Over this weekend I experimented with trying to make a small hill for my Wargaming table. Image above is the end result. It’s not perfect, but it’s good for now! Comments & Criticisms are Welcome!

Remember: This is a “Learning” blog. I am not claiming that what I did here was “good”. You should use this as a starting point and improve. (Also, let me know how you improved it. Let’s figure this terrain stuff out together!)

Below is my journey towards terrain-mediocrity:

Materials

Foamboard

Cork Board

White craft glue

DAP “Fast N Final” Spackle

Brown & White Acrylic Paint (Dollar store variety)

Static grass & Clump Foliage (GF9 Brand)

Citadel’s: Agrax Earthshade, Typhus Corrosion, and Lustrian Undergrowth. (Optional) You could also simply water down your brown paint into a wash. Citadel’s washes seem expensive for this job!



Step 1: Cut & Assemble

There were three foundation components to this hill which I cut out first.

Foamboard square (Base) – 6″x 6″ Larger Cork Board circle – 5″ Diameter Smaller Cork Board circle – 3.5″ Diameter

You will want to bevel the edges of your foamboard square base to create the slope of the hill. I simply glued the pieces together with white glue as shown below.

Tip: If you are cutting cork board – Use scissors. A knife has the tendency to tear the material as you go across the surface.

Step 2: Spackle

Use a generous amount of the Fast N Final Spackle across the surface. Create the slope of the hill by using the spackle to fill the ledges between the layers.

Try to avoid making the slope too steep, or your models will have a tough time sitting on the sides of this hill. (Mine has this problem in places)

Optional: You can then use a piece of paper towel (damp just a bit) to dab along the spackle to give it an additional texture.

Step 3: Paint!

Paint a base coat. I chose to use brown, but I’ve seen videos where others opt for a green. Afterword, drybrush generously with a slightly lighter variant of your base to bring out the details.

In my version below, I maybe went too bright with my drybrush. You may want to give yours a more subtle drybrush.

Step 4: Detail!

Here is where you get creative. Use whatever detailing material you want to bring the hill alive.

In my case, I used some static grass and clump foliage to get some color on the hill.

I also found that using some dark wash (Agrax) along the edges of where the layers meet. This gave some additional dimension to the hill. I also put the wash into places where the spackle was recessed to make it look like puddles or indentations. In some of these areas I put down Typhus Corrosion for extra grit, and added some Lustrian Undergrowth in places for the same reason.

Result & Thoughts

Ultimately, I like the hill I made, but I realize it could be a lot better. Some of the detail I added went a little overboard, and my drybrush is too light. If I had time I could have washed the whole surface to blend the colors together better.

I would have also made the slope a little less steep. My models have a hard time finding purchase in a few places on my terrain.

However, I’m still happy with how it looks for a basic piece of starter terrain. You can see how it looks with a few models in the picture below.

Let me know if this helped you decide how to make your own Hill!

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