Smashing actual brick can be useful for some dioramas. Find (or buy) a red or gray brick, take it outside to a garage, driveway, or sidewalk, wrap a towel around it, and smash it with a hammer. Keep swinging to chip and crush the bits to scale. (And, for heaven’s sake, please wear eye protection.) If you want to paint pieces of brick, I suggest enamels. Throw in weathered pieces of snapped, broken, and twisted Popsicle sticks for realistic debris.

Tip submitted by:
Brent SummersSherwood, Oregon