The Well of Frostgrave

So, I needed a well for Frostgrave.  As no doubt many of you know, Frostgrave has lots of different scenarios, and a lot of them call for specific terrain and models.  Nothing wrong with that, since wargames of old used to proscribe every detail of the battles.  The only problem I'm going to have with that going forward is storage, but I can probably devote two cases to Frostgrave...maybe two cases.

They are large cases.

Angled the light to get a better view of the texture.

Going right down the list, the first thing I need is a well.  I had originally intended on making this from a large piece of styrene, but that started looking more like a fountain.  Then, on a random trip to the Hobby Lobby my Lady pointed out some interesting pieces tucked away in the back.  One was a model well, with functioning bucket and everything...and they only wanted like $1 for it.  Or something like that.

...also, glue and mixing bowls. 

Anyway, I needed a well. So here's what I did:  I took the well piece, and decided I didn't need to do anything else to it.  Add that to a small, irregularly cut piece of MDF, and the rest of the elements I'm using in the Frostgrave set.  Namely, Woodland Scenics Soft Flake Snow and GaleForce9's Dirt.  There's also some modelling sand and a little static grass thrown in there...but I'm not even sure what project that stuff came from so I can't give you a product there.

It's mostly sand, though.

Consistency is key.  I'm going to have to start measuring ingredients.

Mixing up the glue and snow, I decided to use a different method than I had used in the building of the ruins.  This time, I simply applied the snow first.  The idea was that the water in the glue might not leach the dye out of the flock underneath if there is no flock underneath.

I had also planned on using the Woodland Scenics Realistic Water, but after the yellowing of the last use I decided I'd experiment with that independently at a later date.  The green underneath in the well was a satin and kinda reflective already.  Couple that with the realization that this well had to be made fairly recently...or was made of magical wood that somehow withstood the elements.  Either way, with the inclement weather around Frostgrave this well is almost flowing over.

First layer of snow and flock.

I didn't have any dye leaching but I did have another issue that showed up after applying the flock.  After I showed the Lady, it was pointed out to me that the snow was only level with the ground and I'd need to apply another layer.  There was also some cracking around the base of the well where the snowdrifts were piled due to the drying of the glue pulling apart the shape of the drift.  This left little rents in the snow that almost looked like the muddy puddles that form when melting snow from a roof drip-drops all day over the eaves.

The Well of Frostgrave, or, the Worst Place to Drink.

Adding a layer of snow to fill in the gaps and make the snow rise above the flock was harder than I thought it would be, but was still pretty easy.  Watch texturing during this phase.  I'm sorely tempted to try out Flex-Paste next time but I'm unsure about how that will stand up to actual use, such as having models trampled across it.  Anyone with experience with that product that cares to share it in the comments would be greatly appreciated.

Lots of different animals are drawn to waterin' holes.

I promise to get better lights...but the snow is just glaringly white anyway.  I angled some lights to show the texture instead of the camera just being snowblinded.  It looked like I had sloppily painted solid white onto it instead of looking like a three dimensional construct.

If you don't think you'll get shot over this here waterhole, you've come to the wrong neighborhood.

All in all, just a small piece for Frostgrave, but a scenario specific one.  It was a quick and easy build, done on the side amidst all my other projects to account for the drying time of the glue, which was a few hours.  Also, it was cheap and I didn't have to work hardly at all.  I consider this one a win.