My first attempt at foamcore buildings...

Well, I've never built a building from scratch. I decided to try and make a foamcore building last night. It's nothing too fancy since it's my first time, but it's coming along nicely I think. I should be making much larger, better looking things in no time!

http://www.tabletopgeeks.com/first-foamcore-building-work-in-progress/

VERY NICE START! If you're planning on doing half timbering, you could fill the corrner gaps with upright beams [1/4" balsa or bass wood strips would work well]. It's going to be cool seeing where you go from here. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

DeafNala wrote:

VERY NICE START! If you're planning on doing half timbering, you could fill the corrner gaps with upright beams [1/4" balsa or bass wood strips would work well]. It's going to be cool seeing where you go from here. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

Yeah, I was thinking of using the matchsticks to fill in the corners, but a single stick is too small... I'd have to probably put 4 of them together which might look strange. I'll stop at a craftstore soon and look for some balsa wood.

Michaels has balsa & bass wood strips of various widths in 3' lengths for $1, SO...not TOO painful.

DeafNala wrote:

Michaels has balsa & bass wood strips of various widths in 3' lengths for $1, SO...not TOO painful.

Yeap, I saw them there when picking up the popsicle sticks and matchsticks a while back and said "Eh, these should be all we need." Doh!

For the buildings I have been working on (half timbered) I used cardboard from a case of beer cut into 1/4" strips and glued on for the lumber look and then sparsely flocked the "plaster" or non-timber parts and painted it. Both of those ways add texture easily and look decent (or good if you are a better painter than me, which is likely). I'll put pictures up of a WIP progress tomorrow if it would help. And you can save that dollar that way.

I have a tiny bit of experience with foamcore.

- Be sure to cover all exposed foam a thing layer of PVA. Some spray propellants will eat the foam.
- Dry wall putty / wood filler (I use "Poly filla") is excellect for rough plaster or stucco look. The right stuff won't shrink or crack on you. You can paint over it reasonably well and it's shades very easily (it absorbs thinned paint--so a yellow wash can add the illusion of age).
- Formcore itself is very easily painted, the cardboard outsides is not too absorbent and won't deform unless you soak it.
- Use cheap craftstore paint--the thick acrylic stuff from tubes ("heavy body")--to create texture without texturing. Squeeze out a lump of paint, base coat, add a bit of white to lighten, dry brush and keep lightening the paint and dry brushing until satisfied (I use a very mangled brush for this and scrub each layer on... makes a very realistic looking cement with only one tube of grey and a bit of white).

That's all I can think of at the moment. Foamcore is really the best material for most buildings, it gives the right thickness and is can put up with a fair bit of abuse. It's strong, light, paintable, stays straight...

Another tip trick with foamboard:

If u buy some White foam board, and tear away some of the paper that protects the foam, you can draw bricks/flagstones on the now exposed foam. Using a dull pencil press down on the brick lines to leave impressions. This now looks like a plastered wall that has chipped away revealing the stonework underneath.

Pics would be better to illustrate what im suggesting, but alas, my camera is at the cottage.