The structures are placed temporarily also. In the photo on the lower right you can see the beginning of some of the "rock work". The rocks are a combination of WS rock molds and hand-carved plaster. Hydrocal is applied in a thick layer just as it begins to set and then carved with a hobby knife or other sharp object. Once the rocks are set they were colored with dark "washes" of acrylic and/or India ink and highlighted with the "dry brush" technique. More rock work can be seen in the next few pages. Dave Frary's book on scenery is very helpful for all aspects of MRR scenery. Notice that all during this scenery process, with a few exceptions, the trains can keep on rolling!
The next step is to paint the white plaster and any exposed foam with your choice of "tan" latex paint (left). I used a "Light Wheat" from Wal-mart ($9 / gallon) and it only took about a quart. But it's good to have extra for touch-up as you work with the scenery details. The first photo came out too yellow. The other photos show the actual color of the latex paint. After the paint dried I temporarily "landscaped" the layout with some trees to help me see where I wanted rock formations and cliffs.
