Help, my ground cover is too green.

jkristia

Member
Today I spend a couple of hours putting down some ground cover, and I'm not really happy with the result so far. The problem is that I find it to be too green. First I painted the plaster with a light earth colored latex paint and then I sprinkled the ground cover in a thin layer over it. I didn’t really like that result, since the layer was to thin and the paint to visible, so I decided to fully cover it with the ground cover. I used Woodlands "Blended Turf – Green" http://www.woodlandscenics.com, but now when it’s fully covered, the problem is that it’s too green. I know that I will be adding more layers and brushes, scrubs and trees, but still, the base ground cover is to dark green, so now my question is, how can I save (rescue) this. Will a thin layer of "Fine Turf – Yellow Grass" do it? I think what I would like is to have a lighter less green color (does that make any sense?).

Once again I appreciate youe help.
Jesper
 

shamus

Registered Member
Hi, don't worry about that first coating of green, it's only a starter. When it's dry, use some diluted whitewood glue 50/50 water and paint it over it, now add (Only a little) soil in various parts plus some reddish sand and soil mixed together and sprinkle it over part of it. If you have some litchen (Dark green) & Burnt grass, add a little bit of that to various parts of it. Next morning when all is dry and the white woodglue has lost it's white look, stand back and take a good look at it. If you think it needs more added, then do the same again until it looks okay.
Shamus
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NYCentral

Member
What I do is sprinkle many layers of different colors of green, a little medium green here, dark green there, light green, dried grass, etc. None of them even. And like Shamus said the first layer is just the starter, after about 8 layers you will be much happier!
 

Vic

Active Member
Hi Jesper, It turned out looking like a golfcourse didn't it?:eek: :D Not to worry my firend:) You haven't messed up:) Like the others have said just keep adding different colors and textures to it until you achieve the desired effect. Put down some other colors heavy in some aeras and light in other areas. If you are working with the WS products add some of their "soil" to it too.

Actually in nature there are no regular colors, textures or shapes although our eyes may preceive them that way. Just keep that in mind as you make natural scenery.

The great (and fun) thing about scenery is that there is no right way to do it and if you don't like it you can always go over it again.

Hope this helps :)
 
One of the things I like to do is use a variety of textures, not just ground foam. I use everything from sifted pebbles and dirt to bits of twigs to a mixture of "pulverized" clay cat litter and tree leaves. (I pulverized them in an old electric coffee bean grinder I bought at a garage sale.) Applying these things randomly and mixed with the ground foam gives me a mixture of textures and different colors that - to my eyes - looks pretty good.

A word of caution, though, about using some of these materials: run a magnet through any of it you plan to apply around trackage just in case there are small metal particles that might be attracted to a loco's motor. Also, with the cat litter (if you decide to try it), be sure to use a brand that is pure clay and no additives. I use a brand called "Country Fair." It was the cheapest stuff on the shelves. A 5-lb bag of it has lasted me nearly 5 years.
 

jon-monon

Active Member
All this reminds me of my first layout; it was soooooo coool (back then). I was schmardt nuff to paint the 1/4", yep, 1/4 plywood green first. That way it would be nice and green, just like in lawnheadville. Then I got a big ole bag a green sawdust. As darka green as ya get with a double shot a scotts super duper body builders turf builder and watering 10 times a day. I had a 1/4" of that beautiful dark green sawdust everywhere. And it was coooool. I made tire tracks in it. Waxed my locos too, so they always looked new :D :D :D
 

Drew1125

Active Member
Hi Jesper!
If you mix the textures, like the others here have mentioned, it gives you a much more realistic look (as opposed to the "Golf Course Central" that Vic mentioned :D )
Here's what I do...
I start with the earth-colored latex paint, then I add dirt that I've sifted through a metal window screen, then I add some ground foam, some more dirt, & some "debris"...i.e. twigs, pieces of scrap styrene, etc...
It comes out looking something like this...
 

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