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Ever evolvin dio. ft. 'THE INDESTRUCTIBLE TREE' as ft. on youtube.


Badder

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23 hours ago, Matt Parvis said:

I'll be interested to see how you go about attaching the leaves.  I've got a number of punches myself and have fiddled with them a bit, but have yet to come up with a good way of attaching leaves onto branches.  

 

Matt

Hi Matt,

Whether they've been 'bunches' of leaves as was the case with the ivy on the building on page 48, or singular leaves like those on the dry-stone wall on page 46, all have been fixed in place with Medium CA. The bunches of ivy leaves were dabbed with CA and then applied to the stonework, or to another bunch of leaves. The singular leaves though, were held in tweezers and were brought into contact with blobs of CA which I'd already applied to the undergrowth/stonework.

 

With regards to my 'improving' the already existing bushes/shrubs, I'll be using the latter method - applying blobs of CA to the existing foliage and then attaching the leaves. If you leave the CA for a minute or two the leaves will stay at whatever angle you place them, and won't fall flat.

 

The new trees will be made in a similar way to the 'big tree', using fishing line for the branches/twigs. This time however, I will dispense with dipping the twigs in herbs and will apply paper-punched leaves individually.. But I will be thinning out the canopy, making it more open and therefore requiring fewer leaves.  It'll still be a BIG job, but ultimately worth the effort.

Stupidly though, I went into town to buy some materials for this diorama, and forgot about getting more fishing line!

 

BTW, I realised that I can use the foliage from the big tree to make new bushes/shrubs for the hedgerow.

 

 

Rearguards,

Badder

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I've got several pots on the boil at the moment, and not all model-making ones, plus I'm suffering from falling asleep at the drop of a hat, again, so I've not managed to do as much as I'd have liked..... BUT...

 

I trimmed my bush   tree.

Cpc8RAZ.jpg

 

The result may not appear dramatic, but that's a fair few 'branches and twigs and leaves on the floor'.

muZtPgR.jpg

 

 

The tree canopy is more open and airy now, with daylight showing through. And there are some larger gaps which open up view to the boughs of the tree. I may trim it some more.

And I am contemplating re-foliating this tree with paper-punched leaves.

 

Whatever, the offcuts will form the armatures for new shrubs/bushes/trees and most of those WILL have paper-punched leaves on them.

 

BTW, how difficult do you think it would be to pop into town and by a small pad, or ream of green paper? Well, I'll tell you. Nowadays, ti's Impossible. I remember now why I took to 'painting' my white paper, green.   Whilst not a huge expense, I've decided to save my 'good' paper by punching the leaves from newspaper instead. Newspaper is thinner anyway and being a poorer quality paper without the kaolin, should absorb and stick with CA more readily.

 

TFL

Badder

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A couple of shots taken from a better angle to show the more open canopy....

 

RpVULKI.jpg

 

HpSASyu.jpg

 

I think this is a better look, but I'm still not happy with some of those longer curved strands of fishing line . Some trimming will sort that out. And then I'm thinking about re-doing the foliage.

 

Using the larger paper-punched leaves would require that less leaves be added, but they would have to be fixed in place individually. So I thought about using the smallest paper-punched leaves and repeating the 'dunking the tree in leaves' method. That would be far quicker, easier, and would be better than herbs. But I'm not sure if I will try it.

 

But I will be using that method for  SOME of the shrubs, bushes and smaller trees.

I did a test this evening....

 

'Twigs' trimmed from the tree above and some leaves punched from newspaper:

0Uzi3gP.jpg

 

I gathered some more of these twigs together, dabbed them in CA and then dunked them into the pile of leaves. I then applied a wash of sap green acrylic ink.

 

The LHS of 'bush' below is made up of the old trimmings from the big tree,  whilst the RHS twigs have been given the new treatment. 

 

hMsDp1IG.jpg

 

 

u61tSGm.jpg

 

Adding more bunches of twigs and repeating the process would improve the 'bush' further, I think.

 

Work will continue....

 

 

TFL

Badder

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I clumped together a few more tree offcuts and made a couple of bushes today. Again, I dunked the twigs in CA and dipped them in a pile of paper-punched leaves.

 

UlB1Glq.jpg

 

Ln44k0X.jpg

 

I am going to use these as the central mass of the hedgerow, with other plants growing around and through them. Those plants will be made in a more precise fashion, with leaves glued in place individually.  I'm going to have a bash at nettles, brambles and woodbine creepers (also known as 'Old Man's Beard')

 

TFL

Badder

 

 

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  • Badder changed the title to Ever evolvin dio - Bushes, nettles, brambles, woodbine

More newspaper leaves have been applied to one of the bushes. Rather than dunking the bush in CA, I first sprayed the bush with varnish and then sprinkled the leaves on. This is because the CA/leaf dunking only really works for the ends of the 'twigs' whilst varnish gets into the nooks and crannies and facilitates a deeper, denser application of leaves.

 

Here, the leaves are uncoloured.  I will use a slightly different shade of green acrylic ink for these.

NLpSQ8c.jpg

 

There are a few curly bits of paper in amongst the 'leaves'. I've been pinching those off, but in reality it's probably not necessary.

k3Sj5SC.jpg

 

I've forgotten to show a figure beside the bush to give a sense of scale, but in the top photo the bush averages 4cm in height.

 

I am wondering if a static grass applicator might make the leaves stand up a bit more and orientate in a more realistic way.  That's definitely something worth trying.

 

TFL

Badder

 

 

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12 hours ago, Badder said:

I first sprayed the bush with varnish and then sprinkled the leaves on.

 

 

Great job as always Badder,isn't that cheating i always thought you did them one at a time with tweezers :giggle:.....

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19 hours ago, Vince1159 said:

Great job as always Badder,isn't that cheating i always thought you did them one at a time with tweezers :giggle:.....

Hi Vince,

Thanks.

Not cheating, no. More a case of being lazy! :P 

These bushes are just 'bulking agents'. I'm now exploring various methods for making more realistic 'detail plants' (that will surround, infiltrate and climb over these bushes) and tweezers and cocktail-stick-leaf-picker-uppers-and-placers are being employed.

 

Rearguards,

Badder

 

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In the meantime.........

 

I've added more leaves to the smaller bush,. I will probably add even more leaves. The punch I've been using is also pictured.

ImuOFgy.jpg

 

BTW, I jammed my paper punch up by being optimistic about the number of newspaper pages it could cut through. It took about an hour to get it all freed up again, eventually having to dismantle it completely and re-align the cutters.

 

TFL

Badder

 

 

 

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Here's a mock-up of a bit of hedgerow using the bushes above, some cuttings off the tree and that 'Winter Tree' which I constructed in this WIP in the first few pages!

The winter tree will become a summer tree.

T9bd0tl.jpg

 

jIkffxf.jpg

 

I have been researching specific species of creepers for the hedgerow.

 

First, Old Man's Beard (Clematis Vitalba), seen here in flower:

5hBpyYB.jpg

 

And like this when gone to seed:

VpT9XDE.jpg

 

 

And Bindweed (Calystegia Sepium)

 

ovFQCvs.jpg

 

In the photo below the bindweed is growing amongst dandelion leaves. The bindweed's leaves are those seen in the first photo. This is a plant I feel I can replicate fairly accurately with the paper punches I have.

3RfTNwO.jpg

 

 

 

BTW. Woodbine is more commonly known as Honeysuckle! I was under the impression that Woodbine was Old Man's Beard.

I've learned something today!

 

TFL

Badder

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  • Badder changed the title to Ever evolvin dio - Bindweed
  • 4 weeks later...
On 4/8/2019 at 4:51 AM, Badder said:

BTW. Woodbine is more commonly known as Honeysuckle! I was under the impression that Woodbine was Old Man's Beard.

I've learned something today!

TFL

Badder

And I was always under the impression that Woodbine was just Old Man's Gaspers....😉....😁

Another series of excellent posts Badder....😎

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On ‎4‎/‎30‎/‎2019 at 5:10 PM, Cadman said:

And I was always under the impression that Woodbine was just Old Man's Gaspers....😉....😁

Another series of excellent posts Badder....😎

Hi Cadman,

Thanks.

Sorry, I've forgotten your real name and my message library doesn't go back far enough for me to look it up!

I've had a bit of a rest from model-making over the past couple of weeks, but before 'leaving' I did have a gander at your recent work and was unsurprisingly impressed as usual.

Meanwhile, experiments using glycerine to preserve moss have got me back in the mood again.....

photos to follow....

 

On ‎5‎/‎1‎/‎2019 at 2:59 PM, Vince1159 said:

There's an idea for Badder,a couple of the troops 'avin' a smoke......

Hi Vince,

Always a good idea for a dio. They all smoked like..... er.... troopers!

 

 

 

I hope you are both well,

Reargaurds,

Badder

 

 

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Whilst taking a short break from making models, I have continued to source materials and buy a few rather nice books on the hobby - most notably one on weathering AFVs and making dioramas for them, and the other specifically about dioramas.

 

So it's no surprise that I found myself thinking about this diorama  and what I can do to improve things. Moss was featured in the second book and it looked good to me. With ancient woodland 'at the bottom of my garden' moss is one thing that I have in abundance,

Now, I have used moss in the past - for 'Villers Bocage' (my very first dio upon returning to the hobby and joining BM) but I used live moss and tried to preserve it with CA and varnish. This obviously didn't work, but it did look good in the photos for a while. The book though, did suggest that moss could be preserved using glycerine. So I gave that a go.

 

First off, I took the 'newest' bush and added a few more paper leaves. I also bulked out the base of the bush with some ground-up foam:

4awbJ7K.jpg

 

 

wlmWYp9.jpg

 

 

 

Next I went hunting for moss (a five minute job) and left it to soak in a 50/50 solution of hot water and glycerine.

I left it to soak for three days (one day longer than suggested in the book) Some websites suggest that a couple of weeks is better.

However, I wanted to see if three days would do, so this morning I took a bunch of moss out, dried it and set about using it.

 

I CA'd a few pinches to a newspaper base:

szStfLw.jpg

 

 

 

QAIkWEG.jpg

 

And then CA'd the newspaper to the base of the bush:

tJIBbdb.jpg

 

XSAhF6B.jpg

 

Hopefully, the moss was left in the glycerine for long enough and it has done its job. If not, I will leave the rest of the moss to soak for longer.

 

Whatever, I am now looking at making bindweed to cover the bush.

 

TFL

Badder

 

 

 

 

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  • Badder changed the title to Ever evolvin dio - MOSS FOR PLANTS

My method for making creeping vines such as Bindweed. Cotton, braided fishing line and nylon monofilament fishing line all work well.

Here I'm using nylon monofilament fishing line. This brand is 'famous' for its red/brown translucency - ideal for creepers and brambles.

 

RPVA8v3.jpg

 

I suspended a length of line between two pots, keeping the line fairly tight. The ruler is there for no reason at all.

LWE1l3Q.jpg

 

Paper-punched 'leaves' amongst unwanted shapes. The leaves were produced 24 at a time using  the decorative 'border' paper-punch pictured earlier. I don't bother picking the unwanted shapes out, and just pick up each leaf with the tip of a damp cocktail stick.

 mGuiImY.jpg

 

But first, I ran the nozzle of some Medium CA along the fishing line. (more easily done if the line is taught) The droplets of CA form natural 'beads' along the line, what with it being shiny smooth nylon. The beads of CA are just visible in the photo below.

I then 'cocktail-sticked' the leaves on to the beads of CA, one at a time. It's actually quite a quick process.

Cz8DxXx.jpg

 

With a bit more patience, the results could be much better than here.  Nevertheless, I painted this 'vine' green, snipped it into short lengths and stuck them in the undergrowth of the bush. Better vines will be made.

Of course, the same method can be used for making a variety of plant foliage, including that of trees.

 

TFL

Badder

 

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Hi Badder. Hope you are well and great to have you back. Always fascinating to see your scenic modelling in progress. You are always so inventive! :thumbsup:

....and I'm looking forward to seeing what you are planning for the Tiger STGB!

Kind regards,

Stix

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1 hour ago, PlaStix said:

Hi Badder. Hope you are well and great to have you back. Always fascinating to see your scenic modelling in progress. You are always so inventive! :thumbsup:

....and I'm looking forward to seeing what you are planning for the Tiger STGB!

Kind regards,

Stix

Hi Stix,

Yes, good to be back. I am okay thanks! iJust the usual ups and downs health wise. I've only gone and broken the paper punch featured above! GRRRRRR Well, shoddy manufacturing is to blame, not me. Plastic bodies aren't strong enough to hold the metal punches and dies in place and everything gets jammed up and worn! And then the lever went and snapped! I tried removing the punch and die and using them 'freestyle' but it's a bit laborious and not entirely successful. So I'm going to try some other punches instead .

 

Rearguards,

Badder

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I've made a few more lengths of 'vine' and have inserted them into the bush. I'm varying the shades of green to make it look more natural.

 

IkDtSsm.jpg

 

PJZOzBa.jpg

 

lZOv7SA.jpg

 

 

Many more of these vines will be added, plus some plants with different foliage.

 

 

TFL

Badder

 

 

 

 

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  • Badder changed the title to Ever evolvin dio - MORE VINES

A bit boring, I know, but more vines have been added. I've also added a couple of strands of moss around the base, intermingled with the hanging vines - a small detail, but it adds to the realism.

I will be adding more vines, extending their 'range' further through the bush, but next I'm going to add some of those other plants I promised. Dock will be next.

 

m42tmhO.jpg

 

kwpFGtf.jpg

 

txIt3Pe.jpg

 

 

Probably a good idea to give a sense of scale!!!!

 

 

QEUhdX9.jpg

 

iryRYux.jpg

 

 

Oh, and I've managed to save buying myself (or indeed going on a wild goose chase) a replacement for the broken paper punch:

qRYHITk.jpg

After removing the punch and die from the plastic housing and doing away with the locating pins and springs, this set-up

actually works better this way! Okay I can't punch out several layers of paper at a time, but it doesn't get jammed and a quick 'thump' on the top with the palm of my hand won't break anything now!

 

Finally, I've just opened up my 2nd tub of glycerine-soaked moss.

iqFTTOx.jpg

There are a few different species of moss in this tub, ranging from a tufty species which stands proud of tree trunks on little stems, but coats them like a thermal blanket, and the more common 'carpet' type mosses. They've been soaking for a whole week now, and appear to be much better preserved, having a slightly rubbery texture. I will now spread them out to dry in the sun.

 

TFL

Badder

 

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  • Badder changed the title to Ever evolvin dio - Dock leaves next

Hmmmm The sun went in when I went out to put the moss out to dry. As a result, it's still soaking wet, but not half as soaking wet as it was.

 

I didn't want to wring the water/glycerine out as it might have damaged the nice structures, so I'd laid it on newspaper, which soaked up some.  Deciding to give up on the sun and place the moss on a portable oil-filled radiator instead, I first took clumps of the stuff and shook it to remove more liquid. I placed it back in the empty tub and brought it indoors... and was surprised to find liquid pooling in the bottom. Moss really does hold a lot of water! Choice clumps are now drying on the radiator.....

 

 

Meanwhile....

Young Dock plants.

I used one of my RP.Toolz leaf punches to make these:

oQsdwCz.jpg

 

..... and made a half-hearted attempt to press the veins into the leaves using a scalpel blade. I also put a slight crease down the centre-lines and bent the leaves in a bit.

atfMzUK.jpg

 

I then placed drops of medium CA onto 'Rizzla' paper and tweezered the leaves into position.

Yes, Dock plants grow taller, with more leaves sprouting from the central stem. I will endeavour to make these more mature plants later on.

EBm4sRU.jpg

 

 

TFL

Badder

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  • Badder changed the title to Ever evolvin dio - Dock plants. (Dock leaves)

I've added Bindweed flowers:

 

LBkineY.jpg a

 

JkAySdS.jpg

 

These white flowers were made using a paper punch from Hobbycraft. The punch pattern has a single flower-shaped cut-out in the centre. I placed these on a spongy pad and pressed a Biro nib into the centre to give them the cupped shape. They were then  CA'd directly to the vines.

 

TFL

Badder

 

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On ‎07‎/‎04‎/‎2019 at 21:51, Badder said:

Here's a mock-up of a bit of hedgerow using the bushes above, some cuttings off the tree and that 'Winter Tree' which I constructed in this WIP in the first few pages!

The winter tree will become a summer tree.

T9bd0tl.jpg

 

jIkffxf.jpg

 

I have been researching specific species of creepers for the hedgerow.

 

First, Old Man's Beard (Clematis Vitalba), seen here in flower:

5hBpyYB.jpg

 

And like this when gone to seed:

VpT9XDE.jpg

 

 

And Bindweed (Calystegia Sepium)

 

ovFQCvs.jpg

 

In the photo below the bindweed is growing amongst dandelion leaves. The bindweed's leaves are those seen in the first photo. This is a plant I feel I can replicate fairly accurately with the paper punches I have.

3RfTNwO.jpg

 

 

 

BTW. Woodbine is more commonly known as Honeysuckle! I was under the impression that Woodbine was Old Man's Beard.

I've learned something today!

 

TFL

Badder

...just for a second there I thought I'd logged onto the Gardeners World forum ;)  Great work mate :popcorn:

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2 minutes ago, BIG X said:

...just for a second there I thought I'd logged onto the Gardeners World forum ;)  Great work mate :popcorn:

Thanks Steve,

I do enjoy trying to make plants that look something like the real things. I'm fairly satisfied with the Bindweed - although the leaves need to be a more vivid green and a lot denser. I'm going to make some more of these vines using a braided fishing line instead of the nylon monofilament. The braided line is limp like cotton and will allow me to thread the vines in and out of what's there already.

 

Hope you are well, and give Colin the dog my regards as well.

 

 

Badder

 

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  • Badder changed the title to Ever evolvin dio - Bindweed flowers added

Although the Tiger GB starts this weekend, I will be continuing with the plants for this dio whilst waiting for paint and glues to dry, or when I need a break from pinning Friul track links together!

 

 

TFL

Badder

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A week or so has passed since I used the first batch of moss and it hasn't been preserved as well as I'd hoped. The finer filaments can be knocked/brushed off. However, the second batch of moss - which was soaked for a week rather than 2 days - is a lot better and can survive being man-handled.

How long will it survive in the diorama?  Er.,,, only time will tell. I will gather some more though, and soak it for 2 weeks. It may be that that will improve things further still.

 

I am liking the bindweed though. I have purchased a batch of card of different shades of green which will require no painting and will provide a better 'look' than the current leaves.

 

TFL

Badder

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