MORE TERRAIN FOR THE OGRE KINGDOMS
The
release of the Ogre Kingdoms army marks the second
of our exploratory steps into the lands to the east of the Old World.
These mysterious
territories
open the door to new possibilities for modeling
your terrain to represent the wonders of the
east. This article showcases the work of various members of our US
Hobby Team who volunteered to try their hands at creating some scenery
for Ogres
and the eastern lands.
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Building
on from our earlier series of terrain articles for the Ogre
Kingdoms,
this article offers quite a few tips, techniques,
and new
materials for building more scenery to create a battlefield
for your Ogre Kingdoms army.
Snow-Covered
Boulders shows you how to use common objects, stains,
and grasses to create basic boulders. The Ogre
Totem (which was loosely based on a Himalayan
stupa or shrine) gives you one idea for taking
the boulder
idea a step further. |
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Hobby Note: In order to get the effect of withered grass
in these terrain pieces a variety of different flocks and types of static grass
were
used. You can recreate these effects with Games
Workshop flock and static grass. Woodland Scenics is a company that manufacture many different types
of
flock which you could also use, or you can check out your local craft or hobby
shop to see what they have to offer. Different types of ink can also be used
to create the stone effects used in this article. Again both Games
Workshop and Woodland Scenics produce inks that can be used in this way.
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Click
on the images to see larger versions.
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Step
1 |
Cut out some hardboard
bases and sand down the edges to a suitable
angle. |
Step
2 |
Build up the base
with modelling putty.
Press stones and pebbles of varying size into
the putty to simulate boulders. Push any displaced
putty back against the rocks with a wet finger
or sculpting tool. Give the putty time to
dry
fully before continuing to the next step. Depending
on the putty's thickness, drying could take
about
half a day or longer. |
Step
3 |
Apply
a layer of white (PVA) or wood glue to the base
(avoid the rocks). Sprinkle coarse sand over
the glue before it dries. Allow the glue to
dry and shake off any loose sand into a container
for future use.
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Click on
the images to see larger versions.
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Step
4 |
Basecoat the entire
piece of scenery with Skull White Spray undercoat.
This basecoat may require a few passes for full
coverage. |
Step
5 |
I
used a selection of inks in a variety of earth
tones to stain
the boulders, large rocks, and base. Once the
primer is dry, heavily dilute the colours with
water. Apply them to the rocks in a "leopard
spot" pattern. Since stone is very rarely
one solid colour, daub on a secondary colour
with this "leopard spot" technique. Prepare
two separate cups with black (of a ratio of
about 1:32 pigment to water) and dark brown
(1:16 pigment to water). You may have to play
around with this mixture depending on which
inks you use. Daub the secondary colour on
in rough patches. Don't
cover the
entire white surface. If the colour is not
rich enough, apply another coat once the first
is dry or cut down on the amount of water being
used. Don't be afraid to allow some of this
colour to make its way onto the scree (sand
and pebble base).
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Step
6 |
Once
you are satisfied with the outcome of the "leopard
spotting" and the pigment has dried, it's
time to apply the dominant stone colour. Prepare
a cup of greyish ink (1:16 pigment to water).
Use this dominant stone colour to wash all
areas of the "boulders" as well as
the base. If the colour is not rich enough
for your first wash, apply another coat once
the first is fully dry or cut down on the amount
of water being used. Set the piece aside to
dry completely before proceeding to Step 12.
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Click on
the images to see larger versions.
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Step
7 |
I
mixed up some light brown
flocks and Static Grass that
I had
bought
from a craft shop in a cup
or shaker. Apply PVA woodworking
glue
in small, sparse patches around the boulders.
Sprinkle the static grass
mixture over the
glue and allow it to dry. Once the glue and
grass have bonded, shake
the excess free onto
a piece of folded paper and pour the excess
into the cup or shaker.
Use some
Tall Grass, which you can
also get from craft shops,
to add tall, dry grasses
to
the
base.
Cut down the Tall Grass to a suitable height
and dip the grass' into
a small puddle of
white glue. Place the bottom of the grasses
onto the base and hold the
grass upright with
tweezers until it starts to dry in place. |
Step
8 |
Mix
plaster with water to get
a very thick mixture
of almost-unpourable "snow". I
used some modelling
plaster (again, check your local craft shop).
Work quickly (good plaster tends to harden
very fast;
you've
got a working
time
of
about
5-8 minutes) with a small palette knife or
small piece of plasticard and pile and push
the plaster in the recesses and shadows of
the boulders. Avoid touching the plaster
for
at least 20 minutes or so. Thick areas will
need as long as 40 minutes to dry.
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Step
9 |
Add
extra details like lichen.
A little bit of
this detailing goes a long way, and it's
not that hard. Dampen a
cotton bud with water and
dab at the rock. Use the
reverse
(dry) side of
the cotton bud and gently
rub away the pigment
on the boulder.
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Next: A Totem to the Great Maw.
