Thursday 21 June 2012

How to Make Minis Using Plant Materials

Look around you when you are out for a walk or in your garden and you're bound to see natural materials that can be used for making minis. We've just had a load of firewood delivered so now I have sheets of bark and blobs of lichen to play with!
 Here are some plants that I've used to make miniatures:

  • Capsicum seeds when dried make perfect potato chips.
  • Grape pips when dried look like little pears for a fruit bowl or food sack.
  • Grape stems can be dried and when foliage is glued on can be used for trees.
  • Lichen can be separated into tiny bits and glued on roof tiles in places to make a dolls house roof look old. Or it can be left in clumps and used as bushes in a garden, especially if sprayed green.
  • Acorn caps when sandpapered smooth make nice wooden bowls.
  • Coriander seeds look like 1:12 scale nuts.
  • Walnut shells make tiny cradles. Or I have used them sliced across as wooden platters, as in the photo.
  • Strips of bark look great as the outer covering of a woodland cottage or tree stump house.
  • Thin tree branches, sliced into rounds, make stepping stones in a garden scene.
I'm sure you have more ideas for using plants as minis. Let me know!

2 comments:

  1. Aaaah!!! Began to look around, TOO!

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  2. Yes, Blanche, it's amazing what you can find when you look at things with making minis in mind.

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