How to Make Trees and Shrubs


A new tree maker

Hi Jos,
First of all I want to say I am a huge fan of your work. I cannot tell the difference between real life trees and your handmade trees. For that reason the last couple of days I have been attempting to learn your technique of making tree frames with floral wire. Im trying for Aspens native to the Canadian rockies although some don't look right at all. Here is my first couple attempts. :)
picture.php


What do you think? I also have a few questions.
1. Which gauge is the best for HO scale. I have been using 20 , 22 and 24 gauge floral wire.

Here are the next trees I made which I think are a little better but I have alot of practicing to do! Im not even going to try to put bark or leaves on until I have mastered the frames. I want to make trees found in the Canadian Rocky Mountains so Aspens, Pine, Larch, Fir etc.

picture.php


Thanks for posting all your beautiful work!

~Ben

//BArailsystem//
 
Hello Ben,

They aren't bad at all!
When watching Aspen in nature( I have to watch pictures because they don't grow overhere...) the first thing wich is seen very prominent to me is the way the branches and twigs are growing/placed.
I presume an Aspen is a fast growing tree so the branches and twigs are more straigt pointing to the light=upside.
Another thing is the "amounts of big tall branches: most of the trees look like they don't have big tall branches but more smaller ones placed around the trunk in groupes of 3 or 4 close together( specialy younger trees)
May be the space between these groupes of 3-4 branches should be , lets say, 1/2 - 1 inch?
Here a picture of the frame of a poplar( looks like they are familiar to the aspen?):
framepopulierHO2010okt-1.jpg

here a frame of a solitair aspen kind of tree:
PICT0673kleinformaat.jpg

watch the "long" straight ends of the twigs. Some are to long so just cut them in the right length you want.
Btw when I make a frame of a tree I don't know already I have to try hard too to make it look like the frame of the real tree and that will "costs"too moddeling some frames!( I can use them just for "other kind" of trees! :D
Also the bark is very prominent , it is the easy part of modelling aspens!
They look like , well a litlle bit, birches but more "smoother"
Attached picture is one I found on the internet. these trees are more solitair trees and the look like your frames!!! may be bending the twigs/branches more straight and to the top=sunlight and note the space between the branches on the trunk...
Happy treemaking Ben!

Jos
 
WOOOW!
Awsome as always......

I haven't been visiting the site for quite a while, and with that time iv developed a certain level of skill, so its not "There's a hole in my bucket" any more, i wont be that annoying.

But, i have a question, actually more an request than a question....

Goreve den, can you please make a tutorial of how you paint the trees to look realistic?

(i have some ideas, but its best to learn from the master....)
 
Cika tetreb said:
WOOOW!
Awsome as always......

I haven't been visiting the site for quite a while, and with that time iv developed a certain level of skill, so its not "There's a hole in my bucket" any more, i wont be that annoying.

But, i have a question, actually more an request than a question....

Goreve den, can you please make a tutorial of how you paint the trees to look realistic?

(i have some ideas, but its best to learn from the master....)
Click to expand...

Go back from the beginning and go through this thread. All the info you need is right here.
 
@Cika tetreb:
You'r not anoying....;-)

What part of the tree do you mean?
the trunk/branches or the leaves ......?
Trunk/branches = latex darkbrown/grey wallpaint , drybrushed with some lighter "dusty"color acryl paint-. birches: the frame was dipped in black brown latexwallpaint.After that I just used white wallpaint for the upperparts and drybrushed it over the lower part(s) of the trunk.
leaves are from NOch and sometimes colored with deluted alkyde paint( deluted with some terpintin)
About the color of the leaves it is a lot of experiment with it....( I have a lot of small boxes with the results of these "experiments" They don't fit , yet, to any tree I made so far....;-)

Jos
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Im interested in how you painted the trunk, and branches to make them that realistic.

Did you paint the whole trunk in a dark color, and then added the white, or was it the other way around?
 
Hello Cika,

First:
Whole frame ( = trunk with the branches) dipped in blackbrown/dark color....let it dry....
when dry I painted the upper parts of the trunk and lower parts of the big branches- close to the trunk- white....I , well kind of, drybrushed the lower parts of the trunk= close to the base of the trunk, with the white latex wallpaint....
Because I added rough sawdust the paint will only stick on the tops of the rough sawdust....and that looks like the bark of a birch.
added a picture:
Mattcolorbirchtreetrunk.jpg

When you want a smooth bark on the upper parts of the birch tree just paint it 2 or even 3 times with the latexwallpaint.
Maybe you could add some gipsum/plaster of paris to the paint.....paint it on the trunk...let it dry for some minutes ( or sometimes more =) )and brush wit a soft wet brush the surface of the trunk as smooth as possible....that's all ;-)

Jos
Jos
 
Last edited by a moderator:
grove den, excellent job. I myself have been using your methods and my trees look great. I was wondering on the Aspens... did you add Filter Fiber like your previous models before applying the Noch leaves? I have made some trees using Silfor products and they look great, yet are just too damn expensive.

Thanks
 
Hello bngp38,

did you add Filter Fiber like your previous models before applying the Noch leaves?
Click to expand...

yes I did .The treefoliage was made out of the cutted decotwisterfibers some long( 6 mm ) grassfibers and a very litlle 2 mm grassfibers.....and of course the yellow NOCH leaves.

Jos
 
Hello grove den,

These are shots of the diorama I'm currently working on. I've been trying to make realistic looking shrub/bush that looks like this in the fourth shot, but having no luck.
Do you have any ideas you can share on how I might be able to achieve this?
 
Wow zoegraf i havent seen the whole diorama that your working on but with just those few pictures you posted i must say your doing fantastic work! The weathering of the track looks awesome!

I like what you did with the stone along the tracks! Is this stone you have on hand outside? Or did you buy this?
 
joed2323 said:
Wow zoegraf i havent seen the whole diorama that your working on but with just those few pictures you posted i must say your doing fantastic work! The weathering of the track looks awesome!

I like what you did with the stone along the tracks! Is this stone you have on hand outside? Or did you buy this?
Click to expand...


Thanks joed,

They are rocks I gathered outdoors that are the type used for driveways though I don't know what type of rock it is.
I weathered the tracks with chalk, tempera chalk, and plaster.

Here is a link to the thread:

http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28448&page=5
 
Hello Zoegraf,

Please can you give me more information about the hight of the shrub(s)?
about 7 feet??? may be more???
I am thinking of making the shrub with a small frame of very thin floristic wire .
next step: adding some , verrrry few!, long 6 mm fibers( 1/4 inch) .
Now comes the tric!:
twist the frame/groundpin with the added/sprayglued long fibers between thumb and pionting finger 2 or 3 times...you will/can see that , after twisting, the fibers are pointing to the outside of the shape of the future shrub!( centrifuge/spin dryer power! ;-))
repeat this once more, or when it is still not dense enough twice...don't forget the twisting
Let it dry for an hour and add some small fine 2 mm grassfibers.( here too:less is more .)
Last steps: add(first of course some sprayglue ) the "leaves" for example the sieved dark green NOCH leaves or fine + coarse turf from Woodl.Sc.
I think you can imm. the flowers by using some acrylpaint( dark red???) dipped on the shrub in a regular pattern just like it is shown in the picture with a small stiff brush or toothpic.

Jos

ps: watch for an example: post 339 they a little bit big but when made smaller and more density of the fibers I think they could came out as the srubs you want.....?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
grove den said:
Hello Zoegraf,

Please can you give me more information about the hight of the shrub(s)?
about 7 feet??? may be more???
I am thinking of making the shrub with a small frame of very thin floristic wire .
next step: adding some , verrrry few!, long 6 mm fibers( 1/4 inch) .
Now comes the tric!:
twist the frame/groundpin with the added/sprayglued long fibers between thumb and pionting finger 2 or 3 times...you will/can see that , after twisting, the fibers are pointing to the outside of the shape of the future shrub!( centrifuge/spin dryer power! ;-))
repeat this once more, or when it is still not dense enough twice...don't forget the twisting
Let it dry for an hour and add some small fine 2 mm grassfibers.( here too:less is more .)
Last steps: add(first of course some sprayglue ) the "leaves" for example the sieved dark green NOCH leaves or fine + coarse turf from Woodl.Sc.
I think you can imm. the flowers by using some acrylpaint( dark red???) dipped on the shrub in a regular pattern just like it is shown in the picture with a small stiff brush or toothpic.

Jos

ps: watch for an example: post 339 they a little bit big but when made smaller and more density of the fibers I think they could came out as the srubs you want.....?
Click to expand...

Hi and thanks for your instructions Jos.

You're right, the shrub is about 6 to 8 feet high.

I'll have to go out and get the materials you mentioned.

I'll keep you posted on how I'm doing.

Cheers

Zoegraf
 
Autumn in the Black Forrest Germany:
Very bad weather conditions... but the captain and wife don't bother being extras...;)
and 1/2 an hour later: second image litlle bit closer ...sun shines!!
...


Jos
 
Last edited by a moderator:
grove den said:
Autumn in the Black Forrest Germany:
Very bad weather conditions... but the captain and wife don't bother being extras...;)
and 1/2 an hour later: second image litlle bit closer ...sun shines!!
...


Jos
Click to expand...

Very nice!

The first shot cold depict forest fire smoke in the background.
 
grove den said:
Hello Zoegraf,

Please can you give me more information about the hight of the shrub(s)?
about 7 feet??? may be more???
I am thinking of making the shrub with a small frame of very thin floristic wire .
next step: adding some , verrrry few!, long 6 mm fibers( 1/4 inch) .
Now comes the tric!:
twist the frame/groundpin with the added/sprayglued long fibers between thumb and pionting finger 2 or 3 times...you will/can see that , after twisting, the fibers are pointing to the outside of the shape of the future shrub!( centrifuge/spin dryer power! ;-))
repeat this once more, or when it is still not dense enough twice...don't forget the twisting
Let it dry for an hour and add some small fine 2 mm grassfibers.( here too:less is more .)
Last steps: add(first of course some sprayglue ) the "leaves" for example the sieved dark green NOCH leaves or fine + coarse turf from Woodl.Sc.
I think you can imm. the flowers by using some acrylpaint( dark red???) dipped on the shrub in a regular pattern just like it is shown in the picture with a small stiff brush or toothpic.

Jos

ps: watch for an example: post 339 they a little bit big but when made smaller and more density of the fibers I think they could came out as the srubs you want.....?
Click to expand...

Well I got most of the materials needed, but not the fibre, which is somewhere in my storage place. In the meantime, I'm deciding on what type of deciduous tree I will attempt to make. After making a deciduous tree, I'll attempt at making a windswept conifer similar to this.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.



Back
Top