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How to Make a Fake Boulder

 

This is a tutorial on how to make a big fake boulder. Fun and easy project. You can have some fun with this!

If you came here from youtube thanks! Give me a day to post the tutorial.

I also have the video tutorial for this project if you want to watch how to make this project. It is at the bottom of this page.

Will has a youtube channel with over 650 videos on projects you can make. Check it out right here

 

Throwing a boulder at the dragon

The boulder we make

 

Materials Needed for this project:

  • A generous amount of some kind of foam. Most foam will be quite ok including styrofoam. I use foamular that you can buy at Home Depot or any home improvement store. It is a home insulating material that comes in sheets.
  • A variety of paints - white, gray and black
  • Paper mache mix or a roll of plaster cloth
  • Some type of adhesive to glue the sheets of foam together
  • Something to cut the foam with, saw, hot wire cutter

 

Start with an irregular shape

Start out by drawing an off balance shape like this on your first sheet of foam. That will be your central piece right in the middle of the layers. It is the largest piece.

 

 

 

 

Cut out the first layer

Go ahead and cut that layer out. You don't have to be exact with the cutting. It will make it even better.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add layersWhat you want to do is cut yourself layers of foam and glue them together into a roughly random stone shape! Start with the very center layer which is the largest and add layers to each side of it.

Use some kind of tool to blend the edges together.

And you can see in this picture that each layer doesn't have to be a complete piece of foam. You can cobble together pieces of foam.

 

 

The layers form a boulder

This is what you are shooting for. Something like this. Have fun with it and keep it irregular.

 

 

 

 

 

 


Plaster or paper mache the edges

Now paper mache or plaster cloth over cracks of the stone. Paper mache is easy if you don't have plaster cloth. You mix two cups of water with two cups of flour and one tablespoon of salt. Dip strips of newspaper in it.

You don't have to do the whole stone. You can just do the cracks and flaws.

 

 

 

Add crumpled newspaperYou can further modify the boulder at this point by crumpling newpaper and then paper macheing over that. See the crumpled newspaper balls at the top?

 

 

 

 

 

Plaster the whole boulder

Now take the excess plaster or paper mache mix and rub it all over the stone. Cover the whole stone with it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let it dry

 

Ok. Let it dry. And it looks great!!!

 

NextSo Now lets paint it! Continue

 

 

 

The Video Tutorial is here

 

 


 

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