Creative Ideas for very small model trees

This topic has 1 reply, 9 voices, and was last updated 15 years ago by Chris Whitted.

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November 18, 2009 at 10:43 pm #172289

Jonathan Nelsen
Participant

Hey all,
I am working on a 100 scale site model and am wondering what you guys have used for trees if you have made models of this scale. 3/10″ is pretty small, even at the higher end around like 60′ trees would be hard to model. Any suggestions? Originally I was thinking of creating a bunch of circles in CAD, using the laser cutter and then putting the circles on broken off toothpicks, but again, the scale is kind of a limiting factor. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Jonathan Nelsen

November 18, 2009 at 10:58 pm #172298

Chris Whitted
Participant

We always used little balls of construction paper or dried Baby’s Breath. The architects liked to use balls of styrofoam, clay, or trace. Toothpicks are an option, but thin dowel or wire rods were easier to work with if memory serves. I guess it kind of depends on the level of abstraction and the overall look (delicate and refined or quick and dirty) you intend for the model, and how many trees you’re talking about. Particularly if you’re looking at masses of trees, I’d be modeling the forest and not the trees, if you know what I mean.

November 18, 2009 at 11:52 pm #172297

Steve_White
Participant

I had a classmate who once used different screws and nails. not sure if that would at all with your concept.

I was always fond of pipe cleaners. wrap it around your finger a few times and you are all set.

November 19, 2009 at 1:22 am #172296

david maynes
Participant

green pushpins

November 19, 2009 at 1:56 am #172295

Jonathan Nelsen
Participant

All good ideas. I have used different things in my past models including steel wool, wadded up trace, The braided metal wire that you can separate to create the branching structure, etc, but these were at around 20 scale. The model I am working on now is more conceptual, more about massing, scale etc rather than looking realistic or model railroad like, so something like pushpins may work well.

November 19, 2009 at 3:21 am #172294

nca
Participant

Map Pins are pretty standard. I’ve also used while working at a bigger firm on a big conceptual model-just silver pins, no heads. It’s the trunk really that needs to read, the rest is a diagram if thats where youre at..

November 19, 2009 at 5:55 am #172293

neil travis mayes
Participant

when I was in school we would use nails with no flat part/head, very monochromatic.

November 19, 2009 at 4:10 pm #172292

Andrew Spiering
Participant

I agree. I used map tacks on a model, as well.

November 19, 2009 at 6:03 pm #172291

Les Ballard
Participant

Ask over phone at a dolls house shop – their stuff is bigger but some folk use 1/100 for bigger plots like model villages. One such tip they have is representing soil with dried and ground tea from used tea bags. I have only used, at school for a tudor town made of card, painted brads that you use for nailing on roofing felt which come in different sizes to represnt mature and semi mature trees. Once the top is painted green with gouache you can represent branches or copy an icon for branches with felt tips. If necessary varnish with what you use for watercolour paintings or felt tip ink will smudge.

Luv n Lite and good luck

Les Ballard

November 20, 2009 at 2:56 am #172290

Chris Loftus
Participant

For conifers, cut little cones out of household sponges to correct scale and paint (or leave unpainted depending on the sponge/model color). It’s a little labor intensive but inexpensive.
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