So what does Barsoom look like? Well the ground has to be red for the red planet. The texture from the filler gives a great dried earth/mud look, and I will be using it in other projects in the future I'm sure. According to Edgar Rice Burroughs the planet is largely covered by a yellow moss, so I will be adding something to represent this in large patches.
I will also make several rocky outcrops to scatter across the board. Some designed to fit in corners or along the edge, others to be free standing.
Martian trees have ivory trunks and branches, with purple foliage, and grass is red. No one is going to mistake this for Earth, or Jasoom I should say.
I aim to make a ruin or two as well; the Green Martians dwell in the ruins of the Red Martian cities built on the sea beds as the water level dropped. I'm not sure yet what these will look like, possibly broken pieces of polystyrene packing?
Anyway, enough waffle, here's the progress so far.
The board with an undercoat of dark brown. Very patchy.
Close up of the surface texture.
I am using match pots of emulsion paint for cheapness. The brown is Wilko's Java Bean applied in patches then spread out with a moist brush.
The result is patchier than i hoped, but it should be covered in the next stage.
Now with dark red. Shame I ran out of red paint.
A close up with the dark red, missing out the lighter blotches.
The red coat is a mix of two parts Wilko Ruby Ring to one part Java Bean. This is applied neat, and stippled into the texture rather than brushed on to minimize brush lines. The close up is paler than it actually looks, but we have sunshine outside today which seems to be making the photo look washed out.
Next up, drybrushing and moss.
