My Journey with the violin would be much further along had I spent my time practicing rather than learning how to work on the violin.  The Styrofoam was used to get more volume with less effort.  The same can be accomplished with an amp.  But the bottom line answer to your question, yes it can be done with several years experimenting using varying materials.  There is a lot of pressure being applied to the violin body and it all must work as a system.

I would start with a kit first. Most of the work is done and the top and bottom needs only to be graduated. The bouts can be bent with a homemade form. There are directions on the web to make a bender From pipe and a heat gun. Good luck on your violin.