Hi guys,

I promised the second "method"...well, here it is:

(I don't usually make wire trees, not because I don't believe in them, but rather because they are time consuming compared to this method.)

Choose a twig that will be your tree's "main body" like this one



This crude skeleton obviously needs refining, i.e. more and finer ramifications (from branches into twigs).

I do this with steel wool, but rubberized horsehair o.s. do the trick as well. (I just happened to have steel wool ready at hand when I made my first attempt ).



You might find wire loops under the steel wool if you look closely. This was necessary as the fine steel wool would be drooping. This convinced me that coarser steel wool is better suited for "non-drooping" canopies (and I reserved the finer grade for drooping branches (birch, willow, etc).



I fix the steel wool with general purpose 1-component glue like UHU o.s. It does not matter too much if the leaves are going to cover most of the area. If the tree has a thinner leaf-canopy, you must be more careful.

The steel wool can easily be cut to shape with scissors.

I usually spray the whole canopy zone with a dark brown/grey colour (on both sides), with a darker version on the underside. For this the colour should be waterproof!

Once this is dry, you cover the steel wool with "foliage" (as per my first method). Let me stress that I personally do not spray-glue the whole canopy and drop a mass of scatter foliage on top, but rather use white glue on small areas at once and proceed, but this is up to everybody.

And here you are:







Try it you'll like it

Hope this is inspiring..!!

Questions and comments welcome as usual!

Cheers

Romain

Hi Romain,

Beautiful trees you have there. Thanks for demonstrating this method.

I agree,awesome trees. What did you use for leaves?
J

You are more than welcome m8!

Feel free to ask should you have any questions!

Cheers

Romain

The results speak volumes! Beautiful work,buddy
I've got to ask, how did you make the undergrowth?
All the best,
Gary

Damn! Why am I so late to follow this thread??

No, no, nooo... You have to develop more useful methods like these and several before mate, so valuable to make this as my favorite webpage items.. Can't wait to see the others to be posted here!

Cheers


Garry

Hi guys,

Jerry m8: I always use commercial products for the leaves. Most (if not all) companies producing terrain materials have them in their range (Noch, Heki, Polák, etc).
They are not foam, they are tiny individual bits.

Once the shape of the canopy is to your liking, you cover it by sprinkling the leaves onto the steel wool/rubberized horsehair o.s.
Usually tutorials in the web recommend spray glue, but I don't like it too much. I am patient enough to do small areas at a time dabbing PVA glue on with an old brush....and immediately sprinkle the leaves on...and then proceed to the next spot. You remain in control of the whole operation, while the other method could generate results you are not 100% happy with.

Gary: I tend to use natural products as much as possible. The undergrowth makes no exception.

The trees you see in the pictures are part of an alluvial forest area I did for the Aspern/Essling bicentennial event in our army museum.
This forest was (and still is) a real jungle, meaning the undergrowth is at its maximum, including fallen trees rotting away.

Whenever you manage to get hold of raspberry roots, defend them with your life! They are finely ramified and dry very hard. Some bits can be seen in the first picture.

Apart from that I used long strand moss you can find (among others) in higher regions (these come from Styria at around 2.000m altitude.

Moss is fantastic! It exists in so many different variants, and each one is ideal to represent a specific terrain feature. And it costs nothing!!
Keep your eyes open...and a plastic bag ready!

One piece of advice though: don't take the wet parts...unless you are going to spread the moss immediately afterwards. The whole thing could just rot away. And you get a greater variety of bugs!!

And don't throw anything away! Leftovers from tasks go into a special box, and that mix goes into the undergrowth.

A generic forest soil for me is dry leaves mainly with smaller plants inbetween. Dry leaves are birch seed for me, mixed with tea leaves to break up the monotonous look. Birch seeds can (and should) be crumbled a little. They have this peculiar shape and look and we can't have that, can we!

Don't hesitate to ask if I have missed something!

Have fun!!

Cheers

Romain

Hi Garry,

join the party then!!

I will always gladly share tips and hints if I can help.
I would not have had that much success without help from the best. And that was pre-Internet!!!

Cheers

Romain

Hi Romain

Those trees look good!

Your last post resumes many basics of vegetation making very good and should be required reading for every newbie

Greets
Claude

Hi Romain, I guess I'm another late arrival to the tree-party!
The trees and base looks great - I'll bookmark this!

Cheers
Nick

Thanks for the positive comments Nick!!

Cheers

Romain

Thanks for sharing Romain , i like your trees and indeed they are verry inspiring .

Greets Kurt

Romain,
You work is inspiring! Any thoughts on conifers and winter dormant trees? I've been thinking about a winter dio and could use any advice that I can get...
Rick

Thanks Rick!

As far as conifers are concerned, there are several methods (scale is important and can invalidate methods).

First (and best IMHO) is of course the Asparagus fern, as per this thread https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/215531&page=1

The second method I've seen requires bands of paper or any other thin soft material. These bands are cut up and draped over wire "branches" and the result looks quite convincing.

Silflor and Silhouette have products consisting of a fleece covered with foliation material. They are expensive but can produce superb results.

With a lot of care you can make conifers using appropriate moss.

For these methods you should consult our expert Claude. He has tried them all (with convincing results)!!

Hope that helps!

Cheers

Romain

Looks great Romain, will have to give this a try a some point.

Have fun, because that's what will happen!!

Cheers

Romain

Sorry I missed your post back then! Thanks for the positive comments Kurt!!! Glad you like my babies!

Cheers

Romain

No problem mate ! Gosh , they are babies ???? So they are growing ???

Greets Kurt

Oh yes, and when they are grown, I plant them in one of the many parks around my place! Increases oxygen level!!

Cheers

Romain

The results are quite convincing! Thanks for sharing.

You are most welcome Sonny!

Thanks for the kind words!!

Cheers

Romain

I just checked this out again and yep,I will have to try this for a Normandy idea I have. Outstanding work brother,
J

I agree !

Kurt

Normandy eh.....bocage perhaps!??!?

Sunken lanes, high and thick hedges...fantastic!!! I'd love to be part of such a project!!!

Good luck with it!!

Cheers

Romain