DO-IT-YOURSELF

TUTORIAL SCRIPT

In this tutorial I will show you the quickest technique of how to make a fake cut marble block look like from the Carrara marble quarries in Tuscany, Italy.
Fake rock is used in architectural modelmaking, theatrical scenery, film sets, decorative arts or even science projects.

The tools you need for making the fake marble block are:
- bluefoam,
- glue,
- a hammer,
- a chisel,
- a wirebrush,
- spraypaint,
- acrylic paint
- and paint brushes.

The bluefoam is essentially a closed-cell extruded form of polystyrene that is commonly known by the trade name of “Styrofoam”.
I use three blocks of 225 x 225 x 75 mm in order to create a perfect cube.
But because glues, especially superglues, cannot adhere to foam, it will actually dissolve it. Therefore I use Uhu por , a special expanded polystyrene glue, for gluing the sides of my model together.
I apply one layer of glue on the two sides which I then press, pull apart and press back together again.

While waiting for the glue to work, I am getting the steel claw hammer.
First, I hammer the 6 sides of the cube to take irregular form. I turn the tool around and use the claw to hammer indentations.
Second, I place the chisel on the edge of the bluefoam block at a horizontal angle in order to carve out thin strips. These will later imitate the marks left on the freshly cut marble by the chain saw machines. This will take some time so I will fast forward…

Once the carving is done, the block still looks quite amateurish.
In order to refine the texture I use a wire brush to brush along the grain of the stone, here the direction of the cut.
Make sure you vacuum away the small bits of blue foam which will fall off.
Now the sculpting process is done and we can begin the painting!

As with the glue, you should be careful about the choice of paint as it may melt the blue foam.
I already spray painted my block with two layers of special spray paint from my local DIY shop outside.
Please make sure that you read the instructions written on the back of the spray can, spray in the direction of the wind and don’t breathe in the toxic vapours.

Back inside, you can use white and grey acrylic paint to fill in the indentations which the spray paint couldn’t cover.
Personally, I like to add different grey tones into the indentations in order to improve the effect of depth of the carving.

Once you are done, let the block dry at room temperature and you should soon be ready to use it for your own projects!

Thank you for your attention.