This awesome project was created by Darrin Teigen.

Making crystal formations out of blue board Styrofoam:
tools you will need:

* a very sharp hobby knife- preferably an Exacto blade or equivalent. a new blade is also preferable, but as long as it is good and sharp, it will work. if you have one of those hot wire cutters, it will probably work, too. i've never used one though.
* fine grit sanding paper or even better, a fine grit fingernail file. i even have a double-sided one. they're like .79 cents at any drug store so go get one!
* your choice of paint. DO NOT USE ENAMEL PAINTS! enamel paint eats styrofoam. i use Testors flat black spray paint as a primer because i like its consistency and it is the only  flat black spray i've found that  doesn't eat the foam.
* paint brushes, of course!
* some kind of hobby glue. i use Woodland Scenics glue. it dries fast, strong, and mostly clear.



1. first step is to decide how big of a formation you want. i'll just start here with two pieces, but you can add as many as you want or just do one. one of mine is just a bit longer and the other is a bit wider- perfect for something that should look like a natural formation.



2. next step is to cut some basic crystal shapes out of the foam. if you need ideas of how crystals form and what they look like, find some pictures of crystals or if you have hippy friends, ask if you can borrow one of theirs (hippies have crystals, right?) . Mine is going to be a composite crystal with two main columns and a small formation on the side. they look a little rough, but that is where the nail file comes in.

3. I have now sanded down the surfaces and glued the shapes in place. already starting to look like crystals, huh? Well, I'm not done yet....



4. I have chosen to make my crystals purple-ish. After priming them in flat black, I have painted the whole structure in a deep, dark purple.



5. Now I will add highlights with a lighter shade of purple. I didn't wait for the dark purple to dry completely so i could get some weird, smoky blending effects. I will build up a few layers of lighter and lighter shades by dry brushing.



6. With a super-light dry brushing of white paint on the hard edges, my crystals are starting to look like, well, crystals. You could be done at this step, but I want to make my crystals stand out....



7.  Here is the kicker that will make your fellow gamers say 'ohhhh, ahhhh'.  I found this glitter paint at my local hobby & craft store made by Delta. Not only does it have little flakes of glitter in it, but it also has a glossy finish. The bonus here is that it is still an acrylic paint! So now my crystals look nice and shiny with the gloss coat and they look really cool with the glittery stuff. These two pictures should give you an idea of how shiny and glittery they are.




8. SUCCESS! Below is the finished crystal formation. Now if you make several more you can have a crystal forest like the one my battlemech just walked through.



Happy Modelling!