FCSME Member: Bill Carl
M o d u l a r   R a i l r o a d i n g   a t   i t s   B e s t

Basic Scenery - Rocks
You can click on any picture for a larger version.

I like to use rock molds to make my rocks.  Several manufacturers offer lots of different types of rock molds.  You can even make your own rock molds using latex rubber and your favorite rock(s) but that is beyond the scope of this clinic.  Since I am a modular guy, I use lightweight Hydrocal.  Once the Hydrocal has hardened for at least 48 hours, I carefully peel them out of the molds.  Then I proceed to...
...use Latex Liquid Nails to secure them to the module.
It is a good idea to plan well in advance of where and what types of rocks you want.
The rocks are glued into place.
Another view of the rocks glued in.
I have 4 basic washes that I use.  They are Burnt Umber, Black, Stone Gray, and Slate Gray.
For these I started with a wash of Burnt Umber...
...then a little Stone Gray...
...finished up with a lot of Slate Gray as I want the rocks to be mostly dark gray.  Then I let them dry.
Next I 'flyspecked' them.  Take a sheet of paper and sprinkle a dark color like soil onto the paper.
Apply some diluted glue to the rocks...
...and carefully and slowly blow the dark colored ground foam onto the face of the rocks.
This gives them the appearance that moss a little plants actually are growing on them.