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I know that this is a common practice, but I am wondering if anyone has tried it with grape stems? No, not the vines, but the stems where the grapes are.
How about spirea? I have several spirea in my yard, and I was looking at their winter husks and thinking that they might make for some great trees.
Also, I was thinking that a few spots of a color similar to the foliage sprayed onto the "branches" would help make for a fuller looking tree. Has anyone ever tried this? I would love to see the results.
I might try it tomorrow with some spirea. If I do, you can count on seeing some examples, good or bad, in this thread. (I would do it today, but my wife didn't go to work today and I don't want her to see me hacking up our landscaping)
Matt
Don't follow me, I'm lost too.
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Spirea is one of the more common - I think, if I remember my "plantology 101". I think these are spirea-based trees:
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I have found that a darker colour will help enhance the look of the tree. I have used black polyfibre under green groundfoam with some success. Green polyfibre with green leaves tends to look more like a big blob - at least those are my reults...
Looking forward to your pictures!
Andrew
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Spirea is a great source for tree armatures..
Some other favorites of mine are Seedum, Crepe Myrtle, Oak Leaf Hydrangia (sp), & Yarrow...I've also used many other weeds & flowers that I don't knoe the identities of...stuff I may find when I'm out & about...you just need something with some nice branch detail...
I still haven't tried grape stems, but I do think they would work fine for some knarly old tree...they tend to be a greenish color, & they might need to be painted...???
-Drew-
"Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly."
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You can try any weed for trees , just think small and it will be a tree.
Lynn
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Great White North
Ontario,Canada
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I am really anxious to try this, but my spirea are all buried under snow. It snowed the night I made the original post, and I am willing to bet that with the additional snow and drifting, there is probably 18-20" of the white stuff. My plants aren't mature enough to stand above 16" without leaves.
I have a few of the "Super Tree" kits. I might putter around with one of them.
Matt
Don't follow me, I'm lost too.
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iis612 Wrote:I am really anxious to try this, but my spirea are all buried under snow. It snowed the night I made the original post, and I am willing to bet that with the additional snow and drifting, there is probably 18-20" of the white stuff. My plants aren't mature enough to stand above 16" without leaves.
I have a few of the "Super Tree" kits. I might putter around with one of them.
Matt
If you could dig some of those out of the snow, there's nothing better than winter weather to freeze-dry plants...
You can preserve them even longer by dippi9ng them in either glycerine, or some diluted white glue...
-Drew-
"Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly."
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I would say that grape stems might be a little thick.... but Spirea is excellent! You can also take a few stems and bind them together to get a thicker trunk and more branches. To hide the multiple stems making up the trunk, just cover with a little modelling putty and paint when dry.
Looking forward to seeing your progress.
cheers
Val
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Grape stems work very nicely. Made a few dozen using them and will be making more. Used lichen for volume and applied woodland scenics foliage as that is more treelike than lichen. Some lichen does show through though, and gives the impression of intertwined branches. Brown or dark green coloured lichen would work well here..
-norm
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No matter what you choose for trees, try to make each one "unique", and mix different plant/weed trees in the scene. Variety is the more natural, unless you are modeling an area where vast stands of the same kind of tree exist. (Aspens for one, White Pine/Jack pine, for another, etc.)
Spirea is OK, but remember that many trees, on the outer edges of the forest, have branches less than five feet from the ground.
I was riding (I'm usually driving) west on US 30 in Indiana, and noticed the large amount of fallen trees in the wooded areas.
(Note to self). . . Self, add that detail to your modeled woods.
We always learn far more from our own mistakes, than we will ever learn from another's advice.
The greatest place to live life, is on the sharp leading edge of a learning curve.
Lead me not into temptation.....I can find it myself!
