Dead trees WIP

[Zafarelli]

I've spent the last few evenings making trees for my near future/PA table. I wanted them to look like something out of Fallout, The Book of Eli, or similar sources. There are 5 or 6 larger trunks, 3 stumps, and a heap of broken off branches (these can be used either as ground scatter, or can be attached to the larger models for more variation). Here are a few pictures:







Something about them bugs me, but I cannot exactly pinpoint it. Vikotnik suggested adding vines, but I don't think that would fit the theme. Maybe tree fungus or something? Constructive criticism and ideas for additional detail would be most welcome

[Gluteus Maximus]

Maybe a few finer branches or twigs, with some dead foliage might bring them to .... errrrm .... "not-life" 

Apart from that, they look very good to me and I'd love to see them painted.

[Zafarelli]

Came up with this this afternoon (read: the blu-tacked, slightly darker branches). Texture is lost in the pictures, but they are similar to the rest.



Can't get any smaller, otherwise castability would be an issue. But it should be easy enough to drill a few pieces of wire into the branches for twigs. I suppose you could even add foliage to the branches to make live trees.

So now there are 5 different trunks and 13 different branch parts. Should give me sufficient variety for a small forest

Painted ones will have to wait, though. I'll make molds over the course of next week, and hope to get some casting done over Easter.

[Gluteus Maximus]

Looking good! 

[Hitman]

The trees look great as is. We have a lot of Elm trees around here that have died off and look exactly like your models. All of the smaller branches dry up and break off over the winter leaving the large bough and limbs and nothing else. What did you make them out of? You you aren't happy with them, I'll gladly take them off of your hands. I was trying to figure out how to do these types of trees myself...just recently. Thanks for sharing.
Regards,
Hitman
 

[kidterminal]

My first thought was the broken ends should be a little more splintered. I will say that the smaller branches help break up the silhouettes.

Edit: I think the smaller branches work better on the fallen tree limbs rather than the trunks.

Rob

[Wirelizard]

I can see WW1 Western Front gamers - and other trench-war gamers - snapping these up.

They look the business for the shattered forests of France & Belgium.

[Dan]

I hope I dont come across as being rude but to me the branches look out of scale and at weird angles to the trunk. Maybe that is whats bothering you.

[cheetor]

I think that the trees look great.  I have been looking for an affordable option for post-apocalyptic dead trees

(some wild west style cacti would be cool too...)

[Gluteus Maximus]

I can see WW1 Western Front gamers - and other trench-war gamers - snapping these up.

They look the business for the shattered forests of France & Belgium.

Not to mention ideal for those Rogue Trooper forces several people are building, along with any number of Fantasy and "Cursd Earth" near-future scenarios.

Very useful items!

[Zafarelli]

Thanks for the feedback! Indeed I can imagine quite a few uses for dead trees, like WW1 (or any other heavily shelled battlefield), swamps, probably a graveyard, and last but not least post-apoc wastelands. Hmmm...

My first thought was the broken ends should be a little more splintered. I will say that the smaller branches help break up the silhouettes.

Edit: I think the smaller branches work better on the fallen tree limbs rather than the trunks.

Rob

I think the smaller branches can be used for both: on the trees, if they haven't been hit too hard by the weather yet, broken off scattered around the base or together with the fallen branches.

I hope I dont come across as being rude but to me the branches look out of scale and at weird angles to the trunk. Maybe that is whats bothering you.

Not rude at all. As mentioned, constructice criticism is always welcome. You're probably right about the angles, but I'm really not too considerate about scale. My point of view is that as long as it looks ok for you, anything goes. But I think we've had this discussion around here more than once, and I'm not going to start it again 

[Dr. The Viking]

I smell blood!

These treeses look very viking. Perhaps I shall consider fighting some.

I wouldn't be to worried about the branches. I consider the Games Workshop trees that they did some time ago to be very useful, although they have next to no small branches and thus look completely twat in that respect.

By the way Jens, where can I view the full collection of your doors? There seems to be missing some on the Pardulon Inc. page?

[Zafarelli]

I smell blood!

These treeses look very viking. Perhaps I shall consider fighting some.

Hmm. Vikings vs. ninjas vs. owlbears vs. dead trees? I'm in! Of course it should be the Taoregorn Vikings vs. Ninjas vs. Owlbears vs. Dead Trees Apocalypse game, with at least a hundred models per side. I think we had the rules already settled at Do Or Dice

Anyway, here is what I did the last few evenings:




I used one set of branches/twigs and two sets of stems in the pictures. Painting and assembly were rather straightforward: everything was drybrushed in three shades of grey, then washed with browns and greens, then highlighted with VMC Pale Sand. Branches and twigs were attached after painting with small blobs of Procreate (has a nice grey colour which is barely noticable, especially if the final highlight is applied last), followed by a small drop of superglue.

Dan, I found that the angle issue can easily be overcome by attaching the twigs in an upward direction. After all, I'm quite pleased with the overall result.

Comments?

[vikotnik]

  Y(J)e(n)s, these look awesome!

Put me down for some of these beauties, man.

[uti long smile]

I like those!!