Rustic Wooden Path Tutorial

Here I break down the way that I lay down my custom made path that I used on my island Arcadia. This path is an optical illusion using a grass design made as part of the custom code to hide the rounded path edges that happen when you try to make diagonal roads using the in-game paths. It may not always look perfect but I will also give you some tips on how to decorate around it so that the edges are more camouflaged. So let's get started !

Type my creator code (you can find it above or in the images below) into the custom design portal and you'll find all the versions of the path border. Each one is the grass colour for different seasons, I'll list below which season each one corresponds to. Pick the season that your island is currently in and download all 12 pieces of the design.

Note : I'll show what I think is the best way to organise the designs at the end of the tutorial. If your island is set in a month with grass that I have not made yet, you can request it if you DM me on Instagram.

Choose the Dark dirt path.

You'll need to download it from your Nookstop in exchange for Nook Miles if you haven't already. This custom design was made specifically for this in-game path, using it on any other probably won't get you very good results.

Start by making a vertical straight path. You will need the path to be at least three spaces wide.

Feel free to make it wider if you prefer.

To make a diagonal, I generally start with a line under the vertical straight path I made earlier (running horizontally against it). It should be one space further along. Basically, do what I did in Image 1.

Next, I'll make a second line to the side of the straight path (running vertically against it). You should end up with a square overlapping one corner of the straight path that you started with, like in Image 2.

Note: You can also make the path bend the other way if you make the square on the other side. It's up to you which side you choose. You can also do this on the top corners of your original straight path, it just depends which way you want the path to bend. Do bear in mind that I will use the custom designs based on the bend I made so it might be easier to follow the tutorial if you do as I have done.

Repeat this process as many times as you like, here I've done it a couple of times. I've also added another straight piece of path running horizontal this time.

This next step is quite important for maximising the optical illusion. Using your Dark dirt path tool, round off all the corners of the diagonal path you just made. It should look like the image above.

So now it's time to start laying down the custom path borders. Choose your "Custom Design" tool. Don't forget to download it from the Nookstop for Nook Miles if you haven't already. Select "Path Bottom Left 1" of the custom designs that you downloaded earlier.

Note: Don't mind my chaotic code organisation in this image, I did this on a new island because I needed the space to lay down the path and I didn't have enough slots left to organise these properly for the tutorial.

On every single rounded corner of your diagonal path, lay down "Path Bottom Left 1" it should look like Image 1.

Next, select "Path Bottom Left 2" from your "Custom Design" tool and fill in the gaps between the pieces you just laid down. You should end up with a straight diagonal edge like in Image 2.

Repeat this process on the opposite diagonal side using the path pieces "Path Top Right 2" and "Path Top Right 1" respectively. It should look like the image above.

Now let's fill in the straight pieces. Use "Path Left" and "Path Right" to line the sides of your vertical straight path, It should look like Image 3.

Finally, use "Path Top" and "Path Bottom" to line the sides of your horizontal straight path, like in Image 4.

AND YOU'RE DONE !

Continue below for some extra tips !

This is the way I would recommend you organise the designs. I found this was helpful because the diagonal edges are kept together and all the pieces are organised according to the side of the path they should be placed on.

This is of course only a suggestion !

The beauty of using the in-game dirt path as a base is that you can place other custom designs on top of it. You can also plant weeds in the path to make it look more overgrown.

Sometimes you might feel like you can see the grass edges of this path a little too much. You can use items to break it up and camouflage these edges a bit. Wheat fields, log stakes, bushes and flowers work great to help the edges blend in. So experiment and try different items to line the path and make it look more natural !

I hope this Tutorial was helpful for you. Please let me know by DM on Instagram if you need any further help or if I wasn't very clear on some of the steps, I'm happy to try and help. Have a wonderful day and take care ! 💙