ultra realistic forest floors

[rrebell]

The zip texturing is in for the dirt and now need to add forest floor material. I model HO scale. Last layout I stopped at the ground color but this time being a smaller layout "about 1/4 the size", I can  super detail everything. What tricks have you learned?

[wvg_ca]

there are different ground effects depending on what type of trees / forest and where it is ... it can range from super clean to impossible to walk through

[chutton01]

OK, you're going to get a lot of opinions

I'd first suggest checking out the youtube channels of Luke Towan and Kathy Millatt and Mel the Terrain tutor and Marklin of Sweden and Everard Junction and hundreds of others, if you haven't already.
So, I will just suggest one thing - make and liberally use leaf litter.  Although apparently you can now buy it (of course, why not), I don't think Kalmbach would mind me linking to this Fine Scale Modeler article - which I notice doesn't mention the reall old school method I've used: gather dried leaves from your backyard; heat them up to kill off...vectors; wash the leaves, and let them dry; grind up in an old blender (one which you have retired from food processing); and...spread the litter (secure in the same manner as ground foam). Yeah, I guess I see why it comes prepacked nowadays.

[rrebell]

chutton01

OK, you're going to get a lot of opinions

I'd first suggest checking out the youtube channels of Luke Towan and Kathy Millatt and Mel the Terrain tutor and Marklin of Sweden and Everard Junction and hundreds of others, if you haven't already.
So, I will just suggest one thing - make and liberally use leaf litter.  Although apparently you can now buy it (of course, why not), I don't think Kalmbach would mind me linking to this Fine Scale Modeler article - which I notice doesn't mention the reall old school method I've used: gather dried leaves from your backyard; heat them up to kill off...vectors; wash the leaves, and let them dry; grind up in an old blender (one which you have retired from food processing); and...spread the litter (secure in the same manner as ground foam). Yeah, I guess I see why it comes prepacked nowadays.

 

Looked at a bunch of those, really liked Luke. Kathy I know of from another forum back when she was not a name, she is good too, but Luke made it so logical step by step and the one I watched all the way through moved at a good pace so no bordom and no spending alot of time with evey detail of an item, example a river pour, touched on all the important stuff but when it came to showing how he spread it out, he showed one or two spots instead of showing every spot that needed that help which some videos tend to do to use more time.

[trainnut1250]

Here is a scenery clinic I presented where I talk about forest floor litter about 1/2 way through.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_fByM8OxXc&list=PLjWp6F8wZPVNnQio-UQJHDXCpOxCp12_V&index=15

Lots of examples shown

Guy