Fake Background. Newbie's first effort.

[SnakesGrandad]

Hi all.

After buying a Stimson hatchling for my daughter I wanted to spruce up the enclosure a bit.

I liked the exo terra and universal backgrounds but really wanted a ledge upon which ''old Snakie'' could laze on and soak up some extra heat higher in the enclosure.

After some research I went with DIY and used polystyrene, acrylic render,cheap acrylic paint and will seal with crommlin pond sealant.

I'm pretty happy with the outcome and went for a red rock look. Maybe ''Snakies ancestors'' came from the Pilbra?

My advice is to do your research, have an idea as to what you want the job to end up looking like and take your time. Just have a go. You'll surprise yourself.

 

[Shotta]

damn thats is a real niice looking background thanks for sharing

 

[Lawra]

That looks fantastic!!! Thank you for sharing.

 

[BHP1983]

Well done mate, that looks awesome!!!!

 

[Porkbones]

Looks good!

 

[sharky]

Newb? More like pro! Fantastic job!!!

 

[SnakesGrandad]

Thanks all. I'm just hoping its going to fit into the enclosure.. lol. I''ll add a couple of pics when I get it set up.
I'm already thinking of a Mayan ruins type background in greys and black. I have plenty of materials left over to have a go at a hide and backdrop. Second go should be easier.

As far as being a Pro? I'd have to thank all the people who posted in the DIY section here at AussiePythons in regards to their builds and the advice and pictures they posted. I got a lot of info and inspiration here. Great forum.

 

[JordoThomson]

That's awesome! Would love to see it fitted in the enclosure.

 

[DarwinBrianT]

That looks awesome! If it was mine I'd give it the once over with a dry brush ( google it ) with a color you like and goes with it. It's easy as and will bring it up even better. Even if you try it on a left over bit first, I'm sure you will love the out come.

 

[SnakesGrandad]

Done the dry brush. That's the grey white streaking on the edges and surface. Not 100 percent happy on that aspect. Maybe a darker shade closer to black would have been better? I didn't want to respray the whole thing if I put a really bad dry brush colour on since I'd used up all the earth red acrylic tube. Then again the tube of paint was 3 bucks ..lol

Just looked at some Pilbra red rock outcrops..maybe I could try a brown for a touch up dry brush, since my daughter has some in her paint set, and see if it revs me up

 

[Rogue5861]

Looks good mate, love the detail. Puts mine to shame lol.


Rick

 

[woody101]

Where do you live?? Can I make an order Fantastic mate

 

[SnakesGrandad]

I think the trick is to add extra,deeper detail to your base foam. This may look too much but when you add some layers of render it will even out the look as the render will fill in the indents and such. If you keep things flat and smooth before render, I think you will end up with a lack of definition.

 

[Rogue5861]

I think the trick is to add extra,deeper detail to your base foam. This may look too much but when you add some layers of render it will even out the look as the render will fill in the indents and such. If you keep things flat and smooth before render, I think you will end up with a lack of definition.

Yep, definitely agree with that. For crevices and cracks it is best to make deeper an wider then what you want, to get it sharp use a pop stick or something flat to smooth out once nearly dry.

I just don't have the creativity to get it looking that good.


Rick

 

[wildthings]

Yep, definitely agree with that. For crevices and cracks it is best to make deeper an wider then what you want, to get it sharp use a pop stick or something flat to smooth out once nearly dry.

I just don't have the creativity to get it looking that good.


Rick

Yep me too, after lots of trial and error...looks totally awesome

 

[J-A-X]

When drybrushing don't go too crazy with different colours.
I found it better to pick a colour, add a little black and paint that as a base coat. For the next couple of layers you use less black / no black / a little white / more white. By picking a single colour and adding white or black you keep the tone the same but add enough difference to stop the "flat look"
It sounds like a lot of layers but only the first layer is a full cover paint job. Each layer covers less than the last. Heavy coverage in some area, less in others. The last layer on something like you've created would would only use enough paint to fill a 2litre drink bottle cap ! Even then you'd have some left over.

For a first effort you should be proud of yourself

 

[SnakesGrandad]

When drybrushing don't go too crazy with different colours.
I found it better to pick a colour, add a little black and paint that as a base coat. For the next couple of layers you use less black / no black / a little white / more white. By picking a single colour and adding white or black you keep the tone the same but add enough difference to stop the "flat look"
It sounds like a lot of layers but only the first layer is a full cover paint job. Each layer covers less than the last. Heavy coverage in some area, less in others. The last layer on something like you've created would would only use enough paint to fill a 2litre drink bottle cap ! Even then you'd have some left over.

For a first effort you should be proud of yourself

Thanks mate. Don't worry I picked your threads clean before I attempted this.

 

[tahniandshae]

I thought my ones looked pretty good, until I saw yours. top job for your first one.

 

[J-A-X]

LOL, there are a lot of talented people here, they just needed a place to gather and bounce ideas around, I just got the ball rolling and add some guidance occasionally

 

[Wockner]

Dad of the year right there. great handy work!