Let's Make - Cheap & Easy Farm & Crop Fields Scatter Terrain 

My local carpet shot has my picture up on the wall with a "Do not give this man samples" bit underneath it. Oh well. Behold my fields, lol.

You know, there's a cheap and easy starting point as well. Get some cardboard with a corrugation size that you like. Cut it to the shape you want the field to be (use the corrugation as a guide for where to start and end), then peel the corrugation cladding off one side and glue it to a base using the other side. Then use a ring of hot glue, filler, or air dry clay to work the edges and cover the end of the corrugation. Then coat the cardboard with a thin layer of pva and dust the thing with a fine sand. Seal it in after it dries, then prime and paint like you've shown. As a side note, if you want some cabbage or lettuce for your fields, look at the paper roses in the craft stores, a bit of green paint (Or purple if you want the red cabbage) and you've got some pretty good looking produce for your fields.

The one you made from scratch actually turned out to be my favorite. At first I was not as interested but with each stage it ascended above all the others.

What a "garden" of delights Mel. This work is right in your "field" of expertise. That cordoroy looks good for 10mm. (That's not a pun, three in a "row" would be silly.)

you need to stop these tutorials mate I'm spending more time watching your vids than painting lol great work as always :)

I believe your homemade scraper/corrugated row maker is similar to a tile trowel, which has notched edges for the purpose of creating air gaps to help the mastic squish down and the tile to adhere better to the substrate.

These would be super cute with little scarecrows and farming tools!

Here it is, March of 2019, and I'm trying to help my 14 year old create a diorama of a cotton plantation for school. I searched youtube for a little assistance, and found this video. AWESOME! You just helped me create almost the complete diorama. Cotton furrows and all. Thank you oh so very much for posting this. You just baled (pun intended - bailed) me out completely in getting this accomplished.

I've always liked diorama, but never played warhammer of the sorts, anyway, I came by your channel and have been watching your videos for the past month. Who knows, maybe one day I will give a crack on a terrain.

You are the best, we love cheap ones!

This man is the bane of carpet stores

Wow! this video is super helpful. I'm only just getting into miniatures, and this video was really informative. Thank you for doing examples with different materials and techniques. It's made it a lot easier for me to decide what I'm going to do. All your videos are amazing, and I adore your work. Thank you for making these tutorials, they're really helpful!

I am working on a Rohan battlemat for wargaming and this helped a lot. Thanks for the videos :)

I love the filler one...conveniently because Mel already had me buy tubs of filler...he is a persuasive man, and you can only do so much stucco and brickwork so now my filler will definately get used up! Theyre all good..The corduroy one I would stick some stooks (I come from Scotland so I dunno what else to call them) or bales randomly on it.

Nice one Mel. Fields are at the pipedream stage. I was thinking of corrugated card - and had would never have thought or cutting up an old pair of cords. I'll definitely give corduroy a go for 15mm.

This is incredible, thanks for sharing!

Thank you so much for this video. I tried it, and it looks great! Quick and easy.......

Forgot to mention, a guy at my local store made crops with corduroy from an old pair of pants. Real nice and easy

Try using acrylic it works well for me

not gone through all the comments , so dont know if anyone else has mentioned this, but try a tube of "builders caulk" for the edges of the fields, cheap as chips.

looks great! may need to do some of these for my table

on the troweled, could leave as a plowed field

This is nice turn out great.Thanks for sharing and great to learn from you.

You rock brother !!!

Ey! Always nice to see your videos pop up in my feed. Edit: You talked about before trying to get some deals with some shops selling wargaming stuff, is that something you managed to get through? I've been thinking about those big green cutting and measuring mats you've got. So if you got any deals that could sort of be my way of helping out out since I'm not currently a backer. Have a nice day everyone.

Thank you!

For some time I've had an evil plan. I bought a 6-root roll of dark brown ribbed carpet. I've cut some of it up to form fields. The evil plan is to leave the carpet unbased but to have a collection of sabot bases that exactly fit them. Some would be edged in stone wall, some in rail fences, some in hedges, some in bank and ditch, etc. Then I could transfer the field from enclosure to enclosure, so that the fields would look right for the era and geographic location of the battle field. The next phase would see different states of field, freshly ploughed, young growth, mid-growth, ready to harvest and finally crop stubble. Perhaps I'd even go with some frosted with snow and deep in snow. That way the fields would match the season of the battle. Clearly I am in need of counselling for my delusions of grandeur.

Just discovered your channel and I absolutely love your enthusiasm! Great tutorial!

When you show the finished product it would be cool to see it laid out with a coupe minis and stuff.

Very cool!

This was great ideas!

No scarecrow? What kind of farmer doesn't have a scarecrow? Outstanding work! Well done!

this is Nice one

I wish you would have commented on which ones are best suited for the scale if your train layout. N, HO and the like. Makes me wonder what materials can be laid down to make concrete is asphalt look.

i mainly used your stuff for model train senary

Hi Mel Few questions as not long watched your review on pvc foamboards. First how thick is the bases you are using on the fields? You use pvc glue on the edges, now on your review you said it wasn't the best bondage but yet you used it on the field edges... is this not as problem for grit and foilage cllumps and so on ? Lastly and more importantly how do you get such a lovely bevillied edge on the bases? I'm a 6mm player and would love to try out your videos so would really appreciate your answers as your one of the top tutours on RU-vid.

The carpet samples are the same here in the USA, and you can get paint samples at paint stores too. The "scrapper" is called a comb if you're painting and for tile setting it's called a notched trowel. I like you irregular rows for the crops. I think it looks more authentic than if they were perfect.

It's 2022 now and my son is only 1 year but looking at your videos. So when he turns 10 and I can help him with his school projects. So don't delete your videos.. 👏🤜🙏🛐🤳🕛♥

Damn that's clever 👍🏻😁 Hello from your newest subscriber

I'm looking at making some high medieval rig and furrow common fields in 6mm, and was wondering if you had any ideas how to make this easier? General description: Parallel banks, around 45-60ft from crest to crest, 6 ft tall, and around 3ft above the headland (running 'across' the head/foot of a set of these lands). Each is ploughed clockwise, with the plough team led to the left to exit the furrow, and then turned once the plough is at the end of the furrow, causing a veering of the ends, and the soil is lifted by the ploughing action into the steep sided (~1 in 5) banks. Each Land is a fur(row)long (up to around 600 'old' feet/ 660 modern feet) by acre-bredth (somewhere around 45-60 'old' feet wide - the statute acre being 60x600 old feet - but 'day's ploughing' being the defining feature of a customary acre, so varying with livestock availability, soil 'weight' and custom in practice). The extent of lands is significant (a few thousand acres per ville), with limited pasture or meadow, and a variable amount of waste, woodland or forest, so while most of this would be 'off table' whether the area is centred on the ville or the edge of the arable lands... the proportion of easy going should be relatively low and the terrain needs to be easily reproduced because of it's ubiquity. It is quite reasonable for them to be sized down to 450ft by 45ft and to be sized to 1mm to the 'old ft'. Intended for skirmish gaming/and the pleasure of making something with historical basis. It would make plough very difficult going for formed infantry or cavalry charges... Also a variant of old plough, which has been left to pasture, with subsided rig and furrow (as we see the remnants today with a less than 2-3ft height).

awsome

25:04 "...Its just *flocking* guys." 25:31 "...Yeh thats gettin' *flocked* isnt it?"

He, TerrainTutor I like your videos and I learned a lot about scenery. Im a Warhammer beginner and I dont know where to begin with scenery. I dont have flock and that sort of things. What should I do to begin with?

A cheap tip for some maize like grass texture get some coloured sand form your local handy hobby craft

Cool...

hi thanks very much great video. where do you get you pvc bases from that you put the fields on thanks

Will the primer technique work with cotton batting?

just a quick tip, these mats and floortiles are best cut on the backside, guide the knife with a piece of wood, cut the backing a few times and you can easily and neatly break the backing and then cut the fabric topping saving you quite some time. hope this helps. love your videos.

Love your personality! You make me want to build one!

the one made of filler was the best

Exactly what I need for my Halloween Village Haunted Farm! Excellent work! Question: How do I make a corn field?

I game in 10mm, and used 'Jumbo Cord'. I bleached it first (it was black, it turned golden brown...) then 'dyed' it with watered down cheap acrylic brown. I didn't base it though - I cut it into irregular but vaguely rectangular shapes. I'm thinking basing might be a nice idea, allow me to do a bit of edging & flocking. I wish I could find something rigid but thin to base on though. At 10mm scale, a 3mm thick base is quite a platform!

omg I could listen to your voice forever!

It’s called an Artex Comb for doing the fan pattern, usually on ceilings.

The field where the rows go length wise is correct. The wide ones require too much turning around at the end of the furrow and waste time and gas. Some crops do prefer north south orientation.

Brilliant - thanks for taking the time to make these videos.

Nice., thanks.

Hey Mel quick question for you, what is your ratio for watering down house paint? I’ll be using the same condiment squirting containers btw. And using premium latex house paint of course.

awesome ! great work. Check out boulder creek. another ausi mate does well. not as amusing tho. lol

The wizard at work, he is the man. Thanks again.

Once you’ve done the filler plough furrows would you be able to shape it into a oval or something after its dryed or will it all crack? Trying to make a 1/76 ploughing diorama on a oval wooden plinth any tips will be much appreciated.

you can find the carpet tiles here in the states. one of my local game stores used them on one of their modular table sets but not as fields only

What is the corduroy based on? Foam board?

Hey, what about cabbage and lettuce fields?

Great vid as always, I made some fields, but these techniques would have helped to know how to use the carpet I used. The only suggestion would be to 'not' make the fields not quite so square. I have mine roughly square overall but the off cuts of the carpet are triangular-ish, oblong, some have angled sides etc. It means that I end up with an irregular patchwork of mini-fields and looks quite realistic. Thanks for the vid 👍🏻👍🏻

when using the template on the filler for the farm field, if you spread the filler out first and dampen it the template for the furrows will pull through the filler easier and better.

thanks for this video! im planning to make some kind of diorama for my 1 35 tanks, and im having trouble coming up with a way to make terrain, but these vids have helped a treat! do you have any way of making hedges? thanks, great vid by the way.

Very nice fields Mel. These would be good for just about any game period and or scale. You could even use these ideas for SciFi games with fields of alien crops. You could even make a field with the crops in the middle of the field a different colour and type from the ones round the edge. For where the farmer is growing some special crops.

Found that same red mat at B&M recently - I've got LOTS of fields to make now! ;)

try flipping the carpet backing side up and slice it through, then follow with scissors. it works really well, I got this tip from a friend who installed carpet college for extra money.

What size figures would these be more compatible with? I'm going to use this for a WW2 diorama and I use 1:32

I’m pretty new to modelling, these easy tutorials are fab. Many thanks. Big T

He sounds like Dudley Moore.

Mel. i like the veggie patch design :). i have issue with clump foliage coming off the my fields (i use Pva to attach and spray matte vanish to seal.) i am using a door mat type of design simular to the red on you have. any tip on improving it longevity? right now i am just using some spray adheasive and flock to make it look like new growth.

I realize your not a farmer but your furrows are going the wrong direction. Your way has the farmer doing a lot of turning around at the end of the furrow wasting time and fuel.

Plastering trowel with teeth

Wow

Really impressive ... Simple and yet so detaljeret You'r techniques are so simple but it make's you'r terrain looking so advanced. Really nice job, my favorite has to be the velvet piece ...just so cool Thanks for showing and keep up the good work.

nice job where did you get the blue tac spray??

Love the enthusiasm. Thanks for the ideas and tutorial.

Cut from the backside, way easier 😸 hot glue and rubber don't bond? It's called a glue comb? Cheese grater? Coffeemill. PVA rules 😹 if you're going to use this "large" clumps of foliage, what's the use of the base relief in the first place? Might have used a flat sheet as well to start with? Ad a few "rocks" to break up the monotony? Great vid, 👍👍👍👍👍 guys AND gals 😾 Subscribed 😸

greetings ,I am from Brazil my name is Alberto. Do you have a tutorial about how to make dry soy ? Thank you very much !!

how do you do wheat fields that I've seen in many 9th age battle reports?

You talk to much. When it's that simple the video could be done in 10 minutes and wouldn't take more than half an hour. Very nice what you're doing and showing👍, bud less talking for me would be ok. Greetings from the Čech Republic 🇨🇿

How aboutr a freeway with overpass and on-off ramps, guard rails...etc.

The floor tiles aren't a UK thing. Every crappy chain home improvement store I've been in in the Northeastern US and Southeastern Qubec has them somewhere. Plus you can find a huge selection on Amazon. As far as adhesive for the carpet tile and welcome mat fragments check in the same aisle in the home improvement store where you find the carpet tiles and there'll be an adhesive meant to use with the tiles. You can buy a five gallon bucket of the stuff but there's also a quart size which will last you about forever making terrain for your games. That stuff will hold the carpet tile to anything forever.

Thanks for doing a lot of legwork to help eliminate the trial and error for us, it's evident the amount of previous projects that informed this. A lot of great ideas! I recently took a look at how many hedges, fields, roads and towns I would have to create to play 6mm games in the bocage of Normandy. This vid and several others have given me enough ideas to be able to get on with it without breaking the bank. Thanks! (In case anyone was curious, just looking at google imagery there are up to around 60 individual fields, about 2-3 miles of road, usually a small village and 2-3 farmsteads PER SQUARE MILE in the dense bocage of France. And of course most of those fields and roads are bordered by high, irregular hedges. (Total perimeter of 30 fields each 300 x 300 meters ( a reasonably dense Normandy countryside) is 22.5 miles of hedge.)

very cool. Thx for this tipps. I want to make some fields for 15 mm. This helps immediatly (-:

For a veggie patch miniature paper roses painted green make great cabbages.

Didn't see it below -- though I'm coming to this late and by no means read through all the posts -- it's called a "Notched Trowel." It's mostly used for tile work. (I'm a fifth generation mason)

Great tutorial! Love your way of showing multiple ways for people with different budgets and/or styled boards. I'm thinking of doing some farm fields for my Warhammer Fantasy Battles board and I have a question about the durability of some of these, mainly the one with large foliage and the one with vine strips and tufts: Do they get easily damaged over time if you place large blocks of units on top of them? I'm afraid of making anything grow on the fields because I don't want to see all of the plants just flatten or fall off when in more or less pressure depending on the size of the unit. Should I just stick with the ones that have nothing growing on them except maybe a bit of flock?

I have a project assigned. It is to model terrain of a certain area, since it is a grassland and tree, this video is helpful. 😁

What a fantastic tutorial. Beautiful production! Where can you get expanded PVC sheet scheaply

Oh yes!, i'm a modeltractor collector in scale 1:32 and i like to make dioramas in my modeltractorclub and you have helped my a lot by building my dioramas (sorry for my english, coming from Denmark)

I’m a bit late to the party but at the start I thought Jesus these terrains are gonna look like crap cause iv seen some corners cut using carpet bits like this before but dam the end product was gold and you even did them fast as hell

Are there any UK suppliers of Mini Natur? Can only find Germanor Italian supplies and want to try and get some.

Inspirational as always Mel, love what you do mate :) Worth every penny of becoming a patron.

Depending on how realistic and how large you want your piece to be, I'd probably make the base quite a bit larger than the texture you're applying. Then I'd use the filler to smooth out from the edge of the texture to the edge of the base, blending the filler in a bit over the texture, so it looks more like the ruts are dug into the ground rather than sticking up form it. The corduroy method doesn't really need it with how flat the fabric is, but for the carpet methods, I'd definitely do more edge blending.

I'm sure this was answered, but what brand is your clump foliage? i like the spongy branch look it has, looks great! i subbed

Just wondering, have you ever considered doing a tutorial on making fir trees, Mel? I think that it would make a marvellous 'lets make'...