(sorry for the repost, maybe someone can correct this, this will be the post I'm using)

So yesterday I went and bought some used WWII books for reference, one being The March to Victory - John T. Bookman & Stephen T. Powers.

In the last few pages of the book there's a cool photo:
(sorry I had to photograph it)


I thought it'd be cool to take a break from AFVs and since I've never painted a figure, or built a diorama, try my hand at both. I've altered a figure from a US Half-track kit I never finished; supposed to be sitting with arms holding the steering wheel. So I altered the legs making him knelt down, and adjusted the hand and arm so he can be holding a rifle. Most bodyworkk doesn't matter as it will be covered with the Gi's "newly issued snow capes"(which will be made with facial tissue) as the caption of the photo says. This was January 1945.



I then started on the base. Just a dollar store photo frame, filled in with plaster of paris. I then balled up some paper and placed it where I wanted to mounds of snow covered brush, and covered it in plaster as well.



At the top of the picture you can see the beginning of a pine tree I'm making. One will go near the small pile on the right with a GI beside the trunk, and the other tree(which I broke at the top to show some forest variety) will sit closer to the bigger pile with a GI tucked in near the trunk and close to the brush.

The piles will have sticks etc stuck into them, and will then look like a pile of snow, in amongst tree branches etc; any branches sticking out will only receive snow on the tops as if it's fallen recently and not blown around or been trampled yet.

How am I doing?

The steps look good to me so far. It would've been nice to see a test pic of how everything looks together on the base to see the story it tells; etc.

Here's progress; I got the trees in, the smaller dowels I didn't chop up at all because they're younger trees, all will have holes poked in them and pine branches added in the form of florist ferns. I added sticks and brush to the snow piles, squared off the bigger corner, and sprinkled brush bristles over areas I want grass to show through. These areas will be airbrushed a dark green, and once snow is added only the tips of some bristles should show through.

PICTURES:


The GI in the left; just behind the pile in the little area that's flat.


and the 2nd GI in this area.

WHOLE SCENE

How and when will you add the bark to the tree?

Claude

They will be painted, first lightly by airbrush, then an oil wash, then a darker pin wash for knots etc.

Then holes will be made and fine florists ferns - spritzed with a water/glycerin mix for preservation - inserted into them as per this feature:

Easy Pine Trees

This point is a bit of a personal preference so you decide if you want to consider it or not.

I personally like to have a clean edge with nothing hanging over or off it. I would trim the branches and logs hanging over the edge. I would do it soon so you can integrate and incorporate the base coloring and edge work.

A note on the downed log, it looks very smooth and a bit too uniform. I would take a wire brush and roughen it up, or spread some wall spackle on it to give it some texture.

I made the plaster edges straight but left some branches hanging over to see how it looks, still not sure what I want to do there.

And the downed tree will have fresh snow on top of it in the end so it's bark won't be seen.