Let's Make - Cheap & Easy Terrain Gloop

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In this Let's Make, we look at making cheap and easy terrain gloop for for all your texturing needs,
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[@richardthomas8415]

Nice one Mel..! very effective and as cheap as chips...brilliant!!

[@johnkelley9877]

Really helpful tutorial. I am impressed how well it covered the Styrofoam. Thanks for sharing this.

[@hazed1009]

again you've taken materials I've had laying around unused because they're not quite suitable or have effects I want but can't perform them cheaply etc and mixed them into a cheap viable alternative ! well done mate . I've made small scatter stuff using a gritted filler to cover polystyrene but I had to prime them afterwards then paint etc , I just hadn't thought of making it more liquid ,adding colour first and "painting" it over, the old not seeing the woods for the trees eh? doh! :) thanks again.

[@DZSabre]

Thanks, Mel! This is great! I'll be able to use this straight away. Keep it up.

[@7thhomunculusproductions475]

Excellent info as always, my friend...will be incorporating this in my newest vampire diorama!

[@mohsenaghdam3136]

I use your technics I learn it wow 🤘🏽 thank you ,so useful

[@xx1norm1xx]

Nice as always

[@stephenrenwick8781]

I use sawdust from cat litter (soaked and dried) mainly for groundwork but my gloop for rocks pretty much the same as yours.

[@andrewtippman]

Great tutorial - thanks!

[@IDICBeer]

Great share as always Mel

[@briantaylor5259]

Hi Mel, thanks for the video as it has given me a great idea for how to do a dirt track that I am going to be building in to my board. I am going to mix every day garden mud (once its been dried out and any creepy crawlies removed) mixed with clear drying PVA glue and some grit. This will then be painted on to the area I want to be a dirt road and a quick flick of hair spray to hold it in place. Once again thanks for the idea, great work keep it up.

[@atomstrom]

Maybe add some ink/pigment and a little static gras to your mud mix. Always nice on tracks or vehicles.

[@totallyterribleterrain4510]

Thanks for the tip mate, yea have got some Grass clumps that i will add but will have to try the ink/pigment to see how that works.

[@atomstrom]

You're welcome, buddy. I think some earthy pigment like siennas, ochres and umbers can deliver a nice touch of that desired realism, so I hope you enjoy your results. Mix in some patches with gloss to make it look wet or add some plaster to make it crusty and you might have the best dirt imaginable.

[@G_Threepwood]

Nice one Mel. I'm using thistle one coat plaster for gloop, purely because it's left over from when we got our walls skimmed. Seems brittle until in properly sets, then it's like a rock!

[@TheTerrainTutor]

just on it's own or mixed with anything?

[@G_Threepwood]

+TheTerrainTutor Mixed with a bit of PVA. The liquid I mix with the plaster is around 1/3 PVA. I am finding that it'll keep sucking up water. You mix it up and a couple of mins later you need to add a splash more water

[@G_Threepwood]

+TheTerrainTutor Haven't tried adding sand or anything at this stage

[@creekredfishingmastery]

Awesome

[@r.benjamin.bacharach163]

good video

[@vikkiwilson5069]

TIP - cheap powder kids poster paint works well - without the sloppy effect. Kind of cheapo pigment. I can get my sculptamold gloop jet black with a couple of tablespoons.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

thanks ofr the tip!

[@KriegKraft]

Great tutorial! Pastes bring a lot when it comes to painting. Colors behave differently on such texture and sometimes pastes (gloops) make great happy accidents that look like in real life. For example, you don't need to cover everything and you can use various grits, it will bring so much to a plain rock. Have you tried using other things than sand for making the grit?

[@atomstrom]

I think artists use marble dust for texture paint or coffee if they're cheapskates. You could probably use anything from quartz sand up to coarse grit, also mixed. I'm sure there's also people using wood or styrene shavings and even wall paste and plaster will have their effect. That's why I have a tub on the desk to throw small excess things in, so I can put it in some mix instead of the garbage. Recycling. Just make sure you're not using something soaking up all the moisture (Although you could take the kitchen towels you used at the shop and fill or sculpt things with it and some gloop. Should work better when they're damp then I think.).

[@TheTerrainTutor]

I've played with various coatings and powders mate, this one is just aimed at easy to grab stuff for first timers

[@terrainaholic]

I REALLY like this video Buddy!!! On question though if I have the surface structure I want and I don't want the grit look will it work as well to create a hard shell and still keep the detail of the the foam? The last question is also with using latex paint will the dried pieces not want to stick together when stored on top of each other? Looking forward to working with you and Ben on all the scatter terrain BOW is having the community make:)!!!

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Yep, it'll work without the grit, that's just a texture mate. Give the tops of the pieces a blast with a spray can of matt varnish, that'll stop the sticking when stacked bud. Really looking forward to the BoW thing

[@terrainaholic]

Thanks Buddy!!! Ya I'm looking forward as well XD!!!!!

[@Jokreher]

Washes, dry brushing, & stippling to finish?

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Anyway you want mate :-)

[@AndrewFishman]

DO all terrain builders have a map of Middle Earth hanging in their hobby room?

[@TheTerrainTutor]

It wouldn't surprise me mate but I've never spotted any others, who else does?

[@redgreen09]

wellll look like fun see sunday ;;;]]

[@phalanx1234]

In regards to acrylics, I can find 2oz bottles of craft paint like Americana and Craft Smart for about a $1 per bottle. They're not model paint, obviously, but I think they'd be the more economical choice compared to test jars of latex paint, which I see for $3-5 at DIY shops. However, my guy feeling tells me that latex paint is tougher than acrylic even when mixed up with everything else, which is (I imagine) a pretty big factor when it comes to gloop-making.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

latex paint in the US is Emulsion in the UK mate, we have Latex paint here but it's a rubber paint for sealing damp walls

[@phalanx1234]

TheTerrainTutor Oh, I'm quite aware of the differences in terms, I was just using latex here for any US people reading the comments who're looking for alternatives. Kinda springboarding off your use of the word in the video.

[@DZSabre]

I use those same acrylics when I tint my terrain mediums. However, I prefer latex because it provides a much more chip resistant finish, even without PVA (not suggesting you exclude the PVA though).

[@MichaelSchgowiz]

@Phalanx - you can also get small quarts of interior latex paint for dirt cheap from Walmart. I got black and white. I mix my own shades of grey (not 50!) and put them in old baby food jars. They keep nicely. Lots of paint, dirt cheap. I use it on my Hirst Arts items, and definitely going to use it for "gloop." I will be getting some mud/brown mixed up later from Walmart to make for my terrain pieces.

[@DZSabre]

For scenery, I prefer latex because it not only creates a tougher skin on the piece but readily sticks to flock and fine turf that you would use for foliage on the piece. simply apply the turf/foliage when the paint is wet and use a fine mist of 2:1 or 3:1 water:PVA to help the latex flow and seal the deal.

[@craigcarter947]

A gloop parfait'. Mmm, mmm.

[@albansmith-adams3309]

Can you use sand for the grit

[@TheTerrainTutor]

yeah

[@albansmith-adams3309]

Thanks

[@robotvarietyshow]

Grit? Is that sand?

[@TheTerrainTutor]

yep

[@billd.iniowa2263]

The finished piece looks like cement to me. Its very rough. Where in nature would you find this texture? Looks good for toughening up foam tho. But you cant sand it smooth can you? Kinda hard to sand ... sand. But maybe it would knock some of the higher points down?? I've never had a reason to use this, so I dont know.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Terrain gloop and the Let's Make vids aren't geared towards realism like my other vids mate, they're more self contained entry level vids for people who don't want to get into in depth terrain building but simply want a few pieces for their own gaming boards.

[@creekredfishingmastery]

Perfect for bunkers

[@atomstrom]

It's a basic technique that can be modulated. If you know how it's going to look with the gloop on, you can already have that in mind when shaving the foam to support the result. Use different or no grit in patches you like. Build something upon it with other materials to enhance that realism. In the end it's the subtle details that will make it realistic, not the basic gloop that will give the piece a good protective coat for use on gaming tables. That does a major difference either, a gaming piece has to be a lot more durable than one solely for display.

[@mintymoore6054]

Lets get messy

[@GoddaM777]

informative video- yeah?

[@TheTerrainTutor]

cheers