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Comments
The other trees are in various states of completion right now. I'll post more on the construction process soon.
I made these with 26g floral wire like you get at the hobby store. I put 2 screws about 24" apart and start unwinding it so I now have a big loop 24" across. Cut the loop in half and each half is a tree.
After you get the basic wire frame done, check the silhouette. I didn't like the height of this one so I cut the top 2 branches off. They are now small trees or can be added back to this tree lower on the trunk.
Once the shape is right, start bending the branches in place. I use some very small plyers to get lots of bends in each branch...don't want a long straight branch.
Edit: top pic is the cut tree.
How to take 3 wires and make 15 branch tips...
Start with 3 wires:
Bend the long single wire back on the branch and put 6-10 twists in it to create a loop. Leave some extra at the branch end and wrap it around the branch 2-3 times, wrapping towards the trunk. Cut the loop as seen here.
Bend the long side of the cut loop back on to the twists made earlier. Leave a bit at the end. Twist another loop and twist the 2 loose ends together. Cut the loop.
Take the 2 remaining strands and repeat the process above. You will have 2 loops, and 2 loose ends. Cut loops, repeat, cut loops. You have 15 branch tips.
what is modeling paste exactly?
Once the paste is applied, I add fine branch tips. I cut pieces off a natural rope about 1/8" long, put glue on the branch tips and sprinkled the pieces on. Then brushed glue on the entire tree for the bark texture which is dried leaves run through a coffee grinder. Take time to cover any remaining wire twists and the undersides of the branches, or at least as many as you can. Starting at the top makes it easier.
The tree has been pruned since the previous post. I like to look at the silhouette a while before deciding on the final shape. I removed 2 of the upper branches here and added 1 of them lower on the tree by poking a hole and glueing it in place. The other branch became a small tree. The top has been broken off. I gave the trunk a similar movement as the previous tree and plan on planting them close together so the foliage blends together.
Next up: painting.
Helpful tip: As I work on the trees, they are screwed into that piece of wood using a drywall screw. The hole made in the bottom of the tree from the screw is useful later to epoxy a skewer into to serve as an anchor in the foam base.
do you think this one would work?
Kevin, that paste should do just fine. All it is doing is adding bulk to the trunk and hiding the wire twists. You can make a foreground tree with glue and sawdust. I'm using glue and ground up leaves...may as well be the same thing.
I think the key to realism is coloring, just like we do with our stripwood or castings. I'll get some closeups soon but I start with a dark brown spray paint. Give a couple different colors of light brushing...heavier than drybrushing. I used mudstone, barnwood, and dove gray. Add a wash of burnt umber to tone these colors down and blot in a darker gray (dark elf skin) while the wash is still dry. Repeat as many steps as you like. On the first completed tree there was an additional drybrush with dove gray and a wash of IA. Add some moss and slimy green accents then on to the needles.
At this point I need to prepare the base, finalize the placement of structures and trees. This may be all I need, but may need another one depending on the space. I did go ahead and flock some saplings also. 2 of them are from branches that were pruned from this tree and the rest made from trimming the root wires. The top and right side were pruned to provide space for the foliage from the first tree. Their tops should blend together nicely.
Test fitting the trees here.
Great step by step. Thanks for sharing.
Robert's are still the gold standard.
The tree grove is looking about done. I'm going to have it on a little knoll. I also played around with a fallen tree. I kind of like it so I'll try to find a spot for it.
The display cover arrived so I put together the frame for the base. Used 1x2, routed a ridge to hold cover in place then cut to size and have them glued together here. I'll cut the foam to fit snug inside and run a bead of glue all the way around which will make it all 1 solid piece. The foam will sit flush with the top of the frame. First I'll secure the track and file it down to the edge as the track will come in at an angle and it's easier to file before installing inside the frame.
Great to see some more progress of your work. I'm really excited what you are doing next.