Terrain: Fields

So the first scenario in the Rangers of Shadow Deep book is called 'the deserted village'. And as I always want to play on a setting fitting board, I wanted to make some fields. I already have some huts and other stuff. But small fields would add a lot of life.

Materials
- MDF or thick card (I use a strawberry box)
- Terrarium plant mat
- Duct tape
- Glue gun and pva glue
- Sand and flock
- BBQ sticks and thin wood (or ice cream sticks)
- Cheap brown acrylic paint

Step 1
I found two different kinds of 1' square 'mats' with terrarium plants on ebay. I'm not sure I get the actual use, but it's easy to pull off the individual plants and use them for something else. So make a bunch of these.

Step 2
Find something to use as a base. I'm using some strawberry boxes, easy to pull apart and free. The as always give the back a cross of duct tape. The cross will prevent the base from warping when glue is drying on the other side.

Step 3
Use your hot glue gun to attach the individual plants on the base. I made sure to put them in straight rows and with enough room for 25 mm bases to fit in the plant rows. It always looks weird when models have to stand on top of the crops in a field - as if often seen.

Step 4
Time to make some fencing around the fields. Using my hobby clippers I cut of small pieces of BBQ stick. Then use the hot glue gun to put them all around the fields edge.

Step 5
I have some scavenged mahogany pieces, that's only 1 - 2 mm thick. So it's easy to cut out some pieces that will looks as boards, and unlike ice cream sticks, these will not need painting. To keep them in place, I weaved them between the BBQ sticks, and glued in place with pva glue. 

Step 6 - painting and flocking
First add sand to the base with pva glue Then paint it all with cheap brown acrylics. The fence I haven't painted, I've only given it a wash of thinned brown.

When flocking the edge of the field, use a lot. PVA glue on the edge, lots of flock, let it dry and shake off - makes a much better cover.

I have some green sawdust flock, the stuff you saw on old 90's green GW bases. I used this to better mark out the rows of plants in the field.

All done
And that's it. Two different fields for my collection of fantasy terrain.