17 August 2021
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Adding a bit of colour to some wasteground is easy using this simple modelling technique.
Nature will always find a way to reclaim even the scruffiest of waste ground. It's amazing where you find flowers popping up, and as modellers, we can make use of this ability to add a little colour to our layouts. One of the simplest plants to model is the Russell Lupin. They grow around 3 feet tall and appear in many different colours.
All you need is some PVA, stiff fibres (you can trim these from an old brush or buy from the trade) and some coloured scatter material. We're using purple, but any coloured scatter, apart from green, will work. The RHS shows five different flower colours.
Start by dipping the tip of a fibre in some PVA to cover it all around.
Roll the gluey fibre in the scatter to pick up some colour.
Leave the fibres to dry. We tend to make a batch of them as it takes longer to assemble the materials than make the flowers. When dry, cut the excess fibre to length with scissors.
Dip the end in some PVA and plant on the layout. It's a lot easier to stick them into some rough undergrowth made from coarse scatter or scenic netting. For thinner areas, you'll need to drill small holes to plant the fibre in to.
