4. The Dirty Snow Test
This would undoubtedly be the "acid test" to see if I could devise a way of making the melted, slushy, dirty snow of the city. I started by making a simple test platform: a brick wall, a sidewalk, and a street. (Incidentally, that's an NZT fire hydrant.)
Making snow shapes at this size and in these tight spaces would require a great deal of control, so I decided to try carving the basic forms from the firm, rigid foam found inside Gatorfoam using a fresh, sharp X-Acto knife. I secured these in place using thick gloss gel medium.
After carving more shapes to run along the curb, I applied still more thick gloss gel medium, followed by grime simulated by lightly brushing on very thin India ink wash. Excited by the results, I immediately added Preiser figures to complete the effect.
I'd nailed it. Homerun on the first pitch.
