Lazy Landscaping : crafting hedges for wargaming terrain

So far I used iceland moss to create hedges and shrubberies for my wargaming terrain. But to me, its obvious flaw was its notorious brittleness once exposed to heat or a dry climate. At this year’s Luxcon (link), our table was in a prime location at the south windows. At the end of very sunny day, my hedges in our demo game were brittle and dry… and damaged.

That was the moment I decided to think about crafting new hedges for my wargaming terrain collection. And given the fact, that I haven’t posted something worthy in ages, I felt compelled to make a post of it. Enjoy…

1. Concept

After having started the project, I realised that the entire project hung on one mantra: trust the process.

The main goal was to craft sturdy hedges that look somewhat acceptable on my wargaming table and act as linear terrain or obstacles. My priority list was as follows:

playability > sturdiness > realism.

Additionally, I wanted to experiment with combining several methods and materials… just because I can. As a bonus: I worked my way through my pile of leftover bits.

2. Tools and supplies

• a heavy-duty cutter an ideally a hotwire cutter, to speed up the process
• an exacto knife
• sanding paper: to soften corners, clean cutting edges, and rough up surfaces
• glue: I usually use PVA glue, if possible, mod podge
• your usual selection of (cheap) craft paints, and if possible, some inks, paintbrushes and a pipette
• leftover XPS styrodur bits
• thick cardboard or (better) plastic sheets
• basing material and some rocks… you get them for free outdoors. go out and get some fresh air
• a selection of wood-like sticks… check your herb garden 😉
• coco fibres, the type you use in gardening
• ground coffee, old tea leaves, spoiled herbs and other plant residue
• disposable latex gloves… you will need them
• patience and trust

3. Crafting

a. Bases

I cut several bases out of 1.5mm thick plastic sheets. They are about 1” wide and either 6” or 4” long. I added 4 corner pieces. My original hedges were crafted using the Test of Honour template, and I stuck to those dimensions because they were passe partout (olala).

Additionally, I cut out a few potato-shaped bases for less regular shrubberies.

I used sanding paper to soften the edges. I recommend roughing up the surface of the plastic aswell; otherwise the glue and paint will have a hard time sticking to it. Use sanding paper or a file brush.

b. The core

This is where we begin to trust the process, because it will look very “wrong” all along.

As the core of the hedges I chose (as I so often do) XPS Styrodur. I cut out several pieces and shaped them into very rough forms. The hotwire cutter did the heavy lifting. A sharp cutter will do the trick as well, but it will take considerably longer.

SAFETY FIRST: be careful when using a sharp knife, and wear a mask when using the hotwire cutter.

The cores of the hedges were then glued onto the bases. The less regular they are, the better.

Afterwards, I covered and primed everything in a thick layer of PVA glue/mod podge mixed with some black ink. Once dry, the mix will add some stability and protect the XPS. The dark colour acts as free shadow in later stages.

c. A brief interlude

While waiting for the mod podge mix to dry, I began mixing some green flock using ground coffee, paint, and water (and a lot of energetic mixing). I followed Eric’s recipe (link).
I mixed several batches in different tones of green, and combined them all at the end. Nature is not always the same shade of green.

Additionally, I made a few batches of foliage using dried tea leaves and herbs. I spread the dried plant-corpses on a sheet of baking paper. Then I sprinkled some heavily diluted green and yellow paint over the heaps. I made several shades and later found the most yellow tone would fit best. Since it was sweltering hot that day, I used free solar power to accelerate the drying time of the foliage. Once thoroughly dry, I shredded everything in my trusty vegetable and nut chopper, creating a totally naturally looking mix of “leaves”.

Since the texture step contains several curing and drying periods, you have plenty of time to mix up your flock. I even made some extra for future projects.

d. Texture ; keep trusting the process

Once the primer had dried and cured, I proceeded to add proper hedge texture. Before adding any texture elements, I covered the entire thing with dark brown, effectively creating a bar of melted chocolate.

I covered the XPS core with lightly watered-down, transparent PVA glue and dipped it into coco fibre. The watery glue soaked into the fibre and made it sturdy. Be advised: at this point, it might look like the magnum opus of a dung beetle.

Once the coco fibre had sufficiently dried, I turned to the bases. I added the usual mix of stones, sand, and a blend of PVA and brown ink. I went with my lazy basing method (link).

Curing time (insert appropriate Hammer Time moves here ^_^ )

Before adding the “flock”, you might need to cut off any excess coco fibre that sticks out unnaturally from the hedge. 
SAFETY FIRST: do not attempt to remove excess coco fibre with a flame. Use scissors instead ; it takes longer, but it is considerably safer.

I then applied lightly watered-down PVA glue over the surface of the hedge using a paintbrush. Working from above rather than the sides, I tried to make the flock look as if it were naturally growing on the hedge… or at least somewhat realistic. Gods, I hope this makes any sense.

As outlined before, I intended to use coloured ground coffee and tea leves leftovers. I sprinkled the homemade flock on the hedges. Finally I dripped highly diluted Mod Podge on the foliage to fix it in place. Like with the coco fibre, the watery glue was supposed to soak into the ground coffee and tea leaves and make it sufficiently solid.

Some more curing time using solar energy.

e. Adding some paint and details

In the end, I added some highlights here and there, especially in the foliage.

If you feel daring, dip the entire thing in some wash. But I did’t feel daring and I dread the additional drying time.

And this is where the fun part begins (right at the end). You may add details like branches, wood, uncoloured/brown tea leaves as old foliage and mushrooms (like in my creepy tree post), critters, etc., which will draw attention away from the ground coffee/ tea leaves foliage.

4. Final thoughts

Keep trusting the process. I am fully aware that these hedges don’t look as fancy as other wargaming terrain, but as I said initially, the primary goal was to craft something more durable than iceland moss.

Using different types of materials as foliage was a risk I was willing to take. In the future I might use different materials that are faster to prepare. The drying time of the herbs in particular was unexpectedly long.

Also, I missed the opportunity to add branches and details INTO to the hedges. I wanted to do it, but forgot while applying the coco fibre.

While the project itself is fairly simple, it takes a lot of time. Consequently, I am not sure if I’d use the same method when building a larger terrain piece that includes a hedge. That said, having prepared several batches of foliage in advance should simplify everything… we’ll see.
On a different note, the next hedges I plan to craft will have an autumnal and wintry feel ; I will simply replace the green leaves with brown ones, or leave them out entirely.

All in all, I consider my objective achieved: building a sturdy hedge for my wargaming table using easily available materials. Oddly enough, what was supposed to be a fast and straightforward project turned out to be one of the longest I have ever undertaken.

Happy crafting