SP&S Shelf Layout

[mountaingoatgreg]

Well guys I have to admit I cheated....All these trees are commercial models.
I have been working on how to model pine trees using some stuff I found at HobbyLobby, if it works out I will let you know.

Here is an update to my little scene.

[torikoos]

Looking really good there! I like the theme, the colors, the backdrop, the trackplan (I've only got a small space myself so I like seeing small layouts for inspiration etc.). Keep it going :-) And I've signed up as a friend to your blog too (I'm TJ)

[Ralph]

Beautifully done Greg. Every time I see your scenes I'm reminded of my trip on the Empire Builder to Portland a couple of years ago. Mt. Hood looked just like your mountains.

Ralph

[deckroid]

Oh those trees!!! I really like those trees. Yours?

[mountaingoatgreg]

Thanks guys for the comments I am pretty happy with the way this little scene is coming out. I affixed the seperate scene to the benchwork and added a new piece of scenery on the other side to complete the cut. I started on making a few trees using furnace filter and dowels, they are still a little rough and need some tree trimming. I think they are heading in the right direction, just not quite to the level I want them to be.

[Gary S]

GREG!

I missed your photo earlier today. Wow, that turned out good. The transition from layout to backdrop worked out very nicely. The road looks good, along with the truck, and there is my favorite boxcar in the foreground. The ground cover under the trees looks natural. And last but not least, the painted mountains in the background finish the scene.



I've really been "stressing" over how I am going to blend my backdrop into my shelves. For that matter, been wondering if I can paint them or what. You sure did great with yours.

[AlcoRS1]

talking about backdrops, yesterday (Saturday) I went to do the family photo shoot, and this was the background. Mt hood looks like a painting, I thought of your back ground.

   

[mountaingoatgreg]

Gary: Thank You

ALco: I miss mountains

The transition between background and foreground continues...


A close up

[faraway]

Your photos raise some doubt if cities and buildings are the only thing I shall have on my layout. I could a little bit smell the forest looking at your photos

[torikoos]

excellent job on the painted trees, and their color match with the scenery in front of it, it gels together, you sure you're not secretly a painter or went to art school or something? :-)

[tetters]

That looks fantastic Greg. How exactly did you make the trees? They look really good.

[mountaingoatgreg]

Reinhard: Thank you for the great comment, maybe I should hang pine airfresheners from under the layout, I bet that would really get people to wonder...

Torikoos: I took a few art classes in High School and maybe a painting class but I think all we ever painted was fruit...

Tetters: The trees are made from simple and cheap material. I think if I make another 100 or so I will get the hang of what exactly I need to do to make them look "right" I have found thatm like most modeling, scenery is not defined but what components you use but in the way your artfully belnd them together...or fail to blend them together. I still have a little bit of work to do on the backdrop trees before I am 100% satisfied with their look but I think the color and texture are correct. I will post a quick tutorial if you want but it is pretty basic.

Materials needed:
Furnace Filter Natural Fiber Kind my Walmart has them $6 for a 36X24 peice pre colored "green"
Acrylic Paint (cheap craft paint works fine) $.99 each
Dowels I got the 4 sizes starting with the smallest they sold at Walmart $.40 a piece
Camoflauge paint Brown or any supper matte finish spray paint
Ground Cover I used woodland scneics and mixed a variety of colors, I recommend working from photos to match the type of tree you want to model

[mountaingoatgreg]

ok ran out of room...

Tools:
Saw
Knife
Gloves (personal preference)
Foam
Assorted Brushes
scissors
White Glue
Hair Spray

1. using a saw cut dowels to lenght then use knife to add a point If desired add a peice of wire or nail to the bottom to let the tree stand up.
2. using the teeth on a saw scrap the dowel to creata "Bark" using different saw blades will result in different textures
3 Using acrylic paints and water wash the dowels with the color fo your choice. Let the color soak in and avoid painting the dowel
4 Let Dry and move onto "leaves"
5. Reduce large peice of filter to a workable size
6. Paint using camouflauge paint (good idea to wear gloves and use a well ventilated area and or respirator)
7. Once "leaves" dry start pulling the material apart on the edges and then tearing the pieces into roundish shapes. You can use scissors but they never look right
8. Take the dowels and put the leave material onto the dowel, neatness does not count
9. make a cone shape and glue to the top
10. Using scissors and a picture shape tree to your liking
11. Spray with hair spray
12. Cover with ground foam
13. Using scissors cut off the wild branches and shape again to your liking
14. Place trees on your layout

[Gary S]

Greg, I was in the middle of a reply to you this morning when work duties interrupted, and then I just never got around to finishing it. :oops:

What I was saying is that your work on the layout has really been coming along. I can't remember if you've said before, but have you done other layouts? Or are you just picking up all these techniques now? The colors and textures are blending in remarkably. It will be very enjoyable to watch some trains run in front of such great scenery.

[mountaingoatgreg]

Gary,

This is the first layout I am going to complete
A brief Goat History:
My first layout was two 4X8 sheets of plywood when I was 12 that I had at my parents until I was 18
My vision was well beyond my abilites and the layout was mostly a giant dissapointment
I then joined/started a club in Oregon and took to doing a little scenery planning, but never got more done basic landforms
In order to gain interest in the club we built a small 4x8 and did some basic scenery. At the time I was working part time at a hobbyshop which allowed me to help others work on their layouts and aid in design. When I moved to Kansas there was no local club that really sparked my ineterest. I joined a loop de loop club and worked on a module but lost interest quickly. I then found a Free-Mo group in Wichita and decided that was the way to go. They had some spare modules and I took a swing at building little scene, but it is not much. So this will be the first layout that I will combine all my learned skills into this layout. To answer your question this will be MY first layout that is all MINE