I used Dave Stone's Paint What You Got Challenge to prepare the stuff for this mission, but as I got on to the terrain, time was running out, so the cover had to be quick and simple.
Construction; Basic Shapes and Texture
A while ago Grim gave me some spongy packing foam, not the really soft stuff used for storing minis, nor expanded polystyrene - this is fairly rigid. It cuts easily with knife or scissors so I cut some to vaguely blob like bush shapes.
To add extra weight I inserted random screws in the base of the bush shape. The foam is soft enough that this can be done just by twisting and pushing with fingers.
I used hot glue to fix them on to foam board bases (the plastic stuff used for signs, not the XPS/card sandwich I use for buildings). In some cases I hot glued extra bits of foam on top to give a more rounded shape.
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| The basic structure |
The bush shapes were then coated with PVA glue and covered with dark coarse turf. I used a combination of scattering it over and pushing it on to the shapes to get full coverage.
Sealing the Texture
Left on it's own, the turf texture would quickly rub off, so the bushes were sprayed with isopropanol and watered down Mod-podge dripped on to seal everything in (in theory). This takes a while to fully dry, I might save any more for the Season of Scenery Challenge in summer.
At this stage I also added a sprinkle of lighter coloured turf to add some variety to some of the bushes.
Once everything was dry, a quick burnt umber to neaten the bases and done.
They are very simple, but they do the job. I'll certainly make some more, they're great for skirmish games like Rangers of Shadow Deep, and I suspect they'll turn up in Middle Earth as well.
Once I've a large number done I might add a bit more detail, such as extra texture on the bases, and perhaps a bit of drybrushing to highlight the foliage.
Green Fingers
A note of warning. I used cheap turf - entirely appropriate for this low budget project - but the dye used isn't fast. It runs when wet, especially when sprayed with isopropanol and slathered with watered down Mod-podge. You can see the runoff on the photo above.
If you're tempted to make some yourself, either buy dye-fast turf or put plenty of paper down, including a top sheet of baking parchment (otherwise the bushes will just stick to the surface). Once the Mod-podge dries, it should be protected from further moisture and resistant to shedding the flock.
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