Black Poly Fiber
I liked the way the new diorama was coming along, highlighted by the Fast Tracks #8 turnout and supported with an array of soils and multiple static grass colors applied. Since I’m not using any rock castings on this scene I wanted to add something else, maybe some bushes or general scrub around the tracks but still keeping it somewhat open and airy.
I haven’t used my black poly fiber in awhile and thought this might be a good opportunity to create my bushes. Several manufacturers make poly fiber sheets pre-flocked but they generally use green, not black poly fiber as their base, and the sheets are often heavily flocked. This is fine but I wanted to go with a lighter, more airy looking bush / scrub so I’ll make my own. Also I like to mix my own flocking colors generally a bit more muted than the commercial sheets.
When you use black ploy fiber you really need to stretch it out, almost to the point of completely pulling it apart. I use a few dabs of glue to adhere it right on top on my static grass and soil. Once the glue is dry I go over the top with a pair of scissors to knock down some of the high, loose strands.
I used an inexpensive small spray bottle to mist the fiber with matte medium to prepare for flocking but I found that the poly fiber is so thin that the matte medium would from little droplets on the individual fibers. Not a huge problem, but these droplets showed up in the close-up photos. If you were creating some kind of berry bush, adding a little color to the medium prior to spraying might be a cool idea! Not doing berries here so I instead used my airbrush to lay on a very fine mist of the matte medium to the fiber and then applied my flocking. Once dry I hit the flocking material with another fine mist from the airbrush to lock it in place.
Some modelers use hairspray here but it just stays too tacky for my taste and can become a dust magnet. The matte medium dries dead-flat and dry, a better option I think.
I’m still working on this little scene; I want to bring in some new (but simple) elements to enhance the look in a subtle way. One other trick I went with was to go over the soil edges and some of the exposed poly fiber roots with a little brown paint, thinned quite a bit, with the airbrush. It gives a nice sense of some dead bush roots and blends my colors together just a bit. Again it’s very subtle but a good extra step to take.
Category: Blog
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
Good idea. Black poly gives the look of under shrub branches, twigs. Green poly does not. Nice. Well done, easy to read article.
Mister Dave
Thanks Dave,
There’s a new poly blend out there now, a brown / black mix that may achieve the same look as going over spots with the airbrush.
John
Ztrains
I had great success mimicking trees and shrubs with real dried weeds that branch just like big trees. I would plant them vertical on a piece of foam and spray them with 3M spray glue. Then I would shake some powdered green rubber foam in two or three shades of green for a finished tree or shrub. Even in the super close ups they looked like the real thing.
Kenneth Hoffman
Hi Kenneth,
I’ve found this works well for HO and maybe N scale, but in Z it’s awfully tough to find organic materials that are ready to use without a fair bit of modification.
John
Ztrains
I often drop by to see if there’s a new installment on one of your projects. I have to say that I’m constantly amazed at the level of detail and realism you manage to achieve – particularly given the minuscule sizes involved. For a simple scene like this, I really enjoy seeing how you add so many subtle variations in colour and texture.
Steve
Thanks very much Steve!
The next photos will show a tree line with some newly made trees incorporating the same black poly fiber.
For me in Z scale it’s a matter of trying lots of different things with subtle shifts to get the looks I want. Not quite there yet but making real progress on some fronts I think!
John
Ztrains