hey guys just wondering what materials people are using for ground work. what kind of puttys dirt selection and all that stuff.

plaster, sand, stones, water, pigments, paint,...

Celluclay mixed with railroad ballast, Silfor grasses, Pegassus Hobbies casti, Armand Bayardi tree stumps and boulders, the occasional pea stone form the back yard path, Woodland scenics turf and long grasses, 3 Guyz snow, Hudson and Allen forest litter, and various other ground covers and the occasional "rock" from leftover Apoxie Sculpt ot Miliput. ,

Buy some acrylic binder in an art shop and throws whatever you think is worth in the mix, and it works reeeal good

I use Durham's Water Putty from the hardware store. Mix it to the consistency of batter and spread it onto the base, then sprinkle dry Durhams straight from the can onto the surface. It will soak up the excess water and give an instant granulated dirt texture. The color is light tan, so no worry about white spots in the grass, and you can embed anything you like in it. It can be precolored by mixing with dry pigments, or painted afterwards, as you prefer. If you need to build up the ground, just apply it over carved styrofoam. It hardens much more quickly than Celluclay, so you have less risk of warping a wooden base, and it doesn't lift off as it dries, either. And being inorganic, you don't risk anything eating it (Celluclay can grow fungus and even attract weavils in some storage conditions). And it's cheap.

Hehe, exactly, do not forget to sift the "whatever you think stuff " to avoid adding leaves and insects.

Seriously, that's what i am using also. Sand and sifted earth , no need to spend any money.

Cheers
Claude

I use an ultra-cheap method

I build up a very uneven surface using tissue paper and diluted PVA glue. Then I use a mix of plaster (spackle, drywall etc) and pastels to create a thin shell over the top. You can cover a few square feet of ground with just a few quids worth of gear.



once the static grass is on, washes etc it looks pretty good.