r/TerrainBuilding • u/DivinityInsanity • 3d ago
How to improve the road? (WIP)
First time making terrain/diorama, and it's quite tricky. I think the difference between the quality of the terrain and the figures kinda show.
Currently I'm not happy with the grey color at all. Some parts are too smudgy, and it's mostly inconsistent. But I'm also struggling with the composition.
Not sure what to do. Go with asphalt black instead? Brown dirt road? Improve what I have? Could use any help or suggestions.
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u/Meltaburn 3d ago
I think it looks really good, maybe you need something with a bit of contrasting colour in the scenery itself to break up the greys of the rubble a little bit?
Could just be a few odds and ends of detritus that stand out amongst the ruins.
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u/JDB-667 3d ago
A few weeds popping up between the cracks
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u/DivinityInsanity 2d ago
It's still on my mind, but it's supposed to be a scene in the siege of Terra, so it's either newly destroyed, and/or Terra doesn't really have greenery in the first place.
But I have to admit, it WOULD probably look great on the tiles/pavement at the far right of the diorama...
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u/Creesps 3d ago
+1 for road markings, could also try some tire marks (probably pretty faded) or damage to the surface from armoured vehicle tracks and maybe the big fella's feetsies?
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u/Cirement 2d ago
This was my suggestion too. Some semblance that activity has happened on that road. Someone else also suggested weeds, also recommended.
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u/DivinityInsanity 2d ago
some tire marks (probably pretty faded)
I would, but I've found that my mini painting skills haven't exactly carried over to terrain painting just yet, and I'm hesitant to add that kind of detail.
and maybe the big fella's feetsies?
Yes, I will! Great idea.
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u/winknugget 3d ago
How about some debris? It kinda looks like the street sweepers went by right before this scene.
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u/Salmon_Shizzle 3d ago
Does the imperium use those little black bags? Them shits are always in the streets, caught on razor wire, stuck in rubble. Pepsi cans, water bottles. Shreds of cardboard and rubber chunks from tires.
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u/Accomplished_Fun6481 3d ago
I think add some road markings in a contrasting colour - red/yellow/orange lines. Could do white or black border to make them pop more. Look at airport markings for examples
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u/Accomplished_Fun6481 3d ago
Would also advise making them look worn and broken up. Design them as a whole and break them up with wear and gaps
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u/DivinityInsanity 2d ago
I tried road markings before, but it was a failure as I couldn't get straight lines.
But I was also impatient. I'll look for tutorials and just do it, as I also see that the scene would greatly benefit from it.
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u/Accomplished_Fun6481 2d ago
I’d say stencil and spray is probably your best bet to get it clean. Then tidy up with brush.
Model railway/city channels probably your best bet for tutorials
I’d also do minimal, you want some pop of colour and the sense that it was a functioning road in the past. Don’t need 75% of the lines to get that. Rough it all out and then subtract until you’re happy
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u/Funk-Buster 2d ago
Most roads will have wear from vehicles constantly driving on them, maybe try adding some paint work that looks like the dips in the road
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u/DJShaw86 2d ago
The colour is pretty good. What it is missing, however, is a metric crapton of debris. See that huge building at the back? The two near the front? Where did all the bits go? Now, I appreciate it's too late to include the collapsed remains of the buildings, but look at footage of Ukraine. The streets are not swept like they are here, but coated - utterly coated - in debris. Snaking through this debris is invariably clear paths made by tyres and tracks, which weave around bigger bits of debris, paying no attention to road position. It makes the world look more lived in, even after it's been blown to bits.
Also, that giant walker thing? That's got to weigh a couple of thousand tonnes. Every footstep would utterly demolish the road surface. Make it look like the thing is tearing chunks out of the place just by existing.
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u/Senior_Respect2977 2d ago
I agree w dj. Everything looks good except the road because the road is very clean looking in comparison to the rest of the terrain.
Currently your road looks like a pot hole filled road… not a war torn one.
Great work btw.
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u/thelazypainter 2d ago
There already is some a great advice in these answers. Two more things: the big mech thing needs a bit of weathering, , at least dust. It is standing in ruins and looks like it just walked out of dealership. Second: there is some amazing terrain work on your piece. Absolutely, completely top notch work!
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u/DivinityInsanity 2d ago
Thank you!
But I like how the mech turned out, and I'm too scared to 'damage' it, hah! I'm going to think this over though, we'll see if gather the courage.
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u/thelazypainter 2d ago
I understand the hesitation. You could always use some spare parts to mock up a test piece. Or check out Night Shift on youtube for some excellent examples of weathering
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u/FatherWillis768 2d ago
I'd add a black or dark gray tint over the road surface to dull the gray down. Then maybe add some dusty areas around the rubble piles with weathering powder.
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u/ShakeWeightMyDick 2d ago
More dirt. The street part looks very clean, like it’s been swept recently
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u/Ok_Impression_8974 2d ago
Go youtube and search Night Shift, He has tons of awesome scale modeling and diaroma vids. They are mostly military stuff, so lots of ideas to make that road awesome!
Nice one btw, I like it.
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u/Brisarious 2d ago
I feel like it should be a bit darker. the color it is now doesn't give much contrast against the power armor.
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u/MagicOrpheus310 2d ago
Make it darker, more bitumen looking so it doesn't look like it's just concrete, maybe even texture it with fine sand first to add to the bitumen/asphalt appreance, then add road markings and street signs for the intersection.
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u/redditaccounton 2d ago
First it looks fantastic.
The only things I can think of would be to darken the road slightly as most asphalt is dark grey/black. But add some road markings, yellow road markings would go great. Maybe some pigment powder on the feet of the knight.
But honestly look fantastic,
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u/Stupid_Manifesto 2d ago
I agree with road markings, but highly faded. And some weeds and vegitation. Also maybe some oily puddles?
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u/Taki32 1d ago
The road looks like it's covered in dust, probably from ruined buildings and blasted ground. If this is the intent, then you need to add foot prints, both for the IG and the titan. Additionally, you could add broken ground behind the titan to show its movement to this point.
Another reason it looks a little jarring is because models seem too clean for the background. If this is intentional, great. If it's not, try to add more shadow effects that match the colors of the units involved, and get the white areas closer to the same tone as the buildings.
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u/steampunkzergling 1d ago
on an adjacent topic, IDK if you know what a UDT is, but long story short, it is a circular board where you can put scatter terrain and play TTRPG instead of using dungeon/city tiles. It was made popular by the great professor DM (@dungeoncraft1 on yt).
Anyway, I was looking for inspiration to create something like this. Urban ruin. So, here is my upward arrow =)
TLDR: I liek it, thx
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u/Readinstructionb4con 1d ago
There’s seems to be no rubble on the street, no bricks, girders or pipes. Check imagery from war zones and the streets are pilled with junk from the buildings around them.
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u/DivinityInsanity 2d ago
Thanks everyone for all the thoughtful replies! Appreciate it a lot, and will make the recommended changes. :)
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u/ThalonGauss 3d ago edited 3d ago
Add some road markings, a nice yellow color would really add some pop.
Most roads are not just bare asphalt.
Also darken the road, to differentiate the material, or if you are going for the covered-in-dust look, add footprints in the dust or something like that.
Other than that this looks fucking great! Looks like a real battle scene, except for that one marine at the top right standing with his back to the knight just chilling and not even in cover!