Any Good Sculpters/idea People Out There?

[DarkSoul]

So I've seen so many tutorials on how to make these things that I thought it would be perfect for my 50 gallon.

I picked up a half sheet of foam board today for $2, and have cut it down a little, and am now at this point below.

My problem is, for some reason i can seem to think of, or imagine how to make this wall look like what I want.... Im in no way a sculpter, and just cant seem to get any decent looking patterns on small test pieces.

I dont want to take up a big chunk of space in my tank, and i dont want a crappy looking background either.

Im hoping some of you guys can give me some advice on how to make this look like what I want.... which i dont even really know yet, but i do know i dont so much want just a wall of "stacked" rocks..... i want something a little more "deep sea", but also cant find any good pictures of this type of thing.

give me opinions on what it looks like so far, that particular piece will hide my intake tube, but i dont know how to do inlets either.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

 

[chrisdoesntmiss]

You need no skills of sculpting to do this, the only person it matters too is yourself. I have just completed a styrene background and I have the artistic talent of a cornflake. start by taking a permanent marker and drawing lines all over in the shape of wobbly clouds. making sure that each one over laps.

Dig your finger or a screwdriver half way down the sheet and start picking at it. I will upload some photos later. After that scrape the surfaces with a metal rule to aggrevate it and remove the perfect "flatness" and voila, background is ready so painting and then sealent.

If you still worry about how it looks, nature forms on its own accord, nothing is symmetrical and there are dents here, there and everywhere.

Also for the inlet tube either heat up a piece of copper tube the same diameter as your pipes, on a gas stove or blow lamp and push it through the sytrene, it will basically melt your hole as deep as you want to go. Just be very careful as copper conducts heat very well so ensure either big pliers or heat resistant "asbestos like" gloves
Chris

 

[DarkSoul]

yeah i understand natures imprefections and all that, but i guess my biggest problem is that really i dont want it to look like a cobblestone wall or something that someone would put in there driveway or the side of their house.

Im thinking more of a jagged rock surface, with some areas for my fish to hide or swim in and out of, without taking up too much space inside the tank.
on top of that, i dont think you would find a really long rock like the one covering my intake tube... would you?

im just kind of stuck for some reason or other and im not really sure why....

 

[DarkSoul]

well here is what i have so far, on just one half of this background

 

[iairj84]

that looks good.. just be sure to get the cover filler into those little crevices!

 

[DarkSoul]

its better now.

Ive change it a little bit, in that my intake holes are now one large hole.

Ive also found a good texture..... but putting a wire brush/cone on my dremel and letting it go nuts, jump around and do as it pleases.

Ill posts some pics later of the new design, but it looks really good now.


My only REAL problems now become my UGF and filter intake tube..... though they will be blended in.

 

[DarkSoul]

Well after much screwing around, and having my cat put her tail in the expanding foam that was currently in the process of expanding,and cutting the sheet in half, only to glue it back together again, I have decided to simply build the UGF uptake tube, right into the sculpture.

The plan was originally going to be to have it seperate into 2 pieces, so i could place one pice behind the uptake tube, and the other in front, (which worked perfectly btw) it dawned on me that the background was going to be siliconed onto the glass anyway, so i wouldnt be able to remove the uptake tube anyway.
All thats left to do is pickup a can of expanding foam tomorrow, and inject some into the channel that the uptake tube is sitting in to secure it all in nicely, and fill in the gaps that make it look unnatural.

This way i can slide it all into place easily enough, then slide my filters intake tube, down into position.

So, this is what i have so far... and this is only one half.

Knowing about the uptake tube this time, i can plan better for it.... i forgot about it the last time