In this tutorial I show you the basic properties of gothic architecture and show you how to use these properties to make a gothic dungeon.

And I give you the templates so it is easy for you to make.

And in my other dungeon making tutorial I show you the painting techniques of dappling and of dry brushing. In this tutorial I show you a new technique called "washing".

I also have a video tutorial you can watch at the bottom of the page.

The Gothic Architecture template is ready. You can download it right here (pdf)

Some of the new techniques we learn in this tutorial are:

• How to paint the foam walls and arches so they look like Marble (This is a washing technique)
• How to paint the walls so they look like marble. (Two color painting)
• How to add a second floor with stairs.
• We look at some of the major architectural characteristics of Gothic Architecture

There are several key characteristics that Gothic architecture has. And we will make them for this dungeon. They are Spires, Arches, Buttresses, and marble stonework.

Materials and Tools:

• A sheet of XPS foam (Get it at Home Depot or Lowes)
• An xacto knife - The one I use: Xacto knife
• Paints: Black, White, Gray
• 1 sheet of foamboard (walmart, cvs, dollar stores) Amazon has it here: Foamboard
• Some kind of glue that is foam friendly, elmers glue, pva glue, hot glue gun.
• A sealant (this is important for durability and usability) I use mod podge gloss. You can also use white glue mixed 50/50 with water.

Let's make the base

Here is what it looks like when it is done. It is 24" x 24". The squares and 1.5".

One of the nice things about this foam is that it comes already with tongue and groove work on it so you can make bases and simply assemble them side by side as you want the size of your dungeon to change.

Take a trip to your local home improvement store and pick up a sheet of home insulation foam. The picture shows the sheet I got. It is 2 feet wide, 8 feet long and 1 inch thick. that 1 inch thick is important to remember because they often sell sheets that are 2 inches thick. You can use it but that extra thickness is not necessary.

It's very iight and easy to work with. Have an employee of the store cut it in half for you so you can get it in the car.

Note that different companies make it in different colors. But they are all the same. It can be either pink, blue or green.

Cut the foam to your desired size. I cut mine to 24 inches by 24 inches. If you are going to cut your base to a different size you should consider the size of grid you want. I use grid squares that are 1.5 inches so cut your base to a multiple of that.

Draw out the grid using a pen or gel pen. It's ok that the pen indents the foam. We are going to accentuate those dents and make them really deep in the next couple of steps.

Now use your xacto knife to carefully cut all those grid lines. Cut about half way through the foam. Take your time. If you cut too fast you can tear the foam. You will quickly get a feel for it. And replace your knife blade if needed. A new blade will make the cutting very smooth and easy.

Now slowly run a sharpened pencil through all those cuts. This opens them up a bit.

Next blunt that pencil.

And run that blunted pencil through the cuts further opening them up.

Let's continue and do the painting (Or check out the video and the other dungeon tutorials below)

Watch the video right here without leaving this page

Want more dungeon making tutorials? I have lots of them:

Make a Dungeon Diorama Book

It is an easy to make dungeon using foamboard and foam. And it folds up just like a book. You can make one with unlimited rooms and potential. Make a Dungeon Diorama Book.

New: Make a Dungeon Diorama with 3d Printed Miniatures

I show you some great techniques for making a dungeon diorama which is also good for table top gaming. I also have some 3d printed minatures in this diorama. Make a Dungeon Diorama

Make Dungeon terrain using pebbly styrofoam

Pebbly styrofoam is the common type of foam that you are familiar with. You can also shape it so it has some ruined look at it. Make 3d Dungeon Terrain

How to sculpt a miniature

In this tutorial I show you step by step how to sculpt a neat little fantasy miniature. I make a battlemage. I show you everything including the armature and the materials to use. How to Sculpt a Miniature BattleMage

How to Cast Miniatures

I take you through the whole process of making the mold then casting the miniature. I cast a miniature dwarf in a two part mold, includes videos.. How to cast two part rubber molds