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Scenery - Trees, Shrubs, Bushes Articles

10 Easy Steps to Simple Trees

The author shows how he makes conifer trees using a drill to spin wire around rope fibers.

A Quick and Easy Way of Mass-producing Coniferous Trees

The author shows in step-by-step photos how he constructs coniferous trees using trunks from stripwood, and foliage materials from Woodland Scenics.

A Reprise for Weeds

The author stumbled on some fiber intended for use in aquarium filters, and discovered a great way to model light, airy brushes.

A Source for Large Pine Trees

The author shows how he makes large pine trees from an artificial Christmas tree.

Acres in Inches

Using a thin piece of styrofoam, this article describes how to model what appears to be a deep, dark forest in just around an inch of depth. From the photos it looks to be very effective.

Add a Cornfield to Your Layout

The author shows how he made a convincing cornfield from a Busch kit.

Add Depth to Your Forests

Using craft stores' "baby's breath" dried flowers, the author describes how he adds 3D depth to the layout's backdrops when modeling dense, distant forests.

Add Weeds to Your Layout

The article describes how to use jute or sisal twine to make weeds. It includes how to color it, how to add leaves, and how to plant them.

Aspens

Using insulated wire to simulate the Aspen tree trunk.

Autumn Treetops

How to make trees with a focus on the Fall season.

Building Forests on the M&K Division

The author describes how to mimic forest-covered mountains using lichen held in place by toothpicks. It is more of an overall effect rather than a foreground solution.

Concocting Some Conifers

Modeling a hemlock, fir, and spruce.

Conifer Trees

Using cedar shingles and caspian branches to make conifer trees.

Conifers for All Occasions

The author shows how he builds conifer trees.

Creating Realistic Conifers

A step-by-step guide on how to make conifer trees.

Dandelions

How to quickly and simply model these weeds.

Deep Roots Scale Trees

The author shows how he models a oak tree out of wire and springs, a popular set in Autumn out of soldered wire, and a nordic fir set in Summer out of wood and wire.

Distant Pines

Making pine tree silhouettes using shaped metal screen and ground foam.

Don't Let It Stump You!

The author's company, Master Creations, sells metal stumps. This article covers how to make those stumps look like real wood.

Dyeing Sawdust

The article describes how to take plain sawdust (a popular old method of creating cheap ground cover) and coloring it to suit your needs.

Easy Cedars

Using the foxtail grass-like weed to model N-scale cedars.

Easy Prairie Grass

Using felt to simulate prairie grass.

Evergreens

Using cedar shims and furnace filter material to make conifers.

Fake Fur Grass

Using fake fur, a synthetic material used in making toy stuffed animals, is used to simulate grass fields. The author paints the fur and then adds real soil to make the grass appear patchy.

Fast Evergreen Forests

Using materials found in the crafts or floral stores, the author describes how her husbands makes a large quantity of trees quickly. Several methods and tree types are discussed.

Fat-fat Fibers

Using carpet fibers to make low-lying bushes.

Finishing the Forest Scene Part 4

This installment covers how to install trees into the layout and how to blend the surrounding areas. It covers modeling leaves, mixing a scenery base cover, and applying that base material.

Forest Modeling

Modeling pine tree forests. Detailed instructions, photos, and diagrams for building foreground sisal pine trees.

Growing Tall Grass and Weeds

After preparing the layout's surface, the author uses real hair as the basis for his tall grasses and weeds. Step-by-step photos accompany the text describing how he models them.

Jute Trees

Using Jute rope and the twisted-wire technique, the author describes how he made a large quantity of conifer trees.

Landscaping by Guess (and by Gosh)

Blending 3D items with the background, modeling rivers and their banks, building rock out of rotten wood, integrating building flats, and adding vegetation that even surprises the builder him- or herself. Tips include such things as materials such as 3M synthetic steel wool and nylon scouring pads have enough texture to represent brambles and brush as seen on the lower embankment.

Layout Trees and Shrubs

The author describes how he uses french teazle flowers to represent distant trees on his layout.

Logs

Lengths of pine dowels are wire-brushed and poster-painted into logs.

Make Conifers the Quick and Easy Way

Using furnace filters to make conifers.

Making Conifer Trees

Using Christmas wreaths (old and new ones found at Hobby Lobby), the author stripped off their branches, painted them with spray paint, dipped them in white glue mixed with water, and sprinkled ground foam to make realistic looking conifer trees in a matter of minutes per tree. They scale to about 20 feet tall in S-scale.

Making Model Trees

This article describes how to modify Super Trees to get them to look more realistic.

Making Ponderosa Pines

The author starts by growing his own seedlings for one or two seasons. They are baked when harvested, then prepared. The article covers in detail how he decorates the trunk and applies branches and greenery.

Making Realistic Palm Trees

Research, prototype, and model photos.

Making S-S-S-Scenery Using Woodland Scenics Products Part II

Using the various scenery kits available from Woodland Scenics, in this installment the author paints the scenery base, applies scenery base texture, adds details, and installs trees. Includes several photos.

Making Small Bushes

The author describes how he makes small bushes from dried flowers from Queen Ann's Lace weeds.

Making Trees from the Common Sedum Plant

Adding several sedum stems together to form a lush tree.

Making Winter Trees

The author describes how he uses 26-gauge floral wire to build large, realistic trees.

Making Your Own Ground Foam

Using foam rubber, dye, and a wire wheel grinder to make your own ground foam.

Mass-produced Grass and Weed Details

The article describes how to use Aleene's Tacky Glue and a static grass applicator to create tufts of grass and weeds.

Model a Pasture

The author shows how to use pot toppers (commonly found in crafts stores) to model the uneven pasture. Also includes how to model a watering hole and the pasture's fence.

Model Realistic Tall Grass

The author describes how he used a home-built static-charge applicator (not described in the article) to effectively model tall grass on his S-scale New-Zealand-based layout.

Model Trackside Brush Realistically

Using Bachmann's wire tree branches, the author shows how he converts them into small trees and bushes, using the standard poly fiber and ground foam approach.

Modeling Deciduous Trees Using Furnace Filters and Weeds

The author takes us step-by-step through the process of making trees from furnace filter material, and how to make palm-flower trees.

Modeling Foreground Trees

Creating realistic scale trees using a Super Tree starter kit from Scenic Express. The author describes his step-by-step process to preparing, soaking, painting, and adding foliage to these trees.

Modeling Realistic Pulpwood

Prototype and model photos of pulpwood stacks and transportation.

More Scenery Details

Various topics are covered, including water-worn rock edges, culverts, farm fences, small gates, and tree stumps.

Paper-leafed Deciduous Trees

Using punchings from check-cancelling machines in banks, the author makes leafs for his trees. The tree trunks are made from natural plant materials.

Pasture Grass on the New England Central

The author (Dave Jasper) describes how he uses fake fur to make his grass fields (shown on this issue's cover).

Pine Tree Art

Building western-U.S. pine trees from a dowel as the main trunk, and copper wire for the branches.

Pine Trees

The author describes how he builds scale-sized pine trees.

Realistic Trees Made Easy Part One

Scale drawings of various trees. Preliminary work includes collecting the "leaves" and covering the armatures. Detailed instructions for Sassafras, Gray Poplar, and Eastern Cottonwood trees.

Realistic Weeds

Making a special tool to easily insert weeds into a foam-based scenery base.

Sagebrush Trees

The author describes what sagebrushes are, where the can be found and harvested, and how to use them as the armature for a tree.

Scene Augmentation

Adding several small details near the front of the layout to help tell a story or to draw attention. He gives lots of ideas in this month's column.

Scenery Techniques

Using colored feather down as vegetation that actually moves with the surrounding breezes.

Scenery Techniques

Information about how to turn "Scotch-Brite" #220 Heavy Duty Scour Pads into S-scale vines.

Sedum Trees Revisited

The author describes how he used this natural material to build trees using Paul Scoles' method for tree making.

Spanish Moss for the Swamp on the Crescent Lines

Using used Scotch-brite pads to simulate hanging moss from trees.

Splendor in the Grass

Using Silflor grass materials the author shows how he models realistic grass patches.

String Trees

The author shows how he makes small trees using carpet thread, cotton string, jute, and clothesline material. Each produces a different-looking tree.

Sugar Maple Tree

Using arcwelding cable to make large Sugar Maple trees, the author describes the fairly standard way of making foreground-quality trees.

Tall Timber and Ground Cover for the Forest

The describes how he makes the tall trees of western forests using balsawood dowels and a plastic fern material called plumosa. The ground cover section of the article describes his technique for making a junk pile on the ground, but doing it with plant materials.

Taming Woodland Scenics Field Grass to Model Wild Grass

The author shares the various tools and methods he has tried to create realistic field grass, but he eventually developed a method he is happy with. Includes many prototype and model photos.

The Art of Making Trees

The author shows how he creates realistic trees using Super Trees material by Scenic Express. They have a nice "airy" quality to them.

The Coiv's in the Corn...

Details, methods, and ideas the author used to overcome his fear of doing scenery and building more complete scenes.

The Scenery Clinic

This installment covers both how to model trees in winter time as well as adding some more random details to an industrial spur, including trash.

The Scenery Clinic Pt VIII

In this installment, Paul shows how he makes douglas firs.

The Scenery Clinic Pt. IX

How to model deciduous trees.

The Scenery Clinic Pt. XIX

In addition to using cut up leaves for modeling fall leaves, the article also describes how to model patches of snow.

The Scenery Clinic Pt. XVI

This installment covers how to model deciduous trees using sagebrush armatures and SuperTrees material.

The Scenery Revolution

The author describes Pot Toppers as a product for scenery coverage, and Super Trees by Scenic Express for the trees.

Tips for Making Realistic Scenery

The author was not happy with her husband's layout scenery, which got her involved in what it takes to create realistic scenery. This article covers perspective and composition, involving trees, background and foreground forest debris.

Towering Timber

Making tall trees is one thing, but making truly towering trees in O-scale is a challenge. The author shows how he makes 100-foot tall trees.

Trees - Cheaper

Using the stranded-wire technique, the author describes how he built new trees to improve upon the ones he had previously built. Includes several photos.

Trees and Weeds

The author shares how to dismember a stuffed animal as a source for layout weeds. Also covered are how to use twine and rope for weeds, advice on using natural materials, using commercial trees, learning to make your own, and learning to paint your own backdrop.

Trees Are Models Too

The author shows how he uses dried Hydrangea flowers as trunks for trees. He also demonstrates the wire method of tree-making.

Trees Cheap

Using left-over Christmas decorations to serve as the basis for S-scale trees. Includes construction photos.

Trees From the Ground Up

Step-by-step process of how to create tree stumps from branches found around where you live.

Up The Creek - Modeling a Small Creek Part 3

Developing a scene that revolves around a large tree.

Weeds Along the Right of Way

Using real lichens, the author shows how to model Goldenrod and several other weed types in various scales. Includes plenty of model and prototype photos.

Weeds and Trees

The author describes the various materials he uses to make weeds, bushes, and trees.

Western Sagebrush

Using fake fur to create sagebrush.

Western Scenery

This article covers how to build arid-looking scenery.