Some of you might have seen my Island demos in other areas. Here is a tutorial (kinda) about how I do my Island terrain.
1) Cut out a square of MDF. I tend to use the score and break method, using an exacto knife to score the MDF, then trim it with tin snips.
IMG_1574 by
creon_the_mad, on Flickr
2) Using clips or tin snips, make the island rounded. Nature doesn't do straight lines.
IMG_1575 by
creon_the_mad, on Flickr
3) Using exacto knife, carve out a block of pink foam insulation in the basic size for the MDF base.
IMG_1577 by
creon_the_mad, on Flickr
4)Using Exacto and fingers, shape it to the MDF base
IMG_1578 by
creon_the_mad, on Flickr
5) scrape the edge of the pink foam with the exacto knife or a metal ruler or some other metal edge.
IMG_1579 by
creon_the_mad, on Flickr
6) After scraping, you should have a foam shape matching the MDF
IMG_1580 by
creon_the_mad, on Flickr
7) Glue the Pink foam to MDF. I use wood glue
IMG_1581 by
creon_the_mad, on Flickr
Once the basic Island is set, do details. This one is a piece of the Pink Foam left over, scraped into a circle with my Exacto knife, and glued over a pit in the foam, and a roughed up rim, again dug out by the Exacto.
IMG_1584 by
creon_the_mad, on Flickr
9) Paint the basic colors on the pink foam and MDF. I base my cliffs and rock black, and plains green.
IMG_1586 by
creon_the_mad, on Flickr
10) I paint the edges of the island in a tan paint, and pour sand over it. You can use the wood glue, thinned out as well.
IMG_1588 by
creon_the_mad, on Flickr
11) Drybrush in gray in two passes, put detail in. Done! Beware the Volcano!
IMG_1592[1] by
creon_the_mad, on Flickr