How to Make Trees and Shrubs


Hallo everyone!
Iv just visited a paint shop, and found out that they have oil varnish, it should be like enamel/oil colors, but without color or shine, so iv figured out that i can use this and the tea, that grove den told me about to make leafs.

So is it a good idea? :confused:

I also thought that maybe i cloud use my revell enamel colors as pigments to make different color hue out of the non colored varnish, is this possible? :confused:

THANKS!
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YES Cika just start with it!!!!!
About coloring the Tea leaves: dont "soak'the leaves with much deluted paint! just bit by bit..otherwise you have to wait very very long when the leaves are dry.....
For drying: spread them out on a flat large surface and "stir"the leaves regulary when drying in sun.( recommend to dry outside otherwise the the whole house will smell after paint!! ;-) )

Jos
 
Just a quick tip about using tea. Don't just cut up a teabag it won't work, as that stuff is ground to almost dust. For leaves you need to use loose leaf tea.
 
Hallo everyone, iv tied using the varnish with tea leafs, it looks like they have hardened, ubt i still have a painting problem, i donk know how to paint them, iv also tried cutting small peaces of paper, and they look like nice leafs, but i dont know how to paint the paper completely, iv tried water colors, tempera colors, and indian ink (colored), and it doesn't work, they always come out very light (i cant paint them in the color tone i want), and oil colors cost a bit, so i would have to buy all the primary colors, and if ti doesn't work, il end up throwing a decent bit of my money for nothing, does anyone have any ideas?
 
Cika tetreb said:
Hallo everyone, iv tied using the varnish with tea leafs, it looks like they have hardened, ubt i still have a painting problem, i donk know how to paint them, iv also tried cutting small peaces of paper, and they look like nice leafs, but i dont know how to paint the paper completely, iv tried water colors, tempera colors, and indian ink (colored), and it doesn't work, they always come out very light (i cant paint them in the color tone i want), and oil colors cost a bit, so i would have to buy all the primary colors, and if ti doesn't work, il end up throwing a decent bit of my money for nothing, does anyone have any ideas?
Click to expand...
Have you tried using fabric dye? Once upon a time I used Dylon with tea leaves to get foliage. Its a pain to do but it does hold the colour better than inks or watercolours. Basically take a small container, fill with warm dye mixed as per the instructions, soak the leaves for an hour or 3. Then spread out on a plastic surface to dry. (takes a day in normal weather, 2 days if you are in a really humid climate.) Dark green, sunflower yellow, and olive green are the best colours.
 
Thanks, for the tip, i have also used fabric die, but i used it to paint a jute rope, for the grass, but the paint shop where i both it closed, and i cant find it any more.

Today i tried painting my crepe Paper with a mixture of tempera colors, white (wood) glue and water, it shod paint it better, and iv tried using oil varnish to seal the teal leafs, so il see how will it come out when its dry.

Once upon a time I used...
Click to expand...
Once upon a time, so what are you using to make the foliage now?
(Place don't say NOCH or Woodland Scenics :( ) :D
 
again some smaller (fir)trees...
sparren2011juliLaatsteNieuwKleintjes.jpg

sparren2011juliNieuwsteLichtingBos.jpg


Jos
 
Wow nice trees!
Yeap, me again about the foliage, i think i'm out of ideas, iv tried a lot of things, but i still cant make them as good as the ones on the forum, i'm trying to make them so you can recognize the difference between tips of trees (for example between oak and birch), but i still don't know how.

Im making in 1:72, is it even possible to do this in that proportion?

Iv tried tempera it sticks up everything and hardens it, the water colors don't paint enough, ant i think that the oil varnish.

Unfortunately the oil colors cost decently, and if i would want to make different color tones i would have to buy a whole set of primary colors, and for what if it dosen't work?

i guess something will fall on my mind, meanwhile i would rely appreciate if some of you cloud tell my some of your techniques. :):confused:

By the way is my grammar OK, can you people even understand what my writing, im using the Firefox spelling check and google translate to clear my spelling mistakes, but hows my grammar?
 
Hello Cika,

Don't bother about your grammar...mostly , even I , understand what you're writing;)
About coloring the leaves: sometimes you have to paint them twice/two times, or in the "worst"scenario: 3 times....I am talking about the oil based varnished deluted with terpintin...
I know it all becomes more experimental...but that is the way I did too!
About making colortones of green for the leaves: you do not have to buy that much colors!!
To start with:
a -kind of- leafgreen, olive green, black, and grey ,may be some light( citron??) yellow.
These colors can be bought in small amounts and you have to use small amounts when making a special color!

Jos
 
Hallo everyone, im still trying to make the tree foliage, but iv just discovered something:
The woodland scenics tree foliage is just a plain kitchen sponge, cut in very small peaces, and painted!

Take a closer look at the foliage.

Am i right?
If i am, than i can cut it with scissors, but how do i paint it, can i use tempera or water colors?

If anyone is wondering what "Cika tetreb" means, it means something similar to "Mister Tetrao", but "cika (correctly written čika/чика, we use both the Latin and the cirillic letters) means "mister' in a way when a young child speaks pleasantly to an adult, perhaps a neighbor.

The big tetrao is a really nice, and lovely animal, but its endangered in my beautiful homeland Serbia.
 
it may be, but i do know that woodland scenics Fine-Leaf Foliage is a natral product, as i can not be shipped to Australia, where i live. But i am sure u could use both the same way!
 
I don't know what kind of material the foliage is made but I think with a sponge you can make great "leaves...
BUT: do not use a siccor to cut the sponge in very small parts....well you may but the results will be very "cubistic"(?) like small rectangular pieces of foam.
May be a drilling machine with a steelbrush to remove rost
http://www.bm-techniek.nl/customer_data/upload/catalogue/products/sbosggd.jpg

or even better: the "softer "brush to clean up wooden parts/surface the brush is made of nylon/synthetic materials...


...just put the drillingmachine with the brush in a bench vice and hold the sponge close to the round brush.....try collect the particals of foam in a big box...
Coloring the sponge : just like written in the posts before.

btw your problems about making your own foliage are looking more and more like the song about: "there is a hole in my bucket...."http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeArMoTSlKI&feature=related
just joking just joking:D:)
I still hope you will succeed !!!( you have to!!;))
 
Cika tetreb said:
Once upon a time, so what are you using to make the foliage now?
(Place don't say NOCH or Woodland Scenics :( ) :D
Click to expand...
Sorry but yes, I use Woodland Scenics, Green Scene, and Silflor these days. I find the Noch static grass is a bit to shiny for my liking.
 
my latest tree: a H0 10 inches sequoia among/together with his other friends.
P11403702.jpg


and 2 hours later aaaaal alone....
P11404443.jpg


Jos
 
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This time some smaller stuff in N scale....
2 Old trees, still no leaves added as if it was winter
sorry about the 2 Preisermen...they were the last ones I could use/find just to compare how "big" these trees are...
andreasOBSTbaeumFranzs.jpg

Also starting to make a very old gnarled limetree( about 500 years old) again in N scale..
The base of the tree is about max 2 inches
andreastassilolinde.jpg


Jos
 
Wow the trees look fantastic. I also once tried to make some of them on my own but I failed miserable. A few weeks ago I bought cheap flowers because I wanted to dry them and use them for my model railroad. I was actually able to use some of them and it looks pretty good although it does not look as good as your trees.
 
They all look beyond fantastic Jos!
I'm finally doing it again, making good progress. Will post pics when I can.
Time to start twisting wire again!

:)
 
Hi Munch!!

I am , still/always very curious!! :) so much pictures to see very soon?????
Put the camera very close to you when "twisting again as you did last.... OOhhw lets twist again"....lol

Jos
 
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