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Hi there all

I would realllly like to know how you go about making plants for bases, that are relitively quick and easy to make buy look super realistic

i want moss lichen ferns leaves and flowering plants!

Also long grass, as static grass really cant look good enough..

Im just after really great ideas for making bases ever so realistic!

Anyone got any smart ideas?

Heres some pictures for an idea of what im after

While there is definitely an art to the application, good basing flora depends heavily on the materials. There are tons of specialty products available (Woodland Scenics has a large and largely useful catalog, but other companies have plenty to offer, as well) for each of the various elements, as well as reasonable DIY alternatives.

Ferns and large-leafed jungle plants are best handled with etched brass, although feathers, properly trimmed and painted, can work nicely, as well. Jute twine, once unraveled and straightened (and potentially dyed in watery paint) is a cheap alternative to purchasing field grass or cutting the bristles out of coarse hog hair chip brushes. Dense, scrubby underbrush can be mimicked with chunks torn out of green scouring pads (also make great 15mm hedges, when cut into strips). Leaf scatter can be bought, but raid your spice cabinet first - a number of common dried herbs look every bit as good.

Other elements, like flowers, are usually best left to bought products. While I'm sure there are ways to make your own that look decent, I've yet to see anything come close to the quality produced by modeling suppliers. I'd suggest getting a working stockpile of the (reasonably inexpensive) basics - static grass, clump foliage, ground turf, perhaps some reindeer moss - and experimenting with found materials for the additional touches. Whatever you can't make or are unhappy with, you can seek out and buy to finish the project, then add the remainder to your stockpile. Before you know it, you'll be equipped to reproduce any sort of vegetation you could care to.

OK cool thanks, i will have a look into these ideas! Only problem with brass is it really is so expencive.

Im really looking for more advanced basing as i have loads of flock grass moss and whatnot. i just see some bases with really realistic forna that looks great.

Also im guessing for roots, just greenstuff or wire?

I am going to try some of these myself for terrain and bases.

Scale modelers have really taken to laser cut paper as opposed to brass. Price is one factor, but you can also get different types of detailing compared to brass...and you don't risk slicing you fingers open on the thin brass edges.

http://www.fredericus-rex.de/Green-Line-scenery/

http://www.jsworkmodel.com/

http://www.kamizukuri.jp/

Roots...GS or another putty...or you can use some of those cheap plastice armatures from Woodland Scenics. Although designed for the top of the tree...you can use them on the flat for roots and then trim, bend and shape as needed.

Flowers and stuff...

http://www.jttmicroscale.com/

Also more common suppliers like Busch and Noch...take a trip to a model railroad store and see them in hand. Dozens of new products inthe past few years.

For scratch building...there are hundreds of great articles showing everything from brambles to corn fields in the scale modeling scene. Some techniques may need adjusting for durability, but most work as they are written provided you aren't extremely rough with them.

Moss- fine clump foliage, tint with washes and airbrush work.
Ferns- I like brass etch.
Ivy/creepers- string split and set with dyed PVA. Birch seed dividers for leaves.
Other plants- aquarium plants or brass etch. I've tried the paper Noch ones and they're... Not good. Yet to try part-cut sheet plants but think they'll be similar to the Notch. I prefer etch.
Trees- woodland scenics armatures are quick. Tree wire and a layer of dyed latex plaster with grit in works very well, but is labour intensive. Plus side is you get full control of the shape.

http://www.terragenesis.co.uk/infopages/page11.html
http://www.necrotales.com/necroTutorials/tut_base_plants01.php

More resources.

For fallen branches I sometimes use the real thing: cuttings from a cheap garden store Chinese Elm bonsai tree - minus the leaves. Keep it alive and you'll have a renewable supply of model branches. I do paint them however, so they look more in tune with the painted model.

Not quite as realistic as etched brass, but I've had some reasonable results just using green stuff:

I've been experimenting with this myself. I did this today

http://imgur.com/PPZS0tA,sglReN5#0

Its sort of a defence line made of just one giant mushroom growing on old tree trunks, they get huge, at least here in Norway.

The moss is from around here as well. The moss is gonna get a bit more brown, but still stay green. The mushroom wont change, just shrink a bit maybe.

There are also those plastic plants they sell for fishtanks.

I really like the look of those paper cut ones, they look realistic and not too expensive!

Nice tuts there too, will be giving them a try.

And good job at the gs work insaniak far better than i can do!

I really like this one:

http://www.terragenesis.co.uk/infopages/page350.html

I just tested some toothbrush bristles for use as grass and they work great. Old toothbrushes, bent and warped over would be ace. You wouldn't have to cut the bristles, just bury the head of the brush so the bristles poke out.

I'll post an image tomorrow. For a laugh. You can imagine what it looks like.

Yeah the one with the sprues is great! inspired whoever made it up.

I cant wait to see the toothbrush work albie post them up when you can and let us know!!

Here it is, in macro. Which makes it look worse than in person. (posed by a shamefully painted mini for scale- i made his tights look nice last night)





Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Desubot wrote:
http://www.terragenesis.co.uk/infopages/page11.html
http://www.necrotales.com/necroTutorials/tut_base_plants01.php

More resources.

Terragenesis is AMAZING. I'm gonna read till my eyes turn green -like plants, that it...

The toothbrush bristle thing can work if you're a little more restrained with it.

Think my old toothbrush is about to be put to the knife....

Find a leaf online.... sure you can find one than make molds
???
profit

moss get some green stuff put it on rock or w/e use sculpting tool make little grooves and stuff in it till it looks right. Dunno if this works just a guess I only really paint but want to get into more sculpting ect exalt +1

Ill give the moss a try, cool idea, never though of that one