A Beginner's Guide to Scratch Building Tiny Medieval Architecture for D&D, Mordheim, or Warhammer

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In this video I build some tiny medieval architecture in the cheapest but also most time consuming way that I know how!
My Website: howlcorp.com
Support Me on PATREON: / danahowl
CHANNELS MENTIONED:
Wyloch's Armory - ‪@WylochsArmory‬
Devs & Dice - ‪@DevsDice‬
The Dice Chatter - ‪@DiceChatter‬
AMAZON AFFILIATE LINKS:
Foamcore - amzn.to/4clpuB3
Stir Sticks - amzn.to/3zntkuF
Mod Podge - amzn.to/4cFYhZj
Dual Temp Hot Glue Gun (use the low temp) - amzn.to/4cn1hdy
Balsa Wood Sticks - amzn.to/3xu4cC9
Clippers - amzn.to/3xBi6Cr
MUSIC:
Rrrrrose Azerty - "Ta main dans la mienne"
chezmonplaisir.bandcamp.com/t...
glaciære - “Polar bears”
steviasphere.bandcamp.com/tra...
glaciære - “Watching the snow through the window”
steviasphere.bandcamp.com/tra...
Stevia Sphere - "First Taste of Success"
steviasphere.bandcamp.com/tra...
glaciære - “Galápagos Penguin"
steviasphere.bandcamp.com/tra...
glaciære - “Waveform”
steviasphere.bandcamp.com/tra...
glaciære - "Whiskey on the rocks"
steviasphere.bandcamp.com/tra...
glaciære - “Floating on the water”
steviasphere.bandcamp.com/tra...
glaciære - “Pool Water Dripping from the Diving Board”
steviasphere.bandcamp.com/tra...
All music used under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) License
creativecommons.org/licenses/...

[@DevsDice]

Oh damn! Thanks for the mention Dana! I really appreciate it! That bricking of yours was seriously impressive! Well done! 👍😊

[@DanaHowl]

Thank you so much Leif!!! I just discovered your channel recently and I'm a huge fan!!! ✨🖌️😁

[@DaronSchmit]

I made some of my own Mordheim terrain thanks to your tutorials. You're a legend ❤

[@christopherartadi2899]

This is just about the pinnacle of hobby collaborations for me.

[@DiceChatter]

Lovely work Dana! Very admirable of you to keep the steps simple and doable for the average terrain builder! Especially for those who don't have all the fancy tools, proxxon, airbrush, etc. Excited to see you build more terrain creations! 🥰

[@DanaHowl]

Thank you Donny! Between watching you and Devs & Dice I've been learning a lot about brick based terrain lately and I want to build lots more now!! Thanks for the inspiration!!! (and I need to buy a proxxon now hehehe!!!) ✨🎨🧱☺️

[@DiceChatter]

@@DanaHowl definitely a good first purchase! Looking forward to the next build!

[@KimHarderFog]

Hell yeah, a shoutout! You're going big Donny! :D

[@NigeyWigey]

Having lived in more than one 300+ year old house, all I can say is that slightly warped floors just add to the realism.

[@joshbecka6110]

What is this, Black Magic Howl? But this has classic Dana vibes

[@brooksf-l7619]

The bright stone colors under the wash really worked well!

[@colmbright9822]

I’ve watched a ton of your painting videos . Didn’t realize you did terrain as well. Happy days finding an another reason to watch one of my favorites. Love you showed a mistake !!

[@DanaHowl]

Thanks! I don't do terrain as often but i want to do more!!

[@karstedt9987]

The purple and turquoise really looks good on the stonework.

[@abcdodd]

That looks like so much fun. I bought a LOT of those stir sticks to build a very large sailing ship for a D&D game, long long ago. It's nice to see that technique being used.

[@burfscape1]

It turned out so good! I've never seen the 'stones in a can and shake' method before - will have to try it. Great video - thank you!

[@anthonywaggett9317]

Good to see your Architecture Degree not going to waste, the way you nailed all the terminology for the elements of the substructure was perfect🤣. But seriously, great job and always good to see the mistakes and fixes in videos like this, we've all experienced the PVA warp but not everyone knows how to fix this. Can't wait for the next video.

[@lovedeathdice]

Loving the Mordeheim vibes! I finally managed to get the book and I'm getting ready to dive into my own table!

[@erinweatherly6539]

This was very enjoyable and felt like a back to roots exercise in crafting terrain

[@photonfartsqueeze6694]

Dice chatter is severely underrated.

[@JamieDaggers]

Love this, Dana! I've been really into kitbashing and scratch building recently, so it's always awesome to see other creators making awesome content about it, too. I'm looking to build a miniature set for miniature photography soon, so thank you for the inspo!!

[@DanaHowl]

Thanks so much Jamie!!! Yeah I totally wanna build a more permanent set for mini photography in the future too and this terrain set is low key kind of a part of that process :)

[@JamieDaggers]

@@DanaHowl hell yeah!!! I can’t wait to see it all come together for ya! It’s looking terrific so far.

[@willmendoza8498]

Very cool. I was initially skeptical of several of the techniques, but the finished product proved me wrong. Very moody overall look. Nice work

[@elrondorio]

That looks amazing! That is how I plan to do my Fallout shanty buildings like with the vertical posts and stir sticks and I will rewatch this for sure.👍

[@DanaHowl]

Funnily enough Fallout was the inspiration for this build!!! I was playing Fallout 4 nonstop recently, building settlements when eventually I realized... hey i could make settlements in real life instead of this!!!

[@keggers5483]

Yay for the Dice Chatter mention! Love to see the result of a similar-but-different method. And having everything at an angle gives the building so much character!

[@blackguardunlimeted]

big fan of dice chatter, black magic craft and ... Dana Howl ! awesome build and love the tutorial steps, very clear, full of different options ! keep it up !

[@whilezeno]

Wow that wall filler really did the trick, in general not a fan of making foam terrain but this looks great.

[@DanaHowl]

the filler makes it so much more fun!!!

[@dmforsyth]

Holy smokes. How did I not know that you're a fellow Canuck? Happy Canada Day! 🇨🇦

[@Slurgical_3D_Terrain_Channel]

I’m one of us as well.

[@yegorkhorushko479]

Imho a mandatory addition to any crafting video js a few tips on storing terrain. As far as I'm concerned the best option is just getting 3-d printed modular ruins which can be disassembled and stored in a small box

[@TenaciousSnail]

I'm creating a little diorama for a friend at the moment using coffee stirrers as floorboards and was wondering how to paint them, simply staining them with speedpaint is a great idea! I'm going to do that, thanks Dana :)

[@DanaHowl]

My pleasure! from a few other comments here ive seen that using a metal brush or something to add more texture to them before painting can be a good step to add as well!

[@TenaciousSnail]

@@DanaHowl That makes sense. I'd considered scoring them with either a craft knife or other sharp thing before grisaille/slapchop but I think the wire brush and staining plan will work better. Seems a shame to cover up actual wood to then paint it to look like wood!

[@jonbauml225]

You were extra funny in this one. Love what you do

[@King_of_Sofa]

This is so cool! My biggest dream in life is to amass a collection of minis, terrain and set pieces. So that one day I can provide the ultimate TTRPG experience to a close group of friends. It's gonna take years but I'm so excited to keep the ball rolling. Your videos help so much!

[@paintedskies7477]

Having begun down this road myself, I encourage and support this endeavor. I would say to not delay playing the game. My players know my terrain collection is still growing and that sometimes they'll need to use their imaginations. (I know, what an awful ask for a tabletop rpg) It also makes it fun whenever you get to make a step up in "production value" lol. My players are consistently excited to see the cool new terrain as it debuts.

[@King_of_Sofa]

@@paintedskies7477 Heck yeah man, that's rad. I salute you!

[@KevinoftheCosmos]

Wow. This looks incredible. I was putting off making buildings like this due to not having a Proxxon. But you've shown me that using foam-core board and an x-acto knife will work just fine until I get that hot wire foam cutter. I love every video you make, Dana. Awesome content.

[@DanaHowl]

Glad to hear it! Yeah i specifically made this video thinking... I don't have a Proxxon, I bet a lot of other people don't either but don't realize you can do lots of stuff without one!!!

[@MatchaMakesThings]

Babe wake up, we've been blessed by the gods with a new video.

[@EldritchGoblin]

Whimsical. Love the bricks!

[@Mara999]

The turquoise shade on the stonework reminds me a lot of buildings I've seen at old ironworks, where they would use slag to make cheap bricks, that shimmer in an oily fashion.

[@chenolan8262]

This looks incredible. The color scheme is different than usual and I think it looks better than what is usually done with stone. I love all your more D&D focused content. Keep it coming.

[@redrooster7371]

The magenta, blue, cyan gradient looks awesome.

[@gspen5516]

Love it. Looking forward to more!

[@DanaHowl]

I've already started on the next floor!!!

[@clericscreations]

Fantastic choices for the colors!

[@tannergee]

I love seeing 1 creator I enjoy watching, is watching other creators I enjoy. This is a great build and love to see the combo of Devs and dice and dice chatters methods blended with your flare!

[@withDefiance]

Awsome build! You inspire me with the more crooked style windows and the coloration (your strong point as always!) I often tend to go too much for 'perfect' straight, which is definitively now how things were build in our fantasy medival worlds :) everything is done by hand with basic tools and using organic materials and non-organic stuff stat is converted by manual labor.

[@jenwinslow5602]

One thing that I found that helps me speed things up (paper peeling) is that I grab my foam core from Dollar Tree or other “dollar” store. The adhesive for the paper is very weak and i can usually peel an entire new board in one sheet. Always seeing others do this.

[@TheMrFishnDucks]

Looks awesome. Keep up the good work.

[@ellesse3862]

Lovely colours, this is a different twist on a familiar style of terrain. Looking forward to expansions to see where this build goes.

[@daverage4729]

Absolutely superb! Very impressive result Dana and very well explained. Can't wait to see the next stage.

[@tsvallender]

That's great. Possibly worth mentioning you can buy precut bricks also, which I found worth it to avoid the foam board peeling stage. I also tend to texture them all with foil before assembling. It's mindless work, but something you can do while watching TV without even looking at what you're doing.

[@Slurgical_3D_Terrain_Channel]

Love your work, truly looks amazing.

[@rayshouse4933]

Looks great!

[@cybermbebe]

Absolutely stunning job!

[@ZaarZaar-]

A very lovely and cosy beginners guide. Well done!

[@Samsminis]

This looks lovely. Have a great long weekend! I’m teaching summer school starting Tuesday…😢

[@thecraftmasque]

ah i really do like the colorful bricks, they hint at a story. like they were sourced from a quarry with a wide variety of minerals. maybe the building was a tavern that served the miners. there's so much you can take from color!

[@h8uall66]

Wow, that looks incredible for just wooden stirring sticks. I know what I'm stealing from work next!

[@johntailby74]

The little pair of purple eyes in the background are very cute.

[@Slurgical_3D_Terrain_Channel]

Same with 3D Sculpting, I do my bricks 1x1. There are ways to create them super fast, but there is something about making a set of them and modifying on the go as needed. It has a different feel to it at the end. Made a set of 50, by rotating and flipping them makes them even individual and then reshaping as needed.

[@WhatsleftofTom]

The bricks take a ton of dedication but man do they look amazing once your done

[@benjamin2629]

Thank you for not painting Skaven this week, i look forward to watching this vid this arvo when i should really be working

[@DanaHowl]

Hahaha I couldn't if I wanted to! I don't get free product from GW so I'd have to wait a few weeks from now until I even get any new skaven! (might skip this edition though to be honest!)

[@benjamin2629]

@@DanaHowl I stopped back to add that you can pre tint the wall filler you used as grout with acrylic inks, I make basing paste with wall filler, paint and grades of sand. Once it dries its nigh on indestructible.

[@gregmccormack5709]

This was cool! I respect the realistic style build, it looks so good too.

[@TheMichaellathrop]

Have you considered hitting the wood bit's with a brass wire brush to get some quick exaggerated wood grain to go along with you WoW windows?

[@billdefranza4927]

This is phenomenal!

[@Rasmus.Elnegaard]

This was great 👍

[@f.g.5967]

These videos are great to get ideas for recycling.

[@krzysztofmathews738]

This is great!

[@khereva]

I don't know if you realize the glee with which my wife and I giggle and say "Squaaaaaaarespaaaaaace" along with you. (#OrDomain)

[@DanaHowl]

we love to hear it!!!

[@diyfireking]

Such talent and skill 👍👍

[@silviofoj]

I love you work!

[@James_Hunt77]

That was a load of one by one, by one's there Dana

[@MedicaeSteve]

Built better than my 1st house😅 Seriously, very nice work. I will definitely try to replicate this. Thank you for the video

[@graefx]

Ive been on a green stone and brick kick lately ala grey skull from he-man, but it never occured to me to use that pallet along with some complementary colors using the same process as natural variations for brick. Looks really good. Though i think I'd have gone with something like Drakenhof or blue when washing over the grout but the warmer brown does go with all the wood work more

[@goforitpainting]

Cool 🏰

[@EllenRipleysFlamethrower]

💪The first pride at stonewall 🤝 building a tiny stone wall💪 throwing brick by brick by brick by brick by brick

[@Spark_Chaser]

The white foamcore is designed to be peeled. Happy Canada Day.

[@fturfler2]

If you spray the paper with an alcohol and water mix it should peel off easier when dry.

[@johntailby74]

I think you need something on the inside of the walls like plaster. One layer of rustic brickwork would be very cold.

[@LB_adventurer]

PVA School glue (mostly water) < PVA crafters glue (slighlty less water) < Tacky Glue (far less water) < Carpenter's Glue (almost pure glue). Mod Podge is a combo of PVA glue and some type of sealant compound

[@LB_adventurer]

Note: The less water in it the less it warps as it dries and less it will shrink (which is what causes the warping)

[@DanaHowl]

super helpful advice, thank you ✨

[@LB_adventurer]

@@DanaHowl I enjoy your videos. Thank you for sharing them

[@cwaldacwaldovic4572]

Wow, that is a lot of bricks. Looks really fantastic, but i wouldn't have the patience to do it this way. Wonderful building, though.

[@Obergfreighter]

If you wanna avoid warpage just put something very flat and heavy on top of it while it dries.

[@Kahtini]

It also helps if you already got warpage, to do the wet/glue the other side, using baking parchment or wax paper to protect the weights (typically source/game books)

[@Hinaguy749]

I think the spackle might be better applied before you prime the walls.

[@jameswoodbeck5004]

Love your channel! Just a heads up about the dollar store foamcore. I’ve had issues with it de-laminating and falling apart. I’ve not had the same issues with more expensive foamcore..maybe it’s the adhesive that they use, or just more of it. I had to rebuild an entire tabletop worth of Necromunda scenery because of it…shakes fist at Dollorama.

[@rccarguy3696]

There is foam safe super glue. It’s a lot cleaner and easier to work with vs a hot glue gun.

[@PixelatedPenfold]

It is interesting to look back on earlier videos to see how quickly Dana used to say the word "Squaaaaaaare". In very early videos she even said it with only one "a" - shocking!

[@MFgr8]

Great video. Also, do you plan on uploading any CoS gameplay footage to your other channel?

[@Salvationtower]

Using small cardboard boxes as a base shape saves me a lot of time compared to this method. You get a sturdy interior to build over and its really cheap

[@--Animal--]

How do you keep and store all of these sets? I would think space would be an issue if you kept them all.

[@hmgirlpopuri5819]

squaaaaaaaaaaaare spaaaaaaaaaaaace

[@michakozowski6026]

Can you tell how much time it took in total? The masonry work does look super time-consuming :D

[@DanaHowl]

hahaha... just checking my notes it's roughly 30-40 hours it looks like? but if I wasn't filming the whole thing, I could probably would be doable in half that?

[@michakozowski6026]

@@DanaHowl wow :D cool. I recently started with, obviously, dungeon tiles and I realized I need an airbrush ;)

[@jredhayjay196]

I would never try to tell you how to build or paint a model, but why didn't you add the spackling compound before you painted it, not after?

[@x.davidwilliams83]

Huzzah

[@geoffok]

Her eyes are beautiful

[@rokrjohnson]

Come on, admit it you regretted adding the spackling?

[@edmott1138]

I think you might get kicked out of the brick layers guild 🙄

[@eastoforion]

Started cheering when you didnt paint the wood! Almost everytime i see a hobby build using wood they immediately prime over it and lose the grain.

[@DanaHowl]

agreed! If i was using an airbrush for this I'd have probably painted over it, but because I'm doing it all by hand anyway, might as well keep the grain!!!