Yeah, a good fast easy way to build a scenery framework is with a web of corrugated cardboard pieces stuck together with a hot glue gun. On my HO layout I covered it with brown paper from shopping bags, then gradually built up on that with patching plaster for a thin, lightweight scenery shell. Once you actually get started on it, the work can go fairly quick.
Having a basic scenery shell on a layout is such a huge improvement over open benchwork. And it doesn't have to be 'perfect', it can always be changed or improved later if the mood strikes you.