This is something new I have been playing with. Inspired by my local model club and some what frustrated about the size and "plasticness" of trees ( i guess thats a subjective statement). I have decided to create some of my own. The semi finished example is bellow :

Exuse the photo, It was taken on a phone ( as most photos of mine are now days sadly )

Construction is relativley simple

1. Start with some thin gardening wire. The thinner the better. (not jewelers wire though )

2. Create a number of loops of the wire measuring around 20-30 cm.

3. Twist the wires together at the base of the tree ( i use two pliers to get a firm grip)

4. Where the tree branches off, split the wire into the corresponding number of branches ( some trees have 3-4 branches spliting off from the same location, some split in two's etc) then twist the base of the branches. ( At later stages when you want more branches on trees and thicker trees you can feed more loops of wire in at this stage to make the tree thicker )

5. Keep spliting the trees until single wire loops are left. These are twisted until there is a small loop ( just big enough to get your finger through ) left.

6. Cut the loops and spread the wires out. These form the last branches.

So now the basic wire construction for the tree is completed. We are not out of the woods yet ( or in the woods? ). Te next step is to give the tree texture and depth. and to make it look lots less like wire and much more like a knobly gnarly old tree. This in my opinion is what seperates the hand made trees from the cheap ones online.

7. Mix up a mixture of PVA glue, Flour, water and teracotta paint. Until you have a mixture thats a bit more solid than pikelet batter

( there is a bit of conjecture about using flour here as some say that mice will eat it). I am sure that has happened, however I have been lucky and never had a problem. I believe that the mixture of the paint puts the mice off and masks the smell of flour.

8. Smear the mixture onto the tree, pushing it in amongst the wire.

9. On a low setting you can harden and dry it in the oven.

10. Take the tree out of the oven and let it cool ( WARNING: METAL GETS HOT AND WILL BE HOT, USE TONGS or some other impliment)

11. Paint the tree an undercoat of brown ( I use teracotta, cause im lazy + it was 50 c for a large mistinted much browner than terracotta ( i think ) tin )

12. Use lighter colours to highlight gnobly bits of wood etc and create tone by dry brushing. ( this is achieved by putting a bit of paint on your paint brush. brushing most of it off on paper, and then using the little bit left to slowly build up paint on the protruding bits using long, soft, quick strokes ( kinda like tickeling with a feather)

13. (optional, depending how nice and loving your other half is, mine is very loving ) Get some of your other halfs old foundation make up ( powdery stuff )and brush a little on to the tree. It tones its down a bit

14. That leaves us at the stage the photo is at.

- Voila, a brand new, spanking tree base.

15. Cover with vegetation. I am still experimenting here, I will share my results with time. (The poly fiber , 3M spray glue and fine ground turf trick does work well though )

Examples of trees at this stage are attached bellow.