BASIC TECHNIQUES

-marking out- -cutting out- -assembly- -building shells- -plastering- -basing- -painting- -flocking- -cleanup- -storage-

On this page, I'll explain and demonstrate some basic techniques which you will find useful for all types of terrain making. Another page, Advanced Techniques, explains some more complicated and specialized techniques, like making tread-plate and stone work.

1: Marking out.
Okay, so maybe this is a bit obvious, but you will need to mark out every piece you want to cut out. How you do this will depend on the material involved. For instance, pencils work fine on most things, but not Polystyrene. However, the most important thing to remember here is to be as accurate as possible. Always use a ruler, and check all your measurements. Also, you might find it useful to use a set-square. (That's one of those triangular things, you hold one edge flat to the edge of the material, and the other straight edge will be at exactly 90 degrees to that edge.)
Don;t forget to mark everything which needs cutting out. It's very annoying to have the building stuck together, only to realize you haven't marked or cut any windows (trust me, I speak from experience).

2: Cutting out.
Okay, you've marked it out. Now you need to cut it out. Again, how you do this will depend on materials. A scalpel is the most versatile of knives, and can cut basically anything (up to and including wood if you want to spend that much time...). However, a scalpel has a short blade. You will want to use an extendable blade craft-knife to cut thick stuff, and a razor saw to cut hard stuff. You could also try a hot wire cutter for Polystyrene.
Whichever tool you use, make sure you follow the mark-out lines. Always use a ruler. But DON'T cut away from yourself like the warning on the knife says. It's to hard to control,. and you don't get enough power behind the blade. It may be safer, but it's a dumb way to cut. Cutting towards yourself and exercising caution is just as safe.
Also, always use sharp blades. Blunt blades give crappy edges, and are actually more dangerous to you than new, sharp blades (odd, but true).

3: Assembly.
Okay, so your parts are cut out. Now you need to stick them together. As always, the method depends on materials. This is because you'll be using glue. Different glues bond in different ways. For instance, Polystyrene modeling cement bonds by chemically melting both parts onto each other, while Super glue forms an adhesion bond between them. Basically, these are the glues, and what to sue them for:
PVA: PVA glue takes forever to dry, but gives a tough bond, and will glue basically anything in time. However, it's best used to glue wood, and polystyrene, since it was designed to glue wood, and is the only one which doesn;t 'melt polystyrene.
Super Glue: Super glue dries blindingly fast and hard. Use it where speed is of the essence (as it always is...). It's good for metal, ceramics, plastics, and cardboard. It's best for when you want to glue different materials, like plastic to metal.
Polystyrene cement: Polystyrene cement is for gluing plastics, so you are unlikely to use to much when making terrain. Just remember, it only works for plastic to plastic bonds.
Hot-Glue: Hot glue requires a fiendish device, known as a hot glue gun to use. Basically, it's like wax, which the gun melts, and squirts out when you pull the trigger. It will bond basically anything, dries hard, and relatively fast. But it is very messy, as it 'strings' easily.
Well, now that you know which glue to use, you can stick things (like your fingers) together. As always, make sure everything is straight.

4: Building shells:
Building shells are worthy of special attention, because they have need of some special techniques.
The first thing you need to do is make sure you have cut all the doors and windows out before you start assembly.
The next thing to do is brace the building. This is only important if the building is large and likely to 'sag' or 'bend' under it's own weight. To brace the building, simply glue in 'floors' of stiff card. This will prevent the walls buckling. It will also help keep the building absolutely square. Wargames terrain often leads a hard life, so make sure it's up to it. Often a building shell which would not sag on it's own, will need to be braced if it will be plastered, or covered in modeling clay, as this adds great weight., and these materials go on wet. (Wetness always causes a degree of warping)

5: Plastering
Often you will want to plaster something. It's important to plaster polystyrene to stop it crumbling, and protect it from corrosive paints and glues. It's also often a good way to add texture. To plaster anything, you will need plaster (such as Polyfilla), and a spatula of some sort. I use a fairly small plasterer's spatula available from hardware shops, and icy-pole sticks when it's to big.
Mix the plaster up following the instructions on the pack, and apply it as smoothly as possible with the spatula. Plaster is difficult to apply in a perfectly smooth layer, but you can sand it after it's dry. One important consideration is that plaster is very messy. Don't plaster anything with out safety measures, like an apron, and some old newspapers or similar under the object.

6: Basing
Pretty much everything needs a base, in fact some things are basically just a base. The exact size and shape of the base will depend on the nature of the terrain piece you are working on. I find it's best to put buildings on small bases, only slightly larger than the building itself. However, woods and trees look best on a large base, so that none of the foliage over hangs the base.
A Base is usually a randomly shaped piece of card or polystyrene with a beveled edge. (A beveled edge is one which is cut and an angle, so the base slopes down at the edges).
Often it's a good idea to work directly onto the base, gluing everything to it. However, in the case of some buildings, the base is attached near the end. I do this when the building will have open windows, the frames of which are plastered or worked as stone. This means that I can attach windows last, after the frames are treated, so that nothing gets onto the windows themselves.

7: Painting
Painting terrain is similar to painting miniatures, just in a much larger scale. All of the same techniques are used. There are a couple of considerations, however. I never go to town on detail painting terrain, no one looks close enough. Also, I don;t use citadel paint, except for the metallics. The reason behind this, is simply that they are so expensive. Student acrylics (which come in tubes) are readily available in a wide range of colors and are very cheap. However, student acrylic metallics are rather disappointing. Also, since you are working with porous materials, like cardboard, you need to be aware of warping. Warping happens because paint shrinks when it dries, causing the material to bend. It's easy to prevent, just paint both sides of the material. It's only important on large pieces anyway.
As with miniatures, you need to apply nice even coats, and avoid getting to messy. Some terrain pieces can be forgiving of messy paint jobs, other's aren't.

8: Flocking
There are several ways to finish a base, but basically all of them involve the use of some sort of ground cover material, such as Flock or sand. There are a lot of types of flock, but they all go on in the same way. First, paint the base roughly the same color as the flock. It actually looks very good if the paint is darker, so it gives a shadow effect if any is visible through the flock. When the paint dries, paint over it with PVA, and sprinkle the flock on while it's still wet. Leave it to dry for a while, then turn it upside down, and tap it so the excess flock comes off. It's best to do all this in a 'flock box,' which is simply an old box. You use the box to catch any excess flock, so it A: can be recycled, and B: Doesn't fall on the floor (which annoys Womenfolk no end...)
If you are working on something big, like a hill, you might want to add a top coat of PVA to hold it down. Mix up some PVA and water to the consistency of milk, and add a few drops of detergent. The detergent breaks the surface tension of the PVA/Water mix, allowing it to soak in better. Paint this mix over the flock, and let it dry. This helps hold the flock down, but is only really needed on large areas, like hills.

9: Cleanup
Unfortunately, terrain making can get very messy at times. There will always be times when you need to clean up after yourself. It's especially important to keep tools clean. Things like paint brushes get ruined if you don't. You need to clean the plaster off your spatula after every use and wash your brushes. You will also need to clean up after using polystyrene, since the pesky little balls get everywhere. I use a dust buster for this. The only other tool effective against the buggers is a full-on vacuum cleaner. Flock and sand can also be annoying this way if they get out of the flock box. In an ideal world, of course, you'd be working on glossy white tiles, with indirect lighting, so everything which falls is easy to spot, and easy to clean. Unfortunately, I work on carpet...

10: Storage
It's very important to store terrain well, since it can get damaged otherwise. If you just leave it lying around the floor of your room, it's very likely that some one will tread on it. If you leave it lying around the house, your Mum might chuck it out, thinking it was some sort of malignant fungus. Your baby brother might eat it. You older brother might set fire to it. Your grandmother could sit on it. The list of potential dangers is endless. (I have read of cats eating palm trees before...)
So store your terrain carefully. Find a nice shelf or cupboard which will hold it. Be careful how you stack it, as some pieces will probably be fragile. If it isn't used to often, it will get dusty, so give it a clean once in a while. I favor a shaving brush or similar implement for this process. Most importantly, cover the shelf with wards, sigils, and runes against destructive forces like Mum's duster.

Okay, those are the ten basic techniques of terrain building covered. The 'Advanced techniques' section covers how to create details like tiles, stone work, timber frames, doors, windows, and that kind of thing. Okay, so it's not the most advanced stuff but I couldn't be bothered separating it out into 'intermediate' and 'advanced'.