Time for something a bit different, but continuing the experiments with the textured paint. As I made up a batch, I had better use it up

. Dont get too excited, this was just a little play to see what could be done, the finished item could be used on many layouts though, how about a tree stump. Note the photo's are a bit cruel here, they are much larger than life size, thats my excuse anyway

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The thinking here is not just to use the method for a stump, the same techniques could be used to produce the flare at the base of a tree, something that is often lacking when natural material is used to create trees on a layout.
The material used as the basis here was a short length of twig, cut from a Willow tree. I liked the bark texture and colour, not that you see that when finished

. This piece is about 10mm diameter and 25mm long. If I had known it was going to come out so well, I think I would have used a thicker material, maybe next time. This is how uninspiring it was to start with.
This was simply glued to a scrap of card, then thoughts turned to forming the roots which gives a tree the flare at the base. For this, I used a cheap substitute for Blu-tac, though white in colour, this adhesive putty should be the same as the brand leader, but it's not very sticky, so it has been relagated to jobs like this. It is very quick and easy to shape and prod into place, using a craft knife and the handle of a small paintbrush. The fact that it doesnt set hard, doesnt matter for this job. Plasticine, Das, Milliput and the like, can be used in much the same way.
Next step was to cover the putty and provide a base for the textured paint to stick to. This was done with a mixture of PVA, emulsion/latex paint and a bit of Chinchilla dust (fine sand would also work), mixed into a thin slurry. This was then brushed over the base of the stump. I did add a touch of black poster paint to the mix so it showed up better in the pics, but this is not needed.
This only took a few minutes to dry as it was applied quite thinly, it is just a key for the next coating. The textured paint is what will add body to this and rather than the smooth coating that I used on the trough earlier in the tread, I wanted a rougher texture, so added in some more Chinchilla dust (a very versatile material, but fine sand can be used instead). This was then brushed over the entire base, but leaving the cut top of the stump showing. I know I should have two cuts on a cut down tree, but that will have to wait till next time

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Once the coating is dry (about 30 minutes), time to add some colour. Nothing very difficult here. With the exception of the cut top, the whole thing was given a thin wash of burnt umber poster paint, then before that was dry, a little thin black applied around the base to create the shadows. Looks pretty awful at this stage I know.
Finally, a bit of ground foam to finish it off. A bit basic, but for this it didnt seem worth going to town on the foliage. Adding some tall grasses, ferns, ivy and the like, will have to wait till it goes on a layout.
So thats it

. This was quick and easy to make, even taking into account, I was learning as I went. I suppose, excluding drying time, the whole thing took less than 30 minuted to make, next time will be a lot quicker, now I know how to do it.