Tutorial: Creating Dio Walls from Foam
- Thread starter Mandingo Rex
- Start date
If I had two left arms, I guarantee you I wouldn't spend my time at the Post Office. I'd likely double up on my pornin'. 
lol
Still I dont have the necessary space and I dont have time for that. The little free time I have during the day I consume it in my diostory preparations... Maybe in the next summer, I will try this out... but I really cannot try it now.
So, if anyone can help me out with this one, please send me a pm with an offer.
Still I dont have the necessary space and I dont have time for that. The little free time I have during the day I consume it in my diostory preparations... Maybe in the next summer, I will try this out... but I really cannot try it now.
So, if anyone can help me out with this one, please send me a pm with an offer.
Those of you who have painted foam - any tips? I tried some last night and it went very streaky.
got to prime it for sure. I always put 2 thin coats of either off white or grey/black before I do the actual colors I want. If surface you are painting is smooth. you can sand it first with a fine grit paper, will fill in grain and make paint not soak in as much.
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Hmmm - this was a black undercoat that I was having a problem with, and I had sanded the surface already. Do you ever have problems with those going on unevenly?
cheap paint like apple barrelll will take multiple coats to get solid color. I only use them for detail colors. I use indoor latex paint for the large surface areas.
If I absolutely have to use apple barrell or its like. I thin it with water and paint it with multplie coats untill its as solid one color as I want. Thin coats will keep the streak from coming through. Undercoat does not need to be solid color. Only coverage. The next paint will stick very well to it even if streaky.
Okay, good to know. I tried thinning it and I was worried that I thinned too much. I'll see how the second coat goes on.
I just buy the cheap shit from Michaels, comes in a bigger tube. It's not cheap-cheap, like $8, but it's better than wasting detail paints like Tamiya. I just brush on several layers (generally 2-3) of black first with a cheap foam painter's detailing brush. One you can buy in multi-packs at Wal-Mart or Home Depot.
But generally, I paint black first, so that I can run a lighter coat of whatever paint on top, and it'll show the shadowing already from the black layer. It also works well for getting into crevices, because you don't want pink or baby blue showing through in your dio shots.
But generally, I paint black first, so that I can run a lighter coat of whatever paint on top, and it'll show the shadowing already from the black layer. It also works well for getting into crevices, because you don't want pink or baby blue showing through in your dio shots.
Yeah, I bought the stuff from Michaels you had recommended back on the first page. I'll have to try multiple layers.
Of course I guess you could use white, too? It'll give you a much lighter base, obviously. I want to try a white base on my next brick wall to see what sort of difference it makes with the grout work.
white works great for grout walls. You just have to take longer drybrushing the brickwork to get the extra crevices filled inside the brick. What I do is paint brick all white, multiple coats. Than drybrush dark brown onto the bricks. I than take watered down brown and drop a drip into the center of each brick to fill the bit of white left on brick. Than drybrush red. I than go back and paint a few individual bricks different shades of brown and red.
The final effect looks like these walls I made for Fogger.
The final effect looks like these walls I made for Fogger.
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This probably a dumb question, but you peeled that clear film off of the board first right?...if not, I can easily see paint not sticking to that...
As for painting, I make a wash of the grout color so it'll easily get down in to the brick lines and damaged areas and such...one coat usually does well...then I get my brick face color (the thick cheap stuff from michaels works great!) and dab a flat faced sponge into it....then I lightly dab the color over the brick faces...this keeps it out of the washed cracks for the most part and since the paint is so thick, one coat is usually enough...then I go back and weather as needed...
On the ones that had it, yeah - I also sanded first (which would've taken off the film on its own, I would think).
I was trying to put down the darker basecoat for cracks and such. At least I know I was on the right track, now.
I am starting to notice a lot of people using that pink foam AKA Extruded Polystyrene to make brick walls, in which they sculpt/carve the bricks into the face of the foam and then paint it. I know THIS thread is what started it!
It looks FABULOUS, but i was wondering... what is the measurement for the bricks? I am very curious to try this, I just want to make sure it looks right!
It looks FABULOUS, but i was wondering... what is the measurement for the bricks? I am very curious to try this, I just want to make sure it looks right!
Put your foot up to a brick and then guesstimate with a Joe foot when sizing up a foam brick
Basically, this. I used a flathead screwdriver as my punch for all the staggered vertical lines, so roughly the width of that... I just drew the horizontal lines to keep the spacing, but it was the width of the screwdriver so I could go back and make them all fairly easily.
But yes, I was going to say that a Joe's foot is roughly the right size to aim for.
Giving this a bump because I have a question...
What material makes the best roads for a city dio that will hold up to kids playing on it?
I thought about cutting thin foam as my road so I can scuff it up, make potholes, etc. But I want it durable enough the kids can play on it without tearing it up.
suggestions?
What material makes the best roads for a city dio that will hold up to kids playing on it?
I thought about cutting thin foam as my road so I can scuff it up, make potholes, etc. But I want it durable enough the kids can play on it without tearing it up.
suggestions?
Would resin melt styrofoam? Maybe when you're done you can pour a layer of clear resin over it to lock in the details, create a layer of protection, and make it something that you can routine clean up any dust.
Something like a protective acrylic maybe? Hopefully someone that actually makes this stuff can weigh in.
Glue roof shingles onto a long durable surface. They look like rough roads and could easily be glued onto a surface. Just an idea.
Just use the foam board...if kids rough it up, just do touch up work and it'll look even more worn and natural...
I had this thought to do my streets before I used the roof Shingles.
Plywood. Use a small doorknob drill bit to cut all the man holes out, than glue the thin rolled cork board over entire thing. Cut the manholes out slightly bigger so a lid can sit on the lip. Rough up the cork some and paint it dark grey and put a heavy black wash on it for blacktop. Put some heavy spots of Elmers glue here and their and paint gloss black once dried to simulate some tar spots.
I still plan to try this someday.
Plywood. Use a small doorknob drill bit to cut all the man holes out, than glue the thin rolled cork board over entire thing. Cut the manholes out slightly bigger so a lid can sit on the lip. Rough up the cork some and paint it dark grey and put a heavy black wash on it for blacktop. Put some heavy spots of Elmers glue here and their and paint gloss black once dried to simulate some tar spots.
I still plan to try this someday.
Bumping this guy to put it back on top. Best dio tutorial out there and with an influx of some new regular members, I think they should see it.