Foiliage Tips

[Flashman14]

The next project I\'m going to dabble in will require 50 odd figures based in a good quantity of Autumn leafed litter.

I envision this as a heavily carpeted forest floor - not deep enough to have feet submerged but enough not to be able to use those fine brass leaves from where ever. Besides I have to do 50 odd minis tp do . . .

Chrispy\'s article on spices seems to be the closest thing yet - don\'t know which one - Tea maybe?

But has anyone used his suggestions that would be suitable for my project? My concern is the smell. I don\'t really want fragrant \"herbed\" minis. With glue is the smell neutralized? I should prolly re-read the article - it\'s been awhile.

Any unforseen consequences - are spices dyed in anyway? (obviously I won\'t use paprika!) Do the colors bleed or behave in some odd way I should be aware of?

Any other possiblities besides spices? I should restate that: Any other CONVINCING possibilities besides spices?

Once I start I\'ll have to require consistency throughout the range so . . .

Thanks in advance!

 

[finn17]

Just first thoughts....

This sounds like a huge investment in time and resources. Just make sure that what you use isn\'t subject to mould.....

Those mushrooms can look twee at the best of times, but when the b*ggers are real.....lol

 

[Flashman14]

I was told it was \"party\" time when they became real . . . ???

Ha! (just kidding)

 

[freakinacage]

can you get hold of some coarse flock. i have some stuff that i bought ages ago from a model railway shop. it is quite good for leaf litter etc. The stuff i have is all one rather naff colour though so if i way you, i\'d paint the flock along with the base or spray with from a big distance to get a good variety of colour

 

[finn17]

Just don\'t try and of those \'shrooms before painting!

Living in the States, you should have good access to these guys, who produce a range of brilliant stuff.

http://www.woodlandscenics.com

You might also want to look here for ideas and inspiration:

http://www.terragenesis.co.uk

 

[Flashman14]

ya . . Course Turf may be the way from Woodland Scenics . . .

I\'d really like a more leafy material like basil or oregano - with flat pieces instead of spongy pieces of turf . . .

Thanks gents! That terragenesis site I had not come across before

 

[Flashman14]

oh! - I\'ll be accepting suggestions through August if any casual browsers want to contribute still . . .

 

[finn17]

Terragenesis

Originally posted by Flashman14
Thanks gents! That terragenesis site I had not come across before

I haven\'t had a good browse for a while, but Terragenesis is a fantastic resource for all terrain related ideas/hints/tips etc. IMO one of the best modelling related sites on the web.

Their forums can be fun as well:bouncy:

 

[Dragonsreach]

Serendipity strikes!
I\'ve just used Chrispy\'s ides on my CMoN Amazon scene. I used some of the contents of a teabag which had split (No I said SPLIT). Glued it to the base with PVA and primed it. It paints or drybrushes quite well. The best thing I can think of is that you can put the tea on different areas, paint it and then glue on a sprinkle straight from the teabag as a contrast.

Chrispy\'s article on spices seems to be the closest thing yet - don\'t know which one - Tea maybe?

The Tea I used was Darjeeling, which has fine leaves, don\'t use any tea which has a high powder content ie \'Yorkshire Tea\' cos 1, the teas awful & 2, the powder can messup paints easier than dog hairs. (Don\'t ask stripping down a primed mini at the moment cos of that!)

But has anyone used his suggestions that would be suitable for my project? My concern is the smell. I don\'t really want fragrant \"herbed\" minis. With glue is the smell neutralized?

Simply Yes, both the Glue & the primer kill the smell. But if you use a Spray sealer that\'ll give it a different pong altogether. I\'ve used finely chopped Basil but that still looked a little large.
On my CMoN Freya I put leaf litter from a Herbal \'teabag\' without painting it and it looked ok.


Hope it helps.

 

[Flashman14]

Dragonsreach . . it does . . herbal eh . .

I bought Lipton Decaf AND regular a while back and they have GOT to be the most undrinkable teas on earth . . .!

So I got plenty on hand. I usually apply flock and all that after painting the fig though . . .a small paradigm shift . . no matter . . . lol

Thnx!

 

[Chrispy]

Yeah, for greener fallen leaves, Basil seems to be best. I try and drink Green Tea and if I use my mom\'s I have a feeling I\'ll be needing more than soothing aroma..

 

[Thri-Keen Priest]

Spices

I\'ve found Marjoram to make a good leaf litter. If you want color variation, try dropping pinches of it into various colors of ink. For example, put a few drops of red & a few drops of yellow in a tray, maybe diluting with a few drops of water. Drop on some marjopram and let the whole thing dry out. This seems to be a good way of dying reddish \"leaves.\" Once you mix these with the regular Marjoram, and perhaps some other spices, they\'ll have some nice, natural variety.

TKP

 

[Kamui K]

Well, if you plan to use spices, be warned that it may attract bugs. I tried cinnamon which looks great on a base and smells darn good. But when I left it outside to dry, I came back with huge waterbugs crawling all over it and eating away at the base.
:|~

But I felt better watching them stumbling away look\'n sick cause they had to eat away through the glue and sealer with it.

Other herbs may not be so bad, but it may attract roaches. And adding sealers over it may ruin the effect of dried leaves if it\'s applied too much.

Just sharing my experiences....

 

[Flashman14]

Chrispy . . then could the basil take some paint and some dry brushing or will it all just break up under the bristles?

 

[Dragonsreach]

Flashman :

Dragonsreach . . it does . . herbal eh . .

Not that kind of herbal!!:]

But if youve primed it you can \'smooth dry\' brush it. Use a reasonable brush roughly the size of a GW Standard, load up with paint, wipe most off but not as much as you would when Drybrushing, and then keeping the brush going in one direction very lightly drag over the surface, making sure that the brush still retains it\'s shape. This makes for an easier control rather than just slapping a dry brush all over the place.
Anything that comes off from the primed materials can easily be touched up.

the most undrinkable teas on earth

That would be the cup I had recently which left tea powder residue on my teeth. First cup of the day after a night out and copiuos amounts of adult beverages. (Vile was not the word.) Knew I should have gone for the coffee even instant would have been better than that cup.

Thri-Keen: That\'s a good tip, with inks etc.. I\'ll try to remember it.

I\'ve seen examples with gluing ordinary flock on the side of a wall in several layers and then priming it. Once brushed up it looked like a type of mossy growth, pretty cool. Must have taken quite a while for the Flock/Glue to dry though. I intend to try that myself on a future project. (One of many on the back burner at the moment) I\'m not sure but I think that came from Mike McVey\'s Hints n tips from years ago.

 

[-Percival-]

Check out Sphagnum Moss...It looks like a small foilage (bush)...It will still need to be painted...

You can find it in Hobby Stores that sell Silk Flowers.

 

[Chrispy]

Originally posted by Flashman14
Chrispy . . then could the basil take some paint and some dry brushing or will it all just break up under the bristles?

I have no Idea, I belive you could soak them in some water and food coloring, but I don\'t think they\'d hold up too well agianst heavy drybrushing. I think if the glue could get into them, then they\'d set up I bit better. Hope this helps!