Pragmatic Pre-Grouping - Mikkel's Workbench

[MikeOxon]

Good to see you moving into tree creation, Mikkel.  I leave all horticultural matters to my wife but the North Leigh area is overdue for a re-furb.  I shall follow your methods with interest.

 

I'm intrigued by the marking on your ruler "we produce comfortable stationeries" - I've never put 'comfort' high on my list when buying paper and envelopes, etc.

 

Mike

[Compound2632]

41 minutes ago, MikeOxon said:

I'm intrigued by the marking on your ruler "we produce comfortable stationeries" - I've never put 'comfort' high on my list when buying paper and envelopes, etc.

 

Lavender-scented notepaper, inducing feelings of calm and well-being.

[Donw]

Am I to understand this is the first tree you have made since some dabblings 30 years ago. I am quite amazed I that most of us need a bit of practice before getting such a good result.

 

Don

[MrWolf]

4 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Lavender-scented notepaper, inducing feelings of calm and well-being.

 

Or a fear of being stalked by someone's grandma...

[MrWolf]

I will have to bite the bullet and make some trees before long, there's quite a few needed for my layout.

Your tutorial is far better than sitting through a half-hour lecture on YouTube, I'm much more encouraged to have a go.

[MAP66]

4 hours ago, Mikkel said:

Apart from a bit of dabbling some 30 years ago, trees are new territory for me.

Well, you wouldn't know it going by the results from your first tree. It's definitely not 'plane', I would say it's impressive.  Thanks for the shout out and I'm vey pleased that you found working with the seafoam a good experience. I'm thinking about doing the Silver Birch again as I have some thin copper wire and postiche which I want to experiment with, which should result in a far more realistic tree.

Now looking forward to seeing an avenue of your trees in front of those fine black railings.

 

[kitpw]

...well, it had to be a "Brunelia" didn't it?

Kit PW

[Mikkel]

Thanks everyone for buttons and comments! 

 

14 hours ago, Bluemonkey presents.... said:

Outstanding modelling Mikkel. Great step by step guide as well. Certainly adds to the scene and appears as if it has also been in situ. Fabulous. 

 

Many thanks Matt. I like the overall effect so far, but super detail it isn't. I'm sure tree modelling enthusiasts will look at it like a wagon enthusiast would look at a Tri-ang chassis - at best! 

 

13 hours ago, ChrisN said:

They had London plane at the hospital where I used to work. 

 

I found it interesting to read up on urban trees. There's a quick overview here, and more detail if you search for the history of the individual species. Apparently the London Plane withstood urban pollution well, so the Victorians were fond of it (along with Sycamore, which came earlier). They grew fairly fast (quotes vary between 0.5 - 1 meter annually). 

 

12 hours ago, MikeOxon said:

I'm intrigued by the marking on your ruler "we produce comfortable stationeries" - I've never put 'comfort' high on my list when buying paper and envelopes, etc.

 

Ha! The ruler hails from the Super Planning Co., Ltd, and was bought in Bangkok many years ago, perhaps another word was intended. It is convenient for having both cms and inches.

 

 

Edited March 30, 2021 by Mikkel

[Mikkel]

On 29/03/2021 at 21:51, Donw said:

Am I to understand this is the first tree you have made since some dabblings 30 years ago.

 

Thanks Don, but put it down to the very straightforward methods, I just followed the Treemdendus instructions for the armature and then combined it with Mark's thread and the video tutorials. I think the challenging stuff lies in replicating particular species so that they are instantly recognizable - not something I have really tried for yet.

 

On 29/03/2021 at 21:58, MrWolf said:

I will have to bite the bullet and make some trees before long, there's quite a few needed for my layout.

Your tutorial is far better than sitting through a half-hour lecture on YouTube, I'm much more encouraged to have a go.

 

They'll look great on Aston. I know what you mean about YouTube lectures, but I did find it worthwhile in this case. Kaustav's method in the video posted earlier is a variation of Luke Towan's method, described here. He uses additional types of foliage for highlights towards the end, if you're so inclined:

 

 

 

On 29/03/2021 at 23:34, kitpw said:

...well, it had to be a "Brunelia" didn't it?

Kit PW

 

As you may have worked out, that's not entirely coincidental. The current look serves the visual purpose of the trees well, i.e. to create view blocks at the front of the layout. If I searched long enough, I could probably find a London Plane with such a crown. But a more intuitive representation would probably have a more egg-shaped and open crown. So the Brunelia subspecies is tongue in cheek.

 

Edited April 13, 2021 by Mikkel
Crown not canopy

[kitpw]

....still, Brunel was much interested in roots and branches...  

Kit PW

 

[Mikkel]

11 hours ago, MAP66 said:

I'm thinking about doing the Silver Birch again as I have some thin copper wire and postiche which I want to experiment with, which should result in a far more realistic tree.

 

Now that's serious tree modelling, I thought the one you had was superb!

 

When compared to your neat foliage, the Woodlands coarse turf does come across a bit rough. So I've experimented with some of the alternatives:

 

 

The shot below from my "normal viewing distance" - with the Silhouette and Treemendus test branches inserted in the middle for comparison -  highlights how different types of foliage result in very different visual impressions when applied to Sea Foam. The bulbous and shadowy nature of the Woodlands coarse turf suits me well in this case, but the 'individual' leaves and more airy look of the other types is probably preferable for those making exacting tree models.

 

 

Edited March 30, 2021 by Mikkel

[MAP66]

7 hours ago, Mikkel said:

 

Now that's serious tree modelling, I thought the one you had was superb!

 

When compared to your neat foliage, the Woodlands coarse turf does come across a bit rough. So I've experimented with some of the alternatives:

 

 

The shot below from my "normal viewing distance" - with the Silhouette and Treemendus test branches inserted in the middle for comparison -  highlights how different types of foliage result in very different visual impressions when applied to Sea Foam. The bulbous and shadowy nature of the Woodlands coarse turf suits me well in this case, but the 'individual' leaves and more airy look of the other types is probably preferable for those making exacting tree models.

 

 

That’s an excellent idea, inserting the test armatures into the tree to see how different finer scatters behave in comparison to the coarse turf.

I agree, the course turf looks the best for your trees, but all 3 products have their particular uses. Not just for different species of trees but for depicting the seasons as well. The ‘airier’ look demonstrated by the finer scatters would be just right for modelling trees in spring and with a change of colour autumn.

With the Silver Birch, I am being super critical on myself as I have now seen what is possible from Gordon Gravett’s book on trees. He has a Silver Birch which passes as the real thing, you can’t tell the difference from the photo. So, I will embark with (Silver Birch Mark II) after I’ve finished the Oak.

[Mikkel]

2 hours ago, MAP66 said:

The ‘airier’ look demonstrated by the finer scatters would be just right for modelling trees in spring and with a change of colour autumn.

 

Yes, the subtleties of railway liveries is simple stuff compared to the variation of foliage colours across seasons and different lighting situations!

 

[KNP]

Nice looking trees, like the step by step guide.

[Mikkel]

Many thanks Kevin. I can't imagine the number of trees you've built for Little Muddle, Farthing's like a desert by comparison!

[Guy Rixon]

Mikkel, this is most welcome information and I shall be copying your techniques closely. There are plane trees at the bottom of Agar street, and I would like similar trees in my contrafactual Agar Square of 1909.

[kitpw]

The thing I noticed most about the 'Brunelia', Mikkel, is that you've got the proportions right and in scale for height and spread and height to the u/s of canopy - not easy, even when following authoritative guidance - in my case an early treasure, the "Observers Book of Trees": an excellent series which I believe are still in print.  It sits very nicely on the layout and adds greatly to the scene.  

Kit PW

[Brinkly]

Thank you for sharing the tree link, Mikkel. Your example is excellent! I've very much enjoyed catching up on your thread this morning.

 

All the best,

 

Nick.

[Mikkel]

Thanks all, I'm glad if the photos and video links are of use. 

 

It seems some Victorian engineers were quite clever in the way they used trees as part of street design: https://greenblue.com/gb/the-victorian-tree-legacy-how-did-it-happen/

 

BTW, one thing I realized is the need to consider when the trees would have been planted in relation to the time period modelled. E.g. very large trees in a station forecourt supposedly built 10 years ago wouldn't make sense!

 

Edited April 3, 2021 by Mikkel
Removed misleading illustration

[ChrisN]

It does seem quite noticeable how little there was of trees in Victorian images, as compared to now.  I am assuming that partly it was that the trees were new and therefore small.

 

I feel a subject of a PhD coming on, Tree planting in Urban London as it expanded, who, what where and when.  I must look through the images of Barmouth and see what trees I can see on the newer roads, generally I do not see any, but that is probably as I am not looking for them.

Edited April 22, 2021 by ChrisN

[Simond]

Napoleon had a it of a thing about tree lined avenues too.   Though he wasn’t obviously  “Victorian”

[Compound2632]

16 minutes ago, Simond said:

Though he wasn’t obviously  “Victorian”

 

But most of the 19th century was taken up with working through the consequences of his ideas and actions. Zhou Enlai (alledgedly): "It's too early to say".

[Mikkel]

12 hours ago, ChrisN said:

I feel a subject of a PhD coming on, Tree planting in Urban London as it expanded, who, what where and when

 

You probably won't be the first. A quick Google Scholar search brings up a variety of articles, although many are on more recent urban tree planting programmes and the links to carbon storage. 

 

One study from Sheffield illustrates some of the many factors that can affect tree height and distribution in a given period and location over time, and not all of it intuitive either. Quoting from the abstract: 

 

"Total tree numbers declined by a third from the 1900s to the 1950s, but increased by approximately 50% from the 1900s–2010, and by 100% from the 1950s–2010. [...] The initial decrease occurred at a time when national and regional tree stocks were static and are likely to be driven by rebuilding following bombing of the urban area during the Second World War and by urban expansion. In 2010, trees greater than 10 m in height comprised just 8% of those present. The increases in total tree numbers are thus largely driven by smaller trees and are likely to be associated with urban tree planting programmes. Changes in tree stocks were not constant across the urban area but varied with the current intensity of urbanization. Increases from 1900 to 2010 in total tree stocks, and smaller sized trees, tended to be greatest in the most intensely urbanized areas. In contrast, the increases in the largest trees were more marked in areas with the most green space."

 

Incidentally, I  understand that there have been major protests against Council tree felling in Sheffield. Perhaps Ebenezer Howard, founder of the 1898 Garden City Movement, would have joined them.

 

Clearly, another subject to get lost in. Or you could just bend some wires the way you like them .

[MikeOxon]

16 hours ago, Mikkel said:

... BTW, one thing I realized is the need to consider when the trees would have been planted in relation to the time period modelled. E.g. very large trees in a station forecourt supposedly built 10 years ago wouldn't make sense!

 

Yes, we do need to remember that all those quaint overgrown branch lines looked like newly-laid stretches of motorway at the times we are modelling.  So, strip out all the pretty stuff and create an industrial-looking wasteland around the tracks

[Compound2632]

1 hour ago, MikeOxon said:

Yes, we do need to remember that all those quaint overgrown branch lines looked like newly-laid stretches of motorway at the times we are modelling.  So, strip out all the pretty stuff and create an industrial-looking wasteland around the tracks

 

In the MRJ write up of the layout Winchester Chesil many years ago, the authors said that in order to give their chalk cuttings the right degree of aging, they used as reference the M4 cutting through the Chiltern escarpment, which was, at the time they built the model, of the same age as the Winchester cuttings at the period the model was set.