Shoofly free-moN module - 12
number of cows recently released into the pasture, it’s OK that
some areas still haven’t been “mowed” (moo-ed?) completely
down (15).
The watering hole is a thin layer of Magic Water tinted with
Floquil BNSF Heritage Green and Grimy Black. Silfor tufts rim
the edges, and the rest of the area surrounding the water was
laid bare and made “muddier” by rubbing a finger to remove
any grass and ground foam that got too close.
The 3-wire fence that rings the perimeter of the pasture
turned out to be an exercise in patience: after poking holes at
8’-scale-foot intervals and then planting stained scrap strip-
wood for posts with CA, I tried wrapping Berkshire Junction E-Z
Line around each post as I went down the line. Mind-boggling
tedious and a bit hard on the eyes and fingers in N scale!
Then I figured (fingered?) out a short-cut: tack the E-Z Line to
each corner post with thin CA, then go back and wrap the line
around each post, tease into an even position, and secure with
thin CA. The Voice of Experience says that three lines of wire
look better than two, and that the time spent on a wire fence
is well spent to add a great detail to a scene. See my
video on my YouTube channel.
Detailed fences like these, in addition to looking great, can also
serve a practical function: by running one side of a wire fence
near (but not right on) the edge of the section split, it draws
the eye away from the slight line in the grass when the sections
“The signature scenic element of the cow
pasture, however is a single, large oak tree
that provides shade for the cows... ”
are joined together and helps create a continuous landscape
across what could be an incongruous chasm. (16)
The signature scenic element of the cow pasture, however, is a
single, large oak tree that provides shade for the cows resting
among its gnarled roots and a compositional counterbalance
to the oak-covered hillside at the other end of the module.
Creating the tree is covered in the next section.
16
16: The wire fence approaching the module’s edge
keeps the cows out of the construction zone and also
distracts the eye from the section joint just beyond it.
Looks like Farmer Brown’s got some repair work to do
on that last post.
MRH-Nov 2013
