"Easy Pickins"
- Thread starter Steve Ski
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Steve Ski
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- Oct 9, 2012
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Thanks, Barley.
No worries, Kevin. My "Hue City" dio was 10yrs in the making, so this is nothing new. I try to never rush my builds or put a time frame on them, otherwise it wouldn't be any fun. You're good, 2yrs is no problem.
Steve Ski
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- Oct 9, 2012
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- 674
Thanks, G.
Interesting question, G. How many hours,................hmmmmm,.......................well. This dio was started just shy of 12yrs ago with off and on work, so that's not calculable. I never count the "cost/time" of my work, that would make it a job. Let's just say, if it's still fun, time is no factor. It's all about the journey and sometimes when I get done it's a letdown. As in, "Heck, now what do I do?" That's not an uncommon response; many guys say the same thing.
It's been a long time coming, Brother.
Interesting question, G. How many hours,................hmmmmm,.......................well. This dio was started just shy of 12yrs ago with off and on work, so that's not calculable. I never count the "cost/time" of my work, that would make it a job. Let's just say, if it's still fun, time is no factor. It's all about the journey and sometimes when I get done it's a letdown. As in, "Heck, now what do I do?" That's not an uncommon response; many guys say the same thing.
It's been a long time coming, Brother.
JUG
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- Oct 1, 2024
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Steve I like your wood shed. Are you staying warm?Ok, so yall don't think I'm slackin and all, it's really been a busy past few weeks. Snow fly is coming fast, so no time to waste. I'm trying to get the wood done between weather systems, so I'll let yall know how that works out at the first snow fly. Until then, "Easy Pickins" is on hold.
No worries, but it ain't gonna get done lookin at it, HA!
JUG
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Hope we get some more too.
Steve Ski
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Still at it!
This is certainly taking longer than I had anticipated, but it's a steady roll. I'm still waiting on some static grass to arrive, but working other parts to fill the gap in time. We'll get there, eventually.
As you can see, there's quite a lot of stuff used to work this veggie detail. The Heki grass was used for the base with a lot of grass clumps from Min-atur. I have made quite a bit of it myself from left over Heki scrap and will make more once the other grass arrives. I need long, short, in between, for a more realistic appearance.
I've used some of the Min-atur foliage to fill in gaps on the fence to add some interest in the vine category. They seem to fit just fine. More will be added as time goes on. I have a large inventory of real foliage from outside, so I will mix it up a bit. I'm finding the layering method seems to work best. As in, build it up, don't cluster a mess. Trying to get a realistic appearance and not over-do it is what I'm working towards.
The grass area is only half done. When the other clusters are made, they will fill in the voids of the Heki grass and add some variety and realism, but right now it looks pretty weak as is. That rock is there to remind me to add rocks in the appropriate locations later on.
Once this side of the fence is done, I'll be working the shop side. There will be a lot less foliage, of course, but weeds do grow in the darndest places. The shop side will need it's own special attention to get the realism correct. I keep Chuck Doan's pics handy, very helpful.
All comments are welcome and any suggestions as well. I've got time to do this right, so holler if you see anything needing attention.
Thanks for watchin. Cheers, Ski.
P.S. Laszlo Adoba has a great set of dio books that would be great for anybody's work bench.
[a href="http://"]https://www.adobaminiatures.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=24[/a]
This is certainly taking longer than I had anticipated, but it's a steady roll. I'm still waiting on some static grass to arrive, but working other parts to fill the gap in time. We'll get there, eventually.
As you can see, there's quite a lot of stuff used to work this veggie detail. The Heki grass was used for the base with a lot of grass clumps from Min-atur. I have made quite a bit of it myself from left over Heki scrap and will make more once the other grass arrives. I need long, short, in between, for a more realistic appearance.
I've used some of the Min-atur foliage to fill in gaps on the fence to add some interest in the vine category. They seem to fit just fine. More will be added as time goes on. I have a large inventory of real foliage from outside, so I will mix it up a bit. I'm finding the layering method seems to work best. As in, build it up, don't cluster a mess. Trying to get a realistic appearance and not over-do it is what I'm working towards.
The grass area is only half done. When the other clusters are made, they will fill in the voids of the Heki grass and add some variety and realism, but right now it looks pretty weak as is. That rock is there to remind me to add rocks in the appropriate locations later on.
Once this side of the fence is done, I'll be working the shop side. There will be a lot less foliage, of course, but weeds do grow in the darndest places. The shop side will need it's own special attention to get the realism correct. I keep Chuck Doan's pics handy, very helpful.
All comments are welcome and any suggestions as well. I've got time to do this right, so holler if you see anything needing attention.
Thanks for watchin. Cheers, Ski.
P.S. Laszlo Adoba has a great set of dio books that would be great for anybody's work bench.
[a href="http://"]https://www.adobaminiatures.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=24[/a]
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2022
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- 1,071
Hey, curious about how you deal with scale, and preserving/protecting the natural stuff.
That is such a telling observation about you, and why your dio is so compelling and realistic.
It's one thing to have the skills to put it together, but quite another to see and incorporate the little details that others would miss!
Cheers!
JUG
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- Oct 1, 2024
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- 220
That's a good thing Ski! More convincing pics great updates and thanks for sharing and keeping us updated.
Steve Ski
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- Oct 9, 2012
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Thanks, Gents, I appreciate the encouragement.
Good questions, Amigo. Scale is relative in this case, veggies. What looks right and "in" place vs "out" of place is the approach I take. Obviously, trees and larger brush need scale consideration, but grass not so much, it's going to be what looks right and feels right for me personally. Also, I tried the preservation method with glycerin and just made a big mess, so now I carefully store veggies from outside in containers for later use. A quick zap of dull coat or Krylon matt varnish keeps the brittle species from disintegrating when handling. Hope that helps.
Thanks, Jug. I need to get this finished; I've got a bird to build for a friend before Spring arrives.
Steve Ski
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- Joined
- Oct 9, 2012
- Messages
- 674
What's the hold up?
Hold up it ain't, but slow it is, since January 31. We're at a turning point now, as in, turn the base and work the lean-to/shop, HA! Making grass and creek foliage was a very slow process and just when I thought I had enough, I had to make more. So, now that this portion of the base is complete, I'll give a quick run-down on the process.
A lot has happened since the last update, but it doesn't really look like it, so I avoided piddly updates and chose to combine all of it into one. You can see the front of the lean-to has more grass, small flowers, and the wash area has moss added. I still need to apply a wet look to it, but avoid a standing water appearance. I just need it looking wet.
I also decided to ditch the huge pinkish and yellow fern type flowers, they were just way too big and would have detracted from the scene. Keeping the base foliage on the down-low as much as possible and still giving a decent appearance of realism was the direction I chose. All of the tall grass had to be bundled and some even have seed pods for an added feature.
The Heki Grass I initially used had way too many voids so I had to produce quite a few grass clumps myself. I tried to disperse the scratch clumps in a random fashion and mixed up the colors to add visual interest. After close scrutiny I felt the area looked natural enough to move on.
The small water feature on the edge of the base board was treated with Mig's Slimy Grime, Dark and Light. I did this to add depth before the moss was added to the wash area. I drew the light tone out and up the edge of the wash to simulate water elevations according to seasonal flow. So far, so good.
There aren't any photos of the upgraded Cat Tails that were made earlier, but the method for making those is quite simple. FYI, having a decent paper cutter does help, btw. For the Cat Tail placement I used a thin punch for each hole and glued them in place. I went back through the area with plain reeds, no Cat Tails, and filled any voids on both sides of the wash. Reviewing photos of Cat Tails from all over the globe I found it necessary to really fill in as much as I could along the water's edge for realism.
Once the Cat Tail details were finished, I poured the water effect using Woodland Scenic's Realistic Water. This water effect will leave voids if you don't catch all the bubbles, and it does creep up everywhere it has a chance, so plan ahead. I avoided the appearance of most of the creep by pouring in several layers even though this is way less than the maximum pour depth recommended. I tinted the water slightly, or so I thought, but it's a bit deep in color. Oh well, too late to change that, HA! Onward,…………
Once the wash area was complete, I worked my way outward from the Cat Tails. You will notice a furry type foliage right after the Cat Tails, this being a type of moss I found way up high in the local mountains right at the edge of a stream busting out of the roadside rock face. It seemed to fit the part and worked great for this aquatic scenery, so I ran with it.
After the moss I again filled in any voids that came with the Heki Grass and did so as random as possible. I then added the tall grass and yellow flowers. Keep in mind, one of the German figures is located within this corner, so I couldn't get too carried away with the tall grass or flowers.
Now that this portion of the base has been completed, finally, I can work the lean-to in the same manner. I will place all of the extras, as well as the Ranger and Harley, and check for any spatial conflicts. I still feel like I'm missing more junk, small junk, to add to the effect. But, once I get the grass growth under the fencing, oils spills in the dirt, and moss hanging from the rafters, I just might call it good.
More to follow and thanks for watchin. Cheers, Ski.
Hold up it ain't, but slow it is, since January 31. We're at a turning point now, as in, turn the base and work the lean-to/shop, HA! Making grass and creek foliage was a very slow process and just when I thought I had enough, I had to make more. So, now that this portion of the base is complete, I'll give a quick run-down on the process.
A lot has happened since the last update, but it doesn't really look like it, so I avoided piddly updates and chose to combine all of it into one. You can see the front of the lean-to has more grass, small flowers, and the wash area has moss added. I still need to apply a wet look to it, but avoid a standing water appearance. I just need it looking wet.
I also decided to ditch the huge pinkish and yellow fern type flowers, they were just way too big and would have detracted from the scene. Keeping the base foliage on the down-low as much as possible and still giving a decent appearance of realism was the direction I chose. All of the tall grass had to be bundled and some even have seed pods for an added feature.
The Heki Grass I initially used had way too many voids so I had to produce quite a few grass clumps myself. I tried to disperse the scratch clumps in a random fashion and mixed up the colors to add visual interest. After close scrutiny I felt the area looked natural enough to move on.
The small water feature on the edge of the base board was treated with Mig's Slimy Grime, Dark and Light. I did this to add depth before the moss was added to the wash area. I drew the light tone out and up the edge of the wash to simulate water elevations according to seasonal flow. So far, so good.
There aren't any photos of the upgraded Cat Tails that were made earlier, but the method for making those is quite simple. FYI, having a decent paper cutter does help, btw. For the Cat Tail placement I used a thin punch for each hole and glued them in place. I went back through the area with plain reeds, no Cat Tails, and filled any voids on both sides of the wash. Reviewing photos of Cat Tails from all over the globe I found it necessary to really fill in as much as I could along the water's edge for realism.
Once the Cat Tail details were finished, I poured the water effect using Woodland Scenic's Realistic Water. This water effect will leave voids if you don't catch all the bubbles, and it does creep up everywhere it has a chance, so plan ahead. I avoided the appearance of most of the creep by pouring in several layers even though this is way less than the maximum pour depth recommended. I tinted the water slightly, or so I thought, but it's a bit deep in color. Oh well, too late to change that, HA! Onward,…………
Once the wash area was complete, I worked my way outward from the Cat Tails. You will notice a furry type foliage right after the Cat Tails, this being a type of moss I found way up high in the local mountains right at the edge of a stream busting out of the roadside rock face. It seemed to fit the part and worked great for this aquatic scenery, so I ran with it.
After the moss I again filled in any voids that came with the Heki Grass and did so as random as possible. I then added the tall grass and yellow flowers. Keep in mind, one of the German figures is located within this corner, so I couldn't get too carried away with the tall grass or flowers.
Now that this portion of the base has been completed, finally, I can work the lean-to in the same manner. I will place all of the extras, as well as the Ranger and Harley, and check for any spatial conflicts. I still feel like I'm missing more junk, small junk, to add to the effect. But, once I get the grass growth under the fencing, oils spills in the dirt, and moss hanging from the rafters, I just might call it good.
More to follow and thanks for watchin. Cheers, Ski.
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2022
- Messages
- 1,071
Beautiful. Deliberate randomness is no doubt an oxymoron, but it has got to be one of the hardest things, along with natural asymmetry.
Your original layout of features on an oblique to the base really paying dividends.
I like how you've used the moss as a unifying element for the vegetation overall, even running it up the tree and the side of shed.
Well done! Thanks for documenting the process.
Your original layout of features on an oblique to the base really paying dividends.
I like how you've used the moss as a unifying element for the vegetation overall, even running it up the tree and the side of shed.
Well done! Thanks for documenting the process.
