One step forward?

One of the things about modelling is we tend to get into the habit of doing the same techniques for things. Take scenery for example. My tried and trusted method was to form styrofoam to the required contours, roll on a layer of dry mod-roc and then brush it down with a wet paint brush. I then followed this up with a thin layer of plaster mixed with Woodland Scenics pigment to prevent chips showing through as bright white. Grass has been represented with the once common dyed surgical lint glued fuzzy side down and ripped up to give a fine grassy effect.

This is what the colliery board looked like on June 9 2006. Am I the only one that is this messy during construction?

The same area 2 days later, after being ballasted, styrofoamed, plastered, and treated to a top dressing of surgical lint. For some reason it never satisfied me. I left the scenery for a while and caught up on some other projects.

Then, a couple of months ago I started to experiment with Silflor mats. I've now replaced half the original lint with Silflor mats. As you can see the difference is amazing. The field in the foreground looks far better in my opinion. Time to save my pennies for a few more rolls.

Joe Fugate's scenery clinic is an excellent resource. While its American based most of the techniques and concepts are applicable to the UK.
http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/forum/showthread.php?s=73c541519c3440173bb8ce50aa8de57d&t=2385