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Dioramas: Before Building
Ideas, concepts, and researching your next diorama.
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Long Grass
JeepLC
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Virginia, United States
Joined: June 20, 2007
KitMaker: 510 posts
Armorama: 469 posts
Posted: Monday, August 18, 2008 - 06:42 PM UTC
Need some help. How do I do long grass? More specifically, long grass in a field? There have been some great dios of tanks going through fields and I am wondering how could I get similar results?

-Mike
roudeleiw
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Luxembourg
Joined: January 19, 2004
KitMaker: 2,406 posts
Armorama: 2,224 posts
Posted: Monday, August 18, 2008 - 07:14 PM UTC
You can use plumbers hemp for very fine grass. A hemp rope is good also, but stiffer.
You have some old fake fur lying around? Use it!
A periwig (sp?) , you can use that one also.

I recommend colouring the hemp (at least partially) with a bit of tan or sand colours to get a nice variation in tones. Oh, you havea summer dio, then use your favourite green colours.

Cheers
Claude
slodder
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North Carolina, United States
Joined: February 22, 2002
KitMaker: 11,718 posts
Armorama: 7,138 posts
Posted: Monday, August 18, 2008 - 11:32 PM UTC
Claude covers the majority of the types of grass. You can also use Woodland scenic's tall grass products that you can find at the Rail Road stores.

Heres a feature you could tweak for long grass
Grass feature
tresni
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Alberta, Canada
Joined: September 12, 2003
KitMaker: 37 posts
Armorama: 22 posts
Posted: Tuesday, August 19, 2008 - 04:30 AM UTC
This gentleman uses dried cornsilk for long grass, http://www.dioramafile.com/work.htm .

Rick
marsiascout
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Noord-Brabant, Netherlands
Joined: March 24, 2008
KitMaker: 1,247 posts
Armorama: 913 posts
Posted: Tuesday, August 19, 2008 - 06:49 AM UTC
When you have old large pensils, you can cut off the hairs and paint them.

Lars
JeepLC
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Virginia, United States
Joined: June 20, 2007
KitMaker: 510 posts
Armorama: 469 posts
Posted: Tuesday, August 19, 2008 - 06:50 AM UTC
Awesome, thanks guys. Those are some interesting methods. I'm going to experiment a little to find what I like and go with it. They all seem pretty cheap to do too!

-Mike
parrot
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Ontario, Canada
Joined: March 01, 2002
KitMaker: 1,607 posts
Armorama: 1,581 posts
Posted: Tuesday, August 19, 2008 - 07:29 AM UTC
Halloween will be apon us soon and stores are probably starting to put out stock now.
For a long and cheap supply of long grass,buy a couple of wigs in the right colours.
When cut to your desired length you have the same grass that Woodland Scenics sells at a fraction of the cost.
Removed by original poster on 08/20/08 - 00:32:57 (GMT).
Removed by original poster on 08/20/08 - 01:27:42 (GMT).
gringe88
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New York, United States
Joined: April 23, 2006
KitMaker: 64 posts
Armorama: 57 posts
Posted: Tuesday, August 19, 2008 - 02:25 PM UTC
Hudson & Allen made some excellent tall grass a while back. I'm not sure if they still make it anymore, but I do know where you can get essentially the same thing. This used horsehair that was still on part of the hide. it was perfect b/c it narrowed to a fine tip at the end like grass. they had a summer grass that was dyed green and a winter one that looked to be a naturally blonde hair color.

here's what the summer grass looks like:


(can't get it to work, what else is new? here's the url- http://gallery.kitmaker.net/showphoto.php/photo/132233

if you can't find any hudson & allen, try heading to a fishing store, espeically one where you can buy supplies to make fly fishing lures. horse hair is commonly used to construct lures, and its sold much the same as hudson & allen did, still in the hide ( I should mention it isn't that difficult to remove it from the hide). they may even have some thats already dyed green or some other color, but if you can't find any you could try airbrushing whatever color you need.
Hollowpoint
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Kansas, United States
Joined: January 24, 2002
KitMaker: 2,748 posts
Armorama: 1,797 posts
Posted: Tuesday, August 19, 2008 - 04:59 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Hudson & Allen made some excellent tall grass a while back. I'm not sure if they still make it anymore, but I do know where you can get essentially the same thing. This used horsehair that was still on part of the hide. it was perfect b/c it narrowed to a fine tip at the end like grass. they had a summer grass that was dyed green and a winter one that looked to be a naturally blonde hair color.

here's what the summer grass looks like:


(can't get it to work, what else is new? here's the url- http://gallery.kitmaker.net/showphoto.php/photo/132233

if you can't find any hudson & allen, try heading to a fishing store, espeically one where you can buy supplies to make fly fishing lures. horse hair is commonly used to construct lures, and its sold much the same as hudson & allen did, still in the hide ( I should mention it isn't that difficult to remove it from the hide). they may even have some thats already dyed green or some other color, but if you can't find any you could try airbrushing whatever color you need.



Right idea, wrong kind of hair.

Ask for horsehair in a fly-fishing shop and they will send you to the upholstery shop down the road. What Hudson and Allen and the fly-fishing shop will sell you is deer hair, sometimes called bucktail. It can be natural tan for dried grass or dyed any color. It's pretty cheap at the sporting goods stores that sell fly-tying supplies.
JeepLC
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Virginia, United States
Joined: June 20, 2007
KitMaker: 510 posts
Armorama: 469 posts
Posted: Tuesday, August 19, 2008 - 07:02 PM UTC
I might as well wait until november when rifle season opens up! hahaha i will go check that out. thanks again guys.
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