Can't see the wood for the Trees?

Trees, you can never have enough trees, all different shapes, colours and sizes... and yet, go to any model store to buy some pre-made, ready to go,  good looking trees... and they cost the earth!

So being the hobbyist skin-flint that I am I always try and make my own and have tried several methods over the years.

Recently I came across a good article, on the Slave to Painting website... using bottle brushes...

I followed the instructions and was very pleased with the results.

The only problem is sourcing a wide variety of cheap bottle brushes. I sourced these from Petes Emporium in Porirua, where you get one big one and one small one, in a pack for NZ$1.50. I bought 6 packs...  and made what you see here. The biggest brush I tried cutting in half to make two medium size trees, but this was only partially successful as the bristles started falling out from the middle cut point.  I may try sealing them with some spray undercoat first next time before cutting.  Next time I am passing Porirua I'll grab some more...

Trees with 28mm Empire of the Dead figures

Trees with 15mm Flames of War figures

So in summary, take your bottle brush and trim bristles to desired shape.

Spray thoroughly with matt black undercoating spray. A proper undercoat spray still stays feeling slightly tacky after drying... I use Plastikote brand...

Mix up some thin glue mixture, using PVA wood glue and water, roughly 50/50... you want it quite runny... dunk in your brush, and drain off excess, back into pot ( I used an old food jar, tall enough to take the biggest 'tree')...

Liberally sprinkle with fine grade flock material.. Allow to dry.... this will take a while due to water content of glue. Once dry, repeat... two layers of flock work best...

Conceal the wire handle with a layer of DAS modelling clay. Score in a bark pattern before it fully dries. Paint brown and dark brown wash.

Cut out some bases, I used 3mm MDF, and a hole cutting attachment on my drill... but keep the cut out disk!

Hot glue the tree to the base, then flock the base as desired... I used my usual method; first up brown craft paint and PVA glue 50/50 and then sprinkle with brown flock ( I used dried out tea leaves from used tea bags). Once dry use some thinned PVA glue again to glue on patches of Green static grass.

Voila...!

These trees probably cost roughly NZ$2 each to make... last time I was at local hobby store, they were selling packs of two trees for NZ$22.50 !

Your only real commitment... is your time...

PS... for Styx, as requested below... this is as close an image to the ones I bought and used I have found on the web... they are basically a set of babies bottle brushes, one for the main bottle, the other smaller one for the silicone rubber nipple/teet, call it what you will...

The Next Generation, Part2: Paint Station

In an effort to further encourage my son to get to grips with painting his 8th Army troops, I decided to make him his own 'paint station'. I roughly copied the 'GW design'... though I put the water container holder on the left of the station as he's left handed.

Its a simple construction made from 3mm MDF sheet. Pieces were cut out using a power-jigsaw, and sanded before being glued together with PVA wood glue. I considered using some small panel pins too, but 3mm is very thin to get one in without it splitting the MDF anyway, so I left it with glue only.

Very cheap to do, I think theres's probably less than $5 worth of MDF here. I'm not the best woodworker in the world, but it wasn't difficult to do, took about an hour or so...

Here's a quick plan:

...and the station as is...

So now he can set this on his desk, that can be put beside my painting table, when he wants to get some work done. And he wont be hogging my painting area so I can get on too!

Just need to get him an angle-poise lamp that can fix to the side of his desk and we're away.

As you can see from top picture, we have the first 24 infantry figures undercoated so far...

Like father like son...