Styrofoam as a medium?

smeagol the vile wrote:

...my problem is the surface I need is a smooth one, like sheer cut stone, or a trench worn away by water erosion...

 Carve the styrofoam to what you want, then seal it with homemade white glue/water sealer.  Depending on the foam, you might need two or three coats of sealer.

Paint after the sealer dries.

Wasn't an answer, it was instruction... Next time you want instruction rather suggestion, input, tips, and ideas, ask for it outright...

Here's a succinct answer to your question, "Styrofoam as a medium?"

Yes...

Whenever I ask questions like this, about new techniques or using new things I havent used before I am asking for instruction.  Thats how I learn.

And just because model maniac is on your nerves doesnt mean ya have to get snippy at me

smeagol the vile wrote:

Whenever I ask questions like this, about new techniques or using new things I havent used before I am asking for instruction.  Thats how I learn.   And just because model maniac is on your nerves doesnt mean ya have to get snippy at me

Sorry, but what more do you need? We're happy to answer questions, but this one's really simple. Cut the styrofoam to shape. Glue thin sheets together with white glue if needed. Lay on a layer of sealant, celluclay, plaster or as another poster suggested (but I think would be very time consuming) household glue. Paint (or if you've used celluclay, you could have added acrylic paint to the mix not needed to paint.) Add grasses, shrubs, other plant material as desired. Rock shoul be inserted in the wet mixture nd the edges blended in.

smeagol the vile wrote:

And just because model maniac is on your nerves doesnt mean ya have to get snippy at me

Lol...  Kid, I'm a retired US Army senior NCO... "Snippy" is not a word one would ever use to describe me...  Besides, I have selective nerves...  They can engage multiple targets with varying degrees of force...

It's like I told my kids all their lives... I do NOT yell.  Sergeants do NOT yell, they communicate in an authoritative manner to preclude any misunderstandings, miscommunications, or mistakes...

Move out smartly, now...

Hans, you remind me alot of my band director at the college I go to.  He is an ex-marine and seems to have that same attitude you have.

I don't have an attitude... I just expect my directives to carried out like they came from the Burning Bush...

Hans von Hammer wrote:

I don't have an attitude... I just expect my directives to carried out like they came from the Burning Bush...

Uh Hans... Im pretty sure they have ointment that will clear the burning right up.

Knock 'em out 'till I get tired...

I use joint compound (NOT "spackle")... you might know it as "Sheetrock mud"... It won't attack the styrofoam, dries quick, can be spread on very thin, and is sandable and paintable after sealing... You can texture it to make it look like Stucco, Brick, Concrete, or smooth plaster... You can get it in quart-sized buckets for around 6 bucks at just about any hardware store...

The drawback to mudding styrofoam is it's flexability... If the sheet is too big and the mud too thin, it can crack and fall off... One way to help stop that cracking is use smaller sheets, no more than about 6x8 or so, and make sure you scribe the surface of the foam with a knife to give it something to stick to...

I found the dry wall mud I had wouldn't set properly and would always be flaky and chalky after it dried...

Did you scribe the underlying material first? Need to do that to give it something to stick to. 

    Another way to seal the foam after it's glued up and shaped is to paint it with leftover latex housepaint that's squirreled away in your garage. Indoor/outdoor no matter. Use a color other than a shade of foam color to ensure total coverage. When dry,use any media you like to work with to create your scene.

 Rick