Just spent 15 minutes of my life watching some dude across the planet make a fake rock Great work man!

@TheTerrainTutor

6 жыл бұрын

Wait till you watch the 45minute video on pva glue! lol

@nickkohlmann

5 жыл бұрын

@@TheTerrainTutor Hell yeah!

@thisgirlrocks6469

5 жыл бұрын

😊

I dug some holes in the garden, put a board over it and added some weights. This produced hills that didn't need much shaping.

@fatbap

5 жыл бұрын

+Kay B You are a goddamn genius.

@acunaa92

5 жыл бұрын

freaking legend, under-rated comment

@themainman2827

5 жыл бұрын

You even can get the small rocks details and the most natural dirt texture practically free and whitout effort xD

@Redsebt

5 жыл бұрын

can you clarify the process please?

@kalebryan1133

5 жыл бұрын

Think I just fell in love. You don't realize how many issues you've fixed for me.

Remember folks, its okay to ruin your wife's new counters, but you never want to damage your work shop top.

@davemuckeye

Жыл бұрын

🤩🏅

Good idea, I'm going to replace all my fire extinguishers with swords as well.

Foam sheets are extremely rare in my area in South Africa. I used the techniques form this video and I was blown away by the results. I built an entire 3 by 6 foot "desert planet" themed table's worth of terrain from a single can of the stuff. Thank you for the work you do. Your time and effort is truly appreciated.

@TheTerrainTutor

5 жыл бұрын

That's brilliant mate

A tip I learned about sanding is...from an engineer was to move your piece to be sanded in a figure 8 ....and it will make a perfect flat bottom...works on anything your sanding...nice video...

@GatesOfAvalon1

Жыл бұрын

Move it in a figure 8? How does that work?

@weegee7676

Жыл бұрын

Imagine your drawing a 8 with the piece you’re sanding. So like start at the middle and make a circle like the bottom of the 8 then when you complete the circle make another circle above it and you get a 8 shape. If that doesn’t make sense to you then I apologies

I watched this video a few years ago, originally. I recently made a bunch of rocks like this from memory. The D&D party loved them.

If you're working with light materials, adhesives and so on here is a handy hint: If you add a little coloured paint or pigment to things such as filler it makes it a lot easier to see where you've filled and where you have potentially missed gaps/holes etc. Green or brown are fairly good neutral colours to prime over after

Came here looking to find a technique to easily build large thin rocks but realized the holes created with this foam would be perfect for creating large Coral for underwater adventures. Will have to try!

This is absolutely incredible. I've been looking for a nice stylized method of wargaming terrain, and this nails it

Thank you, Terrain Tutor! This is legit great! Got a can 3 days ago. Now adding bases and filler. 1 can = 1 full mountain range and crags! Can't wait to flocking and painting them!

Wow, when you added the clump foliage it really scaled down the entire thing! It went from looking like a fairly large boulder that someone might be able to stand on, to a massive hill that could fit an army. Really cool!

@TheTerrainTutor

6 жыл бұрын

It's because the clump acts as a scale reference mate, before that, it could have been any scale

You can also mount these on cheap cake boards that are available in discount shops. I get packs of three for €1.50 from the shop in my town. They come in different thicknesses, and are either round or square, so can be used to make all kinds of scenery bases. The square ones are 12" square, so you can make them fit edge on for streets or other types of game table scenery. I get them in "bulk" (I grab the whole lot at once) when I see them re-stocked, and it saves me a fortune in buying foamboard from the art shop.

@TheTerrainTutor

6 жыл бұрын

Yep, cake bases work great mate

Awesome! The struggle is real, thanks for thinking about us poor plebs in the hotter regions!

@TheTerrainTutor

7 жыл бұрын

Always mate

will use this idea for my railway layout. Heres a little tip for scatter. collect some sawdust. water down some paint and mix in sawdust till it just crumble. let it dry completely can take few days. then wen dry you can either put in a sieve for fine or break it down rubbing in palms of hands. saves a lot of money on large areas

Mate, the material is far from being polystyrene. It is polyurethane based and that means you should definitely use a respirator when working with abrasives on it

@eartecathy7378

7 жыл бұрын

Mel how could you not read the can? However you also need a mask when sanding polystyrene also.

@christophermelvin8041

7 жыл бұрын

Right the stuff comes in two component liquid form like epoxy or other kinds of resins. I remember that from.an afternoon visit to Tap Plastic.

@aidencoxmusicguy5097

5 жыл бұрын

I came here for a good time not a long time so i dont need a respirater

@stefanavic6630

5 жыл бұрын

Lots of short sharp breaths...

@richmcgee434

5 жыл бұрын

You shouldn't be carving, sanding, or cutting this stuff for the most part anyway. The shaping he's doing is better done by poking away at the foam (preferably with a paint stirrer, popsicle stick or similar expendable tool) while it's hardening. Not only can you mold a rough shape that way in minutes, the "poked" areas of the outer surface will collapse down into a much denser and more durable layer that paints up like smooth stone. This whole carving down from the natural blob shapes is just a huge waste of effort.

Looked better than I thought it would at the start. Winning technique Mel.

@TheTerrainTutor

7 жыл бұрын

Cheers buddy

After watching this video a few times now, I finally decided to take this one stage further, and am now building a nearly 5 foot tall Stone Golem/Elemental Giant to go with my home made Elemental Creatures army, to play games of Pathfinder, as they have just added Stone Golems/Elemental Giants to their canon. So far so good, and am just waiting for the filler to dry completely, and then set about sculpting some trees/roots along the arms, making it look like it's just come out of the ground, bringing the local flora with it. I'm also working on an even bigger Giant, using expanding foam as the main body, then very carefully applying air drying clay sheets around the main shape, then, when it's dry, carving brickwork into the hardened clay, making the whole thing look like a giant castle come to life. The turrets are Pringles tubes, and other adornments are just siege catapults and such to add later. This one will be around 6 foot tall, if not taller (MUCH taller than me, in fact :->). Hoping to make a tutorial on these things later, after a bit (More like a LOT) of practice. Your tutorials always inspire me to greater heights and challenges, so please don't ever stop making them :-). All the best, Paul

@MonkeyJedi99

5 жыл бұрын

At those sizes, a wire rod or shaped chicken wire fencing frame to spray the foam onto will save a lot of tears

@lycheemonster2663

4 жыл бұрын

That sounds amazing post a picture of it when your done would love to see what it looks like 👌

I was really struggling to find extruded polystyrene and had almost given up on ever being able to do projects like this, but this video just gave me hope!

Mel, with one video, you have just solved my North Africa Battlegroup terrain needs. Excellent!

Excellent tutorial! I love your style of presenting, spot on! Cheers from Toronto, Ontario, Canada!

Dude you just saved me so much work. I was already looking for hot wire cutters and all that nonsense. That just got me to jump to patreon.

@TheTerrainTutor

7 жыл бұрын

Awesome sauce matey, thank you!

Not BS tutorials, thank you. This is the stuff that got me into the hobby years ago.

Wow!! You've just given me one of the best ways to build a hill with a railway tunnel going through it. Cheers mate. Take care...

I love the way it looks. Sort of like rock outcropping from a dried up river bed. I have used expanding foam before on my layouts. It works perfectly and with a set of good gloves the expanding foam can be formed after it dries up a bit.

In shop : I need an expanding foam and a filler. - Ow, some works in home, some renovations? - Nope, I'm just a wargamer XD

@omotiverat

4 жыл бұрын

as a wargamer working in a hardwarestore i can spot the people making terrain. Expanding foam, sandpaper, that kind of knife he used in the video, thin sheets of plywood and spackel every time.

Great and easy way to create lot of terrain fast that still looks good on the table without the hassle of dealing with high-density foam sheets and hot wire

@nickkohlmann

5 жыл бұрын

Yeah, that's exactly what I was looking for

I thought you were going to be a lot of hot air. I find your method and others combined can make the most realistic mountains. So, I thank you very much for a great vid. I take my hat off to you,thanks again kind sir.

Wow, that was amazing. I can't believe that was the stuff I put in my walls. Great job, dude!

I like the faster format on the dry brushing technique for painting part of the terrain.

@TheTerrainTutor

7 жыл бұрын

Yeah, playing around with how I do tutorials

I found this tutorial exactly what I was looking for. I have used paper and glue for hills and so forth for model railways, and read today about using expanding foam, sounds obvious to use. Amazingly, Luke did not use the phrase of, it cuts like a loaf of bread, or, it looks like a cake , or an éclair. Fascinating to watch and listen to. 10 / 10 for the tutorial

This video just saved the day for me. Thanks for posting. I need to make some stones to cover a large stage prop and it had to be fast drying. Unlike the paper mache rocks, and the foam board insulation carving with a hot wire. This is genius!

One quick tip - I find it actually easier to base-coat with a dark brown instead of gray. Lets you skip a step or two. From there, dry brush the earth with a leathery brown and the rocks with a midtone grey, then you can top it all off with an offwhite. Saves a lot of steps and still looks amazing

Just subscribed! I’ve been doing a lot of miniatures throughout the years, but this technique is definitely one I want to adapt. Keep up the awesome work and I’ll keep watching your videos!

Not something I've ever gotten into, mostly because of the starting cost for tools and the like, but you've given me some hope for future crafts. Loved the video and your explanation, and you've certainly gotten a new subscriber.

Thank you so much for this video! My daughter plays with lion figurines and I couldn’t find a play lion den anywhere. This will be perfect because it’s lightweight! Thanks again!

A very valuable lesson for me! Saves a lot of time and it is inexpensive. Thanks again for a great video!

"You know what that looks like don't you?" /like

@TheTerrainTutor

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the shout out mate :-)

@geeksworkshop

6 жыл бұрын

Ends up looking like a boob

@HighlanderFrag4Life

5 жыл бұрын

, ^ you lost one. Here.

@southerncharm7238

5 жыл бұрын

It looks like a penis, but nice rock.

@lovesmuffins123

5 жыл бұрын

I see matt colville I thumb up.

Top info,Mel. I like the new step by step photos to illustrate the different stages of the painting process. Neat.

Great stuff. I am one of those lucky people who lives in warm area or rather hot. Thanks a bunch Mel. For introducing me to this technique.

This is a game changer for me Mel, almost impossible to find HDF sheets outside of massive commercial volumes here and a single can is more than enough for a table! gonna try and see how rigged it can be and if it's possible to make rock pillars for a desert table I'm working on. Awesome stuff!

@TheTerrainTutor

7 жыл бұрын

Excellent mate

I just wanted you to know. I created a KZread profile just so i could subscribe to your channel.You have stirred my creative juices. OFF TO HOME DEPOT!

@TheTerrainTutor

7 жыл бұрын

That's awesome, was the username inspired by me too? ;-D

@whiskeykilt1453

7 жыл бұрын

TheTerrainTutor the username is my twitch account! but dude you're stuff is amazing I've gone and watched every video in a week lol.

@WarBoy87

7 жыл бұрын

AHAHAHAHA!!!

I accidentally stumbled across this video. Dude, please dont stop doing what you do. You do amazing work and great personality and voice. Keep it up!

@TheTerrainTutor

6 жыл бұрын

I'll keep soldiering on

I have about 10 cans of foam, a load of filler, PVA & paint... i'm ready to go! Great video, thanks.

@TheTerrainTutor

6 жыл бұрын

That's a lot of hills!

Oh those sounds of cutting and sanding the foam are murderous... like a thousand nails on a thousand chalkboards

@kevinpatrickcarey3741

4 жыл бұрын

the worst sound of all time is two pieces of foam rubbing together :O

this is bloody brilliant. so wish I had known about this when I was wargaming

Absolutely true, I live in Costa RIca and have never been able to get my hands on that material or anything like it.

This was delightful. You have a great voice for hosting and a solid personality.

"not my best piece" . . . you can come to my place and dump all your bad pieces! Thanks for the video, I'm learning this techniques because I'm about to build a race track in the basement.

I can hardly wait to try this. You did an awesome job.

@TheTerrainTutor

7 жыл бұрын

Cheers bud

I love your tips for ground...I am doing 1:6th dioramas for my action figures and you always seem to come up with ideas I can adapt! Keep it coming mate!

heres a man who loves the word "yeah". I found myself listening for the yeah rather than listening to the tutorial. but its still a great video and looks fantastic when finished.

@TheTerrainTutor

7 жыл бұрын

It's a nervous tick that left over from my nervous breakdown I had 4yrs ago

About a minute and 30 in, Where you said to use gloves. I used to do a lot of 3 3/4 inch Star Wars stuff, and I was making yoda's hut, and using that for the tree on top, and I decided to use my bare hands to sculpt it upwards like a tree, then I tried to wash it off. Ended up with a cast of the entirety of both of my hands, since I don't know how to not be stupid. Lol. Moral of the story: I'm stupid, and you really don't want this on your hands.

@TheTerrainTutor

7 жыл бұрын

I learned that from slightly touching it with the pad of my finger, gloves from then on in ;-D

@blaineishere3851

7 жыл бұрын

TheTerrainTutor yea. Stuff sucks to work with when it's wet. Lol

@warhammerworkshop40

7 жыл бұрын

TheTerrainTutor are you based in the UK

@chrisyoder8985

7 жыл бұрын

yea he's in the uk

@stuarttaylor3567

7 жыл бұрын

Warhammer Workshop , can you not tell by has accent lol

Great tutorial. Thanks for all your effort. I've learned a lot from you. Please keep it up.

This is pure genius. I'll be making a wargaming board in a month or two, and this will make the terrain part so much easier.

@TheTerrainTutor

6 жыл бұрын

Hope it helps buddy

Wow! You don't know how much money you just saved me!!!!Thank you for sharing. Please share more of your amazing ideas. Thanks

I never thought of using builders foam like that. I have made all my bunkers from clay but they are way too heavy. I am going to try making a jig to shape the foam as it expands.....although you showed shaping to be really easy. great work!

@rogerwhite9484

5 жыл бұрын

I've also experienced that prob using clay & using sculpey can get expensive to make many large ones. I found using 3-4 styrofoam bovvls stacked atop each other is inexpensive &detail can be layered, but takes some time to do each layer . If you succeed in making a jig to shape it could you please let me knovv if &hovv it vvorked please ? TY , am ordering a fevv cans this vveekend but going to vvait before using in hopes of learning more on hovv best to use it

Can't stress the importance of gloves enough! I used to know someone who got expanding foam all over their hands and they had to get it off with SAND PAPER! Remember the gloves people!

@greysky1252

5 жыл бұрын

I've been there. I always hated this shit until I saw this video.

@audreyh6628

4 жыл бұрын

yep...definitely in the had to sand it off category. It SUCKS

@dragonwinggarage

4 жыл бұрын

If anyone ever gets this on their hands, don’t sand it off, try WD40 instead, takes it right off, also works well with oil based paints

Just in time for my retirement train layout. Had not thought of the foam even though I used it for intended purpose of home repair. This is way more fun!!

You are so talented, good sir. You're an inspiration to all of us gamers and modelers.

I totally thought I was just looking in all the wrong places. Good to know it's because of the climate!

Fantastic video - you're a natural! Well done.

@TheTerrainTutor

7 жыл бұрын

Cheers bud

❤❤❤ so much details you added so informative as usual. I appreciate your effort and unique idea of making same things.. Love you sir

I recently got back into the hobby and copped a can from Poundland with the thought of doing this for terrain, great video for seeing your process, thank you.

This is amazing. I’m do stopmotion so having an easy was of making landscapes is nice to know. Of course I don’t know if starting off I’ll make them look as detailed as you did this one but for dioramas (which I’ve teased the idea to myself) I’d definitely love to make them look this good

Saw title: O, that's interesting, I need that. Began video: What the hell is this? Middle of video: I see what his trying to do..maybe it will work. End of video: Not bad, considering the material, will like and comment on good job.

@ralphmouth6943

3 жыл бұрын

I think you could sell make up. All those products and finishings.

Wow! I didn't understand what Wargaming was so I watched the entire video and I must say I am impressed.

@TheTerrainTutor

2 жыл бұрын

Welcome to my world, checkout the projects playlist

I never would have thought of using that for hills and then just cutting it down to the shape I need, genius!

damn, you're an artist man

Looks great Mel!

@TheTerrainTutor

7 жыл бұрын

Cheers guys

10kg bag of value cat litter , can grind for whatever grade of stone , lighter than real rocks and super absorbs pva . Makes good churned eath affects for trench or explosions. Back to mansion build thats taking forever. Love the tips here !

I have been looking for a way to make rocks to paint, now I can make them myself. Fabulous idea. Love Peg

Another great video, Mel! I have been having trouble finding high density polystyrene here in Sweden. All I have found is really thick stuff that is welded together, which is not great for smaller projects. I will have to look around and see if I can find some of this spray foam stuff! Thanks!

@TheTerrainTutor

7 жыл бұрын

good hunting bud

this was a good tutorial

@TheTerrainTutor

5 жыл бұрын

Glad you liked it mate

I have always enjoyed your videos sir...I have always loved your spirit, attitude and humor. If I didn't live on the other side of the pond I would love to buy you a pint and sit down and talk shop with you. Again, great vids....keep them coming.

Awesome idea. We've just used this for our windowsill and some left over. I can use it for my Christmas diorama. Thankyou for the great, amazing and fantastic ideas. 😀🇬🇧😀

@TheTerrainTutor

7 жыл бұрын

you're welcome :-)

Pure genius, thanks for the tips.

@TheTerrainTutor

7 жыл бұрын

no worries ;-)

First, let me say the video was GREAT. Learned a lot. Second, I don't know who does your closed captioning, but I don't think they understand your accent. Or they're making it ridiculous on purpose. Reading along with the vid was almost as entertaining as the video itself. Anyway, thanks for all the great info, and will definitely be tuning in to more.

@TheTerrainTutor

7 жыл бұрын

It's auto generated by youtube mate, it has a great time on my flocking vids ;-)

Enjoyed your tutorial. Great for people like me who are just getting into the hobby. Thanks,

Great sense of humor and very discreet

@TheTerrainTutor

6 жыл бұрын

Cheers mate

Wow, That's Great Man. Thanks

this is how I made trenches vehicle wrecks Great if you want to use a blown up tank. awesome vid 3T

@ruaridhmackenzie3215

7 жыл бұрын

Icarus Miniatures sorry. I used it to make it look like the tank had sunk into mud over time. But making it explode with the foam would have been more fun

@TheTerrainTutor

7 жыл бұрын

That would be epic!

@TheTerrainTutor

7 жыл бұрын

Do it!!!!

Matt Colville tweeted about this video so I checked it out; I used to spend $$$ on terrain etc when I wargames, this would've been cool to try. you have great energy, I loves the presentation!

@TheTerrainTutor

7 жыл бұрын

Well thanks to Matt and welcome aboard buddy

This reminds me of a old tutorials that was one on the reaper mini website, were they talked about makeing a cavitiy in a bucket forr of sand, and spraying that foam into it to make textured hills. A diff take on the same materiel, very cool.

I think the pock marks in the terrain give a more natural look than if you had filled it all in. Looks great.

@TheTerrainTutor

5 жыл бұрын

however you like buddy

I love this method. I use expanding foam covered in aquarium safe silicone and then covered in ground up coconut fiber for designing tanks and aquariums for my pets. I have a waterfall feature in my red eyed tree frog enclosure. I found out that you can press pea gravel into the silicone and it will adhere just fine, even when being exposed to water. My animals love it to death and it is completely non toxic to the inhabitants. This is how they make smaller displays in zoos and aquariums. At times mixing in concrete for larger tanks.

@sarahallen8739

2 жыл бұрын

how were you able to cover it in silicone, a sturdy paint brush? I was thinking about using this method for rocks in a paludarium

@azurearcade342

2 жыл бұрын

@@sarahallen8739 thick disposable mechanic gloves and my fingers.

@sarahallen8739

2 жыл бұрын

@@azurearcade342 thanks!!!

Nice job, Mel. I've seen people use damp sand in a kid's sandbox to make a basic form, then carve out details as needed. Never tried it myself but I saw some really good results from it.

@SloppyPotatoo

7 жыл бұрын

This is one of those things you shuld have come up with but never did. Like the just using water and a plasticbag to vacum your food tight.

@TheTerrainTutor

7 жыл бұрын

That'll be interesting to play with

Simple yet elegant. Great substitute for polystyrene or styrofoam. Thanks for sharing.

You may consider making a "sand mold" of the pieces you want to make with expanding foam (especially if you want to make spires or columns.) It's a bit messy and will likely need to be done outdoors, but will cut down on some steps if you have the materials at hand. I could go into more detail and provide a link if there is any interest. The quick version is: fill a large tub with moist sand, scoop out the shape of the pieces you want, cover the tub with a thin board/plywood, drill holes to inject the foam, and keep the board/plywood weighted down. The result will be a piece with sand/grit embedded into your piece.

@Xn7000

7 жыл бұрын

Lol. One of the first things i though when I saw Mel starting this all up was "how does this stuff interact with molds?"

@TheTerrainTutor

7 жыл бұрын

I'll have to have a play matey

@jeffreyfletcher1788

7 жыл бұрын

I want to stress that it is messy. You need to plan to use the whole can. That means a rather large tub or multiple tubs to handle all the sand. Space out your molds and pack the sand down to prevent them from expanding into each other. One can makes a lot. It's not really worth all the prep and clean up for just a few pieces.

@ligaskirbauska8652

5 жыл бұрын

Jeffrey Fletcher Awesome,thanks for the hint! 👍😉

Well done =)

@nickkohlmann

5 жыл бұрын

@ruba rabania Yup, a community hero

Perfect idea and so useful tutorial 😊 Thank you for sharing. On Monday I am going to buy some expanding foam and have fun making rock cave, thanks😅

You've improved so much Mel! Haven't been on for a while but seeing a channel grow like this from the beginning really is great, inspiring even. It makes me proud for some reason too. See you again at Salute maybe!

@TheTerrainTutor

7 жыл бұрын

Cheers bud!

I love this guy

@TheTerrainTutor

7 жыл бұрын

Cheers

Your work and imagination brilliant, but if I played a drinking game based on how many time you said yeah I'd be dead. 😉 All in all I'm well impressed, cheers.

@Radio4ManLeics

4 жыл бұрын

Yeah. You would,.... yeah.

That's a great trick with the foam. I also have problems to find high density sheets and thanks to your video I can look again in this direction. Thank you!

Just getting into this hobby with my kids here...this is brilliant!

Great stuff

@TheTerrainTutor

7 жыл бұрын

Cheers bud

Mel, Bloody Good Drills Mate! Only one question - Do you think it would be possible/recommend to make an entire battle board with expanding foam, using 6mm mdf as a base?

@TheTerrainTutor

7 жыл бұрын

It's possible mate

@rogerwhite9484

5 жыл бұрын

Johnny Cooper I think you have an excellent idea as putting it atop thin MDF vvould create a naturally uneven surface that could be made quickly to specs. Just dravv/sketch out vvhat you vvant the battle board to look like 1st so you don't have to make those decisions vvhile vvorking vvith the spray foam. If & vvhen you do make a complete battle board could you post a video please or let me knovv hovv much spray foam vvas needed & vvhat the boards dimesions vvere . TY again for a great idea.

@AceDRoses

5 жыл бұрын

hello im new to this but that was my thought also. did you ever finished it ?

That was a great idea to use the expanding foam. That was some great looking rocks.

Hello from across the pond! I just ran across your KZread channel by chance, and I wanted to say thanks for such a great “how to” video. Not only did you provide a great tip on how to make this type of terrain piece, but you did it in very easy to understand step by step method. Your presentation was spot on, and enjoyable to watch. I immediately subscribed, and look forward to watching any other videos you might have. This was really great! Thanks again.

@TheTerrainTutor

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks buddy, welcome aboard!