Jeremy, plaster is pretty easy to work with, to make may basis for buildings/walls I simply make a form using duplo blocks (the really big Lego blocks for small kids) and make up my mix, I usually add some liquid tile grout colorant into the mix to add some strength, and pour into the form. Once it's completly cured I simply cut into the shapes I need, and take a dremel tool to cut out sections, take a knife and add nicks, I then take one of those bbq cleaning brushes and lightly go over the whole thing to add some scratches, etc. It can be messy when your cutting/sanding the stuff, dust flies everywhere, so wear a mask!
The bamboo was a godsend, a neighbour bought this huge bamboo blind set for his windows, but found that they were 5 inches too long, so he brought them over, and we rolled up the blind, and I used my chop saw to cut the excess, and he gave the cut off to me, so I scored twice, got some "planks" and all of the fine rope that had held the pieces into place!
The dust was from Stardust pigments, very nice stuff, very concentrated! I'm glad everyone noticed the hand painted cross, I didn't want to use decals here, I wanted to achieve that "just got it, slap on the markings look" LOL
