This is a relatively simple, if time consuming, way to make vines or creepers for your models. It’s also scale-less – as it can be used for most scales. I use embroidery thread as pictured above. It works well because it’s got plenty of interwoven threads to it and can be bought in whichever base colour you might desire. I’ve picked brown because that’s the colour I want, if you were playing space games you might pick purple or lime green, or for twisted tales of horror use red to suggest veins. Hack off a lump of your thread and bunch it up to the maximum thickness you want.
Attach it to a stick or rod, twist the end of it and add a little superglue to the twisted piece. Hold until fixed and it looks a bit like the picture above.
Once dried snip it off the stick and tease it out a little. If you collect Barbies or Action Men you might want to stop at this stage as you’ve just made yourself a handy cat o’ nine tails. A great way to meet a doll of the opposite sex.
Then twist out branches and glue those wait for them to dry and then twist out some more, glue, dry, etc. Don’t feel the need to glue every molecule of the thread. For me it works well if you just glue the junctions. Even if you do use too much glue don’t panic as you can still bend it to fit whatever shape you end up fixing it to.
And that’s the basic technique which you just keep on with until you reach the end og the threads. I try to cut the threads different lengths to reflect how most plants don’t have roots or branches of equal length. Eventually you’ll be moving with some speed doing this as well as sussing just how long you need to hold the string until the glue is dry enough to let go and get on with the next piece.
Eventually you’ll end up with something which looks like plasticated veins created by an insane and sinister German doctor. Bear in mind you can add more pieces to it when placing it, especially for the thinner pieces. To see what it looks like in place have a look at this.
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