Taxidermy.Net Forum - ARTIFICIAL LICHEN ?????????????????

Hi JJMJMN
I got your message. I was supposed to do a seminar at the Minnesota Show this year on making trees , rocks, lichen and other habitat stuff I do, but someone forgot about it and it didn't get me on the schedule so I wasn't able to do it. Here is an abbreviated version of making lichen. I take latex caulking and modge podge mixture, craft paint used for stenciling ( You can find it in craft stores) I use moss green color a lot but lichen grows in white, orange, red,yellow, etc. Use what ever base color you want the lichen to be, Then mix in some clear glitter, sawdust and/or corn cob dust and/or dry peat moss. Those materials will give tou different textures so I use one or a combinations of them. Mix it together as a thick paste. Dab it in place to the shape and size you want. Mix smaller amounts at a time because it seems to absorb the moisture and it sets up and gets clumpy pretty quick and won't stick to the base as well. I take a stiff brush to apply it and dab it in place and also use my fingers to push and shape it.You want to have just enough of the caulking in it to hold it together and not cover all the textures with the glue mixture. It will have more of a white appearance until it dries down and you will see some of the color. When it's dry I apply paint again using the same color of choice and dap the color on the top of the lichen. You want to try to hightlight the top of the textured areas. When that is dry I do a wash over every thing. A wash would be water with dark paint (usually black) mixed together and brushed it over everything. Make sure it's watered down good so it flows into the low areas and crevices and not covering everything in black. Let it dry. . The wash tones down the colors and gives you a real natural look to it. You can dab off and absorb some of the wash with a paper towel if it tones down the colors to much. You mainly want the dark wash to create a shadowed look in the low spots. When I come up with ways to make habitat and accents like lichen I study how the real things look like adn what has to be done to get the look. Then I think about it as I do other things. Eventually I come up with ways to get the results I want. Good Luck and experiment until you get the look you want.