I know how to make a wire tree. I got that done, got it sculpted (not the best in the world, but it'll do). Now I'm wondering what I should use for the foliage for the leaves. This is just going to be a regular deciduous tree, in spring, or summer. I want green leaves, with a few dead ones mixed in. I got some railroad foliage supplies (lichen and some ground foam stuff), but I'd like this to look as realistic as possible. I got a few dead leaves outside I was thinking on spray painting green and then crumpling up and applying, but I'm not sure how well that would turn out. Also, what is the best way to attach foliage to trees, with a glue+water mixture?

If your scale is 1/35th, the shredded foam isn't right. You can see leaves in 1/35th. I had to get seeds from the silver birch catkin tree. Problem is, they don't grow in the U.S., so I got some from the Czech Republic that I guard with my life. Hope to get more this Fall. Oh, yeah. My son lives there and gets them for me.

See my feature on "Super-Tree or Super Nuts" in diorama features.

Sealhead

If you want to try to spice up your modeling you can use - parsley.
Thats what I used on both of these. FIrst build the tree (done), then apply some Woodland scenic lichen in a nice canopy. Then get some spray adhesive and spray a small area. Then pour the parsley over it. Repeat until covered. NOTE: the spray glue can get really gunky so be careful not to over spray, and do this over some spread out new paper to catch the excess parsley.
If you want greens - you're set. Other colors - get out the small brush.....

Apart from Sealhead's amazingly realistic deciduous tree and our Diorama's ME impressive parsley I'd suggest Oregano. Try looking around some bakery supply shops too for spices. The oregano I bought from the bakery supply shop had a good mix of tiny leaflets intermixed with the usual broken up pieces.

Coriander is not too bad either. You can actually simulate the brown leaves by leaving some of the spices unpainted. They turn brown naturally when exposed to air after a while. Discovered that by accident and it actually left a nice mottled effect not unlike real trees.

I usually paint:
1. A very light green on the undersides of the canopies to simulate the lighter undersides of leaves,
2. Darker shade of green for the topsides intermixed with unpainted leaves.
3. Finally drybrush with several bright green at spots on topsides to simulate new shoots and leaves.

Don't go for the dried leaves from your garden coz they may not last and if not fully dried sometimes can turn mouldy.

Me Sealhead. Got another one for you. I went to a scrapbook store and got a thing that looks like a scissors, buts its a punch. They have a million shapes. One is a tree leaf that is actually the right scale.
I took some paper that is used to wrap model control airplanes, sometimes called silk. Then I stretched it in an embroidery hoop and painted it with airplane dope the basic leaf color. When dry, I started squeezin' and pleasin', by punching out as many leaves as my weary hands could handle.
They were thin, due to the silk, took paint, due to the basecoat of dope, and a square yard of the silk costs about $1.50.
I tried acrylic paints, too with similar good results. All right, baby, another way to get leaves that look like leaves, instead of a salad or a model railroad. Someone, try it and tell me about it, or do I have to write another article?

Sealhead

I'm with Scott, just pay a visit to the kitchen and look for some dired herbs of different sizes...
Ciao

I've used the dried herbs also and was very pleased.

I really have had great success with dried tea leaves... if you are going for a winter or autumn look.... here is the technique:

- spray white glue (dlluted) on the frame of the tree
- place newspaper under the tree
- cut open several tea bags and place in a shaker jar
- sprinke the leaves over the tree, catching what falls in the newspaper... repeat several times until you have the desired coverage.
- allow to dry - touch paint with a brush to add color

I was also thinking of the hobby cutters - you get nice leaf shapes from them.

But then how do you attach all of them? Sounds like a sure-fire way to go crazy! :-)
But the paper ones might last longer than real plant material, no?

I'm preparing an article where I stretch model airplane silk in a hoop. Then I paint it. Then I punch out the leaves. You can use Woodlands Scenics Hobby Tack and sprinkle the leaves over it.

If you're nuts, like me, you can still airbrush a lighter green on the tops and a darker green on the bottom and then redo the wood part, even if you tried to cover it.

Sealhead

The paper punch and the spices are my two favorite methods. The spices I use are Fancy Majorim (sp?) and Parsley. I'm sure there are lots of others that will work fine. There was an article written a few years back on using two different sizes of hypodermic needles that had been shaped accordingly. They were used on real leaves and the results were absolutely amazing. The only trouble was......the entire article was written in Russian I believe and I dont speak the language. Does anybody else out there remember seeing this article? "Q"