True Grit (and some pebbles too) UPDATED

       The last step in the Afghan village project left me with the reconstructed hills finished and coated in paint. The next step is adding details to these hills; the first of which is ground texture. Rocks, boulders, gravel and sand in the margins and on the hillsides, I mean, it isn't as if anybody is tidying up around there so all of that geological detritus would be just lying about. Cognizant that I have to maintain a playable surface I tend to add this sort of detail in places that won't impede play; the endless balance between a wargamng surface and railroad modelling quality terrain is a fine line to tread. The first step is to add the flashy details in areas that are out of the way and won't impact the deployment of our miniature legions, the base of cliffs, the edges of roadways, water runoff gulleys etc. Then I step back and assess what more can be added and where.

      But first the rocks and gravel. The first step is creating a mixture of aquarium gravel, kitty litter and playground sand in a 1-1-1 ratio. I mix this thoroughly in a bowl and keep stirring as I go because the sand finds its way to the bottom leaving the lighter gravel and kitty litter at the top. Next we need a thick-bodied glue, my favorite is Titebond wood glue. A wide sloppy line of this is squirted out along the base of the hill and I use a teaspoon to add the gravel mixture to the glue line. Always add a very generous amount of both glue and gravel mixture, the glue will soak upward through the mix binding the texture to the surface very effectively.

 

the sand falls between the cracks in the larger grit

 and tends to congregate at the bottom of the bowl necessitating regular stirring 

 

rocks and gravel falling from the hillside or washing downhill tend to collect at the foot of the vertical surface, so spread a sloppy bead of glue along those areas

 

then teaspoon a generous layer of the gravel mixture onto the wet glue

 

be sure to allow several hours of drying time to ensure that

 the glue has a chance to adhere the maximum amount of grit 

 

having allowed the glue to dry I overpainted it with more of the chocolate color, 

once that had dried I gave a drybrushing of medium brown to see if I liked the level of texture

 

overall I'm pleased with the effect, next comes an overall light sand dusting 

 followed by some chinchilla dust, then another couple of lighter shades of drybrushing

 

once I have the surface in place and drybrushed to my satisfaction I will add some vegitation