THE OBELISK - Practice Project for BEGINNERS

[@TripleXclown]

Define "Soft Boy" ?? I laughed too hard I think..

[@BlackMagicCraftOfficial]

People who’ve never done manual labour and are scared of tools. Soft hands.

[@TripleXclown]

@@BlackMagicCraftOfficial .. Completely different then what I thought.. but appropriately descriptive! I was more along the lines of chicken..Scaredy Cats.. Afraid to use a utility knife.. I think I will adopt your term Sir!!

[@BlackMagicCraftOfficial]

That too. I get a lot of comments like "oh my god I was so nervous seeing you hold that knife while you talk?!?!?" or "please be careful with that knife you are making me nervous!".......those are the soft boys. I'm not afraid of a little cut, I was a carpenter, my hands are full of scars and calluses. Don't do anything that can cause serious damage if it goes wrong but don't live your life terrified of a tiny cut either.

[@TripleXclown]

@@BlackMagicCraftOfficial I'm a set carpenter so I get it.. having lighting techs flip out on how you handle a skill saw..,"Are you afraid to loose a hand??" Only answer is I am when you freak out when im cutting.. Totally stealing it!! Love it!!

[@SinNerds]

@@BlackMagicCraftOfficial As a woodworker and prior contractor, I get this 100%. Always love to see peoples "opinions" about safety in the comments section.

[@danbbq8194]

Dammit Jeremy, I’ve got a bone to pick with you, mate. Your projects have already taken over my house, and now that I’m on holiday, I find myself watching your vids in the hotel instead of hitting Bali’s bars! Bloody good work with all you’ve done for the community... thanks dude.

[@dyrckhughes2463]

One of the best videos that I think you have made. It answers almost all of the questions that I have seen asked of you. How to get a basic scatter piece, base coat, paint, high light and wash until you get something that will be versatile in most games. The process that you go through and the explanations are so easy to follow and the results look great. Thank you for the video.

[@TristanStClair]

I consider myself a veteran crafter, but I literally always learn something from your videos. Leg bolts for weight is genius, man. Great video, as always!

[@Eithne21]

Thanks for the advice for beginners. I started viewing your videos and made my first stone tiles this week. They turned out great. You're a great teacher! Thank you

[@chocolatechipwookiee6472]

I'm so amazed every time how the painting/shading makes such a crude form from the beginning into such a complex looking, defined shape at the end.

[@UlfFormynder]

Painting minis and tabletop terrain is actually a lot like Firefly. It's the Wash that ties everything together and makes it amazing.

[@rezende.leo.anoder]

So nice to see the balance between back to basics and advanced content. Great video and build, will try that out being a veteran crafter, it is cool.

[@orkloven]

Great video! I would suggest a change in the order a bit though. Add the runes and carved detail BEFORE you chip away and carve weathering into the stone. It creates more organic breaks and interrupts in the runes and carved details. This way, you could pencil in figures and primitive artwork as complete pieces and carve away at them, leaving mysterious half figures. 😁👍

[@hollyingraham3980]

Came here to say this. In scene shops, you build pretty things then mess them up for the "breakdown" version. Then the decorations are destroyed, rather than fitting in around the destruction.

[@BlackMagicCraftOfficial]

Yes. If planned I would approach it this way. The symbols were an afterthought, which is also fine. Could look like it was once a nice stone that was covered in symbols then broke, or it could look like an old jagged stone that some tribe added runes to later. Either is cool.

[@SMunro]

Add a tiny chain painted down to look corroded and rusty and you have a stone to which a sacrifice is shackled and whipped.

[@marshallsonsteby3862]

Love the message! Don't think too much about crafting, just get out there and make something! Learn from that and keep crafting.

[@4MEStudios]

OK... This was the real catalyst to start making....Thanks for sharing!

[@MontanaDoe]

Don't let the haters get you down. You're the best/highest production crafting channel on KZbin. Keep up the hard work.

[@716cbeach]

I wanted to say thanks for your videos. I am new to this craft. I do it for gaming with my son. On this one I took your advice and did the wash. What a difference it makes... Thanks...

[@impacarnage]

You should make a series like: Beginners dungeon kit, Suburb kit etc. For example a video where you make a simple forest kit with a couple of trees, a wood stump, a couple of stones etc. Or a video of chairs, tables, paintings and more for city kits. I think it would help a lot of people see that making their first d&d scene is easier than most think.

[@brianartillery]

It's great - I made one, years ago, after reading 'The Black Stone', by Robert E. Howard. I'll make a new one, now, to which I might add some tiny eyebolts and a couple of bits of 'rusty' chain. Wise words on knife use - my late mother was terrified of sharp blades, and, as a consequence, was always over careful, and accidentally cutting herself. I have only ever cut myself once - when I over stressed a blade whilst cutting styrene. Never happened since.

[@trevclaridge]

Killin' it with the dual camera setup!

[@FrankyDCrafter]

I really like that you make videos for veterans as well as for beginners. It’s these beginner style videos of yours that got me into crafting.

[@perrygrosshans8537]

Super awesome. Nothing wrong with adding to your different video sections. A great video for the Beginner section (and always, handy tips for the more experienced as well!)

[@rcornejo911]

Great starter project, love it! I've been a hobbyist for years and have spent some time painting minis, so painting terrain is so much less stressful, haha. The biggest tip I think I could ever give to a beginner is don't put yourself in a huge time crunch. Allow yourself the opportunity of enjoying the project, rather than deciding you need to make a full set of dungeon tiles and an entire village before your next gaming session, which is a week away.

[@lewisharris3400]

Fantastic idea for a beginner build and scatter terrain. I will have to add this to my to-do list! Even if they are not used for any specific encounter, it would be great to drop some of these in a forest clearing in D&D just to see where the players' imaginations take them.

[@valasafantastic1055]

Add some deep lore and a potential random encounter! But not too much in case they don’t care.

[@jacobbalensiefer3846]

I know you don’t get to use all your cool tools and skills in simple builds like these but they are super handy. I actually did something similar (but smaller) to this awhile back. After it sealed up I turned it into a stone cauldron using your gore technique.

[@dkbibi]

You could also use a very fine black sharpie to draw the runes because it will slightly melt the foam. I find pencil kind of scratch the foam and makes very fine dust/wisps. Just a matter of taste!

[@MrMagicPenguin12]

13:58 This is suuuch an important thing, it is really intimidating when you are just starting or have a nice piece, but its really freeing to know its not a destructivr process

[@ArikawaProductions]

I was a little sad when he said he was changing up his video schedule, but I am really loving all of the content that has been coming out since then. Not that I didn't like what he was making before! I really like getting these longer videos where you kind of take us through your whole, like, mind journey more or less as it happens instead of jump cutting to the results of each new step. I really like that we still get to go along and see what you did and what did and didn't work. Awesome content! Love your stuff 💕

[@Winterydee]

Jeremy, I would suggest that the original shape of the obelisk is created in the foam, then add the ruins, then remove the areas where the stone has fallen off from weather, damage and whatnot. After all of that, add stone texture with foil ball and carry on as normal for basing, sealing and painting. But, I guess I'm looking at the obelisk being made a old/fallen civilization that was made a some kind of monument. Where as how you have done it could be seen as more of a primitive or stone age people creating a monument. Maybe just different techniques or sequence of the building processe for achieving different developmental era's of monuments building for different terrain peices.

[@mistac5050]

So glad I found your channel! I build action figure dioramas, so I'm loving all of your stonework tips. Thanks for the great content!

[@perkinsdearborn4693]

I stopped at a Walmart today and found this craft paints for 50 cents. So I grabbed a bunch of different colours and some Mod Podge. Thx for the inspiration.

[@JRcottom]

Just made my first ever piece! I made a column using this tutorial. Thank you so much man, you made this extremely accessible!

[@biglar155]

"It's just paint." Great advice. I was a little intimidated when I first tried painting minis for a board-game. After finishing a few pieces (and making a few mistakes) I realized that it really is "just paint." Anyone who would like to try this hobby should just go for it. Screw-ups aren't permanent and sometimes they are pleasant surprises.

[@Jawsofhana]

There are no mistakes. Just happy accidents. :D

[@spencerwallace6520]

Your work is amazing man! I wish I would have found this page sooner! Going to make some of these on Tuesday!

[@k4rest]

This was my first project to support my d&d Saltmarsh campaign and it was perfect!!! Your tutorial was so easy to follow and I am really impressed with the end result I achieved. I'm addicted to your videos and even asked my boyfriend to buy me a proxxon hot wire cutter for Christmas, lol.

[@krisluthy]

BMC keeping the soft bois in line! Great tutorial (as per usual). Keep up the good work!

[@babach2202]

"Don't worry, it's just paint" will be a pretty cool design for a future tee, no ? :P

[@MrSJPowell]

One of my favorite things to say about painting is "It's not the first coat that matters. It's the last one."

[@ShadowSlayer74]

I need that as a poster in my art room, might be worth making...

[@lostonwallace1396]

For me, washes are always the FUN part of painting!

[@chucklemons3532]

Always good to get back to basics no matter what your expertise level currently is.

[@zawarudo58]

And if you mess up you've got a wonderfully disturbing Spongebob paperweight!

[@anthonyhargis6855]

Looks great! But I think I would have added the texture first, then the writing and hieroglyphs and then start chipping away at the stone. The chips would then make the stone look weather worn and the writing more washed away. And that's what I appreciate the most with your videos, you make suggestions about things I haven't yet considered and then I end up thinking about how I would do it. Love your videos Jeremy!

[@PriceTheAvocadoKing]

Loved the soft boy knife comment! My thought's exactly! If you aren't able to tell when you yourself need to use protection/don't need to use protection, then you probably shouldn't be using the tool to begin with.

[@mkhpsyco]

I am running Tomb of Annihilation, there's an obelisk near the end, I'm gonna make one of these for my group. Thanks dude. (New to painting, just painted my first two figures, have like... 4 others I've bought, it's becoming a thing now)

[@slushosaur]

These simple obelisks look really good when you pick out the engraved runes with glowing colours etc. Nice tutorial for beginners!

[@RoseBee]

As weight, you could use fishing lead. Cheap, very heavy for its size (way heavier than coins or screws), easily found anywhere they sell sports / outdoor stuff and can be glued in as well. Also, very suitable for (very) small items as they tend to come in small beads. Do you ever use a hair dryer (cold blast setting) to dry your paint?

[@wookiejesusofnazarethkashy1940]

Use a fine tip sharpie to carve in runes or letters. The ink melts the foam and makes it easy to get good deep grooves and helps doing curves without ripping the foam.

[@johnnybigbones4955]

Thank you Jeremy! I am really enjoying getting back into making terrain after a decade long break, and your videos are a big source of inspiration for me. Very happy with the time I am spending and the results.

[@stevencooper1103]

You could actually use the Runes from the book, it would be interesting to put real words on it and use it as part of a puzzle as well as terrain.

[@Evil_Misfit_]

Love this. Just got my foam cutter today. Really looking forward to using it. Used your link.

[@jordanbeard6687]

Check your local dollar store near the craft items/glue/office supplies. I have found several of them actually carry Mod Podge and it's way cheaper per oz/ml than anywhere else near me. Just saying, it can be a major money saver buying it there. I love the dollar stores for getting a lot of my supplies.

[@legowelt0809]

I am so happy that I found you and your channel. I’ve just recently got back to table top games. I used to play it when I was a teenager and my most interest at that time was playing the game. Now I want to play and also have great miniatures and especially terrain to play on. I’ve bought quite a few things off your amazon list, can’t wait for it all to arrive in 2 days and finally go crazy and building my first terrain pieces! Really enjoyed this video, something simple and where you can practice your techniques as well. Keep up the great work, passion and enthusiasm. I have a feeling you are very down to earth which really makes your videos and your channel shine out. Greetings from Germany! By the way it was very hard to find XPS Foam here in Germany. All the stores only have xps without a clean and smooth surface (for better adding wall paint or whatever). I finally found one, which is almost smooth, the rest will just be smoothed out by hand. :)

[@BlackMagicCraftOfficial]

Germany actually sells the BEST XPS foam, by Styrodur. You are lucky. Watch my recent video with the “Hard Foam Master” for more info.

[@legowelt0809]

Black Magic Craft ah that was a very informative video, I actually got the right type of foam :) I just didn’t realize that a video with the title saying „hard foam master“ was something for a beginner, but I actually enjoyed it! Thanks for the reply :)

[@timroberts69]

Now you have done the windmill with MDF, it would be interesting to see how you would reproduce a similar piece in foam.

[@teritras41]

He said in the video that he would probably not even try to make something as intricate as the windmill in foam. Its probable too fragile and too complicated compared to modifying a mdf build. Also the time it would take would be insane..

[@richschuster]

Related request: a brand new Egyptian style Obelisk. Something that some cultists are finishing and the heroes need to interrupt. I appreciate that most terrain in D&D is heavily weathered, but a build with sharp intended edges would be interesting.

[@scottplumer3668]

It probably wouldn't be much different, you just wouldn't take the chunks out of it, and would cut it more evenly. Getting all the hieroglyphs on it would be the hard part.

[@_GreenSkies_]

I've just started a new dice tower because of your vids, and this is just more inspiration fuel to get me to finish it. That obelisk looks awesome

[@dorkjedi]

@BMC watching this, i wanted to cut a bit longer of an obelisk, cut about a quarter to third off, carve them like you showed, then use a piece of clear rod to make the larger piece look like it's floating above the smaller "magically"

[@ctrlalttab]

Made three this week! Loving them! Also merch ordered! Much love to you Jeremy

[@juliehamel8330]

A few Obelisk is actually on my to do list... now I have no excuses. Nice beginner project and indeed very useful for more advanced crafters. I fully expect to see a bunch on these show up on my Instagram feed.

[@Wotansohn68]

These types of projects are so great. Thanks.

[@demetrinight5924]

I just started crafting for Frostgrave and a bunch of obelisk on the table should make for interesting scatter.

[@alrethianscraftsbattles]

I have been crafting for many years, i showed this to my son and he wanted to do this together...we are making it right now. I am doing the cutting however , not letting my 7 year old boy using a knife 😁. We already made a ruïned building together. I made a custom rule skirmish game based on the witcher. We are making terrain for this game and play together 😉

[@Isaac-hm6ih]

A witcher skirmish game? Any chance you could post a link to the rules?

[@alrethianscraftsbattles]

I have them written on a piece of paper. I do create "witcher contract" for the quests. It's a pretty easy system because my boy is 7 so nothing to complex but it is fun as hell :-). I'll see what i can do to maybe type them out and elaborate on them. The combat system is a D20 system, except the lower you roll the better it is. Example: Geralt has an attack score of14 so he has to roll a 14 or lower to succeed. A roll of 1 is a crit and a automatic hit without a chance to defend. Same goes for defending etc... the stats of the monsters/enemies are referenced on my Witcher contract cards :-)

[@cpmenninga]

Genius. That sounds great for both of you!

[@alrethianscraftsbattles]

@@cpmenninga it's fun to share this hobby with him 😁

[@tinaprice4948]

I love terrain for beginners, sometimes seeing all the amazing things behind you on your shelves is a bit intimidating. Maybe you can start doing vieos on all the easy terrain bits that you haven't shown us how to make yet in more beginner videos :) that way we will get to make more items and see more of those amazing things you have and realize that maybe we can make even more of them :)

[@thedeaderer8791]

dude great video. can't wait for more of these beginners ones. they help with ideas and help make this hobby not so intimidating

[@caseygreyson4178]

Here’s another tip for those of you that don’t like the black wash!! After you apply it and brush it into the time crevices, you can use a paper towel or a paint scraper (I personally just use my thumb) to remove the black wash from the surface. The wash stays in the crevices because those are a lowered surface. I really like doing this because it means you don’t have to repaint the stone after washing.

[@bubger]

I'm really liking these beginner videos. Theyre a really big help!

[@timraup4888]

Thanks, BMC. I've never tried the beige color set for stone, so I think I'll give that a go soon. It's been ages since I've made anything, and this might just be what I needed.

[@jeffmckenzie7282]

I just recently started watching your video's. The builds you do are fantastic. I'm not artistically inclined, but feel I could possibly do some of these simple designs. As far as getting cut, I generally keep a bottle of Locktite 404 on hand for the really deep one's. Electrical tape and a WipeAll works for a makeshift band aid also. So, I'm going to get my son to give it a try also. Between the both of us, maybe we won't lose to many digits.

[@BlackMagicCraftOfficial]

Electrical tape and toilet paper 4 life!

[@Mommamacnz]

This was really useful to someone who is considering making their first piece. Thank you.

[@rowdyparks6770]

I was trying to come up with some more scatter pieces, this is great!! Thank you sir🙂

[@leonreche1829]

This beginner proyect is so cool! I just made mine and I am very happy with it.

[@samprastherabbit]

Hey man, thanks for all your work- You've inspired me to try my hand with a creepy mausoleum and I think it's coming along nicely! I decided to learn from your mistake and I painted the roof a brassy colour over brown, then mixed up a verdigris type paint with white,dark green so I had more control over the shade, plus blue. I added water & a surfactant additive and it looks the business. Waiting for the black /brown wash to dry as I type :)

[@oboylefamily1869]

Great vid. Can't believe the thumbs down. Just realized what a perfect project. Great for both beginner and pro as you gave lots of ideas from a basic to an embellished finished piece of terrain

[@litoinjapan7747]

Thanks for the vid. I really enjoyed all the tips and tricks with this one. I’m a beginner and this is going to be one of my next projects.

[@UristMcCBT]

Love these simple easy to do projects to get your feet wet. Great starting place or focus for a dnd session

[@st4lsell123]

Excellent video. Flashing back to watching your columns video, also a wonderful piece that was great for this beginner. Thanks again BMC.

[@st4lsell123]

Here it is. kzbin.info/www/bejne/l2O4iYGYrJuMpNk

[@tonywpt]

Thank you so much Jeremy. Your channel has really been an inspiration to me. So much so that I plan on making my own channel. You have mentioned in a previous video that you have a lot of back pain. I am a physical therapist by training and willing try and help you with it. Maybe some telemedicine or something.

[@TheLukemcdaniel]

It would mean a slight bit of wasted work, but I would do the runes on the squared off monolith, then start trimming the corners. That way you have some natural breaks in the middle of the runes, instead of them miraculously lining up with the cracks and crevices.

[@Lorn058]

Man I love these ideas. Plan to get my 12 year old involved soon. Great project to get him started!

[@urnammu7175]

Awesome work! This is what I needed! I plan on making variants for forest, mountain, and desert terrains!

[@captainmanx5615]

Veins of gold or glowing runes would be interesting to attempt, once I feel more skilled. Maybe I could try large stone walls made like this. They could be stone columns in the dragon's lair, something to hide behind!

[@dkaustin98]

I spent the day, between support calls, watching your build videos and video reviews on tools for working with foam. I am not a terrain gamer, but a model railroader. I model in 1:48th scale, On30. In 1:48 scale a structure can be large. A stone engine house kit is usually 6"x14". My turntable is 14" across. I learned a lot from your videos on using foam for all sorts of construction.. My particular interest is in Southwest Desert and Mountain mining. I need stucco buildings and stone block railroad buildings. From watching your videos I now know how I can accomplish that. Between your builds and Dave Meek's Thunder Mesa Mining Company (on KZbin) I know I can create something unique. One of the things about O scale structure kits is that the kits can run into hundreds of dollars. More money than I want to spend. Another thing that happens is structure commonality no matter what the scale. You start seeing the same kits appearing on many different layouts. I now know my structures do not have to look like the structures on others' layouts. Where I live in Louisiana I cannot get the pink XPS, but the blue XPS is available from a local plastics supplier. My layout is mostly constructed of the blue XPS to build the mountainous terrain that the mine trains climb through to reach the big mine at the top of the mountain. Tall wood model trestle bridges will eat up too much real estate in the valley below where I need my town. Your stone pillar builds are perfect for the high bridges. A lot people don't realize that German Engineers were involved in building many of the narrow gauge railroads in the Southwest and Mexico. Those Engineers used a lot of stone work. One of the neat things in 1:48th scale is the ability to easily add in animation. If you look at Dave Meek's build of his Undertaker structure he adds in moving ghosts behind the second floor window. Might be something to add to your next structure. Thanks for the videos!

[@blakemoore3858]

I know I'm a few years late, but I see others do the wash and wipe it down immediately after, is this a preference? Love the work I have been very inspired.

[@RollforDamageRFD]

Very simple and wonderful.

[@skaalduggery]

Awesome idea for all those scrap pieces. Also great back to basics video!

[@avariarevallier9799]

Absolutely love your videos, they help a lot! I don't know how to attach a photo... But I build some I wanted to share...

[@Born_Stellar]

"using a knife near my hands" well how the f*** else are you supposed to use it! 🤣

[@WhiskeyPatriot]

KindlyViking sometimes I pull too hard and rip the skin

[@sergiolp6058]

Hey nice video, for sure ill try. Do you have any video showing how to weather stones like this one?

[@Vpkoivisto]

Nice and simple! I definitely need to add stone pillars/obelisks to my crafting list.

[@anthonybreedlove1552]

I'm gonna make this tonight. Been in a creative rut lately, need a quick win.

[@skippthomsen9852]

Great to review the basics!

[@blakecollier7022]

Would have been cool if you wrote the runes in draconic or dwarven the phb has the Draconic dwarven and elvish languages written in the book

[@flamewave000]

It would be really cool to use a thin brush and add some clear UV paint to the runes. Then you could pop on a black light and the obelisk would come alive.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

Another key for knife safety is a sharp blade. You push harder and get more accidents with a dull blade. Learned that way back in scouting.

[@BoWhitten]

"Soft Bois" Love it. Thanks!

[@Bustermachine]

As someone with limited access to different foam thicknesses I have to ask if it's possible to bond multiple half inch sheets together and get a good enough lamination going if you can't find thicker XPCs panels easily

[@Medic6666]

Need a lot more like these. I am a complete clutz when making things and this lvl of making is right where i am. :D

[@gumbeauxgaming2297]

I'm sure I'm not the only one to do this.... but I use a cheap hairdryer to speed things along when painting. Needless to say, my wife was not thrilled...

[@mikeprater1759]

Great videos , I just started making terrain and was wondering . Is it normal for foam made terrain to still be soft . I also put plaster on foam but it still wasn’t great . My next test will be plaster and paper mix .

[@homebrewterrain1475]

why am I just now finding this channel LOL!!! I love this stuff !

[@dannym2359]

I could place those all over the place, but if they actually did anything my group would just not pay attention to them. Now, if they were just there to look cool, the group would spend 3 sessions trying to figure out what they were and why they were there

[@BlackMagicCraftOfficial]

This is exactly how using terrain works in game!

[@michaelbraico631]

The first time I did a wash it looked terrible, until it dried and that crappy scatter terrain suddenly looked awesome. Now I've got a 20 oz. condiment bottle right at hand for liberal application, and my players fear the latest set-piece battle...

[@stebateus7730]

Thanks I'm inspired now :) I need to build my first battlemap and was thinking some stone/ tree things would be easy to start with. Also been wondering if you can make something cool with cardboard... have lot of that lying around.

[@tommyd2235]

Inspires me to do a Spinal Tap Stone Hinge.

[@GhøstGïrll13]

You should really give a go at making an Apparatus of Kwalish from the DMG! Super unique build and I haven’t seen anything like it :)