Professional artist enclosure background

[Rox.n.Lix]

Ok, so all i need to do is add some fake greenery and she's pretty much right to go, but i couldnt hold off any longer in posting some pictures. My sister, who as some of you may have heard me brag, is a professional prop artist and has made me a fake background for my new snake enclosure. i have put a few pics of the stages along the way. i have a whole album up where you can see more if you are so inclined.
so, blank slate first, then all the poly goes in, then all the poly gets carved away, then the concrete goes on.

 

[beney_boy]

looks awesome! i wish i was able to make something like that. ive got a pile of the waffle poly blocks from a building site out the back. just not sure what to do with it yet. guess i should start small and eventually work up to something like this. cant wait to see the finished photos!

 

[Rox.n.Lix]

Then she added all the detail in the concrete, then paint! Oh, and i did some mods, adding the basement storey...

 

[J-A-X]

I've one of the few that have been watching this from the start and i only have one thing to say Rox.....

AWESOME

 

[Rox.n.Lix]

oh, and the inspiration was Angkor Wat in thailand.

 

[shane14]

So much detail, nice! Only thing is, i can imagine the new pretty cage is going to get pooped all over.

 

[syeph8]

bloody hell, how long did that take?

 

[Rox.n.Lix]

I've one of the few that have been watching this from the start and i only have one thing to say Rox.....

AWESOME

what do you think of the last pics Jax, less monotone than before?

 

[JrFear]

very nice!

 

[Rox.n.Lix]

So much detail, nice! Only thing is, i can imagine the new pretty cage is going to get pooped all over.

LOL Shane, i'll be coating the main surfaces with waterproofer, but not the walls, my boy is a fairly low key excreter..

bloody hell, how long did that take?

she started about 6 weeks ago (?) and has been working on it once a week. she moves pretty fast! the photos in the frst bunch are kind of end of day photos.

 

[J-A-X]

Its always hard with a flash to show the true colours, dont go too mad with the green, it will start to look fake, once you put the greenery in there it will 'Pop' to life, its always the finishing touches that bring it all to life, just like the right cushion on the couch

 

[syeph8]

thats just amazing, im trying to figure out how to set up three large enclosures at the moment, and this has given me some fantastic ideas. also the concreted walls (if they are nice and rough) will be fantastic for shedding. nice work!

 

[Rox.n.Lix]

Its always hard with a flash to show the true colours, dont go too mad with the green, it will start to look fake, once you put the greenery in there it will 'Pop' to life, its always the finishing touches that bring it all to life, just like the right cushion on the couch

agreed, hard to tell her what to do though when she is the professional. it actually is what the picture looks like. i should post that up too! lol

 

[Rox.n.Lix]

thats just amazing, im trying to figure out how to set up three large enclosures at the moment, and this has given me some fantastic ideas. also the concreted walls (if they are nice and rough) will be fantastic for shedding. nice work!

yep! she actualy used some specific stuff called quickwall. its not easy to get, so if you use regular grout or concrete, mix in some pva glue for extra strength and bonding.

 

[J-A-X]

LOL Shane, i'll be coating the main surfaces with waterproofer, but not the walls, my boy is a fairly low key excreter...

i know you have quite a bit of the waterproofer you had last time, ... and you were worried about it going to waste.......

 

[Just_Plain_Nuts]

Very nice Rox I am impressed it looks great. One thing a lot of snake owners dont realise is that the snakes actually appreciate a large complex enclosure with lots of rocks and places to climb. My diamond is so much more active in her enclosure than in a normal small one and they are much more fun to watch than when they just sit and sleep. It's giving me ideas , I have thought about an ice theme just for something different. Make sure you post the complete pics..

 

[syeph8]

can i ask how you got the polystyrene to stick to the walls? what adhesive did you use? how much?(thin coat or liberal application) and is it the same as you used to stick polystyrene to the other polystyrene?
sorry for all the questions but i am very impressed by your efforts and may undertake in a similar endeavour myself.

 

[nico77]

looks great mate , what did she use to shape the tree roots a grinder ?
I'd like to see the original photo she worked from .

cheers nico

 

[Rox.n.Lix]

can i ask how you got the polystyrene to stick to the walls? what adhesive did you use? how much?(thin coat or liberal application) and is it the same as you used to stick polystyrene to the other polystyrene?
sorry for all the questions but i am very impressed by your efforts and may undertake in a similar endeavour myself.

just used liquid nails (or similar) to glue the poly to the wall, and expanding foam to stick the poly together. you need to pin the pieces of poly together first with wooden skewers so it stays in position when you spray the foam in the gaps.

looks great mate , what did she use to shape the tree roots a grinder ?
I'd like to see the original photo she worked from .

cheers nico

original pic is below, and she uses knives to cut out the poly, and then smooths it with a wire brush, the detail is in the concrete. although, the denser the poly, the more detail you can get out of it. you'll find the poly that packages stereos and tvs is made up of large balls (like the ones in a bean bag) but quality poly foam is made up of really teeny balls =more detail.
the root that sicks out actually has a metal rod at the core for reinforcement, in case anyone thought it was a bit flimsy.

 

[bpb02]

bloody awesome mate, might need to find me a prop maker haha