I got some neat Z-scale trees off Ebay for dirt cheap. Because I wasnt sure how I'd store my terrain if the trees were attached directly, I decided to mount the trees onto little 5/8" washers using Pre-Mixed Concrete Patch.





Since I would be mounting 1/2" adhesive magnets that I custom ordered from Litko to the boards, and the bases of the trees were done in concrete patch, I wanted some way to tie in the tree bases and where they would go.

I found that US pennies were the size I needed, and hot-glued some push pins (sans the sharp pointy part) onto them. Then I placed the pennies on the templates and dropped the concrete patch around it. After lifting the penny off, little neat circles were left, inside of which I will put the self-adhesive magnets.

Here are the templates with some additional MDF mounted for variation, with the process of isolating the tree magnet locations:


A close-up of the process as Im doing it:


Tools used:


After the concrete patch dried, I watered down PVA glue a little and applied ye olde Beach Sand to the bases. Maybe the beach sand was a TAD too textured, but I thought if I used my nice fine hobby sand that I wouldnt get the drybrush variation I knew I'd need later.




I let that dry overnight and then painted the first layer.

I had gone down to Home Depot over the weekend and had some paint matching done. This first color was Vallejo Beasty Brown, done in the Behr Premium Plus Ultra, which is a Flat Interior paint with primer built in.


You can kind of pick out the places the magnets are going to go.

The next two layers, also matched at HD, are Vallejo Earth and Bone White (the astute among you might realize I am also, in effect, using GW Beastial Brown, Graveyard Earth, and Bleached Bone).

BUT:
I want to put at least one dirt road through this forest:


It will be on that larger template with the building in the middle, and will cut straight across.

Do I paint that road lighter brown, maybe skipping Earth and going straight for Bone White, or do I assume gravel is more grey and through a lighter grey in the mix?

Assume the whole base will be brought up using the standard 3 browns, but needs to have a distinguishable dirt road. What colors would you use?

What a coincidence, I was just about to post my own foresty WIP
Anyway, these look really nice! Ingenious use of magnets.
Did you have any issues with the concrete patch stuff?

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No issues, per se, but at first I made it too runny. I was applying it with a spoon, and it kind of dribbled everywhere. Then, as the mix was used up, I added more patch and no water until it became goopy...you know, it slid off the spoon in a semi-wet 'splotch' but wasnt really liquidy.

After that, it was cake.

I was introduced to patch by a friend, a professional miniature painter, who uses it for everything from basing minis onto their stands to giving walls/buildings texture, to you name it. Its good stuff!

I got two more layers of the drybrushing done last night and this afternoon.

This is with the Vallejo Earth added. It toned down the dark Beasty Brown very nicely:



This is after I finished up with a drybrush of the Bone White:



For the road, I hit it with some Apple Barrel "Country Tan" and washed it with a very watery mix of water and AB's Chocolate Brown. I'll hit it with a drybrush of Country Tan again, I'd wager.

First, let me critique my own work:

I think the browns are lovely, I am glad I invested in quart-sized cans of these colors, and they will serve me well.

I also think they look horrible for tree stands!

Granted, I'll be flocking these with green flock and bits of Woodland Scenics Coarse Turf and Fall colored flock, but I think I really should have used a green base under all this.

Maybe I just havent read enough about other people's woods. What do YOU use?

Chime in, please No one offered anything on the road so I took a stab in the dark. Ideas?

I think that you went wrong on the bone drybrush. The effect this has had is to make it look decidedly un dirt like.

What you probably should start with is a black undercoat and drybrush on the brown you are using over that. From there stipple in a more red brown or green brown like the GE graveyard earth for variety. From there you can do a light drybrush with bone or khaki, though if it ends up how yours did you will probably want to give a wash of a reddish brown over it to knock it back and make the colors fit.

Especially with larger chunks of terrain you will want to vary the colors to give the impression of different dirt compositions and might even want to include gray to emulate some kind of gravel or rocky areas.

When I was doing my large hill section, I also kept a damp brush handy to blend in the dry brush colors and give a more natural gradient. Once you knock the highlight back into a dirt looking format it will look fine once flocked.

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-Vaaish

Vaaish, thanks for the ideas. I think you're spot on.

However, last night I had time to burn and was anxious to do some more work on these, so I flocked them anyway. I let them dry over night, and didnt shake the excess flock from them yet when I got up, but my initial impression is that theyre actually looking ok!

Once I get off work, I'll shake the green flock off, add some more "earth" turf by WS, then sprinkle it with the fall colors and not use the Bone White next time

Pics to follow...

Truly fantastic terrain

With flock added. No drybrushing done on the road yet, fall colors not added:


Much better! remembering that the dark brown circles will be covered with adhesive magnets and ultimately be hidden with the attached trees, I think the mistake of the Bone White is certainly mitigated. It actually blends nicely, and now that my panic is gone, Im happy with the scheme.

I'll try to get some more work done on this today, but its Minis Painting night down at the FLGS so I'll be AWOL for that for a good part of the evening...

Getting closer...

Here is the Autumn flock mix I added on. Still to do: Drybrush the road, finish sealing in all the flock, painting the 2 buildings, and putting on the magnets!

Sorry about the lighting:

Very very nice
reminds me to work over my terrain

By the way:

As I watch the Tour of the Basque Country (cycling), the aerial views confirm to me that a very lush, green country can have light tan in dirt areas like I did, and as long as its covered properly in flock, it wont look out of place.

Now, to find still shots of these Basque areas...the coverage on Universal Sports is phenominal, and the terrain is simply gorgeous!

Good looking terrain !!

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Oh always this threads
which remids you what you still have/want to do
nice work like the red and yellow spots of color
looks so peaceful

lol you caught me Someone else mentioned their ADHD bouncing between projects...

I've completed these to satisfaction but admittedly havent touched the trees up enough to make "completed" pics. Ive been working on some modular city terrain, which, as predicted, is half finished as well

As to coming down this summer, sorry bro. Im broker than ever before, and Ive been busier than I have been in a long time. Not a good combo