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From grass mat to weed patch
This is brilliant! More realism for less money!
This seems to be an excellent and straightforward way to pay some attention to an often overlooked area of scenic importance.
This is one of the better scenery articles I’ve seen in MR. I’ve done several scenery clinics and I always stress using different materials in layers. The Heki grass fibers are a really good product. They have lots of different colors and they are great for angled surfaces, where static grass is difficult to use. I think the process that you have described will give very good results.
Very well done, Thomas, and nicely written and photographed. Concise.
The more different textures, and to some extent shades of color, the more realistic it all appears. This is a welcome addition to the palate.
Thanks for the compliments on my article. Since I wrote the article I have used the same technique for the grassy areas on my new layout but I have made some minor adjustments to the process.
Instead of using the Woodland Scenic Green Blended Turf in the second step I used some dried and screened red clay dirt. The dirt was adhered in the same way as the Blended Turf. The red clay dirt represents the area that I am modeling and once completed it shows through the grass fiber mats giving it a very realistic look. I recommend looking at the area you model and determine an appropriate base ground covering to use. You can still use the blended turf if you like but add some various dirt products to improve the results.
In addition to the two Hiki Wild Grass Fiber products listed in the article I added a third color, HK 1573 Moorland Green, to break up the monochromatic look. I also incorporated a different Hiki product called DecoGrass, HK1590 Light Green, which is a 2mm grass fiber mat. The look and texture of the product is slightly different from the Wild Grass Fiber but it blends very well. The difference in heights from the Wild Grass Fiber to the DecoGrass gave the area more texture.
You can also use the leftover loose fibers to blend the different color areas together. Simply grab a pinch of the loose fibers and dab them into the wet glue between the stretched areas of the applied grass mats. As you release the fibers they will stick to the glue and stand up. Use a toothpick to make any necessary adjustments.
I am very pleased with the results of using the Hiki Wild Grass Fiber and hope you give the technique a try.
Thomas Klimoski
Ross Crichton from Canada
Exactly what I was looking for. Can’t wait to try it out.
Down here in the South, weeds take over not only the ROW but lightly used track too. This is almost never modeled. Most layouts look like mowed parks with razor edge ballast lines.
I’ve been doing the Heki grass technique for awhile now, but I did get some good tips. Thanks for a great article.