Here are the basic supplies that you will need in addition to your normal paints, brushes and glue. Pictured are several wire hangers, insulation foam, masking tape, and some moss I purchased from Hobby Lobby.
The first step is to cut the wire hanger into short lengths. I find for the average tree, half the length of each side of the hanger does well. After you have the wire hanger cut into lengths you like, use three pieces and braid it. I wore a leather work glove on my off hand when I do this part.
After you have made your braid, wrap it in masking tape. I find it best to leave wrinkles to add texture for bark and it makes it easier to dry brush.
Next, we make a canopy with the insulation foam. A few things here: were gloves, make sure you do this on something like news paper, and you will need to build the foam up slowly. Do a little and let it dry and then repeat. Once that is all dry, you can prime the tree and begin painting it.
Here's a pic of one after the trunk and base have been dry brushed. Now we need to glue the moss to the top. I used a can of spray adhesive, but Elmer's glue works just fine too.
Here is a pic of a finished tree. I also embellished the base.
Here are some pics of some finished trees. The bottom pic is to show off scale. I will eventually make a piece for the trees to fit in to show the start of area terrain, as well as make some more trees. Plus, I thought my DW would look pretty in a pic with the trees.
Hope you learned some neat tricks, and that you will update your terrain collection for 6th!
Enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteHow much do you think it would cost to make these trees in large numbers? How much time do you think if done factory style?
ReplyDeleteYou can make them for cheap if you use the cheap flock from woodland scenics. If you did them assembly line with a few people, you could crank them out fast.
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