Fimo - not that lame really
A technique I used to use a lot for \"quickie\" casting is with Fimo; the modelling clay you heat in an oven to harden. You can use it to add relief detail to a shield, throne, base etc up to half an inch thick.
Take a slab of Fimo to act as the mould and cool it in a fridge so that it\'s not too soft. Press your original into it and withdraw it carefully. Fimo is very fine so with luck you\'ll get a clean impression. Harden that in an oven and use it to cast from.
The advantages are: Fimo is coloured so you can twist diferent coloured strips together for creating marbling effects, wood and stone, etc. You can take also something like a skull or flat orc shield and \"bend it\" subtly to wrap around a curved surfacewhile it\'s still soft.
You can \'recycle\' details from jewellery, carvings, and other models; mass producing them if necessary. I\'ve also cast faces - even dragons\' heads this way. Fimo has a slight sheen but you can matt it out; it will even take paint with a varnish coat.
I\'ve also built quite nice bases for minis this way: pagan altars, ruined buildings, round celtic style bases. Upturn a cup or plate or a block of wood, cover it with with foil and spread Fimo over it. Fire it at a very low heat and you have a hollow base.
Fimo is much cheaper and easier to find than \"proper\" casting materials. Give it a try. (No, I don\'t own any shares)
