writes:When you're starting out in the hobby, you might be frustrated at the lack of terrain in your collection. Sure, you can put a dark green paper or cloth on the tabletop and call it woods, but it would be nice to have something more… dimensional. However, model trees – particularly in the larger scales – can be budget-breaking.
A simple alternative is to get some green construction paper, scissors, and white glue, and make a basic cone. That works for a basic tree, right?
If you want something a bit more sturdy, consider the paper mache tree cones that can be found in hobby stores during the holiday season. Crafters use these to not only make Christmas trees, but also Elf heads with pointy hats. They come in a variety of sizes. I found the set above at Hobby Lobby, six cones for $1.99 USD (seasonal sale price).
If you leave the cones unbased, you can stack them for storage. I thought they would look better with bases, so am using these 3" wooden circles from Walmart. I've spray-primed the bases on one side, matte black.
I apply white glue to the base on the cones, and place them on the unpainted side of the bases.
After the glue dried, I paint the cones with an inexpensive green paint. (Fortunately, green paint is easily found during holiday season!) It takes two coats to get good coverage… because I'm using cheap paint.
Next, I painted the base with inexpensive brown craft paint.
When the paint was dry, I applied thinned-down white glue to the base, and dredged the tree in a container of flock. And after that dried, I sealed everything with a spray of clear matte.
Above, you can see some 32mm fantasy figures in the cone forest. That's a starter forest for a new gamer!
If you want to improve the look, you've got tons of options. Cover with green wrapping paper. Wrap with green yarn. Take some green paper, cut fringes in it, and apply them overlapping from bottom to top. Flock the tree (in a different color than the grass).
What else could you use these cones for? Obstacles in the matrix? Stalagmites in a cave? Indian tepees? Rocky spires?