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Three Trees From Mother Nature ????

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  • Member since
    February 2007
  • From: Shenandoah Valley The Home Of Patsy Cline
  • 1,842 posts
Three Trees From Mother Nature ????
Posted by superbe on Monday, October 20, 2008 3:11 PM

Pictured below are three weeds that I cut several weeks ago to dry. Today I gave them a dusting with flat green spray paint. Would you use them on your layout?? If so than I'll use them on mine. The trunks will need to be adjusted for height and one will need it's trunk pruned. Looking forward to some honest opinions and suggestions.

 Bob

  • Member since
    May 2015
  • 779 posts
Posted by Dallas Model Works on Monday, October 20, 2008 3:38 PM

The focus is a bit soft in the pics but they look pretty good.

I'd spray e'm black, then overspray that w/ gray primer, then a couple of blasts of red-brown, then gray primer again. Do this 'til you have the same coloration as the trees you see in outside.

Once the color was right I would use Noch leaves or WS or SE ground foam applied w/scenic cement to simulate leaves.

 

Craig

DMW

  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: Kansas City Area
  • 1,161 posts
Posted by gmcrail on Monday, October 20, 2008 3:53 PM

 The first one is great!  The second one needs that elongated top to be trimmed, and the third one will be good for some smaller trees. Some coloration and extra foliage is in order, as a previous poster has indicated, as well as a spraying/soak in diluted acrylic matte medium (to keep them intact).

What weeds are they? (common name or species)

---

Gary M. Collins gmcrailgNOSPAM@gmail.com

===================================

"Common Sense, Ain't!" -- G. M. Collins

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http://fhn.site90.net

  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: Duluth, MN
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Posted by Dean-58 on Monday, October 20, 2008 4:39 PM

Dallas Model Works

The focus is a bit soft in the pics but they look pretty good.

I'd spray e'm black, then overspray that w/ gray primer, then a couple of blasts of red-brown, then gray primer again. Do this 'til you have the same coloration as the trees you see in outside.

Once the color was right I would use Noch leaves or WS or SE ground foam applied w/scenic cement to simulate leaves.

 

 (Thanks, Rotor, for the Ditto Smiley!)  I agree with what the others have said: first spray them the trunk and branch color, then add the leaf color, and superdetail with the "leaves" or ground foam.  I really like the first one and the third one would be nice for lower trees of another type, but the second one reminds me too much of the commercial poplar trees available in HO in the '50s, which tended to look like a windstorm!  Can anyone tell us what real trees they'd represent?

Dean "Model Railroading is FUN!"
  • Member since
    February 2007
  • From: Shenandoah Valley The Home Of Patsy Cline
  • 1,842 posts
Posted by superbe on Monday, October 20, 2008 5:03 PM

gmcrail
What weeds are they? (common name or species)

 

Hi Gary,

The first one is pruned Golden Rod (any one have allergies?), the second is a very common one that is gold in color that Im sure you have seen and the third one I've never noticed before until getting interested in scenicing.

Thanks, everyone for the advice.

Bob

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Bedford, MA, USA
  • 21,484 posts
Posted by MisterBeasley on Monday, October 20, 2008 6:38 PM

This isn't a great photo, because the lighting is, like, x-treme, but it shows several of my seedum trees:

I plucked these things in the fall as they were being cleared out of the garden and dried them a bit.  I hit them up with a Kelly Green spray.  Normally, that's an unrealistically bright green, but it worked fine here, coming out quite dark.  I hand-painted the trunks with gray craft paint.

The seedums, by the way, are the tall, spindly ones with all the foliage at the top.  I used them here in combination with Woodland Scenics trees, which are much lower, to give a mixed forest look.  The bright white "tree" in the center is a florist thing called Baby's Breath.  (Get your wife/girlfriend a bouquet.  Make sure they put in some Baby's Breath.  Then, when the flowers are all wilted, you'll have the scenic materials and a happy lady friend.  Best of both worlds.)

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

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