Overloaded!

[Andy T]

I threw some mud at the Horch today using the same mixture as the base, and after a dark brown wash and various watered down warm greys I fixed the wall in place too so I could blend it in with the ground a bit. It needs more detail painting but I won't be going too mad as I like the general look as it is. I've added some lichen & moss effects but the camera isn't being kind. Maybe I need to ramp those up.

I started adding some ground cover as well. After my last base where I did the static grass before the ground cover I learned that's definitely not the best way to do it!








I also started on this creation. I won't insult Mother Nature by calling it a tree but some twisted florist wire and home brewed goop saw me with this, which actually doesn't look too horrific once planted.





Some kind of foliage to follow of course.

 

[JR]

Looking a balanced scene Andy, esp with the tree .
Don't think there is anything amiss with the shape of the tree either , looking fwd to the foliage part .Any ideas yet ?

 

[Andy T]

Thanks John.

I do have some seafoam that I got for my next project (this is a bit of a warm up / test bed for that) but haven't played with it yet. I was going to glue bits of that to the "branches" and add some paint, but since I'm aiming for quite a lush look elsewhere I don't think it'll be enough.

I might end up with some woodland scenics foliage over the seafoam but will try a few ideas out.

 

[JR]

Great idea Andy. Light applications of the foliage with either hair spray or something like 3 M spray adhesive will give a superb effect .

 

[Andy T]

Well, I can't say that adding seafoam is fun

Once I'd done a few "twigs" I got a system going though, so after nearly a full day bar a few sanity breaks I had it done.





To cover the superglue and differences between the branches it got a coat of Mr Surfacer, a black & brown mix



I got out my can of spray glue but a few years in the shed had rusted the top meaning it wouldn't spray, so out came the hairspray. A few a few layers of that, flock, hairspray, flock, etc and we got this.

Not as good as I was hoping for and definitely not worth the effort, but adequate for a first attempt at this technique. From a reasonable viewing distance (like mars) it gives the impression of a tree like object though, so it's staying





I might add some highlights and shading but I'll see how it looks once it's dried overnight

 

[stillp]

Certainly looks like a tree from here Andy.
Pete

 

[Mickc1440]

Looks like a tree from here too but we are reasonably close

 

[Waspie]

Well, sitting here on planet Earth, it doesn't look half bad to moi!! You should be pleased with how it's turned out.

 

[The Smythe Meister]

Looks good to me Andy
As you say,maybe a bit of tweaking colour wise, with some hi/low lights of various greens and I reckon you've cracked it.

 

[Allen Dewire]

Most excellent tree work Andy!!! It definitely looks like what it's supposed to look like. Take a bow, Sir!!!

Prost
Allen

 

[adt70hk]

Andy,

That's brilliant! Great work indeed.

Andrew

 

[Andy T]

Thanks everyone. The flock / foam looks unrealistic close up but since it's all I had I can't complain

I'll try and jazz it up with some paint tomorrow. And continue the search for the bit of fence I broke off....

 

[JR]

Andy it's

And we'll deserved. Trees are notoriously hard to do.

 

[Andy T]

Many thanks for the honour John. I must admit I'm liking it more the morning after.

Trying to shape a "flat" side on it over the track where tall vehicles would naturally keep it trimmed back was tricky but it's somewhat there.

 

[Andy T]

I plucked out some of the foam today and gave it a bit of variation with Ammo shaders. It's now glued in place but needs blending in with the base once it's hardened up.

I also finished the ground cover and added a bit of static grass. Will look at it with fresh eyes tomorrow and see if it needs any more.

 

[Andy T]

I'm probably going to call time on this one. I keep thinking it needs something else, a bit of roadside debris or a signpost for example to add a bit more interest, but with the attention span of a goldfish I've already started another project so it's doubtful I'll get back to it.

I tried out a few new products and techniques though, had fun, and I'm pleased with the outcome. What more could I ask for!





I'll try and get some better pics over the weekend for a completed thread.

Thanks for looking

 

[tigersteve]

Great job, loving the suspension and mud !

 

[outrunner]

Well done Andy, really looks the part.

Andy.

 

[JR]

Andy, mate it's damned good , looks exactly like a Hawthorn you see on the road side .

 

[Andy T]

Thanks Andy and Steve.

Cheers John. I'd love to say that's exactly what I was aiming for but it just wouldn't be true

Much happier with it after the extra work though and I'm glad it's recognisable, thanks.