Anyone else really struggle with landscaping

[Leebles]

I love running around and looking at areas I have already landscaped, but the act of sculpting a new area is like working the cutesy woodland saltmines. There's an area I want to feel densely forested, but it looks bad and cluttered if I lay down too many trees. Plus, the way the camera is oriented, any trees you put down can obscure paths further up the screen. This might sound really vague, but do people around here have a favorite tree formation? I can't put it into words but these 2 areas just feel like hot icky garbage

 

[Cosmic-chan]

For me when it comes to landscaping I do things as I think of them. I never plan.

 

[Tobyjgv]

For me when it comes to landscaping I do things as I think of them. I never plan.

this!! i usually will get a random burst of motivation/an idea will pop in my head, and ill just work with it and try new things and ideas until i love it!!

op, your areas look beautiful and i'd love to visit ur island sometime <3

 

[Sharksheep]

I just plant and move trees until I think it looks good. I often buy turnips on Sundays to just move trees. Maybe try filling in the gaps with bushes, flowers, and weeds would make it feel more woodsy but not cluttered with trees?

You can also force trees to stop growing at a certain size if you transport them to a space where they can't grow anymore.

 

[Cosmic-chan]

this!! i usually will get a random burst of motivation/an idea will pop in my head, and ill just work with it and try new things and ideas until i love it!!

op, your areas look beautiful and i'd love to visit ur island sometime <3

I have A.D.H.D so my brain just gets random ideas and I work on that idea. If I try to plan it never works out.

 

[Leebles]

this!! i usually will get a random burst of motivation/an idea will pop in my head, and ill just work with it and try new things and ideas until i love it!!

op, your areas look beautiful and i'd love to visit ur island sometime <3

Aw you flatter me, I need to make a fully sourced list of my patterns before I make a DA though

 

[Pyoopi]

A mixture of yes and no. I like to plan it out beforehand because, I have distinct designs I want to be seen on the map itself, so I have to be kind of precise. I will say though if you choose to plan it out, you have to be prepared to adjust because you (or I in this case) didn't have the precise measurements and was sorta estimating. Either way, it'll be trial and error.

 

[Mick]

Honestly you're doing fine! Just keep tinkering with stuff and see what you like better, if you don't like what you make you can always go back yo what you had before (you have your screenshots!)

But if you are actually looking for advice, here's what I would do:

Screenshot one has the cliffs a little bit straight. I would move the cedar and bamboo on the left forward a tile to extend the cliff there and kill that straight line. Maybe also make the diagonal less straight or put a tree in front of it.

Screenshot two is looking nice! I find vertical paths easier to work with for foresty areas because the trees don't block the camera as much, but you can always put down bushes, garden rocks and stone fencing/hedges, they give a foresty feel without getting in your face.

Again, this is just advice and the areas are already looking good! Don't be too hard on yourself. <3

 

[rawstberry]

to be honest, i feel like the only reason why you get the impression that these areas look bad is because they're not fully decorated yet! when i first started playing i planted a lot of trees because i felt like my island is lacking when the issue wasn't the trees but the amout of things around them - which was almost none and the space felt empty which made me feel like i should have more trees. and just like people above, i also don't have any specific "formation" for planting trees - i move them around until i feel like they look good to me. another thing that i can definitely recommend, that i found out about recently, is buying saplings at nook's and then planting a fruit right behind them at certain stages of their growth which, to me at least, looks very aesthetically pleasing in the end! plus, the areas will feel more open and not much will be covered!
here's a tutorial on how to do it because i feel like my explanation might not be enough lol.

Spoiler

good luck with whatever you end up doing! i'm pretty sure it will end up looking amazing anyways!

 

[Leebles]

Both of these tips are really thoughtful and I'll try em out, thank you ;A;

to be honest, i feel like the only reason why you get the impression that these areas look bad is because they're not fully decorated yet! when i first started playing i planted a lot of trees because i felt like my island is lacking when the issue wasn't the trees but the amout of things around them - which was almost none and the space felt empty which made me feel like i should have more trees. and just like people above, i also don't have any specific "formation" for planting trees - i move them around until i feel like they look good to me. another thing that i can definitely recommend, that i found out about recently, is buying saplings at nook's and then planting a fruit right behind them at certain stages of their growth which, to me at least, looks very aesthetically pleasing in the end! plus, the areas will feel more open and not much will be covered!
here's a tutorial on how to do it because i feel like my explanation might not be enough lol.

Spoiler

good luck with whatever you end up doing! i'm pretty sure it will end up looking amazing anyways!

Honestly you're doing fine! Just keep tinkering with stuff and see what you like better, if you don't like what you make you can always go back yo what you had before (you have your screenshots!)

But if you are actually looking for advice, here's what I would do:

Screenshot one has the cliffs a little bit straight. I would move the cedar and bamboo on the left forward a tile to extend the cliff there and kill that straight line. Maybe also make the diagonal less straight or put a tree in front of it.

Screenshot two is looking nice! I find vertical paths easier to work with for foresty areas because the trees don't block the camera as much, but you can always put down bushes, garden rocks and stone fencing/hedges, they give a foresty feel without getting in your face.

Again, this is just advice and the areas are already looking good! Don't be too hard on yourself. <3

 

[marshallows]

i've found that when you go into landscaping with little to 0 expectations, the better the result ends up becoming in the end honestly think you have a great foundation going, just keep working at it and add more things you deem fit with the theme you're shooting for and it'll look amazing im sure!

whenever i plant trees, i just spontaneously throw them down so they look natural, not like a human just planted them down. i really like the natural vibes. also don't worry about making things look perfect when you're landscaping! i think the natural look is beautiful and it is an island after all so things don't need to look perfect and uniform!

 

[justalittlemad]

I tend to throw down cedar trees in a mix between the cross pattern and occasional short line. Then I go back and add hardwood trees to fill the gaps. The trick is to grow them elsewhere and the plant them mature as you can place them closer. You can also move trees not fully grown in close to fill gaps and have a more natural look.

 

[Kattea]

When I plan things out, I'm never satisfied with the result. Usually I wait until inspiration strikes me and I do small sections at a time.

 

[Snowifer]

When I deal with trees, they're the 2nd to last thing I put down, last being flowers. I always put down paths first so I can get the general idea then furniture then trees. I keep a few stacks of coconuts to eat cus I decorate through trial and error and will put a tree down and decide I liked it better in the space it was in.

Just keep moving those trees around. You'll figure out what looks best by looking at it instead of imagining

 

[rawstberry]

Both of these tips are really thoughtful and I'll try em out, thank you ;A;

i'm glad i could be of help, even if it's only a little! i definitely agree with the other person that that avoiding straight-looking cliffs is also quite important, especially if you're going for more natural or rural kind of island! it will add more depth to everything in my opinion! ☺ i also hope i get to see your island once it's finished!

 

[FoxFeathers]

I started with how I moved naturally around the map and based roads off my usual paths. After that, I just enhanced areas to make them more "natural" with the way water and land works in nature.

 

[Lotusblossom]

i think it looks nice.. i agree though the trees are just not the greatest things!!! And the view and angles just dont make sense which does make it difficult.. its super trippy..

 

[Leebles]

I like the way the dark dirt in-game path looks with the trees, but it doesn't work with diagonal directions. So I tried doing splotches instead, and it didn't work so well with the stone tiles. Can someone tell me what I want to hear and reaffirm that the left side of this image looks way better

 

[Your Local Wild Child]

I myself prefer the cluttered look of densely-packed trees! I feel it gives a genuine deep-woods feeling. If you don’t like that I’d guess breaking it up with flowers, shrubs and if y’all aren’t concerned about town rating weeds.