Getting Started - Trial Run

Ok, the first step of this adventure was to buy supplies.  I ordered a "Mini Casting Kit" from Alumilite to try things out.  I've never done anything like this, so I have no idea how it will go.  I figure if I'm going to fail, I'd rather start out failing small than failing big.

I took a quick trip to the local art supply store for Sculpey clay (and paint brushes for later) and to Home Depot for a thin piece of wood, a dowel, some razor blades, and some sanding paper.  The piece of wood I found in a random box in the lumber dept.  It was the thinnest piece I could find.  When I took it up to the counter the lady said "I don't even know what the hell this is" and gave it to me for free.  Oh, and I actually picked up my first copy of Settlers of Catan off Amazon.  Time to get started.

 The wood I just broke in half and used to get an even thickness on my tiles.  It's just slightly thicker than 1/8".  I used a dowel like a rolling pin to get it down to size.  Placing a blank Settlers tile on top, I used a razor blade to cut out a replica hexagon.  The great part about the Sculpey clay is that it stays pliable until you bake it.  It took a couple tries before I got hexes I was happy with.  If the hexes don't fit together correctly, this was all for nothing!

Once I had a good hex, I put it in the oven and baked it.  Obviously this isn't a finished piece - something has to go on top of these.  I didn't want to mess up the shape of the base while I was creating the terrain, though, so I baked these hard.  Then I could place more clay on top of the baked piece and create whatever landscape I wanted to.  I ordered a set of sculpting tools off Amazon and went to work.

Here's where the project stands today.  The most difficult decision was which piece to start first.  On the lower right I went with clay, hoping to make something looking like a clay quarry.  It's difficult to visualize when it's all just white clay, but the center part will be a brick color, dug into the side of a hill, while the sides and back will be hill and trees.  The flat part on top is where the resource number will sit. 

The back piece is a port.  I made water just by pressing wet fingers into the clay.  The center will have a token on it indicating which type of port it is.  I figured it's easier to mass produce one blank port rather than every type, and just have a separate token glued to the top to indicate what type of port it is.  I think I'm going to re-do the piers a little bit, I'm not terribly happy with them.  The beauty of it is, until I bake them on, I can keep fiddling with it until I am happy!

Obviously the last piece I haven't started yet, nor have I decided which I'll work on next.  Any suggestions?