Creative Ideas for very small model trees

[Jonathan Nelsen]

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

[Chris Whitted]

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.

[Steve_White]

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.

[david maynes]

green pushpins

[Jonathan Nelsen]

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.

[nca]

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..

[neil travis mayes]

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

[Andrew Spiering]

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

[Les Ballard]

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

[Chris Loftus]

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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