Conifer Trees & Hedges – WIP 3/3

 

The final post of my WIP series on conifer trees and hedges is here — time to wrap things up (and clean some things a bit 😉).

This phase was all about adding greenery, refining textures, and dealing with a few surprises along the way.

Adding life: foliage and color

With the structure ready, it was finally time to bring the trees and hedges to life. My goal was to achieve a mix of tones and densities — not just “green”, but a natural, varied palette that would look convincing on the tabletop.

I experimented with different blends of foliage materials and scatter, layering them gradually. For the trees, I started with thick clump foliage and underbrush to build up the core volume. Then I planned to dust them with fine blends for that subtle, multi-layered texture you get in real evergreens.

That was the plan… until the spray glue betrayed me. It wasn’t sticky enough to hold the material in place, and on top of that, it left thin, white, spiderweb-like strands all over the branches. So, halfway through, I switched to a classic — watered-down PVA glue. Much slower to dry, but infinitely more reliable (though the drying time is… well, a patience challenge!).

For additional color variation, I also experimented with a few trees using static grass in different lengths and shades, topped with a layer of fine turf to tone down overly bright colors. The results turned out surprisingly good — the lighter tones make some of the trees look younger, which adds a nice touch of diversity to the whole group.

The hedges: steady progress

After that whole spray glue fiasco, I decided not to risk anything with the hedges. Straight to PVA — and that decision turned out to be the right call. The process took a bit longer, but the coverage and adhesion were far better.

At this point, the hedges are almost completely finished, but the trees are only about halfway done. Still, the forest vibe is already emerging on my workbench — almost ready for a game or a quick photo session.

Wrapping up

With this stage, the Conifer Trees & Hedges WIP series is nearly complete. There’s still a bit of fine-tuning ahead, but the miniature forest is clearly taking shape.

Looking back, this project turned out to be a mix of smooth progress, small disasters, testing new materials, and plenty of learning along the way — pretty much the definition of crafting, isn’t it?

Once everything’s fully dry and set, I’m planning a short photo session for the finished trees — they’re already starting to look quite presentable 😉