Plaster tips

Dealing With Air-Bubbles (Click thumbnails for larger images)
	1. Battle Damage A sharp pointed tool is required for this, either a dental pick, or the tip of a needle file works well. Note: painting the model first may show up the bubbles, but makes it slightly harder to carve the plaster.		Method The technique is to make the bubbles larger using the pointed tool. Place the point inside the bubble, and scrape outwards to break up the smooth rounded edges of the air-bubbles.		Result Having painted the model, the bubbles should now look more like realistic battle damage to the stonework.
	2. Laser Damage This technique requires a small drill-bit, and a pin vice may help for tougher types of plaster. A cotton bud (Q-tip) is also needed for the finishing. Obviously, this method is best suited to sci-fi projects. Note: hard plasters WILL blunt your drill-bits.		Method Using the drill, make the air-bubbles slightly larger. Making them equal in size and perfectly circular will make them look like laser damage. Notice that this has only been done to the larger bubbles, the many micro-bubbles will get mostly filled by paint and won't show prominently.		Result A couple more holes were made in the block, to make it appear as if it has been strafed by repeating laser fire. Paint the inside of hole black. Scrape a little charcoal or chalk pastel to make fine dust. Dip the end of the cotton bud into the dust, then place it over the hole and twist a couple of times to make a scorch mark around the hole.
	3. Bullet Holes Start this technique in the same way as making the laser damage, drilling holes where the air bubbles are, and adding more holes if desired.		Using a dental pick or other pointed tool, carve short lines into the edges of the holes. This simulates the damage to the surrounding material around the bullet hole itself.		Result The holes were first painted in black. Then the surface scratches were given a coat of chainmail to resemble holes in a painted metal surface. For holes in stone, just drybrush as usual.
	4. Monster Damage This technique requires a sharp pointed tool, either a dental pick, or the tip of a needle file works well.		Method Using the pointed tool, scratch three or four lines into the plaster, going through the air-bubbles. Try to keep the lines roughly parallel and evenly spaced.		Result Once painted, the etched lines should resemble the marks made by the claws of a monster. As an alternative, you could try to make a hole which looks like the stone was bitten away by something with large teeth.
	5. Acid Damage A dental pick and various drill-bits are needed for this technique.		Method Drill a hole using a fairly big drill-bit. I used a 3mm (1/8") bit here. Tilt the drill and widen the hole into an uneven shape. Add other holes of various sizes using smaller drill-bits or a dental pick.		Result This was undercoated in black, before being drybrushed in a metallic colour. Clear varnish was tinted with green ink, and applied liberally into all the holes to represent the acid.
	6. Filling the Holes This method is more time-consuming than either of the previous ones. Some kind of filler is needed, and the pieces should be undercoated first to prevent the filler setting too fast. I highlighted this piece simply to make the bubbles stand out better.		Method Smear the holes with filler using a suitable tool. I use an artists palette knife as shown in the picture. Ensure the filler gets right to the back of the cavities. As the filler begins to harden, gently scrape off worst of the excess and smooth the surface.		Result If the filler still has a rough surface, gently sand it with an emery board or fine sandpaper to blend it with the original shape. Once painted the air-bubbles should have almost disappeared.

 

	Making Flat Floors (Click thumbnails for larger images)
	Materials Glass sheet (either a glass worktop saver or a glass bathroom shelf is ideal, since they are made from safety glass) The backing can be easily removed from a cheap worktop saver after dishwashing on a hot setting.		Step 1 Make a dry layout the floor design on a suitable board.		Step 2 Place the glass sheet on top and carefully turn the whole lot upside down.
	Step 3 The reason for using this method becomes obvious, since the tiles look almost identical from beneath.		Step 4 Put together some lego blocks to use as a set square, and glue the tiles together. Use the glue sparingly, and try to keep it on the upper edge of the tiles to prevent it seeping down onto the front faces.		Step 5 Hold up the glass sheet and look from underneath to check that the pattern is correct. Once dry, the upper surface of the floor should be dead level, although protruding blocks on the underside may need to be sanded before gluing it to a base.

 

	Plastering Walls (Click thumbnails for larger images)
	Materials Ready-mixed filler Emery Board Palette Knife (You can use other tools for spreading the filler, but I find a palette knife is ideal for getting into corners)		Step 1 Undercoat the area you are going to "plaster". This will seal the blocks and prevent the filler drying on contact. This is a good use for any blocks you may have with large air bubbles.		Step 2 Place a quantity of filler on a smooth plastic surface, add a drop of water, and mix thoroughly. The filler should be just wet enough to stick to the palette knife.
	Step 3 "Cut" a small amount of filler onto one edge of the palette knife.		Step 4 When applying the filler, try to keep the blade of the knife at a slight angle to the surface. Drag the knife slowly across the blocks away from the edge containing the filler.		Step 5 Start at the edges of the piece, and gradually work your way to the middle, building up the thickness as you go.
	Step 6 Allow the filler to set for about 30 minutes, then use the palette knife to smooth out any obvious irregularities.		Step 7 When the filler is completely dry, you can smooth the area further with an emery board.		Step 8 The wall section finished and painted. Should you wish, you could now paint a mural on the "plastered" section.

 

	Damaged Plaster Walls (Click thumbnails for larger images)
	Step 1 Undercoat the model, and finish painting the area which will be exposed by the damage. Pinch a piece of kitchen foil, making a suitable random shape with a handle to hold it.		Step 2 Spread the filler as described above, holding the "handle" of the foil to keep it in place.		Step 3 Leave the filler to set for about 10 minutes, then carefully remove the foil.
	Step 4 If you aren't happy with the shape of the hole, use a cocktail stick to remove some more of the filler.		Step 5 Once the filler is dry, use a dental pick or other sharp tool to make some cracks around the edges of the hole.		Step 6 Paint the wall plaster in the colour of your choice. Finish by painting the cracks and edges of the hole in a grey colour.