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Two Sister?s Farm


Tellarian

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I thought I?d post a couple more pictures of the Chevy truck before it is weathered as the trucks seem popular. The cab interior is very detailed but with the glazing installed it can?t really be seen  which is a pity.

The tree has been covered with Milliput and a bark effect scribed onto it whilst soft. I then covered it all with a thin wash of greyish green. When dry a thin wash of very dark grey almost black was put on and allowed to dry. Then a wash of a brownish grey was put on then when that was dry a mid grey was dry brushed over the trunk and branches.

The next stage will be adding the foliage.

Can't wait to see the finished tree ( I am into trees at the moment as I am doing one.  I need a REALLy BIG tree - all of mine have been topped  (well they had a lot of deadwood through neglect  or at least that is the excuse).  Apart from the young trees that is!

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Moss makes a good canopy and provided you have got something to "hang" it on you don't need too many twigs as moss has its own "twiggy" bits.  It really depends on how thick you want the canopy.  A few pieces of thin wire wrapped around the thicker pieces at right angles would serve as supports

I've used moss and then sprayed it with dark green paint to help it keep it shape and colour. Some of the broader-leafed lichens look really good.

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I've used moss and then sprayed it with dark green paint to help it keep it shape and colour. Some of the broader-leafed lichens look really good.

So have I on one made from a couple of twigs that made a lovely tree skeleton.  Dark green paint looks a bit  "yewish"

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This picture shows the tree finished apart from adding the foliage. It is 10.5 inches tall which means in 1/32 scale the tree would be 28 feet high, not big for a tree really but big enough for my layout.

The truck has been lightly weathered but still needs more details adding.

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That looks great, adds a nice bit of hieght to the display. Thanks for the tips by the way ladies, just the job. Now I just need more time on my hands me thinks!! :)

Us ladies are always most helpful  - it is the way we are although some men don't appreciate our advice!

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This picture shows the tree finished apart from adding the foliage. It is 10.5 inches tall which means in 1/32 scale the tree would be 28 feet high, not big for a tree really but big enough for my layout.

The truck has been lightly weathered but still needs more details adding.

Tree is looking very "tree-ish"  as the bark looks realistic.

Looking forward to seeing the finished article.

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You can see the rather disappointing sisal experiments looking more like shrubs, The problem has been trying to get the stuff to stay straight. I?m going to cheat and use Woodland Scenics Field Grass. I will keep trying but I don?t hold out a lot of hope.

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You can see the rather disappointing sisal experiments looking more like shrubs, The problem has been trying to get the stuff to stay straight. I?m going to cheat and use Woodland Scenics Field Grass. I will keep trying but I don?t hold out a lot of hope.

Were you trying for long grass?  If so I made some clumps of grass for my husband's diorame of Rorkes Drift.  I used an old paste/wall brush with very worn tufts.  Cut the tufts at the right length from the base to leave the worn ends as they were.  Stuck them down using Copydex as it is fairly thick but dries clear.  I coloured it using water paint which worked well because the bristle were absorbant.

Not the best picture but the diorama has moved on so cannot take a better one.  This was meant to be dried out elephant grass some of the other sections were green(er)

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Yes I was trying to make long grass Sue but as you can see it looks more like weeds. I like your idea of the paste brush bristles they look pretty good on your diorama. I?ve got an old shaving brush that I could try. In the meantime I?m going to use my Woodland Scenics grass as I know that works. I?m a bit disappointed with the string but I am pleased with the way the tree has turned out, and you can?t win them all..

A view looking down shows what I mean I was thinking of having some long grass at the side of the track over the railway.

The little locomotive is really a toy designed for younger enthusiasts but with a new cab and added weight it will do nicely on Two Sisters. It still needs a lot of work doing to it.

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Yes I was trying to make long grass Sue but as you can see it looks more like weeds. I like your idea of the paste brush bristles they look pretty good on your diorama. I?ve got an old shaving brush that I could try. In the meantime I?m going to use my Woodland Scenics grass as I know that works. I?m a bit disappointed with the string but I am pleased with the way the tree has turned out, and you can?t win them all..

A view looking down shows what I mean I was thinking of having some long grass at the side of the track over the railway.

The little locomotive is really a toy designed for younger enthusiasts but with a new cab and added weight it will do nicely on Two Sisters. It still needs a lot of work doing to it.

I am currently playing with Gaugemaster rough grass.  That really does look good if you tease it out and I am using to cover the joints between modules.  For really long grass the worn brush trick works very well.  I suppose you could use cold water dye to colour the bristles first.

Tree really looks the business.

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The foliage on the tree is being done now but is taking much longer than I thought it would.

If you wanted to replicate a muddy track on your farms like the one I have over the bridge coat the surface with Polyfilla or something similar. When it is nearly dry but still soft run a tractor carefully along it to make tyre tracks in the surface. If you try this when the Polyfilla is too wet it will stick to your tractor tyres, too dry and it won?t leave an impression. You can make ruts in a similar way. When dry paint with oil or water colours the shades to match the soil you are trying to replicate. When this is dry you can add some puddles simply by painting the depressions with clear gloss varnish. Give it many coats allowing each one to dry before applying the next, the varnish will build up to look like a puddle. Cover other parts with scenic flock in places to look like weeds and grass, and you have a muddy track with puddles.

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The foliage on the tree is being done now but is taking much longer than I thought it would.

If you wanted to replicate a muddy track on your farms like the one I have over the bridge coat the surface with Polyfilla or something similar. When it is nearly dry but still soft run a tractor carefully along it to make tyre tracks in the surface. If you try this when the Polyfilla is too wet it will stick to your tractor tyres, too dry and it won?t leave an impression. You can make ruts in a similar way. When dry paint with oil or water colours the shades to match the soil you are trying to replicate. When this is dry you can add some puddles simply by painting the depressions with clear gloss varnish. Give it many coats allowing each one to dry before applying the next, the varnish will build up to look like a puddle. Cover other parts with scenic flock in places to look like weeds and grass, and you have a muddy track with puddles.

Do you find Polyfilla works better than modelling clay ???

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To be honest Holly I have only ever used Polyfilla to make farm tracks, but I see no reason why modelling clay shouldn?t work just as well. I think with scenery it is best to use the materials you are most comfortable with.

I forgot to mention when using varnish to make puddles do not pour varnish into the depression if you do when it eventually dries it will be wrinkly and you don?t want that. The painting method takes longer but you get better results.

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To be honest Holly I have only ever used Polyfilla to make farm tracks, but I see no reason why modelling clay shouldn?t work just as well. I think with scenery it is best to use the materials you are most comfortable with.

I forgot to mention when using varnish to make puddles do not pour varnish into the depression if you do when it eventually dries it will be wrinkly and you don?t want that. The painting method takes longer but you get better results.

I shall try the varnish trick on my pond.  The "water" at the moment is underpainted clear plastic over piece of foil which doesn't look too bad but think varnish may give a better reflection effect.

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A bit more work on the tree I just need to add a little more foliage I?m anxious not to overdo it as I need to see the uncoupling ramp if possible. It is mostly Woodland Scenics Fine Leaf Foliage in dark green with bits and pieces I had in stock.

The barn I?ve painted in matt Humbrol colours to represent asbestos, a mix of white, black and tan. The concrete pillars are the same colours with a tiny touch of green and un-mixed Polyfilla to give it a texture. Then the barn but not the pillars was washed over with a dark grey thin wash of acrylics, I?ve yet to dry brush some pale yellow to represent the algae that seems to grow on these barns.

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I?m glad you like the tree TBF, I think some birds in the tree an excellent idea all I?ve got to do is find some 1/32 scale birds. A cat would look good on the barn roof looking up at the tree, perhaps Britains do one.

I can?t put a mirror in the over bridge as it hides the entrance to the fiddle yard. If you think of the layout as a small stage it is 38?x15? and the fiddle yard as the wings. It is where I make up the trains before they appear on the layout. The public will only see the layout the fiddle yard is not really part of the display. I hope this all makes sense.

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I shudder to think how long it has taken to make and it?s still not quite finished, it just needs a tiny bit more foliage. I have made it in stages spread over several weeks, it took a couple of hours to make the wire armature for instance.  The Milliput putty I did most of the trunk in one go and then a couple of branches each evening. A day for painting allowing it to dry and the same for the foliage. I find it is best to do a little at a time and see how it looks, you can always add more if you don?t like it.

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