Small marsh-bush strips.

OK before I do a set of rivers, I'll do something smaller to get used to the idea of showing people what it is I do and how I do it. Some asked me why would I show people how I do what I do and open myself up for jokes from those with more skill or for that matter, far less. Well to sum it up,  it comes down to one thing... Are you a Giver or are you a taker? Many of the things I learned in the last 10 years, I learned from the internet, from other people who "put it out there" and shared. After watching  Kamloopian explain why he shows how he does what he does (good luck with that last sentence) and seeing his quote "share and share alike"  it burned into my head.

  As far as jokes go, it appears to me the community has been very well behaved and respectful so I have no doubt I will be well received or at the very least well treated.If anyone ever sees this blog that is ( how do you get people to look at these things?).

  So this is all new for me so on with the show.

The not quite so Finished product. They only await the final polyurethane gloss.  That Russian  rifleman by plastic soldier 1/72 scale  has just been dipped and is sitting at the tip of a wooden match 'drying out' ( get it?).

Today I will be making 1 marshy strip and finishing 3 others that will look nice in places near rivers, lakes, woods, graveyards, or just about anywhere something needs to be.

The base is tar paper and I will be using play sand ( I didn't actually use that sand in the picture), white glue hot glue and some twine.

Wear gloves or something. even the thin surgical gloves help. Hot glue burns. Put a spot anywhere and place the twine. I bend it even into a "V " shape then glue it down at its bottom. The bush on the left actually has two pieces laid out across each other like a + then bend up and distressed.

  So To begin with I already had three primed and ready to go. I decided to add a fourth section in order to show the process. The first step is to place a dollop of hot glue where you want your bushes to go. Distress the ends of the twine by your favorite means and spread it to look like a bush. This can be done later if you like.

Glue around the edges where the surface will be and then you know what to do.....

I needed coarse sand to match the other already primed bases

Well there is it primed black in the foreground. The already primed+brown coated ones in the background. Thats a Soviet 76mm gun on the right.. 

I used the airbrush to paint the entire first two coats black and brown.

Then I painted the water areas green

First and second dry brushing, honey brown over the brown over the black then light tan over all of that.

After flocking. Lipton tea, Woodland Scenics blended turf and Games Workshop static grass

  Now for the finished product.

After the addition of polyurethane gloss on the water areas

 I just realized I left all the needed paining supplies out of the first picture. Hey.... 

Well thats it for today.