Whats the best way to make mud with footprints in it? I'm making a trench and I really don't think it will look good with dry dirt.

low budget methods would be nice!

Mix some drywall compound with a bit of your earth colour. Lay it down and then take a spare set of legs and push then into the still wet compound... Viloa... Footprints.. When the compund dries, finish painting and weathering..

hey arznek

im not sure what would be the *best* method but from messing about and alot of learning from the guys here at armorama, ive tried milliput, ive found it easy to work with when still freshly made, and theres also plaster - you could add your footprints using spare legs while its still drying.

hope thats a help

alpha :-)

i ve also used some physical resources (fine earth mixed with sand) and even spice materials (cinamon, nutmeg, allspice)that i apply on enough white glue it makes a soft mix , u make the foorprint or track marks or whatever elseand then u leave to dry , spray some 3M adhesive or to keep it staqble and then use gloss varnishes to make the wet effect . Hope this helps. But in generall try to experiment with everyday materials , they work properly !!!!

For a smooth mud, the others gave you the answers. For dried mud, I add microballoons for a more irregular texture.

Sealhead (Kansas Sunflower)

I've never used this recipe but I've thought about it - used coffee grounds and a bit of wall putty. Mix the two and apply. Add a touch of color as you mix to ensure a nice even coat.

I just finished up a trench dio. I used an old figure to put the footprints in while the celluclay was still wet. This method worked well for me because you can get different size and depth footprints depending on how much force you apply.

I also have to add that the depth of the footprints must be proportional to the weight of the body that made them. I mean if some one is carrying a wounded man his footprints are a lil wider and deeper than another guys that he is carrying only himself!. The same goes for the tracks. A willys does not apply so heavy terrain distortion as a M48 of course . But with experimenting and close attention to pictures i think you can found anything

you can use what ever you want from that other said.
the cheapest is using plaster

Man you people have some crafty ways of doing things =P I'm gonna try some of these out!

Speaking of crafty
A bit off subject, but I used floral foam to make the edges around the trenches, and I had a roll of plaster cloth ( Woodland Scenics ) that I covered the entire diorama so the texture wouldn't be extremely pourus. Anyway when I was getting the cloth wet I noticed how fine messed the cloth actually was, and I cut a large square and washed all of the plaster off. I spray painted it Olive Drab, and wove in some woodland scenics course ground cover and managed to make some very convincing armor cammo! It might even work for a covered trench or something like that.

When I finished this dio (which features a pak40) I'll be sure to post some pics!