4 Cheap & Easy Tall Grass Clumps (Frugal Wargames Foliage)

[@CRUDE360]

I now want to see each and every one of those incorporated into a project

[@louiechidwick6034]

I use dead pine needles from my local forest and hot glue them into clumps which can be trimmed later, I also find this method great for reed beds around water margins. Dead pine needles also make excellent thatch for roofing! ATB, Louie :)

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Off a hunting!

[@nerdfatha]

I had a question, and Mel, you are always there to answer it, 4 years before I knew I wanted to know! I really wanted to know if I could use natural grass, and low and behold, you said I could and how to make it work. You are a champion among men!

[@familyofgamers777]

Cheapo is the way to go! Nice job Mel.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

familyofgamers777 It certainly is mate

[@patricklefevre1342]

ROFLMAO!!!!I bought 2 dishwashing brushes the other day, they were 99 cent each so dirt cheap. They have nice light clumps and the handles can be turned into ornamental collumns. The wife was happy when I got them because she tought I was going to use them to do the dishes.....You should've seen the poor girl's face when realisation sunk in :-D :-D :-D

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Love it!

[@michaelslack5269]

Me too as in ROFLMAO!!!!...........Dude! I love yer style! Showed yer reply to Mlady and she (wife) says your my long lost brother separated at birth...LOFL! Well played sir!

[@DrDeathmonger]

Another cheap alternative that you might consider is sisal twine. It's cheap. Cut a length and pull it apart, then gather the strands to the desired thickness. Maybe dry brush it. The only thing that might be a hindrance is that it isn't very stiff, but a little wash of watered down pva should help it hold the shape you want. I've seen a guy cut a length, fold it in half to look like a shoot of vegetation, press the bottom of the shoot directly into polystyrene, and put some glue there to hold it in place.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

DrDeathmonger Haven't played with twine yet but it's on the list to try now, thanks for the heads up mate

[@DrDeathmonger]

TheTerrainTutor Anytime Mel. As soon as I get my hobby space sorted out I'm going to try dying some of it. If I get to that anytime soon I'll let you know how it goes.

[@WGConsortium]

Haha I was doing cheap paint brushes but I haven't though of just buy heads of sweeper brooms. lol You sir, care my hero!

[@TheTerrainTutor]

The Wargamers Consortium But I don't have a cape? ;-)

[@TheArtofFencing]

Even if it sounds silly, but my german shepherd looses a lot of hair in changing seasons and I am able to pull bulks of undercoat out of his fur. These have a nice beige colour, a little dark brown at the button and come in nice bundles in the size of the first brush you showed and every hair which ends on my terrain doesn't end on my carpet, so a win win situation :) Have a nice weekend, bye

[@TheTerrainTutor]

tae1000esd If it works for you mate, go for it :-)

[@Irtehdar]

I bought a nail brush and dipped it in pva upside down so only the ends of the hairs at the very bottom got glue on them. Once it was dry I cut off each bundle and I got something like 80 premade grass clumps for less than 10 minutes total worktime and 24 hours drying time between the two stages.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Irtehdar that's some clever crafting, thanks for the tip :-)

[@AddictedAnew]

Keep ramblin and I'll keep watchin.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

AddictedAnew I'll never stop rambling matey :-)

[@marksmangaming9306]

Very good ideas mel, always keep your eyes open for anything you could use and cheap is best.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Marksman Gaming I've always got my eyes open for stuff like this mate

[@Forge_n_Brush]

Excellent. More simple terrain-making goodness. Very useful info.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Kurtus Brown glad it helped matey :-)

[@rustysmith3565]

Your videos open my eyes to countless possibilities, i need to expand my imagination ,,,,,,,,i'm trying

[@billd.iniowa2263]

The welcome mat looks good, though I may need the Woodland Scenics stuff to get down to the 10mm scale I'm working in. Anybody got any ideas for really small fibers? I guess I could save all the hair I pull out of my shower drain...lol. Oh, by the way Mel, the Terrainiac Facebook group was a stroke of genius. Let people help themselves so you can free up more of your time to build! Clever. ;-)

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Bill D. in Iowa Momma never raised no fool matey. Well actually I thought i'd be doing more work but I'm well chuffed with how it's turned out ;-)

[@thefatfilo-oficer4332]

your a man who livings on the edge

[@aerendil9143]

Hello mate! Here's another possiblity for you I've been using for years and it's one of the most readily available, inexpensive and easy to work with... plain everyday hemp rope.

[@johnharrison7997]

Great advice and info. Keep up the excellent work. Thanks

[@TheTerrainTutor]

+John Harrison no worries mate

[@AnneAndersonFoxiepaws]

Ooh Great! Grass! I will be ripping handfuls out of the common here in Sunny Hackney! Great! I have really cheap brushes that I was thinking about using for my 1:6th horse who has taken over everything in my little action figure world...I can't think of anything except making harness and grass! Omg doormat jute stuff! Much cleaner than hamster straw and sawdust for the stable diorama! You are a genius!

[@tiffanyroberts9216]

Brilliant! Thanks for sharing all these tips.

[@irinas9721]

There's something plumbers use over here where I live. It looks like hairy tape and it basically is made of flax. Flax tape! Or whatever they call it. They use it when joining pipes to make it tighter. It's a lot like horsehair, real cheap as well.

[@irinas9721]

also going to try dried larch needles, they are available almost any time

[@TheTerrainTutor]

I'll check it out mate :-)

[@TheTerrainTutor]

What's a larch?

[@jairoukagiri2488]

Larch is a kind of pine, chief. Little spring bundles. images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large/european-larch-needles-colin-varndell.jpg

[@RedDragonModelWerks]

Thanks for the tips Mel!

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Red Dragon ModelWerks Anytime mate

[@IDICBeer]

Cool idea

[@TheTerrainTutor]

***** Cheers bud

[@user-wp9vf8kx1h]

Thank You Soooo Much for these Great Ideas🙏🏽. Best Tutorial👍🏾👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@spencerwhipple625]

Indeed! And then I tried your method with some bristle brushes and it looked better, was faster to do, and, and, looked better heh. I think at the tone I also was loathe to use a brush for it as my collection was minimal and I was trying everything to not buy anything. Homemade flock and clump foliage, etc. Cheap cheap cheap. Running outta stick now though, gonna have to put some cash out pretty soon.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Spencer Whipple glad it's worked well for you mate :-)

[@jenniferw8963]

What do you think about dehydrating freshly picked grass. Then grinding it up with a spice grinder to desired grain size, then run through a strainer. Then use this as free flock? Btw, what light green flock do you buy? I want to go with light green ... this medium green Woodland Scenic is pretty dark.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Jennifer Gwinn That'd certain work, just make sure its really dry before grinding it. I actual use a range of flocks from a British company called Jarvis, so I couldn't recommend a woodland scenics one.

[@xROBIx85]

Hey Mel love the video keep up the good work.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

xROBIx85 Cheers mate

[@todorminchev2123]

coconut fibers could work aswell or maybe some rope but that distressed brown one you brush it out with a toothbrush or a wire brush to distress it into fibers and boom grass XD

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Yep, they'll all work

[@michaeltubbs4606]

Badgers. "They run faster than the hogs do". LOL!

[@peterasbjrnhansen2834]

You can use a hairstacker from Fly tying.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Nice!

[@fredayres1]

good job, great help to me.thanks

[@spencerwhipple625]

I once made an attempt by brushing out felt into strands with a wire brush. It didn't turn out quite right, but it was a first attempt (and only the third piece of terrain I ever made), so it could work better on a second try. I mostly tried it because I had it on hand. I guess it's probably harder than what you show here so it might be moot... Hmm, well, it is an option in the absence of better materials at any rate heh

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Spencer Whipple It's only by trying these things that we learn matey :-)

[@apophisjones4361]

Nice grass . Hello from down under mate .lol

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Cheers

[@MrSepoy1857]

Cracking ideas! Thanks.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Scott Dallimore Anytime mate

[@georgetaylor5482]

Hey Mel, do you think it is possible to use the hogs hair brush as leaves for weeping willow tree leaves, after some painting?

[@TheTerrainTutor]

+George Taylor I think they're too straight, you'd be better going with combed cotton wool mate

[@sabinekather7078]

Suuuper... thanks a lot!!

[@TheTerrainTutor]

+Sabine Käther no worries

[@JimBCameron]

I'm watching this with a big bundle of unwound twine cut down & I'm thinking with a glue gun base they'd work well?

[@thomaskeesman9145]

Doing exactly the same thing. Using mine for random dead grasses in a vacant lot. So far, the best pieces have been in the garden and are dulled and/or darkened. Cheers hhj

[@jjab99]

Another great video. Was that a LINKA mould that I could see on your desk? I would love to see a video on that as I have a few of those moulds in my desk.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

jjab99 It is, it's been a long time, maybe in the future ;-)

[@one1shot1shaun]

Can you do corn fields Thanks love your work

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Shaun Wright Lord Sure mate, it's on the list :-)

[@pblackcrow]

Oh, by the way...Do you think that Wizards of the Coast should do Birthright as a miniature war game?

[@sigururjonsson4616]

Hope they do.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Who are Wizards of the Coast and what's Birthright?

[@Tech2Rush]

TheTerrainTutor WotC are the guys who made Magic: the Gathering. Also the people who now own the rights to D&D.

[@sigururjonsson4616]

TheTerrainTutor Birthright is an old D&D settings that went out of print and into legend.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Tech2Rush I have no idea! lol

[@Pipedog42]

The large brush fibers make great stick bundles or stick piles, for medieval scenes. Pile of sticks beside a forge sorta thing, or a wagon load of 'faggots' (stick bundles) as a peasants burden. I use my wife's hair for tall grass sometimes as she is a redhead and the contrast of the occasional red clump is interesting , but mostly I use the natural stuff or old paint brushes, and sometime my own hair as well.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

***** Nice tip, skinning the wife, I'll give it a go! ;-)

[@devildogwargaming7594]

I was wondering if dogs hair would be any good? I've got a long haired dachshund and he doesn't help with the rent, or pay anything towards the bills. Using his fur to make stuff for my toy soldiers would be a good way to help me out with something.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Steve Horne no idea and the dog is now looking at me with his concerned look

[@devildogwargaming7594]

Poor pooch. :)

[@animusrot7353]

good idea making the hedges outs of a tall doormat. now I have to find one...

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Animos Rot I found that the most challenging part mate, good luck hunting a decent one down

[@juliankaye8143]

Go to a garden centre and buy coconut hanging basket liner.

[@unkhter]

great ideas :)

[@TheTerrainTutor]

unkhter Cheers bud :-)

[@cgrigg1]

My wife tells me i need to grow up... I'm not going to stop wargaming...

[@TheClassicWorld]

Is wargaming for kids? I hope she doesn't like the great British sci-fi writer, H. G. Wells. He invented wargaming at the age of 50. He also invented the 'ray gun'. Everybody loves ray guns.

[@joshjohnston7388]

My wife appreciates that while I am a grown person who is basically responsible, I stay fun. She has since started on lego.

[@iaodfsh]

Tell her to grow down

[@michaelslack5269]

Cheap as chips...matey ;)

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Exactly!

[@IronxIx]

Old shaving brush: jst3p.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/wpid-wp-1426809584768.jpeg

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Jason Stephens That'll do :-)

[@pblackcrow]

I have a slightly different approach...cat hair from white long haired.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Shannon Stokely I pity the pets of my subscribers .....

[@pblackcrow]

Uh, the sheddings...When I brush the cats.

[@redgreen09]

wellll yes like em and stuf you get out side you get get out walk rond get out if like the place go on picnic with famly and day out get whay from NO PHONS AND BLANKS turn em off :::;;}}}

[@TheTerrainTutor]

redgreen09 Weekends are family time mate :-)

[@ricksandfort8836]

Nice video! But for the love of God- please stop saying whatchacallit!

[@Irtehdar]

Every time he says ''whatchacallit'' you do a shot. :D

[@ricksandfort8836]

I'd be drunk after the first couple of minutes .... And then I wouldn't learn nothin' !

[@ricksandfort8836]

It's distracting, is all!

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Rick Sandfort Never gonna happen mate, it's just how I roll :-)