Help-how to make construction site dirt

ethanoldio wrote:

Thanks for the help fellas!  One more though, what would you use for the styrofoam? What kind, and where could you find it? Thanks

The blue or pink foam sheets at your local "big box" home center work well enough.  They are on the "insulation" aisle.  They are typically a "fine grain" closed-cell foam a bit nicer than the "white" compressed polystyrene foam used in coolers and as packaging. 

That's good and bad.  It's good while you are carving the material out, there's little or no of the "granular bits" which pick up a static charge and cling to everything they ought not.  It's bad in that the closed cell foam can hold "too sharp" an edge (sometimes).

If you invest in a foam-cutting set that has a table with guide fence along with a hand-held cutter, you can find foam very addictive.  (I know I spent far too long slicing layers to make a beautiful, shale-like rock outcropping, only to note afterwards, I had made no provision for getting a finish surface--like celluclay or durham's--on all that work <thump forehead; doh!>)

I use real dirt that has been sifted to remove the larger particles (then use then for rocks and stones etc.).  Make sure the dirt is dry and break up large chunks.  Then I usually mix it with some Celluclay water and glue.  If you save some of the dirt you can sprinkle it on before it dries to give it a good texture.  I use some styrofom or some thing under to make to shapes.

Grizz

Use plaster of Paris to shape the ground and while its setting, press the rocks into it. For the track marks, press a spare track into the plaster of paris while its still wet. When the plaster dries, cover it with dirt and paint the rocks. I'd reccomend putting some dark brown or thinned black paint in the track marks.

Hope this helps.

David