly with black primer. Just make sure
you've got plenty of ground cover such as used newspaper. Mind you, watch the overspray!
 
#18 ·
The best rocks i have made are from Hydrocal - this is a gypsum plaster from train stores. I have several moulds of rubber also and I snap/break the rocks to approximate size then use metal sprue clippers to cut into the stuff to make it look like real stone.

Hydrocal is very strong and light and looks most excellent. To paint it to look exactly like rock you do this:

1) prime black (igneous or dark granite look) or white (sedimentary look)
2) blot with yellow
3) blot with burnt sienna or other reddish brown,
4) blot with black
5) also use toothbrush bristle spray to give black dots if granite

Here is how it looks



also like this

 
#20 ·
Oh yeah, like Tekore said polystyrene is great for easy and goodlooking, large terrain rocks or cliff faces - buy GESSO artist medium and paint it on liberally on rock surfaces you carve with craft saw - after it is completely dry it will have a hard, white exoskeleton like surface - especially if you coat it twice - then apply paints or pigments dabbed on into recesses over the white GESSO - start with yellow, then red/brown, and finally diluted black (make sure they are diluted and not straight paints or it will look like crapola).
 
#21 ·
I use plaster of paris. Simply mix it up in a small container (I use the plastic lid from small frozen joghurt tubs), let it set overnight, remove from tub.... and smash... it normally breaks up quite nicely and you have a various disparet shapes and sizes.
Got the idea from this tutorial on cobblestone when my attempt when horribly wrong and I sent it flying across the room :rofl One failure resulted in another success...
Tutorial: Basemaking for Beginners: Urban Road

HTH

Tarok :C
 
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