How do you create fake rocks and bolders for a stage play?

Question

The backdrop of our church Easter play is Mt. Calvary - we need to find an easy and quick way to make light weight rocks. We need rocks piled at the base of the cross.

Answer 1

Are you looking to cast or make one of mache? Either way you can take liquid latex and coat a rock to about 1/16" thick. This should take a couple of coats. Then the finally take some nylon ( the wife or girl friends old pair) cut into strips and mold them over the rock. After all is dried make a cut in the latex the bottom side and take the rock out. From there you can pour foam in to make the rock or thinned bondo. and coat the inside with it. Take out and paint it.
The other method is take a piece of old foam cut it in the shape of a rock or pour foam to make the rock size needed and after this is set, take paper mache ( for rocks) from any supplyer, and cover it. After it's set and dry usually the next day take some dry paint (tempra)and mix with water and cover the rock with this wet watered down paint to the desired color you need. Use blacks, browns,reds, purples, greens etc.

Can also use paper mache/plaster mix over a chunk of foam, and while still wet, spray on some paint and dab at it with a wet sponge and or squirt lacquer thinner on it, let it roll off and dab and spray some more, and you come up with some pretty fool proof rocks. Put some cracks in the wet mache with tongue depressor befor all this and the paint will stay darker in those areas and that looks pretty cool too. Rocks are fun to make, so hey, have fun! You almost can't mess up a rock!

or.....

Materials:
exacto knife or carpet knife
Styrofoam "cooler" for big rocks
2' x 4' piece of StyrofoamB. insulation board
Pieces of scrap foam board, purchased or found in packing material
Styrofoam packing "peanuts"
Low-temperature glue gun and glue sticks
One package plaster cloth
1" paintbrush
Scissors
Hobby saw or small hand saw
Shoe-box-size or larger container that will hold water
Water
Paints (non toxic)
* Light earth-toned
* Dirt-colored
Black marker


Use scraps of insulation board to build around the bottom of the cooler or make small "rocks". The scraps can be any size or shape, as long as they fit the space designated for your rock. Using a low-temperature glue gun, glue the pieces of insulation in place to begin building the rock. Stagger the pieces to create a realistic, rugged-looking shape. Use a hobby saw to cut blocks of insulation foam to fit the space allotted to the rock. The rock shouldn't be taller than your enclosure's walls. Continue to glue and build up the front of the mountain until the bottom half of the rock is complete.
Repeat with the lid making sure they still fit together, but the lid can come off.
Put the top on the rock. Now build up the top of the rock by gluing scraps of Styrofoam insulation as desired. Use pieces of various sizes to create contours, and use a hobby saw to cut contours into the mountain. Glue on packing peanuts to create bumps and foot holds. Complete the rock as desired. Make sure cooler isn't glued shut.
Fill the shoebox-size container half full of water. Using scissors, cut a piece of plaster cloth about 4" long. Let it soak in the water for about 5 seconds. Drag the cloth strip along the side of the container to eliminate excess water. Place the wet plaster cloth over the Styrofoam sides of the rock, molding the cloth to the rock with your fingers. Dip a 1" paintbrush into the water, and brush the wet plaster cloth to eliminate bumps and air bubbles. Repeat the process until the entire mountain is covered. Let the mountain dry overnight.
Using carpet or exact knife divide the top and bottom making sure the top is still a "lid". Replace top.
Finish the rock by spray-painting it with earth-toned paints. If the room is not well ventilated, wear a mask. Use a light earth tone for the base, applying the paint in light, sweeping motions. Use a darker color to create and color darker patches of rock.

Answer 2

There are a number of ways. Some are paper mache, but that gets a little heavy. Another way is to take a big piece of styrafoam (sp?) and carve it out. Or to get one specially made out of a mold and either a plastic or resin coating. If you go with the styrafoam, you have to use a type of paint that won't corrode it. You would need to coat it with either an acrylic type thing, or something as equally non-corrosive. If you have limited resources, get some newspaper and chickenwire. Form the base with chicken wire which would basically involve you, some pliers, a little bit of extra wire to hold it all together, and maybe some sticks or hangers to hold it together from falling in on itself from the weight of someone moving it too fast, or it falling. OR create a sturdy frame, use like a box and cover it with crumpled up paper to form a shape and then use paper mache to make it look like a solid rock. Basically, you just have to get pretty inventive here. So, base (wire/styrafoam/box/brothers unused blow up toy), something to hold it together, and something to coat the outside, then paint. Best of Luck!

Answer 3

At your local grocery store buy some inexpensive styrofoam coolers of different sizes. Next, go to a hardward store and buy some cans of "Great Stuff" foam. Cut into the styrofoam and eliminate the squareness. Do not worry about "holes". Use duct tape to bridge across the holes, and then apply foam smoothing with a spatula for desired texture. You can even add some uncooked macaroni to add bumps and clumps. Just coat the foam and cooler with Elmer's Glue or Gorilla Glue and then add your bumps and clumps. You can even throw some dirt onto the glue and let dry! You don't have to paint the dirt if you don't want to... Let everything dry and then using a gray spray paint, paint everything. After that has dried use a sponge and dip into various other colors like black, white, browns and mottle the rocks. Use a black sharpie to add special effects like cracks and there you have it!

Answer 4

I don't think I saw this technique listed.

To create an outcropping, stack boxes of varous sizes beside and on top of each other til you've created an edifice of appropriate size and shape. This create the angled edges of a slate or fieldstone cliff/wall. Then, using muslin or other cheap medium weight fabric, cover the whole thing and paint it with latex house paint in a medium gray, thinned half with water. This will "size" the canvas and allow you to shape it to the boxes. Poke and prod the fabric into position smoothing or creasing as you go to provide texture. Once in position and all sized, you may need to give it another coat of paint in your base color (med brown or med gray) to really stiffen it and hide the weave. This paint too should be thinned at little, but not as thin as the sizing coat. Then go back with high and low lights .. plus some browns and greens, even purplish.. to add layers and texture, using wet blending, dry brushing and/or sponging. Whichever techniques you are most comfortable with.

Stacked pieces of sheet foam (like what is used in wall insulation) cut in rough shapes or ovoids with a jig saw, sanding the edges lightly with sand paper and painted as above, can be loose stones laying about the ground.

Answer 5

Paper Mache Rocks

Answer 6

Here's a simple and creative way to get great looking rocks. Use any chicken wire type mess and bend it into the basic shape of the rock desired. At your local hardware store you should be able to find spray insulation. You spray it onto the chicken wire and it sticks to it and expands. After you have the rock coated and it drys you can actually coat away portions of the insulation to make it look better. Then spray paint it. Great looking rocks that are very light weight easy to work with.

Answer 7

Use foam, or styrofoam. Cut it into a rock-like shape. Use a sponge (that creates a blotchy effect, leaving unpainted space,) and sponge anywhere from black to white all over the rock, using multiple colors. A touch of brown is nice also.

Answer 8

I just came off a run of a play where two guys kissed (it was uncomfortable sitting inbetween their girlfriends for the runs) - but anyhow, just because you don't know him doesn't mean you can't kiss him. It's all part of the acting game. It doesn't mean you have to full on make out, just make lip contact. Stage kissing (thumb kissing) is a dumb game, but it all comes down to personal contact. If you feel ok with JUST your lips touching, go for it, it'll look more real, and you can be in true profile to the audience. If you thumb it, you have to be on an angle to hide it to the audience. Do whatever feels comfortable, but realize that you don't have to make out, just touch lips together. It doesn't matter if you've never kissed anyone, it's like putting your lips on your arm and keeping them there, just instead of your arm it's another person's lips!

Answer 9

Tape balloons together and cover them with paper mache. Use glue and water or flour and water and dip newspaper strips into it. Lay it over the baloons and let it dry. Then paint it, using 3 different shades of brown and/or gray. Use a sponge for the top coats of paint. We did this and it looked great!

Answer 10

When I've done set design on my plays we used chicken wire to form a basic shape, then paper machee over that. Finally you paint the paper grey or whatever colour your rocks need to be. Hope that helps!