How to Make Trees and Shrubs

[grove den]

MilesWestern; have a look in your PMbox..

 

[Steve B]

Nice one Jos, another masterpiece.

 

[jbaakko]

I'll keep you in mind for some custom trees not matter what Jos!

 

[grove den]

just for fun...some examples i made last year

before I start to built another 150 HO trees: just for fun some pics of trees I've made

 

[grove den]

some more

here they are: they are all in scale HO.. the ruler is in cm!( thanks Jeff!!) So 14 cm = about <6 inches....
Jos

 

[JeffShultz]

I'm guessing that's 14cm, not 14 inches?

Those are gorgeous trees....

 

[grove den]

Thanks Jeff!
forgot to tell about the ruler ..yes it is in cm !

Jos

 

[dnhouston]

Wonderful looking trees Jos. Very realistic!

 

[grove den]

Thank you very much David!

btw: very nice HP and it is going to be a very beautiful mrrlayout( with a lot of trees!! )Nah.. kidding.
Even if there were no trees.. the layout looks great anyway( already!)
+very detailed buildings/constructions/rocks!

Jos

 

[Maxitrains]

Very nice trees Jos but I wonder how much time will it take to make an entire forrest or hill side of these trees. The final result would be spectacular, but as for time I think it will take long, sine they are very detailed.

 

[grove den]

Maxitrains, I don't think so.. Because the trees I have made are twice, sometimes even three times, bigger than the "usual" HO trees from for example WS..
But yes it will take ( in the beginning) some more time .. but wehn you are used to the technic it is a just a piece of cake...
For example : I have to make "only" 4-6 trees for 1 square feet..( dense forest!)
It is true too that I don't make very detailled trees in the foreground!
I just make a frame of wires and glue the fibers on it , spray it all in grey/brown with some dark green and add the coarse turf or fine turf/sawdust in the fibers...ready...sometimes a little bit modelling with a sharp pair of siccors... that's it...
Finaly it is true that this method is not as fast as the ones with WS clump foliage or the one wiht "supertrees"stuff( seemoos) ....

Jos

 

[Steve B]

Always a pleasure to look at your work Jos

 

[grove den]

Thanks Steve!
But I didn't make any new contribution since 1/2 August
Or is it theat you want to look at these "West- European" modeltrees before you go to New Zealand?
Think it is quite an adventure !!Crossing all my thumbs that everything will go fine and smooth with no big problems!

Jos

 

[grove den]

modelling trees goes on!

here is the last result of the start of the "new"mrr season...Outside start of winter..inside start of spring/summer!
It has to look like an old healthy oaktree somewhere in the hils of mid- Germany...
Took some pictures without and with leafs...
btw it is HO scale ( hight: 11 inches)
The start...

and a detail of the fine twigs made of filterfibers

Jos

 

[NickB]

Dude Jos those are some realistic looking trees. Excellent work!!

 

[grove den]

thanks Nick!!

 

[MilesWestern]

Wow jos, that's beautiful!! I'm still considering that live oak, Let me go get some photos of some real ones first, ok?

 

[Maxitrains]

Hi Jos, I started working on similar tree projects some time ago (actually years ago ) but never got more into it, but seeing your work makes me want to start again, I will be posting some pictures of the progress made in earlier years.

I would like to know 3 things from your if possible.

1. How and with what you cover the tree trunks?
2. What are those fibres used on the tree ( where you get em from )?
3. What material do you use for foliage? ( is it dyed sawdust )?

Thanks

Very nice work, impressive.

Max

 

[grove den]

Mileswestern: Thanks for the answer! =)

Jos

 

[grove den]

It's possible!!

Hi Max,

Hope I can help you with these answers...

1. How and with what you cover the tree trunks?

I cover it with sawDUST ar first. It has to be d u s t!!
first and second picture
I add it( from out a theesieve) to the ( primered!) frame of wires with a mix of white glue, some acrylpaint( it is a paint you can mix with water and the white glue) and some drops of dishdetergent (?)( liquid stuff you have to add when you have/must do the dishes.) and a very little bit of water.
I cannot say/tell you how much water but the mix has to be the way that it can stick to the frame but not too sticky because it has to be soaked up by the very fine sawdust...these drops (dishdet.) are very important otherwise the mix will not glue the fine sawdust.
So the mix has to be a little bit like sirop, not like honey..( ) just experiment!
The mix is added with a brush(long small one). Mostly I "paint"2-4 branches and than I add with the sieve the sawdust by ticking against the sieve and turn the frame of the tree so that the sawdust will be glued all over the painted branches. contignu with the other branches and at last the trunk.
If some branches are not thick enough just paint them , if it has dried for one night,oncemore and add the second lay of sawdust , just repeat if the branch has to be thicker! this , you can do also with the trunk..
sometimes, at the last, I add some rough sawdust on the trunk to give it an "old"look.(third picture)

2. What are those fibres used on the tree ( where you get em from )?

Those fibers are almost the same as they use in aquaria and pondfilters..only here they are already colored green and white and I bought of course the green ones) Overhere they use it too in flowershops etc. as decoration
(fourth picture)




Jos

btw/ps: the sawdust is made of MDF