Creating Cracked Ground In Desert Diorama ?

Modeling Subjects Dioramas
1

Hi all,

I’m trying to create some cracked earth in my desert diorama. I’ve been trying to follow the method in “Advanced Techniques” by Auriga Publishing which says that it is achieved by laying down your ground material (I’ve tried both plaster and celluclay", smooth out an area you want cracked, add a bit of extra water on top and then speed up the drying process with a hot hair dryer. The idea is that the quick evaporation of the moisture is supposed to crack the surface of your ground cover producing a realistic effect.

No matter how many times I try, what material of ground cover I choose, I can’t get it to work. I’ve sat there with the my wifes hair dryer going full throttle for 10-15 minutes with no luck - any longer and I’m affraid of blowing up the thing and risking bodily harm from my wife.

Does anybody have any idea at to what may be going wrong or some other way of achieving this effect ???

2

Have you tried using just normal Artex wall covering paste, I did a model a few years ago using this and it cracks well on it’s own, just smooth down to a desired effect then leave somewhere warm it should crack on it’s own. I’ll try and post some pictures soon.
Scott

3

It might also help to add more water to your mix? And instead of your wife’s hair dryer (I can fully understand your concerns there [;)]) try using the oven on a low setting.

4

Use an ordinary wall putty. Apply in a layer of about 12mm or 1/2 inch. Let dry. With this thickness, even at room temperature, it will surely crack as it dries up.