Please someone teach me how to build a forest floor!

[MovieMocs]

I don't know...it just doesn't look right. This is my first base-plate diorama. I need some advice on techniques or tricks on how I can make it look more "Professional" Any advice would be great. Thanks :)

 

DSC_1267 by Movie Mocs, on Flickr

DSC_1269 by Movie Mocs, on Flickr

DSC_1270 by Movie Mocs, on Flickr

DSC_1272 by Movie Mocs, on Flickr

[sander1992]

I think the use of parts is good, but the use of colors could be better.

If you use reddish brown, dark brown, dark orange, green, bright green, olive green and dark green, then you got a nice forest ground.

Mostly I use dark tan for paths. 

How to build articles

That is an useful link on Classic-Castle to build landscape and castles.

[aps27]

I like the use of colours and the rather impromptu style of the pathway.

Dont hesitate to layer bricks though, perhaps try playing around with a bit of a slope of a mini hill to add a little more depth. This may mean you need a small border to help hide any structural pieces though.

Give this brilliant guide a read, it covers a lot of useful points.

 

 

[Slegengr]

@MovieMocs I would recommend checking out Eurobricks' Guilds of Historica.  There are many builds that include amazing forests.  You may need to dig a bit, but references for Medieval techniques abound.

For some quick advice, I recommend less tan.  Usually, you should try to use a limited color palette of 2 or 3 colors for each portion of the terrain, such as only 2 colors for the earth and only 2 main colors in the foliage (aside from flowers or small details).  Using too many colors in small scale causes a disoriented and jumbled appearance that is very distracting. 

I also recommend using reference pictures to ensure color and texture accuracy, as well as to determine what type of forest or any terrain you are trying to build.  In your case here, the tan looks like sand from a desert or wasteland mixed with green foliage from a dense forest.  These seems out of place together.  Putting a palm tree in a snowy terrain would seem out of place.  What I mean is to make sure the elements of your terrain and foliage make sense together.  This goes for parts usage as well as color usage.

Another thing to remember is that using round or wedge plates in addition to square plates gives a more natural and organic appearance.  There are very few straight lines in nature.  This requires a more diverse set of pieces, but investing in some round plates and wedge plates for terrain may be a very good investment.  Avoid using tiles for terrain that is not meant to be completely smooth.  Most terrain is rough rather than smooth.

[MovieMocs]

@Slegengr

@aps27

@sander1992

Oh my gosh, Thank you guys SO much for all this advice. These resources helped me so much! Thanks again! I'll be in touch (Hopefully with a better forest :)

[XBrickmonster]

@MovieMocs I think you know what you want it to look like, but it still could be better. If you try to stick with plates rather than bricks, it will look more natural and flow better. I like to use dark green and dark tan, personally. Try to limit your color pallet to two or three colors max. 

Often what I do with forest paths is try to give them a "used" look by removing a few at random, especially when you have circular stones in the path. 

Keep up the good work!

[MovieMocs]

@XBrickmonster

Thanks for the advice! I'll defiantly try that. 

[kabel]

You may also refer to all the other tutorials in the index section, for instance the tree building tutorial

[XBrickmonster]

On 8/9/2017 at 4:52 AM, kabel said:

You may also refer to all the other tutorials in the index section, for instance the tree building tutorial

@kabel Yeah. A good forest floor is nothing without good trees!

[FortNerd]

I'd consider adding some curve pieces to make it look less minecrafty.

[Aanchir]

Plant/undergrowth pieces like 3741, 6255, and 15279 can be great for adding texture/dimension to a forest floor and helping to separate the path from the wilderness. How dense you make them depends on what type of forest you want to make. Mushrooms are also easy to build using a 1x1 cone and 2x2 dish! The color is up to you, and there are even a couple printed radar dishes specially designed for use as mushrooms! (one in red and one in Sand Yellow/Dark Tan).

Another suggestion I'd make is to try using darker colors for the ground. You're using a lot of Brick Yellow/Tan which is normally a nice color for building environments, but for a forest floor it looks very dry/arid. Forests are generally a lot more moist due to most of the soil coming from decomposing plant matter. Some possible alternate colors to think about using include Earth Green (Dark Green), Dark Orange, Dark Brown, or Olive Green.

I also agree with Kabel and XBrickMonster, some trees will really help sell this as a forest floor. You can build the ground as accurately as possible but without trees it's hard to recreate the shadows that are so distinctive to a forest environment! Trees can also be useful to help organize the undergrowth — for example, mushrooms and moss tend to like to grow by the sides of trees, while grasses and leafy plants might prefer to grow further away from the tree trunks where they'll get more light.

If you search "LEGO Forest" (without quotes) on Google or Flickr you should find plenty of MOCs that can give you even more ideas!

Edited September 9, 2017 by Aanchir

[MovieMocs]

6 hours ago, Aanchir said:

Plant/undergrowth pieces like 3741, 6255, and 15279 can be great for adding texture/dimension to a forest floor and helping to separate the path from the wilderness. How dense you make them depends on what type of forest you want to make. Mushrooms are also easy to build using a 1x1 cone and 2x2 dish! The color is up to you, and there are even a couple printed radar dishes specially designed for use as mushrooms! (one in red and one in Sand Yellow/Dark Tan).

Another suggestion I'd make is to try using darker colors for the ground. You're using a lot of Brick Yellow/Tan which is normally a nice color for building environments, but for a forest floor it looks very dry/arid. Forests are generally a lot more moist due to most of the soil coming from decomposing plant matter. Some possible alternate colors to think about using include Earth Green (Dark Green), Dark Orange, Dark Brown, or Olive Green.

I also agree with Kabel and XBrickMonster, some trees will really help sell this as a forest floor. You can build the ground as accurately as possible but without trees it's hard to recreate the shadows that are so distinctive to a forest environment! Trees can also be useful to help organize the undergrowth — for example, mushrooms and moss tend to like to grow by the sides of trees, while grasses and leafy plants might prefer to grow further away from the tree trunks where they'll get more light.

If you search "LEGO Forest" (without quotes) on Google or Flickr you should find plenty of MOCs that can give you even more ideas!

Thanks so much! this really helps me! I'll do some more research and look into getting a forest shipment from brickowl. Thanks again!