Prehistoric Terrain

        When I think about it my idea of "prehistoric terrain" is more informed by Saturday morning "B" movies than any sort of erudite study.  These epics often took place in the desert valleys near Hollywood, a terrain MOST unlike anything encountered by humans trying to survive at the end of the last Ice Age! Some quick study made it clear that the climate was far more temperate. Land so recently scoured by glaciers would have far less topsoil and much more exposed rock so plant life would be scattered and struggling. With those thoughts in mind I sat down to paint the terrain for Zhodani Commando's caveman game.

 

a now-dead volcano's basalt core bared by the relentless weight of the ice

 

a moraine pile just starting to grow grass

 

probably not correct geologically, but I love layered sedimentary rock exposed by erosion

 

 

and how can you do Neolithic without a circle of standing stones?

 

 

of course cavemen need a cave!

 

one that opens so players can place minis inside, 

just waiting for an unwary herd of mammoths to saunter by

 

I felt that I had to add a touch of cave art; here we see a couple of hunters trying to get a bear-skin rug, life was tough before Amazon!

 

 

I almost added a painting of Thag Simmons important discovery

       All paints were Americana craft paints. The hills started out Honey Brown with a pretty heavy dry-brush of Pebble. The flocking was stuck down with a 50/50 mix of Titebond wood glue and Medium Hauser Green. The darker colors were custom mixed.