making habitat

[Hugh-P]

This thread is working out very well, lots of Ideas, I know its good cause I like it, grin.

[Wildbirdcarver]

I just reviewed several (~6) lists in WCI on Habitat. They are good. I'm sure that there are new techniques and materials available now that time has passed. I don't recall how I go this website How to Make Glue Bugs . It uses hot melt glue to make bugs. I found it useful, but haven't tried it yet. Check it out and see what you can come up with. Tell this group what you think. I'm going to give it a try. DM

[Wildbirdcarver]

There are many ways to make bark on trees. Here is one way:
1. Make a branch shape out of basswood or your favorite wood.
2.The draw irregular lines about 1/2 inch apart up and down the branch. 3.Draw irregular lines horizonal connecting the longer lines going up and down the branch. All lines should be irregular and making different shapes around the entire "branch".
4. Using a round 1/8" ball (diamond, metal) make the long lines into grooves
5. Using a round 1/16" ball make a groove in each of the shorter horizonal lines. Remember all lines are irregular.
6. Undercut all sides of the shapes you have just made with a V tool or appropriate burr. The undercuts depth should be varied.
7. Vary the surface of the now made "bark" to have various pits, humps, etc.
8. Using a diamond needle punch holes at random into the "bark". Not all of the bark needs this done.
9. pound the bark with a rough rock to make indentions in the "bark".
10. Now use a brown stain to cover the branch. Try to make the grooves darker than the surface of the bark.
11. high light one side of the branch with dry brushing paint.
Use your imagination to where you leave bare spots, tips of the branch, etc.

Please add to this to make a better branch. We need all ideas so that our habitat improves. Thanks, DM

[jpittssr]

For Lichen & Moss,
On a buffalo carving, I needed lichen & moss. I used elmers white glue with hardwood router dust mixed into a paste. Applied then painted. You can see the picture in my gallery Title "Under attack"

Ed

[Wildbirdcarver]

Ed, thanks for this great tip. I didn't think of sawdust and glue! Duh!
I'm going to do this and try to mix a little acrylic paint in the mixture before it dries. Then finish the painting of it with a different shade(s). DM

[Donna_T]

I like basket weaving reeds for making grasses and cattail fronds, flower leaves, long grass that leans in flowing air and water. It has lines in it like real grass,can be split, sanded, twisted, bent, and shaped easily when passing it over a flame's heat (I use a candle). Then paint,using different shades of green,with yellow on the edges to make it look thinner and translucent. The reeds come in different widths. Make friends with a basket weaver and ask them to save their scraps for you! I bought a whole grocery sack of scraps for $1.00!

Donna_T

[Wildbirdcarver]

Thanks for all the submissions. Our collective knowledge will really advance our carvings. Please take the time to submit tips on materials, techniques, and sources for techniques. It doesn't have to be earth shaking or deeply involved. It will trigger other ideas.

1.As I find ideas I post them to my computer (DOCUMENTS)
2. under the 3 different headings of Carving, Painting and Habitat. (To make the folder start off with your word processor)
3 For those of you that need some help with this just highlight (left click the mouse and hold it as you glide over the passage you want to save.) 4.Then click CTRL and C at the same time.
5.Go to your selected heading (folder) and put the curser on the selected page.
6.Click CTRL and V at the same time. Your selected passage will be deposited where you have the curser.

there may be easier ways to do this, but this is how I do it. When the folder has collected quite a few items I print them off and put them in a three ring binder. A different binder for each folder.
Happy Carving, DM

[Wildbirdcarver]

Twig carving...WCI/spring 2007 has a great article by Kenny Vermillion on carving a twig for your habitat.

[opakitas]

love to see step by step photos of this to give a better idea. can't wait to do some of them

[dnstehly]

I realize this does not conform to the way most people make habitats but the original request was for all techniques so I'll throw this one into the discussion. The goal here was to construct a habitat where everything but the fake water was carved wood. I created this habitat as a stand for a walking stick with a water snake decending from it. The shaft of the walking stick was carved to appear as a weather worn fence post shored up by a pile of rocks (you see the bottom of the stick in the picture). I harvest all of my own wood so I guess you would say all here is "found wood". The base is a slab of sugar maple hollowed on the near end to accept the Envirotex "water". The lily pads are part of the base. The rocks are carved from the wood cut off of the base when shaping it. I selected dogwood for the birch leaves, twigs, and sedge grass since the strength of dogwood allows very thin carvings. The frog is pear wood. The "muddy" bank is just randomly gouged into the base and coated with several heavy coats of mud colored acrylic paint. The water was poured in two layers with an algae color painted onto the first layer before applying the second. As for models, I picked up some rocks, some birch leaves and twigs, and a sedge grass plant and copied them in wood.