Lead Adventure Forum
Other Stuff => Workbench => Topic started by: Mr. White on July 18, 2024, 08:41:59 PM
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I'm considering making a "Wistman's Woods" type area on a game board. Does anyone have a suggestion on how to do the moss effect on rocks and trees? Is there a suitable type of flock or technical paint that can pull this off?
To be clear, I'm looking to recreate a wood that looks similar to these:
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Wistman%27s_Wood_in_winter.jpg)
(https://www.britainexpress.com/images/pages/Wistmans-Wood-9829-2.jpg)
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My best suggestion would be to use WS flock and a brush to paint on glue then flock a bit at a time. Their fine or medium flock should bulk out the surfaces enough. After that some subtle washes and highlights to add depth.
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Following because I'd like to do something similar.
Also, I would love to see woods like these. In Kentucky, it's all just covered in kudzu. Foul, evil, devil vine.
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When I have added areas of moss to roofs on buildings, I've always used fine sand, generally applied with a dab of superglue, although the bonding material isn't that important. I've then put down a darker base colour and drybrushed the 'moss' with pale greens. I can't see why a similar approach wouldn't work for rocky areas and tree trunks. Vallejo Green Sky gives a good mossy colour.
That said the photos suggest a much shaggier look, so maybe fine flock is your best option. Close examination of the upper photo shows some evidence of spagnum moss in the foreground. Funny as that is of course the old wargamer and model railway makers's go to as model bushes.
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I keep getting offered moss covered pebbles on Temu.
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I’d be tempted to try texture medium mixed with paint but then I’m lazy and like an easy life.
FWIW, Dirty Down make a moss effect paint. The results look good though I’ve not experimented with my pot yet.
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Tiny bits of cut up foam or buy Woodland clump stuff. Stick it together with pva and paint away.
Have followed the guy for a long time and he is brilliant at making trees.
https://daggerandbrush.de/category/terrain/trees/ (https://daggerandbrush.de/category/terrain/trees/)
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Not Wistman's Wood, but Devils' Chapel Scowles, which is very similar:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4MINXmvfe8
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I don't have any advice, but I am curious to know what Wistman's Wood is. Is it something from fiction?
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I don't have any advice, but I am curious to know what Wistman's Wood is. Is it something from fiction?
Tis a a verr special 'n' ancient wood down in Devon my luvver.
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And plenty more where that came from on the wilder fringes ...
https://www.puzzlewood.net/ (https://www.puzzlewood.net/)
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0.5 - 1 mm done flock ?
https://www.modelscenerysupplies.co.uk/light-green-flock-bush-7327
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Dirty Down have a bright moss paint https://dirtydown.co.uk/product/water-soluble-paint-moss-effect-small-25ml-pot/ (https://dirtydown.co.uk/product/water-soluble-paint-moss-effect-small-25ml-pot/)
A more subtle (or suitable) one could be https://craftyarts.co.za/product/cadence-moss-effect-paint (https://craftyarts.co.za/product/cadence-moss-effect-paint)
I would also have a look at Black Magic Crafts DIY moss at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fx0bDWFOc3I (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fx0bDWFOc3I)
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Coming back to this with an update.
I’m not a fan of 3D printed objects for my hobby, but I had a friend gift me some 3D printed dead trees as gratitude for hosting games. Dead trees, but with moss and lichen, is what I had in mind to use for this project.
First I followed the PVA/Fine Flock mix as posted in one of the videos by AndrewBeasley. I didn’t love this. I think maybe I needed to have painted a green color first where the moss would go.
Anyway, I tried to salvage it by adding Dirty Down Moss liberally on the rest of the wood and apply a little light green dry brush to the dried flock/pva mix to give it a little depth.
The end result isn’t as fancy as what you’ll see in a YT video, but I think this serves my purpose of having a “wood” feature but with a low profile for easy storage. The main drive of this Whistman’s Wood inspired area is to not have to deal with tree storage, but have a forested type area. Ha. Anyway, I probably could have just left the dead trees bare brown or grey, but maybe the moss helps hide 3D print lines?
I’ll probably get a few more trees and stones to add to this or for a second area.
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Those look good!
I'd be inclined to experiment with acrylic gel medium, a bit of bright green paint, and fine green flock for homemade moss paste, but I already have all of that stuff on hand. The store-bought stuff works too.
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Thanks.
Good call on the moss paste. It’s something I definitely can improve on, so will try some of your suggestions.
Another thing that doesn’t have this sit 100% with me is that, and I could be wrong, I tend to think of moss growing in wet or damp spaces. My citadel grass mat, and the static grass I use for my basing, gives more “sunny meadow” than “damp, temperate rainforest”. Oh well, maybe the disconnect between these trees and the rest of the table isn’t as bad as I feel.
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Added a standing moss covered tree and moss covered rocks. I?m still not sure this is giving. I might abandon this project.
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I think they look very decent. Maybe you could go heavier on the moss? It can be pretty dominant in damp and shady places.
(https://i.postimg.cc/0N8N7LBr/B1-B939-EA-F1-F1-4-AF0-BBF6-18-E7-EA9-ECA60.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/75WDkQDy)
The photo shows Puzzle Wood in The Forest of Dean in late August. Nothing much to see other than trees, mossy rocks, ferns and leaf litter.
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I think the trick is that to allow the table terrain to look like the photos shared in this thread, the rocks and vegetation has to be super dense. Maybe too dense for models to go into during gameplay. Maybe this feature isn?t too suitable for gaming? :/
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Puzzle Wood was quarried in the past and there are paths through that are kept clear by the crew there and visitor traffic.
(https://i.postimg.cc/gJ903RVk/30-C23-D92-190-B-40-FD-A721-C1-D674-FA2394.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/mcwRsPp0)
A reasonable way to represent such places could be with a leaf litter coloured template with very difficult terrain scatter pieces on it. Models could follow the paths or clamber over the terrain in skirmish games and the pieces could be moved out of the way for rank & flank ones.
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Maybe try larger bases with more stuff on them? And taller. Designing this stuff and making it playable is going to be a challenge.