How to make "muddy" terrain tutorial

[Crazy Zouave]

Below is my step-by-step guide for making a mud environment for WWI or later battlefields.

I used foam insulation on a base of wood I got at a craft store. The insulation allows me to build up the mound of dirt without having to use too much scullpy clay. Attach the insulation to the wood with a couple nails. No need to be careful since it will all be covered with scullpy clay. I also cut out a crater in the center to use a a mud/shell hole later on.



Next I used celluclay and some small rocks to make my mound of "dirt". Don't smooth the clay out, but leave it lumpy. I also buried a piece of balsa wood to be used later as a sign post. The celluclay should be mixed with water to the consistency of lumpy oatmeal. The clay can take up to three days to dry depending on the amount of water used, so I use a fan to speed the drying process.





Next spray paint with walnut and cherry colors that I picked up at Michael's Craft store for $4. The paints would be terrible for wood as they go on very unevenly, but since you are looking for that non-uniform look, they work very well as simulating mud.



Next I filled in the hole with Scullpy clay. Scullpy clay doesn't harden unless you heat it, so why use it? It's great for sticking things into.





In the next shots I painted the scullpy, poured "real water" after the paint dried and then I pushed a helmet into the "mud"



Lastly, I added a road sign and some splinters and some grass on the top of one mound for contrast. The grass is held in place with craft glue that sprays onto the surface


And there you have it. Muddy terrain for about $6 and you can make it two days.

[rjones25]

Wow! That is a frighteningly vivid dio base. Excellent job and thank you for the tutorial.

[Yujin]

That is some work Zouave! Excellent man! Great set of instructions! It will definitely come in handy should I ever try to do this!

Admins, could you guys please archive this? Thank you!

[hemble]

SIMPLY STUNNING

[Rommel]

The Celuclay looks more like the wife's mashed potatoes!

Rommel

[NavySF_Blade69]

I hate to Hijack this thread, but I have another suggestion as to making terrain....


You can use wadded up pieces of News paper to start with building the terrain up. This is very cost effective over using tons of Plaster or Clays... Next you can use Plaster of Paris (in the STRIPS) to Join the Terrain together

Once it dries you'll have to spray on the BASE color. For Desert Terrain go with a Desert yellow for Woodland go with EARTHY Brown.

Next you will need to use your Choice:

For Woodland you can use a BLEND of Potting Soils and a 50/50 water/Elmers Glue Mixture in a spray bottle. Lay down the Dirt and Spray Generously with the Glue/Water Mixture. You want the dirt to be fully Penetrated this will take some time to Dry.

For Desert Use Appropriate Sand and Dirt Mixture. My Preference is to use a mix of FINE white sand and a little more corse yellowish sand.... Apply the Water Glue Mixture as described above.

Alternative and easier way (more costly) is to use dirts preloaded with glue and you need to use Water to activate it. They can be found about most TRAIN stores for building Train Scenes.

For Woodland the Next step is to apply Grass and tress and Dead Woods and leaves

[Pivot]

To add to the suggestions Blade has made, to add snow to your bases, make a thick paste out of PVC (white) glue and baking soda, and thin it slightly with water so it's a little easier to apply to your base. I haven't done this myself, but a regular at the store where I work has accomplished some really impressive snow patches on his bases using this technique. It has a nice textured look to it without being shiny, which has a tendency to mess up the sense of scale.

[Alyasha]

Fantastic tutorial CZ ! Very concise with a really F'n cool outcome. Thanks for sharing .

[Mik'sStudio]

Awesome tutorial and I am working on a WWI Trench section diorama.

When mixing the Celluclay you can add a few drops of dishwashing detergent and some white glue to the mix. Got that from a Shepherd Paine book.