AC&Y - Litchfield to Spencer OH

[wcfn100]

Steve, I think it works well after the color adjustment. One suggestion, though, instead of one big dead clump, how about a few smaller dead clumps, so it doesn't sit there screaming, look! I'm dead!

I'll take both side of the fence here.  There's no doubt that blending everything together can yield excellent results.  The stuff Yourstone did a few years back was awesome.  But it wasn't necessarily realistic.  Things like bright orange trees or in this case one big dead tree that doesn't look like it has any business being there exist everywhere.  It's just really hard to model correctly.  I wish I could say I knew how to do it, but I don't.  I left my scenery abilities at just getting random texture stage and have miles to go to get to Rich's level.  But ultimately I'd like to see someone take Yourstones scenery modeling to the next plateau and include all the wild variations that exist in real life.

Maybe when everyone here's done having kids.     Or maybe Rich will come back and wow us some more.

Jason

[John]

I like the dead trees. I've seen that often in real life too, and it's barely ever modeled.

but dead trees rarely have leaves

[wm3798]

I like the dead tree, it adds character.  the rest of the layout is melting my face.  Amazing stuff there.
Lee

[SAH]

Thanks for the comments guys.  Everytime I walk by the scene I stop and look . . . .  and think.  Given the late summer timeframe, I'm thinking it needs some green things growing up through the dead branches.  An "In the course of Mother Nature reclaiming the space" kind of thing.  It would give the space some history so to speak.

[Chris333]

Was thinking maybe some green trees behind it might change the look.

[SAH]

Planting corn.  My intention was to try Skibbe corn but all I could find was dark brown witches brooms and it didn't have the look I thought it should.  Yesterday I stopped at Michael's Crafts and spent a good 30 mins in the floral section looking at the offerings for what they might become, not what they were intended to be.  Floral bouquets were 40% off too.  Woo Hoo!  At that price how can you go wrong?   

Anyway I settled on an offering form the Ashland Fern Collection.  Sounds pretty classy eh?  The photo shows one branch from a gang of probably 20.  Each branch has 10 -15 smaller branches that yield 3 corn plants each.  I cut my plant to be 10' tall - Mid September in Northern Ohio for corn growth - more of less.


I didn't think the color or the glossy finish was appropriate so I hit the main branches with a spray bomb - Hunter Green Satin.  I'm not entirely satisfied with the color or lustre so may mask off the layout and hit it again with a warmer green and flat finish.  Here's a photo of the fern as purchased.


I thought it would be cool to model the furrows so used cardboard packing wrap - essentially cardboard liner with one side missing.  In practice I'm not sure this step is necessary but it did provide ready made guides for planting.  I slit the top and punched holes with an awl.  Foam insulation is beneath the corrugated so it's an easy punch.


Here are the tools and adhesives.  Scenery mix white matt medium (with alcohol & water) to glue the soil in place.  The thin CA is dripped onto the corn plant at the it's base where it enters the cardboard furrow.  X-acto knife to slit the furrow, the awl to punch the hole and the needle nose pliers to insert the plant into the hole.


I finished off the plot but the jury is still out as to whether or not the effect I was hoping for was achieved.  It's certainly not bad.  I hope it looks better than a chunk of astroturf cause it's a lot more work.  Not so difficult that I couldn't get it all planted in an afternoon though.  I'll post the finished scene when I get it shaped up and figure out how to add the yellow tassle at the top of each stalk.

What do you guys think?

Oh - the tools are on top of what will become a soybean field.  I have some ideas to try . . . . . . .

Steve

[sirenwerks]

The material you used definitely portrays the density of corn fields. IMO, it beats the installations of the etched stuff I've seen, which never comes remotely near the density of real plantings.

[wcfn100]

I'm curious at to what it would look like if you trimmed back the 'leaves' or were to maybe be able to get them to point more straight up.  This is part of the illusion Skibbe corn has going for it as it's so stick like.
 
Modeling Iowa it's just a matter of time until I have to tackle this, so I'm very interested.  All it has to do is beat out this:



Which should be too hard. 


Jason

[unittrain]

Excellent work your scenery is awesome.

[wm3798]

The best part about the ferns and furrows method is if you find them getting brown and dried out, you can simply mow half of it down and it will look quite real as a fall scene!

Lee

[SAH]

The ferns are plastic Lee.  If they dry out I've some far more serious problems than crispy scenery. 

I too think they need to be shaped and maybe thinned some, to define the rows a bit better.  It should be easy to do.  There is a tip right in the middle of the top leaves that should provide an attachment point for some tassle material.  Right now I'm considering yellow/gold colored foam but better options may surface.  First to shape and repaint though.

Steve

[sirenwerks]

Another thread had mentioned how very thin plastics would curl when introduced to certain adhesives; I wonder if Zox might weight in to speak about his reference about this? I like Skibbe's corn but it's so darn thick all the way up the stalk and I was wondering if there's some way to 'shred' thin styrene to stalk leaf size/shape; prime it and curl it with an adhesive; and get it to (easily) adhere to wire - and ready for a quick paint when dry. Thus, providing a thin stalk, and long thin curled leaves (or whatever the technical term is), in a quick mass produce-able way. Probably a long shot but just thinking out loud.

[Zox]

Another thread had mentioned how very thin plastics would curl when introduced to certain adhesives; I wonder if Zox might weight in to speak about his reference about this?

The particular incident I was referring to was when I tried to use Rustoleum to prime a sheet of 0.005"-thick styrene. As the paint dried, the styrene rolled up into a (approximately 1" diameter) tube.

I can think of two factors that may have been at work here; the paint shrank as it dried, and it may have softened the thin styrene enough to facilitate the rolling action. I would presume some of the more aggressive spray adhesives might have similar effects.

(Rustoleum does attack styrene, but on thicker pieces it's just enough to give the surface a good "tooth" for handbrushing.)

It would be an interesting experiment to see if the curling effect could be controlled enough to make "3-D" corn. I'm pretty much up to my ears (no pun intended) in other experiments right now, though, so anyone who wants to play with the idea is welcome to try.

[Chris333]

Maybe some hair trimmers would shape them?

hmmmm  is www.skibbecorn.com taken?   

[SAH]

Judicious use of scissors should do the trick as far as thinning goes.  And as you consider curled styrene leaves and the like keep in mind that even on the small plot I've done there are nearly 200 individual stalks.  I'm trying to strike a balance between easy to fabricate and install yet realistic enough that folks will look at it and think "corn field", rather than "plastic grass mat".