Trees inspired by everyone elses!

[stu357]

I've been wanting a small woodland area to disguise the fact my main running lines are a small oval,

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/73104-small-folding-00-layout-re-kindles-interest/

 

so I started researching.

I even watched a VHS narated by Bob Symes on the subject  that I got from a boot sale for 50p !!

There are many great threads about making trees on here. and they get superb results. but they are all different

although at the risk of adding another different set of instructions and by way of a thankyou I thought i'd post some pics of my trees using a combination of everything!

 

first I paper taped the end of appx 18 network cable inner wires.

 

 

then wind them all together for the trunk and then wind soft gardening wire round that part.

keep winding the soft wire round and split the cables into pairs then a bit futher up singularly, then strip the ends and separate all the little copper strands.

 

 

wrap a bit more paper tape round the trunk and then paint the whole thing with a mix of plaster, pva, grey/brown poster paint and a bit of sand.

 

leave to set for a long time!

 

I then painted this matt black and dusted over with plastikote seude. these are background trees, I plan some more for the forground with better roots and more detailed painting of the trunk.

 

I then took little bits of sea moss and superglued them to the ends of the branches. (superglue gel and activator saves a lot of frustration!)

I'm not sure I needed to go so fine on the wire using this technique.

 

 

sprayed some more black/grey on the sea moss. this is the only treatment i gave this. some people say to soak the sea moss in pva or pva/gelatine but I thought a good coat of black paint would hold these small bits together.

 

I then coated the branches in photomount and sprinkled various woodland scenics scatter on them

 

I got scatter all over the main trunk which I didn't want. Is it just care in aplication? or would hairspray be more forgiving?

 

 

 

I thought they looked a bit dark when I'd done so I airbrushed a coat of light green acrylic over the top. I'm much happier with that now

 

So heres one with an old tyre rope swing, (small O ring on a bit of dental floss) I think I got the foliage a bit dense on this one. the later ones were flocked more sparingly!

 

***An edit in 2016, the dental floss I used for the rope swing was the expanding type, In a couple of months it had expanded on its own to about 8mm!!***

 

 

yeh.... that is the scooby doo gang waiting for ice cream!

 

here is an overview of the wood,

 

 

 

Overall I was very satisfied with them and so greatful to all the people who had posted photos of their trees so I could work out how to do it.

 

thanks and let me know what you think,

Stu.

[aberdare]

They do look good and the use of the sea moss has given some nice fine branches, I just left mine with fine bare wires spread out but there are quite a few of them. I am considering using the moss on some future models it I need the branches to be more dense than I currently have.

 

As for the foliage I add a touch of PVA to the accessible ones but use hairspray from then on to fix and secure, I normally have a large tray with scatter on and apply it to small sections at a time by carefully sprinkling over the ends only. If you look at mine or have already seen them you will know Iv'e added a sparse covering for the Autumn.

 

Great work on yours though and I do like the effect of the bare tree once the moss was added.

 

Great stuff.

 

 

Jim

[stu357]

They do look good and the use of the sea moss has given some nice fine branches, I just left mine with fine bare wires spread out but there are quite a few of them. I am considering using the moss on some future models it I need the branches to be more dense than I currently have.

 

As for the foliage I add a touch of PVA to the accessible ones but use hairspray from then on to fix and secure, I normally have a large tray with scatter on and apply it to small sections at a time by carefully sprinkling over the ends only. If you look at mine or have already seen them you will know Iv'e added a sparse covering for the Autumn.

 

Great work on yours though and I do like the effect of the bare tree once the moss was added.

 

Great stuff.

 

 

Jim

 

 Yes, your's was one of the first ones that came up when searching for trees! excellent work, thanks for that Jim.

 

I did think about changing to Autumn when I saw the sea moss effect, but I started building this in late summer and based the first bits of greenery on what I saw, mind you that was quite a few season changes ago!

 

Stu.

[Griffin Road]

Nice job Stu - well done . Nice to see some modelling getting done (don't know if you can call tree modelling " scratch building " so I won't )

 

Mike b

[The White Rabbit]

I sprayed some more black/grey on the sea moss. this is the only treatment i gave this. some people say to soak the sea moss in pva or pva/gelatine but I thought a good coat of black paint would hold these small bits together.

 

I then coated the branches in photomount and sprinkled various woodland scenics scatter on them

 

I got scatter all over the main trunk which I didn't want. Is it just care in aplication? or would hairspray be more forgiving?

 

I have a model of an Alder tree which I use for scenery demonstrations, it was made ten years ago, sprayed with Humbrol (dark brown) and is still more or less intact. (A few minor bits of damage from exhibitions or my own clumsiness, but you've got to look hard). 

 

When applying scatter, to avoid getting it on the main trunk/branches, I tend to just be careful - one reason why I favour hairspray over Deluxe's spray adhesive, the former is more controllable and has a finer spray pattern. However, sometimes you do need the extra power of a proper spray adhesive. 

[Alister_G]

More Ethernet trees!

 

Brilliant, nice job Stu.

 

Al.