How to Make Trees and Shrubs


Wonderful pictures Zoegraf! very impressive! those trees ARE realy big/huge !!
Thanks! =)
Btw: the color of the "needles" are the realy that grey/greenish as shown on the pictures???
I ask because I made the foliage with W.S. fine turf "weeds" so is it to dark comparing with the real foliage of the sequoias??

Jos
 
Wonderful pictures Zoegraf! very impressive! those trees ARE realy big/huge !!
Thanks! =)
Btw: the color of the "needles" are the realy that grey/greenish as shown on the pictures???
I ask because I made the foliage with W.S. fine turf "weeds" so is it to dark comparing with the real foliage of the sequoias??

Jos


There are even bigger trees than that in BC, but are harder to find nowadays. Once in a while someone discovers a new one deep into the areas that are not visited frequently by hikers.

The needles do look like that colour under the light condition beneath the forest's canopy, but these trees are not sequoias, the scene mostly consists of yellow cedars and red cedars.

There is a great pictorial/article in one of the latest National Geographic magazine on sequoias. Check out this for now: http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com...uoias-endured-500-years-fire-and-drought.html.

Note the colour of the needles.

And here is a pic for you of a decaying skid row (probably over 80 years old) in a tree farm in case you ever feel like modelling one. A planted forest just doesn't have that natural and pristine look to it as you can see.

And a pic of a health coastal rainforest in BC where I took most of my pictures of those big trees back in the early 1990's.

Alway looking forward to seeing your trees.

Cheers.
 
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These trees would be interesting to model and would be very large on one's layout, but I don't think any railway tracks would have been near anything like this; perhaps an old growth remnant nearby would have been seen near the tracks on Vancouver Island in the 1950's.

If you're ever down in California, try to schedule a trip on the Skunk Train - operating on the former California Western Railroad in Mendocino County, the trains are still rolling right through the midst of some pretty impressively sized redwoods.
 
If you're ever down in California, try to schedule a trip on the Skunk Train - operating on the former California Western Railroad in Mendocino County, the trains are still rolling right through the midst of some pretty impressively sized redwoods.

Years ago ago I drove from LA to Vancouver, wish I knew about the Skunk Train. I checked out their website; real nice looking.

Thanks.
 
What do you think Jos? My first two efforts.
NEW-PINES.jpg
 
Munch@:
What do you think Jos?
I think: your first 2 efforts are great! and remember...it is N scale!!!
Like the transparant/spacy( ??) look of the trees!
I can imagine a small forrest with , lets say , to start with a 20 trees;) together: large and small ones! Some large ones with a long trunk with some dead branches .It would look great!!
Yep these trees are very good Munch!
BTW: did you add the fine sawdust( as imm. bark also 'till the top of the frame?
If so, try to avoid that with the next frames of the trees.Let the top ( 1 inch)free from "bark"sawdust. It will give the top of the tree a more /better look...with other words: the trunk wont'stop abrupt into the topbranch...( sorry my dunglish)
munchnosawdust.jpg

and of corse in scale HO it can be made almost invissable:
Larixtree in autumn
p1120384.jpg


Jos
 
Thanks, Jos! Yes, I did use the sawdust, just painting the glue/water mix over the main stem and where the branches join. Going to start work on a few more. Thanks again, man! :D

When I make the next few, I'll take photos to show what I'm doing with the stem.
 
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Jos,
I'm not sure if I asked before but how do you color the sawdust for the bark?

Munch - Those are great looking trees you have there and I would never think they are the first ones you did.

Dave
 
hello Dave,

I don't know if you did but here's the answer anayway..
I color the frame with cheap latexwallpaint from a home improvementshop(??) you can chose any color you want ...and a bucket of the right grey-brown color can also be used for almost any tree and as the basic scenerycolor on your layout!
I put a large amount of the latexwallpaint in a long small can so that I can dip the frame of the tree totaly under...the can is about 8 inches high so only the trunk and branches will get some paint. The groundpin wont get any so your finger will stay clean ...well mostly...
If the frame is larger just use a long hair brush to color the parts that didn't get the paint...
I twist the frame with the fresh new paint in a large box to twist of the paint that is to much...like a centrifuge(?)the way a a spin drier works(??)
Btw the lastlayer on the lower parts of the trunk/stem is some fine turf "eart"from WS and THAN I paint the frame with the latexwallpaint...
when all has dried I drybrush the trunk with a light grey/ocre acrylpaint.
th_P1120371.jpg

and here the steps from wired frame to colored frame:
th_dennenbomenframesstadia2010juli.jpg
just click on the pictures to enlarge

Jos
 
So Jos, the sawdust is added to the paint when it is wet and then you run the blade in the wet sawdust to get the bark lines as you mentioned before. I guess it's time I try for myself.
Dave
 
NO NO NO Dave...

I add the sawdust when the primer is dry.....
I use deluted whiteglue to add/glue the sawdust on the stem/trunk /branches!!! If this has dried too...than id do the same for the fine turf "earth"from WS for the lower parts/trunk of the pine tree. When finaly this has dried too than I dip the whole frame in a bucket with the cheap latexwallpaint in the right color of course....

Jos
 
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Here's another frame, Jos. The single end wire at the top got "crimped", almost detached, so I put some epoxy over it. Have to be careful, but I think I can finish the tree.
This one is slightly smaller.
WIREFRAMEcopy.jpg
 
AHA:) that's a beautiful frame Munch! yep that is exactly the way they come out when I am "wiring" those trees...
Do not know if this is the way you "modell" the top of the pine trees but I'll show it anayway:
Munchtoppinetree2010okt.jpg

the picture shows a large HO tree...when in N scale I twist the wires more carefully around the stem just like Munch did/does/will do ...:D

Jos
 
Howly !! I think I did have some language problems!!:eek:
Sorry DAVE now I think I know what you mean:
the sawdust is added to the paint when it is wet and then you run the blade in the wet sawdust to get the bark lines as you mentioned before.
Well first of all when you talk about the pine trees: there are no lines made with anything! At the end, before dipping in the latexwallpaint, I just add the earth fine turf from WS on the trunk with deluted white glue..that is all!!
May be the drybrushing after everything has dried make it as it looks like lines on the bark???
IF you want to make some lines with a blade...just use very very fine MDF sawdust. Add this stuff with a sieve and , again, by using the deluted whiteglue wait some minutes before run carefully with the blade from , for example, an exactoknife .
Like the lower part of the trunk of this tree??
PICT0383-1-1.jpg


Jos
 
"changed" the small diorama on wich I show the trees I make in an autumn "look" plus 2 more larixtrees...

Jos
 
Hallo everyone !
Im new here , and i really enjoy making models models and dioramas, i already know how to make tress with a peace of wire , and they look relatively good, but i was wondering how could i make the leaves, and the trunk to look naturally , and realistic , and what glue should i use i use, i tried using white wood glue , bit it doesn't work????
I also wanted to make realistic grass for my diorama, in my city (as i know) there is no shop that cells wodland scenix products( i didn't spell it correctly , but you get the point) , i don't know where to find any specialized shop for railroads and models, there is a shop where i can buy awesome rewell models , and that's it , so im using alternative methods.
I don't want to use real plants ,because they don't last very long, but iv managed to make something like static grass, iv bout a rope,iv painted it, and spread it , then i cutd it into small pieces llike small grass.
Also i need to tell you that i want to make a 1:72 diorama.
So if anion has any ideas please tell me?????
And of course thanks!
 
You can of course always order from online hobby shops - I'd say all of us here have ordered from http://www.walthers.com/ at least once. I prefer dealing with my local hobby store myself.
There's lots of info here on building realistic trees - just go back a few pages. I've actually printed some of this thread out as PDF's so I can consult it as I build trees. modeling Grass you can use any number of sources... some people actually prefer artificial fur!
 



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