Creating woodland or forest groundwork Part 2

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pgarri27

A Fixture
Joined
Mar 17, 2005
Messages
840
Location
Atlanta GA
12 tree foliage close up.jpg
Figure 12 Silfor tree leaves
Tools:
Drill with various bits
Hair dryer. For quicker drying time if you are impatient like me.
Punch tool
Sculpting tools
Hobby knife
Old paint brushes
Coping saw or long knife to cut the floral foam
Tweezers
Pliers
Scissors
Resources:
Scenic Express http://www.sceneryexpress.com/
Woodland scenic http://woodlandscenics.woodlandscenics.com/
Military Miniature Warehouse http://www.milminwh.com/ (carries several brands of scenery materials.)
Hobby Lobby http://www.hobbylobby.com/home.cfm
Michael’s http://www.michaels.com/
Model Railroad stores
Fredericus Rex http://shop2015.fredericus-rex.de/index.php
Eduard photo etched products http://www.eduard.com/store/Eduard/Big-Ed/ Search for foliage

It is important before you start the project to decide what you want the scene to portray. You have to consider the era that your figure comes from, and the terrain/landscape, and visualize your figure in that environment. (Gather as many reference photos as you can before starting…thanks Google images). If you are fortunate enough, visit the area you want to portray and take lots of pictures. My particular scene is going to represent the woods of New England. You need to also consider the pose of the figure. I will have different elevated layers of groundwork to indicate a hill, and on top of the hill will be an old tree, as I imagine would be found in the forests in the late 1700’s. With this general idea in my mind, I will fine tune it as the project goes forward.
This can be a messy project, so plan your workspace accordingly. I have covered my work area with painter’s brown paper, which I can roll up and throw away when the project is finished.
12 tree foliage close up.jpg13 base, floral foam, figure, Bayardi tree.jpg

Figure 13 Green floral foam, Bayardi tree, base, figure
I will start by deciding which side of the base will be the front, and then I will tape the base to protect it during the groundwork construction to prevent getting glue and paint on the finished areas of the base. I will mark the tape with an F for the front of the base.
14 base taped and front maked.jpg

Figure 14 taped and marked base
I will take my figure and the tree and “stage” them on the base to get an idea of where they should be placed. For this project, I have decided to place the figure in the right forefront and the tree in the left rear. I drill holes in the base for the tree and figure’s pins.
15 drilling holes for pinning.jpg

Figure 15 drilling hole to pin the tree
16 pinned tree.jpg


Figure 16 tree pinned with paper clip

17 pinned tree and figure staged for composition.jpg
Figure 17 staged tree and figure
Put aside the figure and the tree, then score the top of the base with a hobby knife using any cross hatch pattern. You just want to provide a better gripping surface for the glue when attaching the green floral foam.
18 top of base scribbed.jpg

Figure 18 scored base top
Cut a piece of the green floral foam to the dimensions of the base leaving it tall enough to carve out the terrain of your scene. I am going to bring the groundwork right down to the base in the front and the sides, but I will leave the back blank. Therefore, I will cut the foam to fit with a 1/8th inch space on the front and side and a 1/16th inch space on the back. This will allow for the cell-u-clay covering I will apply later.
Make holes in the foam where the pins will go through. This will make it easier to place your figure and tree later. Put paperclips or toothpicks in the holes as place holders. Using full strength wood glue, attach the green floral foam to the base lining up the holes for the pins. If your foam is warped, you may want to clamp the foam to the wood base while it dries. Let this dry completely so the foam will not slide when roughing out the terrain contour. While this step is drying, I will spray the Bayardi tree trunk with primer.
19 cutting foam to fit base.jpg

Figure 19 Cutting foam to the size of the base
20 foam matched to base.jpg

Figure 20 Foam cut to size of base
21 height adjusted.jpg

Figure 21 Foam cut off at highest elevation
22 the base drilled, pinned and spreading wood glue to attach the foam.jpg

Figure 22 With place holders in the holes, spread wood glue over the top of the base
23 holes pinned and foam glued to base.jpg

Figure 23 foam being glued to base


After the glue has dried and the foam is secured to the base, begin carving the elevations of the terrain. While I am carving, I will “stage” the tree and the figure many times as I proceed to help me visualize the scene and determine when I have cut away enough of the foam. Keep in mind that you will be adding rocks and a celluclay paste over the foam. A multi-level groundwork is visually more appealing than a flat surface even without a tree. For this base, I am going to place the tree on the highest ground which will make it appear taller, and then carve away a slope to the level of the figure. If you cut away too much, you can glue the cut pieces back onto the main piece. You can also use scraps to build up areas you decide should have some extra height. Now with the basic terrain roughed out, I will coat the foam with a glue/water mixture to seal the foam. I just add enough water to make the glue spread easier. Using an old brush, apply the mixture all over the foam. You may have to add another coat as the foam will soak up the mixture. Let this dry and you will have a hard shell over the entire foam base. The glue mixture will soak down into the foam, so check the foam where it meets the base to determine if it is completely dry.


24 initial carving of foam.jpg25 another view.jpg26 more carving and fitting of figure and tree.jpg27 foam carved to desired size.jpg


Figure 24,25, 26, 27 Carving the foam away to make the general shape of the terrain
28 80-20 glue water mix.jpg

Figure 28 Wood glue with a little water added to make it spread over the foam easier
29 foam with glue shell.jpg


Figure 29 base sealed with wood glue and water mixture

Part three, making rocks, is next.
 
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