Building a tree

 
After I decided that my needle felting attempt was not going to produce a satisfactory tree,I started with "planB".....using Xpandaprint.

Xpandaprint is a thick creamy medium that expands when heated.It can be applied by brush,roller or sponge(I chose brush and spatula)
It comes in black or white and is non-toxic.
I used both a heat gun and a domestic iron to activate the medium.
It can be painted before heating,but I chose to do it after.

The pic shows the challenge, a rough outline tracing, and the first layers of
Xpandaprint laid down and cured.
I added extra layers as I felt necessary .
Mainly I was after achieving a rough outline,no dainty or interlacing branches as I felt I did not as yet have sufficient knowledge of the product.

Having decided to stay fairly minimalist the only way I could avoid blue paddocks,was to remove tree from background fabric and applique it to another background;I chose to use the sunprinted fabric because it supplied a hint of foliage.

Initially the tree was painted with Neopaque /Jacquard paints and then layers of Lumiere Metallics and Pearlescents were added to highlight texture.