Ok folks, here's how I make most of my ground cover. It's quick, clean, blends with pre existing scenery and is reusable. Here's a list of the basic supplies needed. Fake fur from craft store (Hobby Lobby for me), wax paper, scissors, marker, shaker of ground foam, cheap hairspray and liquid nails for projects. Use the wax paper to trace a pattern directly from the layout and write "top" on the topside. Cut out the wax pattern and lay it upside down on the backside of the fake fur. Trace it's outline with the marker and cut out the scenery piece. Test fit the piece on the layout. Next take your fingers and rough up the fur a bit rubbing it against it's grain so to speak. This gives a more realistic look. Then sprinkle on your ground foam to taste. Spray it down pretty good with the hairspray. If you want a hill or rise in the terrain add a foam piece in place. Turn your fake fur over and run liquid nails around the edges and carefully glue it in place. Be careful not to squish glue out from the edges if possible. If it does it will be covered later. The edges will blend right into adjacent scenery using ground cover material. Next I'll cover the area across the tracks. I used the same technique but was able to reuse a section pulled off my 4x8. I just used a wax paper template and cut it out and added a bit more ground foam. In order to add trees you must cut a slit into the fake fur with a razor knife to allow the tree through. Then the magic happens. Use natural materials for scenic details like trees and bushes. Roots and dried moss are great materials. Be creative and look around outside for ideas. Thanks for reading.
Lovely work, Jim. Very impressive! I like the random texture you get with the fur showing through here and there. Mike
Thanks for the tip. Why cheaper then static grass with similar results. Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Thanks, folks. It's so easy and large areas can be covered quickly with no mess. I'm sure there's lots of variations on this technique. Like a good recipe, everyone can tweak it and make it their own. It's a cheap way to get good results and easy to pull up and redo if needed.
Great post. Good ideas here. Does the fake fur piece just pull up off of the layout to be reused and pull away from the Liquid Nails? I would have thought that the Liquid Nails would be almost permanent.
It pulls off with a little effort. It stays in one piece. I've reused several sections and cut them to fit new areas where possible. I suppose another type of adhesive would work. This is just the stuff I use. Lots of opportunity to experiment with this method.
Fake fur isn't just for open fields. I used it tonight for a wooded hillside as well. It looks funny at first but after blending the edges in with natural materials along with ground foam and poly fiber it looks better. I then added ground debris and fallen tree trunks before adding the trees. The west end of the cut through the hillside transitions into fall and then winter as you get to the end of the line at Zalma. This transition of seasons is a carryover from my previous 4x8.
Here's the stuff I get at Hobby Lobby. I wrongly call it fake fur. The clerk called it felt fleece. Sorry for the confusion this may have caused.
Yes, it's on a bolt in the fabric section. I bought another yard and a half while I was there at lunch. Great for dioramas and display base scenery as well.
I really like how this turns out. Thanks for posting this. I am curious though, why you use a tan or honey colored felt and not start with a green? Thanks, Steve
Glad to see that someone else found Faux fur useful. Visit my 2006 article: http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/fur_grass/ Thank you if you visit Harold
Thanks for posting the project and to Harold for posting the link to the article . The use of the faux fir will be a challenge in N scale ...
I would think the tan with green ground foam on top would look more like brush. Brown trunks and branches with green leaves. Just my guess at this point. I plan on trying this.