@CA John posted:Hi Pete,
How did you create the flat faced rock work and the waterfall in your Acahela National Forest view posted above? They are both very realistic.
John
John,
Thanks for asking.
The mountain is mostly made of paper towels dipped in soupy plaster and draped over cardboard lattice. The large flat rock faces are mostly real stone, blended into the plaster via dry-brushing with the finish colors. In a few places, I used crumpled tinfoil as a mold. The secret of nice mountain terrain is to start by painting the whole thing flat black. This is counterintuitive, but it produces deep shadows that can't really be painted on later. It is sort of a complement to the well-known technique of finishing by dry-brushing with bright white to simulate the glint of sunlight.
As for the waterfall, I used the standard technique of squeezing long thin strips of RTV onto a sheet of plate glass, letting it dry, and then carefully peeling it off. The strips are they laid over a white-painted stream bed. The secret to realism is to add thin wisps pulled from medical cotton. This nicely simulates water spray and holds up well even on close inspection.
Hope this helps a bit.
