New River

Now that my layout no longer represents present day Iowa, but instead 1950's New England, I can freely add more rock work to the landscape. I extended the edge of the layout 4" to accommodate a small river with a fall. My intention was to give rock molds a try thinking it would make things go faster. After using just one, which I ended up burying, it just seemed easier for me to carve the whole length of the river in plaster. This way I could get the shape and mass I was looking for. The only thing I'm not happy with is that right now it looks tacked on - but I think it's mostly due to the fact that it's stark white; once it's colored and covered with vegetation it should blend in nicely.

Background...

Have started working on some background flats...trying to work the opposite way I usually do. Most often I'll start the foreground scene first, which is a terrible idea, then get stuck as to what to do with the background and never get to completing it. This was a wall from a Downtown Deco kit. It's not the final placement and needs some wall details and some parapet capping.