The stalagmites were made out of pink installation foam, this material is compact polystyrene and is really easy to mould with modelling knife. First off, draw a rough jagged tooth pattern on the foam and then cut the shape out.

Use sandpaper to round the edges of the stalagmites, as you are aiming to make them as round as possible. Try to cut some edges into the stalagmites to represent the growing pains of the structure. The pieces were then separated so we could work on each individual stalagmite a little more with the sandpaper. Plus, a cluster of stalagmites is more interesting to look at than a straight row! To make sure all the pieces fit together, do a trial run on the base. Swap the stalagmites until you get a look you like. Then glue them into place.

When the stalagmite pieces are dry get some filler putty and work up the edges where they meet the base. You are aiming to make a smooth slope around the stalagmites. Let the filler putty dry before proceeding.

Once the built up base is dry, paint the stalagmites with a textured paint. Once the texture paint is dry, paint over the stalagmites with watered-down PVA white glue to help seal the texture onto the model. Finally, flock the base of the stalagmites with sand and make sure you leave the textured areas clear.

Now paint the stalagmites with Ice Blue and then leave it to dry. Drybrush a basecoat of Skull White over this. It should give you the two-tone effect that you see on stalagmites in caves. Of course, you can change the basecoat to any colour you see fit for any range of effects.

From start to finish this project took about an hour to build. Remember you can change the basecoat to any colour you wish for extra effects - yellows, blues and green will all work well.