I was happy to receive the DVD I ordered from Paul Scoles called “Advanced Techniques for Realistic Scenery” during the holidays because I had some time to watch it. Overall, I think the video is worth the investment. The introductory shots of his layout were certainly inspirational.

Rock Casting and Painting - I have read many articles about casting rock faces using latex molds but none of them can match how helpful it was to actually watch Paul DO it essentially live. Particularly useful to me was watching him use a dental pick to pick away at the edges to blend them. Coloring rocks is something I have struggled with over the years. I feel like I can use his three color washes as he demonstrates and actually obtain the color I have in my mind.

Ground Cover - I am looking forward to spring so I can get up in the mountains and gather some decomposed granite. I am fortunate to live in Denver, so the mountains are right up the road but unfortunately covered with feets of snow currently. I also now know why the material is so good and why it doesn’t have any clay content. Seeing his technique for applying the ground cover was also great. I always felt like I “shouldn’t” build up the material too thick but he shows how to nicely blend the ground cover into the rock castings by building up the ground cover. His technique is simple and reproducible.

Sometimes it did plod along in a little too much detail or repetition but for the most part it had good pace. I think that carving the fir tree trunks with an x-acto is slow and dangerous. A wood rasp does the job faster and safer.

It was helpful that he provided specific product names and web site addresses where applicable. I can go and get the exact same material if I want.

You can order the DVD from his website, www.paulscoles.com.

I am looking forward to ordering volume 2 in the coming weeks.