The new Missouri Valley Western

[Specter3]

Under those trees needs some major help. Go look at Ed K's Conrail thr Ad and look at what he did in the last 5 or 6 pages regarding undergrowth in a tree area. I like to take dry fall leaves and gring them up in a blender. You have to be careful as the owner of the blender may not like it being used on leaves.

[MVW]

Well, as that area is bare styrofoam and a bit of spackling, I'll allow that it does indeed need some major help. 

I'm a big fan of Ed's work, and have been following along. But I do appreciate the tip, Specter.

Since the previous photos were posted, I've put down some basic ground cover, but it needs more work. I'll post an updated shot shortly.

Jim

[MVW]

I roped two of my teenagers into helping me turn the styrofoam bump into a grassy knoll last weekend. (The goal has always been to involve the family, but that's just starting to happen.)







Pretty unremarkable, I know. But this is my first real run at this scenery thing, and I'm learning on the fly.

The "trees" have to be topped with foam and planted, and lots more underbrush added. The whole layout would benefit from an application of static grass, but I'm not equipped, and don't expect to be anytime soon. I have some lichen on hand I might try for the undergrowth, but unfortunately it's the light green flavor and blends in too well. We'll see. I'll likely try the "dead leaf" trick Specter alluded to. 'Tis the season.

Any advice will be appreciated. (Even if I ignore it.  )

Jim

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Under those trees needs some major help. Go look at Ed K's Conrail thr Ad and look at what he did in the last 5 or 6 pages regarding undergrowth in a tree area. I like to take dry fall leaves and gring them up in a blender. You have to be careful as the owner of the blender may not like it being used on leaves.

Forget about my thread... check out the article I finally finished writing (specifically after reading this post).
http://conrail1285.com/winter-forest-technique/

[MVW]

Very helpful, Ed.

You've nailed the late fall look. That's not what I'm going for in this case, but I'll definitely try out the Scenic Express leaf litter.

I'll probably stick with the sedum trees, at least for a while. I have a plentiful supply (four plants in the back yard), and more pressing needs for my hobby dollars at the moment. I think a guy can come up with some decent-looking trees by gluing additional branches onto a main stalk. We'll see.

I'll also try your painting tips. I've experimented with a few browns and grays on my trees, but haven't been overly pleased with the results.

I find it amusing my efforts spurred you to intervene.  Thanks for sharing!

Jim

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Absolutely. I'm just glad my experience is useful.

I'm curious to try different seasons, too. I think the fundamentals are the same, just add some green leaves.

[MVW]

Finally found a few minutes to play with this again. Added some lichen and JTT Chopped Dried Leaves for underbrush. Thought the leaves were too coarse, then realized the pack comes in three different sizes.  Will have to dust some of the "fine" around to cover up the "slabs" of leaves, but I'd planned to add more undergrowth/debris anyway. Just wanted to see how this looks in pics.









Tree trunk color is still up for grabs, as I haven't tried Ed's recommendation yet. (And haven't tried to hide the glue.) I picked up some of Woodland Scenic's fine-leaf foliage to use on the sedum trees. Should look better than the clump foliage I've tried so far. Will be adding more trees, especially smaller ones, and more brush, fallen branches, etc.

Getting closer?

Jim

[mu26aeh]

I've done the added branches to main stem.   

Can also add some dried tea leaves from used tea bags as a base coat or mixed in with your ground foam.  Breaks up some of the uniformity of the foam.

[Philip H]

Looks good to me.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Definitely an improvement.

Can you post the reference photos you're working from?

[MVW]

I can't claim to be working from a reference photo, per se. I've mostly been playing with materials to see how they look. (I'm a newb at the scenery thing. What can I say?) But the photo at the top of this page is a very rough approximation of what I had in mind:

https://www.aroundiowa.com/blog/2016/08/these-6-luscious-iowa-state-forests-are-great-for-your-health/#.WFQjl2QrIvo

I'm not trying to create the impression of a forest here, just a grove of trees along a very shallow cut. Kind of like we see on the right in the photo.


Jim

[wazzou]

IMO, I would try and bring the foliage a little closer to the ground. 
I would cut off any branch of the Sedum that leaves the main trunk too near the base and push the trunks further into the ground.

[MVW]

Played with this a little more last night.

[MVW]

IMO, I would try and bring the foliage a little closer to the ground. 
I would cut off any branch of the Sedum that leaves the main trunk too near the base and push the trunks further into the ground.

I'm not sure. There's one limb on a tree I'll definitely trim off, but it seems to me that most of the foliage should be in the canopy, with not a lot of greenery below that.

I'll probably add a few more small trees around the periphery using the WS Fine-Leaf Foliage, which may provide the same effect.

Jim

[MichaelWinicki]

I think you've done a wonderful job finishing them off Jim.

But given their trunk thickness and the way the "limbs" grow it gives them an "asparagus" look.

I think they'd make wonderful background trees. 

For upfront trees with a budget in mind, I'd consider getting some inexpensive Woodland scenic tree armatures and using poly fiber (Micromark offers a good deal on black poly fiber http://www.micromark.com/black-poly-fiber-12-oz,9823.html ) to finish them off (of course you need to paint the tree trunks and flock the poly fiber). 

That would give you trees up front with some girth to their trunks and a more realistic canopy– and without costing a bunch of money.