Creating the Tree Prop

An aspect of this module I'm really enjoying is the opportunity to flex my creative muscles, particularly with arts and crafts. After a productive feedback session with Lara on Friday, I took on the task of creating a model tree for our video presentation.

Passing through Waitrose I found a wire Christmas tree that I knew could serve as a base frame. I stripped all the excess twigs and LED lighting from it and clipped the wire frame in places allowing me to reshape it into a more natural tree shape.

I filled out the shape and added more large branches with some aluminium craft wire. I then blocked out the form using masking tape to give the paper mache a surface to cling to. Off cuts of toilet role tubes smoothed the transition from trunk to branch.

The paper mache was based on a recipe by Jonni Good from Ultimate Paper Mache. I've used it before when I made a Halloween mask so I knew it would work well. It's the Glue and Plaster of Paris recipe made using Plaster of Paris, PVA glue, water and vinegar. Instead of paper, I again used Scott Shop Towels as they are so strong and malleable. They’re common in the U.S. but you can get them in the UK in Halfords. I created the bark texture using scrunched up paper towels and PVA glue.

I painted the tree trunk with a base coat of raw umber acrylic paint, and a lighter coat of burnt umber on top, though the latter is harder to see.

Additional branches were created by twisting aluminium wire and then wrapping this in painted paper.

The leaves were made by painting A4 sheets in light and dark green tones, cutting these into squares and gluing them together. The vein impressions were made by pressing the freshly glued leaves onto a stamp made from wire glued onto a block of wood.

The techniques for the branches and leaves both came from this video by Philip Stevens on YouTube.

I had left painting the main branches until last so was able to attach the smaller twigs to the tree using masking tape before finishing the painting. Lastly I glued the leaves in place. I could have glued the leaves to the twigs before attaching them to the tree but I was unsure what length they would be.

Overall I'm happy with the end result and we were able to use the tree to film footage today for our final video. It was wonderful to see my team mates so excited about playing with the prop!