Working With Foam Tips and Tricks Adding Details

Second up in my weekly posts for tips and tricks working with foam (whilst I catch up with posting) is about adding details to your foam props. Specifically, three effects of different styles that can really bring your prop to the next level.

These instructables are designed to be simple and informative, and the skills can be transfered easily across to other mediums.

If you have any questions about the tips or any suggestions or comments on tips you'd like to see, I'd be very interested in hearing them.

- Templates (made using our previous tips and tricks post)

- hot knife/ wood burner/ soldering iron

- craft knife

- foam of varying thicknesses

By adding a flat simple shape onto a blank area of a prop is a brilliant way to add a change of depth and visual interest. It allows a natural boarder for a change of colour and for wearthering to be applied in paint stages.

These can be made to fit the area that is fairly blank by templating it out using the techniques we learned in our previous tips and tricks post.

By taking that same shape and designing some extra details to be heat scored in, we add some additional detail at a smaller level. These really help sell a prop as believable, and work really well to break up space.

To do this, we first draw out our pattern on the peice of foam, plug in our hot knife, and very gently score along the lines. The foam will melt leaving an engraved design.

Be careful not to burn yourself with the hot knife, or to inhale the fumes. Make sure you do this in a well ventilated area and wear breathing apparatus.

To take your detailing a step further, try layering different thicknesses of foam over your pattern. They can be cut out and stuck down on the foam using contact adhesive.

By adding different elements of detail at different height it really gives the eye more to look at, and when it comes to painting the 3d effect is brought to life. It also adds more areas for natural colour changes, and grime/ dirt build up when weathering.