Feb 12 2009
Making trees
Once I started the scenery, I needed to make a lot of trees. The central Minnesota area is mainly farms, but there is also a fair amount of hardwood and pine trees. For the pine trees I cheated and went with pre-made trees that I purchased years ago. For the hardwood trees I started with the Woodland scenics tree armatures. I painted them a bark color and when dry I twisted them per the instructions. Next I took their poly fiber and made puff balls and stuck them on the branches. Once it hade the desired look I wanted and fit the space, I sprayed it with hairspray. While still wet I sprinkled some blended turf to give it a leafy look. The last trpe of tree I made started out as a weed that I purchased from a craft store. I painted the trunk a bark color and did the hairspray and blended turf. Alone these trees don’t look so good, but when I added about 20 together they look good. I was glad to find a way to make trees that was simple, it saved time for other projects.
