Dark Age Demo Tables: LAVA!

For the final installment of this terrain showcase, I'll cover the lava effects on the Dark Age demo tables I made for Cool Mini Or Not. As is normally the case when it comes to crunch time, I start taking fewer pictures as I work. So I don't have any work-in-progress photos of the lava or lighting rig.

The ground was textured with sand and gravel, and painted black. I drybrushed the color up with a mix of P3 Thamar Black and P3 Bloodstone, up through straight Bloodstone, and then added some final highlights with P3 Gun Corps Brown. 

 

 

Cool Mini Or Not provided some translucent resin crystals to use on the bases. They were imbedded in the ground near the lava. The lava cutouts have a layer of textured plexiglass under them. The plexiglass was protected with tape during the painting, and once the drybrushing was finished, I sprayed some red directly into the center of each lava pool to create a glow on the banks.

Within the base of each table is a series of strip LEDs, positioned to shine up through the crystals and lava. 

 

 

To create the lava, I tinted some Envirotex Lite (a two-part epoxy) with yellow acrylic paint and poured it into each of the lava pools. Then, before the Envirotex cured, I added the darker swirls around the edges with a cotton swab dipped in orange paint. The paint comes off into the Envirotex without really dissolving, and by swirling it around, I could create some unique effects. For the finishing touch, I dropped a few glass beads into the lava to represent bubbles.

 

 

I'm really pleased with the lava; it turned out better than I imagined!

 

 

The four tables are designed to function as stand-alone 2' x 2' demo boards... 

 

 

And also line up to form either a 4' x 4' square, or a 2' x 8' line.

 

 

Check out the full range of detail shots in my terrain gallery!

'Til next time!