shaping sand mystery - life is a beach?

[usurpator]

Hello from Paris!
I\'m currently preparing this lovely lady (see pix at end of post), I\'ve created some additional accessories for her - cocktail, sunglasses, Vogue magazine etc. The beach itself is a problem: the sand has to shape around the objects, and also around the towel, remembering so to speak the shape of the towel\'s side before the dog moved into action and she moved around etc.
What is the simplest way to shape the beach? I have thought of the following options: plaster bands (sorry, I don\'t know the right word for it in English), super-sculpey (shaped, imprinted and then baked), milliput (expensive!), resin, or even real sand (but how to \'fix\' it into the right shape?)
All your input is most most welcome as I feel a bit out of my depth! But then again I bought this mini as I wanted to face some difficulty (lots of skin) so this beach problem is fun to face.... But not alone :-D

All ideas most most welcome!
U.

 

[Dragonsreach]

I\'d suggest tiny Sausages of Greenstuff or Milliput to emulate the ripples in the sand at the points you mentioned. Following that add plain sand glued onto those ripples and on the overall base.

I\'d also suggest that you invest in a Motar & Pestle in order to grind the sand in to finer particles more in keeping with the scale of the figure.

 

[Ritual]

I would use a putty of some sort. You wouldn\'t need a great deal of it as you\'d only need a rather thin layer. Then, press the miniature (before painting!!) into the putty and either bake it or let it cure, depending on what putty you\'d be using. You could even use a cheap, air-drying putty like DAS. It\'ll probably crack when it dries but you can fix that with smaller amounts of \"proper\" putty afterwards. Then, I\'d use a mix of watered down milliput and fine sand (or Vallejo Sandy Paste) to cover the surface.

 

[green stuff]

I did this with green stuff and used an old toothbrush for the sand texture :

http://greenstuff.free.fr/img/CMON/Ilyad/ChroniquesLuneNoire/BerserkerOrqueGris1/BerserkerOrqueGris1WIP1.jpg
http://www.coolminiornot.com/149613

I\'m working on another scene with sand and dust. I\'m using plaster of paris and pastel chalks this time.

 

[usurpator]

Originally posted by DragonsreachI\'d also suggest that you invest in a Motar & Pestle in order to grind the sand in to finer particles more in keeping with the scale of the figure.

Good point! I had not thought of that!
I have tons of cooking spices that I bought for basing, I think I have something that looks like miniature sand.

 

[mickc22]

chinchilla dust is finer than regular sand

if that\'s still not fine enough, pumice powder is really fine, but being grey you\'ll have to paint it

 

[Einion]

Originally posted by Dragonsreach
I\'d suggest tiny Sausages of Greenstuff or Milliput to emulate the ripples in the sand at the points you mentioned. Following that add plain sand glued onto those ripples and on the overall base.

Ditto.

Originally posted by Dragonsreach
I\'d also suggest that you invest in a Motar & Pestle in order to grind the sand in to finer particles more in keeping with the scale of the figure.

Good idea.

I\'ve found though that most builders\' sand actually has a wide range of particle sizes so it just needs to be sifted to separate the 1:1 sand from the finer stuff. Final sifting can be done through old stockings/tights to get a fine dust.

If you, achem, \'borrow\' a tub of sand from a local building site and spend an evening sifting you should get enough of the various grades to do you for months or years. I can\'t remember the last time I did it... 1995 maybe?

Einion

 

[Dragonsreach]

OK I watched the PAINTING and DRAWING Channel last night and the demonstrator (WENDY JELBERT) used ACRYLIC TEXTURE Medium to add a sand like texture to some of the working areas of her Watercolour.

Might be the Ideal thing for you here.

 

[mattsterbenz]

Originally posted by Dragonsreach
OK I watched the PAINTING and DRAWING Channel last night and the demonstrator (WENDY JELBERT) used ACRYLIC TEXTURE Medium to add a sand like texture to some of the working areas of her Watercolour.

Might be the Ideal thing for you here.

You guys get a painting and drawing channel on TV? I guess I\'ve been missing out! I\'d be watching that channel all the time... Damn this crappy American television!

-Matt

 

[Jericho]

Yeah but crappy American television has plastic people on it, and they are probably a bit easier on the eyes so it\'s all a wash in the end :moon:

Anyway we still have re-runs of the crazy guy with the squirrel living in his afro. That\'s got to count for something.

 

[Dragonsreach]

Originally posted by mattsterbenz

Originally posted by Dragonsreach
OK I watched the PAINTING and DRAWING Channel last night and the demonstrator (WENDY JELBERT) used ACRYLIC TEXTURE Medium to add a sand like texture to some of the working areas of her Watercolour.

Might be the Ideal thing for you here.

You guys get a painting and drawing channel on TV? I guess I\'ve been missing out! I\'d be watching that channel all the time... Damn this crappy American television!

-Matt

Yep but it\'s only on TV for a couple of hours a week.
http://www.paintinganddrawingchannel.co.uk

Originally by JerichoAnyway we still have re-runs of the crazy guy with the squirrel living in his afro. That\'s got to count for something.

So do we. At 04:10am on Discovery Real Time.
Watch it while having my breakfast.

 

[usurpator]

IÕve bought some acrylic textured medium - it does look like sand in 1:35 or so - thanks Mike for the idea!!! (we met at Salute 2 or three years ago... I was the girl with the silly dwarf T-shirt :-D IÕm still a girl but IÕm wearing a sensible model colour stained old T-shirt now :drunk::drunk

cheers!

 

[QuietiManes]

Eep! A girl!

Back on topic. I like the chinchilla dust suggestion. I used to want to get a little chinchilla so knew about the stuff but it was so long before I really got into modelling and basing materials that I never thought about it anytime the subject of sand closer to scale came up. I\'ll have to check it out on the way home from work tomorrow, pet store here I come.

 

[usurpator]

Originally posted by QuietiManes
Eep! A girl!

BOO! :bouncy: ah ah - scared you :-D
I suppose chinchilla dust is for the beastieÕs liter - and not dust from ground chinchillas (sorry, I had to say this :yes.
More seriously: there are not many chinchilla pets in France, so I doubt this product is avaliable under that name. IÕd like to see what it looks like. Any idea how it could be called? Small rodent liter? Guinea pig super de luxe liter?
I imagine that itÕs not for chinchillas only.
Cheers

 

[Dragonsreach]

Originally posted by usurpator
- thanks Mike for the idea!!! (we met at Salute 2 or three years ago... I was the girl with the silly dwarf T-shirt :

I remember you well, loved the accent.
You\'re back in Paris now?

 

[usurpator]

Originally posted by Dragonsreach

Originally posted by usurpator
- thanks Mike for the idea!!! (we met at Salute 2 or three years ago... I was the girl with the silly dwarf T-shirt :

I remember you well, loved the accent.
You\'re back in Paris now?

Yeap, back in Paris, and not one bit happy about it. But I still spend every Wednesday in London (clients to see... good excuse to go to Model Zone in fact :-DDD
If you need anything from the continent let me know!

 

[Dragonsreach]

Originally posted by usurpator

If you need anything from the continent let me know!

Well now you mention it................lol

 

[usurpator]

Well now you mention it................lol

:flame: flame::flame::flame:
You Geordies are all the same! lollol:

I was thinking more along the line of edible, drinkible or paintingible things :-D

Or what about a French Pudle? They bark with an accent:
Òwoof, Mon cher ami!Ó

:bouncy:

 

[Dragonsreach]

Originally posted by usurpator

Well now you mention it................lol

:flame: flame::flame::flame:
You Geordies are all the same! lollol:

I was thinking more along the line of edible, drinkible or paintingible things :-D

Or what about a French Pudle? They bark with an accent:
Òwoof, Mon cher ami!Ó

:bouncy:

Ah WHAT were YOU thinking I meant?
I was considering Meow Minatures Demonic Bottles.

 

[usurpator]

Dragonreach wrote:
Ah WHAT were YOU thinking I meant?

Well, what did you expect from a French person? We are all naughty minded and wear a berret and carry a baguette and some garlic around .... IO mean, of course!:flip::bouncy:[/quote]

I was considering Meow Minatures Demonic Bottles.

ooooh wait a minutre.... Doesthe Pope know about these? Are they allowed?

:twisted::twisted: