Just thought I'd do a little tutorial on how I make trees for my gaming boards. for the longest time I struggled to bulk out the foliage on my trees. I despise trying to glue Clump foliage to trees because it seems to never quite work out right, and I end up with a mess of hardened, throw away clumps. So here was my solution. This is really geared towards a casual terrain maker, not experts. ;)
So first off I grab a Woodland Scenics tree armature. I use these because I have them. I actually think that a nice looking, gnarly old twig would yield better and more realistic looking results, and would be cheaper if you don't already have these on hand.
Next is the stuff I use to make the bulk of the foliage. It is easily accessible from just about any DIY stores.
Now use the gap foam and spray it randomly on the tree armature. Don't go too crazy and put a bunch on as this stuff will get pretty heavy and fall off. Also, remember that it does expand pretty good as it dries. SO, put on less than you would think is necessary. Leave for an hour or two to dry.
Spray black or Dark green if you've got it. Just so any missed spots aren't glaring white underneath. Unlike other foams, this stuff will take spray paint just fine.
Cover liberally in white glue.
Now, you'll just want to dip it in a suitable mixture of flock. I use two different types of the fine flock from Woodland Scenics. A bag or two will be plenty enough to do dozens of trees.
At this point I realized my tree was a bit on the skimpy side, so I went ahead and added more foam to bulk it out more, and then just repeated all the previous steps.
At this point, you'll just need to base it to match your gaming tables. Spray with a varnish or hairspray and voila! You are done. With all of the drying time this tree took about 2.5 hrs. Next time I plan on assembly lining about a dozen to start making myself some decent sized forests.
