TerrainFest 2023: Week 4 (4 Days left) Finishing Touches, Bring Terrain Alive

[redscopeParticipant 2718xp 0]

As we enter TerrainFest 2023 week 4 we have just 4 days left before the contest closes. For most of us it is less about the contest more about the push to get that terrain project started if not not completed. It was interesting from the last question that a lot of people like myself will carry on after the month ends.

What I wanted to cover was any tips or methods to bring your terrain alive on the boards. Often the main focus on the terrain projects is in element you are building. That is typically a structure of some kind be it a house, town, bridge, hill or even a whole town.

I believe it is often the small details that are added to the terrain after the build and painting which can sell it as feeling real. You can think of it like basing a model and adding grass. In the case of terrain this can be adding decor to buildings, rust effect to ork oil rigs etc.

It is an area I have slightly struggled with my own city project on. How to bring castle walls, towers to life still generic enough to use in other games. MDF buildings are another area which lack the detail of the plastic kits how do you add the finishing touches to them.

What are your tips to adding that extra touch to terrain ?

 

[sundancer 42985xp 1]

Having my own MDF struggle at the moment:

• use stippling! Don’t brush on paint but stipple. It’ll add texture
• wet blend washes. Browns, blacks and even dark greeens
• add material: make roof tiles. Put spackle on flat walls or let it snow! (put glue on the top most parts and dust them with soda or snow flock)

Biggest tip though hardest to follow: don’t think too much. Just run with it. Terrain is always a thing you can touch up later and add or redo.

Plan is: today some final paints and after that is dry snow! Let’s see how this goes.

[senjimakotoParticipant 1374xp 1]

I cannot speak to MDF terrain (all of mine is still nice and unpainted), but one thing I see as a tip to have in your tool box for terrain in general: Do not be afraid to look outside of the miniature war-game hobby to find inspiration/tools/whathaveyou.

In my current project for Star Wars Shatterpoint terrain, I have utilized plaster molds from miniature train hobbyists to quickly build various rock formations. I’m already using them in my Conquest: The Last Argument of Kings bases. A trip to a local craft store led to the inspiration to use a generic snake skeleton meant as a Halloween decoration as scatter terrain (once it was chopped up of course).

Little details like that can spring up from the most random places if we keep an eye out for them.

[crossingobstaclesgamingParticipant 31xp 1]

Stippling and washes are great to get to get textures/depth when there arent any on the terrain.
you could also use textured paints, depending on the effect you want, or things like MR Surfacer paints.

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