Painting foam board mountains

Pink foam, white Styrofoam and plaster all combined to make these scenes.

Tex,

As long as you use the flat latex straight from the can without adding water it will cover the Styrofoam fine. Usually, I dip the brush in water occasionally when painting the plaster, but not for the Styrofoam.

If you have any trouble at all with different materials (such as bare plaster, Styrofoam, Sculptamold, etc.) in the way they absorb paint, just give everything a quick primer coat of flat latex first.

Sometimes, I'll do the primer coat in a light tan or light gray, and then use dilute washes of acrylics for the final color.

But, if you want everything to match with no variation, just give it all a good heavy coat of the latex in the color you want.

 Plaster, Sculptamold, pink Styrofoam, and Hydrocal castings in this scene:

With a primer coat of light tan flat latex:

Acrylic washes in some areas:

Finished scene:

Jim

J------your work looks great and photo's of work in progress show's me a lot.  Thanks for posting photo's and info.  Most helpful to a newbe in this area of scenery making.

Jim - the bottom photo says it all.  Just what I'm looking for, more of a lighter base and your use of light tan and gray really makes the rock formations stand out.  Did you spray any acrylic paints over your tan/gray base coat?  And what tools should I get to sculpture my rock formations.  I have a small rasp, utility knife and metal putty knife.  Any other tools you might suggest would be helpful.  Thanks for posting info and photo's.

Steve, Lady and Tex

Tex,

You're welcome.

I didn't spray anything, but I dabbed some watered-down darker gray acrylic paint over the base color on the vertical rocks.

When that was dry, I drybrushed an off-white acrylic over all the rock formations. Put just a tiny bit of the off-white on the bristles of a 2" brush and just whisk it across the rocks to highlight the edges.

I use an old hand-held hacksaw blade for cutting the basic shapes in the Styrofoam. Then, a kitchen steak knife is used to chip away bits of Styrofoam for the final shape.

Jim

Thanks Jim,

I have glued together a test stack of foam to experiment with and gain some experience in sculpturing the foam.  As you know from my Texas layout, I used mainly plaster cloth and rock molds to create my formations, so this is new territory for me.  But if I can get the technique down, I can make my foam formations in my shop, paint and landscape them before I place them on the layout.  I can blend them in after the sections are glued down.  I will let you know how my test goes and post photo's of what I did to get your opinion.  Thanks you again.

Steve, Lady and Tex

Tex,

I try to carve the foam in sections away from the layout whenever I can. Sometimes, I will finish them right down to the ground cover before placing them on the layout.

Looking forward to seeing your progress.

Jim

Latex is definitely the paint to use.  Several thick coats sort of fill in and hides the foam nature of the stuff, too.

Tex

I did the same thing. Built it out side completely. Must have had 100 different size pieces so far. After finished it wasn't bad putting them together in most all of the areas. Some to large and had to do them inside. That was messy.

Once you get the latex on you can use rattle can spray paint for what ever colors you want. I did my best to copy the way Patrick H did on his layout he took down. By the way he was very helpful with e-mails getting me straight on his method.

Good Luck

Larry

Thanks Lee for the information on latex paint.

Larry, boy those look great, looks like you put a lot of work into all those foam pieces, they look great on your layout.  Your tips are appreciated. 

Steve, Lady and Tex

I sometimes cover the foam with a thin cover of spackling paste and then use a wet paintbrush to go over it and wipe some but not all off. It tends to give it a more weathered look (and makes it a bit easier to paint once it is dried) 

Very nice work guys, you need to come over and help here:-)

Nice work everyone!

Larry,

Having seen Patrick H's layout twice in person, I think you got it down pat!  (no pun intended)  I think you could give as good a clinic as he could!  Yours look great!

When I get to building scenery, I am going to give it a try myself.

Here is my first attempt at sculpturing pink foam board.  The test rock formation is about 8" tall by 10" X 6".  I painted the structure using a flat tan latex paint.  I will let it dry for a day or two and use acrylic paints to highlight the formation.  I will post more photo's at that time. 

I tend to believe the foam board I purchased is a denser foam than the one's I have seen being carved on YouTube.  Their foam board looks pinker than mine and seems easier to sculpture.  I went to all the national and local outlets which carry foam board and they all had the same foam board I got. 

Steve, Lady and Tex

Looking good Tex.

Mark

Let me know if you need info, ref: tools methods that Patrick passed on to me. Sure wish I could have seen his in person. I still have a bunch of his lay out pictures in a file.

Lima

I know how you feel. One man construction is very slow.

Larry

Looks good, Steve.

Jim

Thanks Jim, I still have a ways to go learning where to put the various rock formations to break things up a bit, but I found it's a lot like real sculpturing that an artist does........don't that beat all.

I looked up "Texas rock formations" on Google images and there are some that look just like the one you posted with rock pillars shooting up to the sky.  Good work.

I really appreciate everyone's help.  This is what the forum is all about.

Steve, Lady and Tex

Thanks, Larry!  I remember the general gist of what he did while in the construction phase, but notes would be great if you can send them.  My e-mail is in my profile! 

I have the layout burned into my mind's eye now.  It was an experience that ranked up there with seeing John Armstrong's C&S layout and speaking with him many years ago.  You never forget those!

I did the washes on my test rock structure today.  I used 5 different colors and really did not get the effect I was looking for.  I'm used to coloring cast plaster rock and surfaces and the latex paint just doesn't take the paint like plaster does.  It doesn't look bad, I wanted to keep things on the lighter side.  Anyway here are a couple of shots of the "rock" after the acrylic washes were applied and dried.  (To me it looks like a big elephant "dump").

Steve, Lady and Tex

(To me it looks like a big elephant "dump").

That's funny Tex.

Sounds like you need to continue to experiment until YOU'RE happy happy happy.

I'm  dumb on exactly what a Texas rock formation is suppose to look like.

Here in East TN when you start putting on the vegetation and adding shrubs and trees it really starts standing out big time.

Larry

I looks pretty good though.  I know how it is when its not what you pictured when you started, but it is good.

Larry, I believe you are right, it will look much better with some ground cover is applies to the rock formation.  I will try that this weekend using mostly light brown grass and some green near the bottom of formation.  The test rock is much smaller than what I need to construct for the layout.

Here are some photo's of Texas landscape I am attempting to model for my new WW11 Army camp.  Because it is high desert, there is not much green except for scrub brush and small trees.

Lee, thanks for your kind words.  I keep trying to get a better grasp on painting.  Once I can get the combination of colors down I think I will be OK.  One thing I found out is the test formation I made looks different under different types of lighting.

Steve, Lady and Tex

Steve, Lady and Tex

Do you have a copy of Dave Frary's scenery book? He discusses in detail how to paint foam mountains. I used that and Jim's sculpting technique to make mine. I will try and post some pics tomorrow. I think it looks pretty good, but if,your not happy keep experimenting. Cut/shape more and paint with gesso or dary gray or light brown latex paint thinned with water and start over. Drybrush with acrylics. 

Bob

Tex, I think you have nailed the landforms you showed in the photos.  I have the Frary book, and did some landforms in foam years ago, but mostly covered them with vegetation.  I will have to try modeling rocks with foam when I build my next layout.

Your photos show my kinda country - where I was raised and would prefer to retire, but I married a New York City girl and North Carolina is as far west as I can drag her.  

Of course, the real world looks different under different lighting, too, and that brings up something I haven';t experimented with, the use of lighting, too.  Interesting to think about.  

Your scenery really goes look exceptionally good.  I am going to revise a good portion of my layout sometime in the future and have kept notes . . . 

Lee, I really believe the major hurdle I am facing is the foam board I am using is too dense/compressed.  The foam I have just doesn't carve as easily as what I see being done on YouTube tutorials.  My hands and wrist actually hurt after trying to sculpture for a little while.  I attempted to locate the "pinker" foam board but no one in the area carries it.  I'm going to do another larger text block to see if I can improve on the formations and use the coloring techniques posted by Jim to see if I can get improved coloring.  Thanks for your kind words and tips.

Thanks CP BOB, Mark and Larry.

Steve, Lady and Tex

Tex, I think your colors look great. The foam they have in So Cal is a dense purple color. I have not tried it. In 2007, I tried to locate the pink or blue extruded foam, but could not find any. On a trip to North Dakota, I loaded up my trailer in Rapid City, SD with about 30 sheets of 4 x 8 in various widths. Still have half of it. Too bad your in Oregon. Anyway, I experimented with various tools and a serrated steak knife worked best for me along with various foam carving hot tools. Here are some pics of foam I carved and others of foam (preformed pieces) that I just colored.

Brings some questions to mind...Does this mean we could be painting dried elephant dumps soon? "Is that live ground cover growing on your layout?" Will I have to let that pet into my train room?  Oh my, decisions, decisions.. 

 Looks fine! Nature is too strange to say what shape is right... And at least your dog didn't eat yours while the paint dried outside

Hi Bob, I gather you saw a difference in the foam also.  Yes, the stuff I get here is on the purplish side, it must be a regional thing.  From what I see, the density of the foam board makes a big difference, not only in how rock features turn out, but also how easy it is to work.  I don't know what my options are.  I can attempt to contact a local insulation outfit here and see if they can order in the lighter density foam board.  If they can I'm sure it will be expensive to have it shipped in.  A 2" 4 X 8 sheet of this purple foam board cost me $35.00 at home depot, the 1" board is $18.00.  I hate to waste my money on foam board that won't meed my needs.

Your rock formations are awesome, especially the ones around and above the tunnel.  Is that foam board?  If it is, you did a great job on it.  I wish you did live closer, at least we could chat and play trains.  Thanks for posting the photo's of your work.

Steve, Lady and Tex

Hi Tex, from what I learned from a local hardware store today is that the building codes changed and the pink/blue did not meet code. I know it is flammable. Some of the rocks around the tunnel are premade foam which can be purchased from scenic express. If you buy a couple of different ones you can make your own rubber molds. Then, you can pour plaster rock formations. Bragdon Enterprises sells a plethera of molds in various sizes. They also have a system to build lightweight mountains. In addition, they have weathering powders that stick better than chalks. I had several trial and errors carving foam mountains until I was happy. Keep experimenting with different knives to get the right cut and pick method/look. Mountains in Minutes made foam rock walls and they are still available, but are pricey. A good place to get foam insulation might be construction sites. Before the recession, it was a good place to find scrap pieces. Next weekend, I'll postocs of some the tools I used. 

Have a good week,

Bob

Every time I say this I get nailed for it, but:

The best way to paint a mountain is to start with an undercoat of BLACK paint. Let it dry and then dry-brush the lighter, earth-tone colors. THAT is the easy way to get the kind of shadows and undertones seen in the above western scenes.  This is how the famous Troels Kirk (a professional painter) does it, and his work speaks for itself.

This is really the same logic as ending with bright white highlights, and is exactly what an oil painter does:  start with the shadows and end with the highlights.  Here is a mountain of mine done that way:

When we lived in Virginia and I was building a layout in the late '80s, I picked up scraps of blue, pink, and green foam along the road that had blown out of trucks.  They must be sticklers for not having stuff blow out of trucks today, because now that construction is back up in Pennsylvania, I never see scraps along the road.

Pete,

I have seen pictures of Troels work and have his CD on colors.  Fantastic!

Your mountain turned out Superb!!

Avanti,

That is how it is explained in Dave Frary"s scenery book. I won"t nail you for it. I think the results are superb.

Bob

Bob, I thought building codes had something to do with the different foam.  With this denser foam board, I think I have to use a different technique, more cutting with a knife and saw than pulling apart with a metal rule.  I have to make a section on my army base with a road leading up to the Army RR yard.  This will be my next test.  The test rock formation I posted looks OK on the photo's and at a distance, but when you get close the formations don't look so natural.

Pete, thanks for the painting info.  I wish I had access to the tutorial you mentioned.  I found a YouTube video with similar black paint used in the process by an Albert Rademacher.  But he used spray paints to do his grays, tans and white highlights.  Your rock mountain looks great and I gather the top photo is a before shot and bottom photo after????  The coloring in the bottom photo is more what I am after.  I like easy, easy is good.

Thanks for everyone's information and help.  When you do something like this for the first time, especially at my age, it's a little scary.

Steve, Lady and Tex

Speaking of elephant dung, my grandfather was a politician out west many, many years ago.  After a big parade, a friend picked up some elephant dung about the size of a bowling ball and had it shellacked or lacquered, then mounted in a display case with a nice brass plaque that said "GOP Bush" on it.  My grandfather had it is his office for years.  It never smelled or deteriorated, but I always thought it was gross.  My grandfather though, loved it, and used to say: "You're looking at what many politicians do best!"  

Thanks to Lee, Larry, Jim and others on the forum, I have been able to complete three major pieces to my Texas desert formations.  Two sections are approx. 20" X 30" and the corner piece is 18" X 18" X 29".  I have about 5 more sections to go but they are not as large or complicated. 

After painted the individual pieces with a light tan latex paint I used Yellow, Gray, Desert brown, Burn Siena and black acrylic paints mixed about 40/60 with water.  I applied the yellow to highlight rock formations and let it dry over night.  The next day I applied the rest of the colors one right after the other to let them blend together.

The photo's below were taken in the sunlight outside and they do look different under the light in the train room.  I have not applied the dirt and grasses yet, I wanted to give you a look before I did the final step.  Sorry the photo's really don't show the true color but it will give you the idea on how I shaped them.  The flat areas will be dirt roads leading up to the train station and RR yard.

Steve, Lady and Tex

I think those are going to look real good. Great effort!!

Like Lee says......

"If no one as ever done it that way, it might be fun to try."

Larry

Looks good, Steve.

Jim