It is SO EASY to Carve BETTER WOOD TEXTURE!!!! In Three EASY Levels! 

When I can finally get some space, I'm going to be ready with all I have learned. Thanks for the lesson.

Is it weird that I kinda prefer the more "cartoonish" wood grain? That level 3 does look more realistic for sure!

Young brother, I discovered something recently that blew my mind in texturing woodgrain in XPS foam. Try putting your finger down on the smooth foam and run the brass brush around it. It will make the bristles of the brass brush curve around your finger. This creates a realistic knot. then experiment with a soft sculpting tool for a smaller scale and do the same thing instead of using your finger. The results are very realistic. - Rick, USMC

Hey Storycraft, I recently started building my own medieval inspired xps buildings. Just today got your channel recommended and i really enjoy the tips. Instant subscription :) Regarding your technique from 05:11 with the pencil I personally like to use toothpicks for that. just glue 5 or 6 together on a flat surface side by side and you have a multi-tipped pencil replacement. Safed me alot of time doing the lines. You can also make the so produced "wood" rounder and more uneven by using a small dremel butane torch and "flame" it from a larger distance.

Love this! The more techniques - the merrier :D To add to it, there's a thing I've discovered the other day. So I have a simple texturing tool I made, basically just a pencil with one end covered in greenstuff and sand (I think I've first seen it on BlackMagicCraft's channel). I made it with rock texture in mind, but if you drag it along the foam,while twisting it the opposite way, you get a really nice wood grain that is more unpredictable than the wire brush. And not as fuzzy. By twisting, you make the grains of sand gradually dig into the foam and then smoothly out, so you don't end up with lines that go from one end to the other. Hope someone finds this useful. 🙂

another tool you can use are steel/metal combs for pets grooming or Lice removal.

Thanks SCS.

Foam carving is really really fun! Even chonky treestumps can be really fun with the rugged open treecut to work with. 😊

Very cool comparison. I do a similar technique to your level 3 except I lay down the pencil marks first, then put in the knot holes after in spots where the pencil marks left spaces. Thanks for sharing.

I find that using my wire brushes at an angle (dragging the bristles across) and using an old men’s comb works great! Better than “brushing” the foam. Less fuzzies.

i pencil my woodgrain and then distress it with a brush, but im an artist so my pencils are a bit better x3 Hard to describe without pictures but, start with any knot holes, and then 'bend' the stripes around them, leaving varying amounts of space between.

I am not sure where you are located, but if you are within driving distance of Charlotte, NC, you should come to MythicCon on November 10-12th. Several RU-vid crafters will be there, and they have crafting events and TRRPGS that feature their terrain.

Love these simple and direct tutorials.Nice job.

👍

I've been working on a really similar concept this week, trying out lots of different texturing foam to look like wood techniques, and your level 3 just looks amazing. I love the idea of selectively hitting the already textured wood with a wire brush to introduce some natural looking variation. Well played!

I guess I prefer level 2, Going to old building sites, you learn that the owner who built it would hand select each board to build with and if they could afford it wouldn't buy any boards with knotholes, this way the building lasts longer.

This is the second video I've watched of the level 1-3 tutorial. I like the format, but my observation as an experienced craftsman and woodworker is that what you are actually showing is level 1-3 of making something look like it was made by an unskilled laborer using increasingly poor quality wood/stone. One thing that crafters seem to lean too hard into is believing that distressing a piece makes it look more realistic. It's like how every sci-fi craft tutorial adds "realistic detail" by slathering their pieces with rust patches and oil stains. In reality, though, craftsman strive to make their work look like level 1 and tend to avoid even using material that looks like level 3. Maybe instead of thinking of your wood and stone pieces - which look great, by the way - as levels 1-3 of detail, think of them as equally viable variations that add depth to the in-world structures and adds nuance to the story of the structure and the craftmen who built it.

The only I problem I have with this is that....wood used for construction is smooth. It doesn't have deep grain texture, which all these leave.

"Moi kaikki"!!!! Now I have to ask. What relations do you have to Finland??? I've seen that Finnish motif/ poster thing on your wall so often now. I need to know (kerro jo miksi tiedät jotain suomesta?). 😅