Dunbrough and Gripenhem WIP log

Hello there!
I'm going to give it a whirl to post some wip and project logs for my scenery projects here.
First up is the potters shop, which I built the shell of in the fall, but will be doing the bulk of the work on now since I've got the terrain itch right now.
The buildings foundation is carved blue foam, with foamcore for the upper story, and a card roof.
I've also sketched on where I plan on placing windows and woodwork.

LOOKIN' GOOD! Watching your WONDERFUL pieces evolve should be an inspiring experience. Have FUN with the project(s).

oops, screwed up in the first post, this is actually the potters shop, hence the big chimney kiln.

Built this windows the last two days. The frames are simple balsa. I'll cut one piece for the horizontal, one for the vertical, and split them down the middle to ensure that they are the same height/ length.
painted with raw umber, highlighted with barn wood.
The process for the glass is a bit more complicated, but fairly straight forward. I put clear tape on the inside part of the mesh, and work in the water effects from the outside, making sure to fill in all of the little gaps. Once dry, I peel off the tape, and now have a sheet of leaded glass for windows, easy to cut with scissors or a hobby knife. Then I cut and glue them into place. You can use colored felt tip markers on the inside of the windows to make stained glass also.

Thanks for the tip on the leaded glass effect...EXCELLENT IDEA!

Excellent stuff! It will be interesting to follow this WIP thread, especially with the potter's shop.

Great tip on the windows too. I'll have a go myself at some stage.

Joao

the windows are cool

By the way, technical question: do you spray normal paint (like GW Chaos Black) on the foam or does it react badly to spray?

Joao

JoaoS wrote:

By the way, technical question: do you spray normal paint (like GW Chaos Black) on the foam or does it react badly to spray?

Joao

It reacts badly to spray. Any aerosol is gonna eat foam, if it's not sealed first. For large areas, I buy a cheap quart of latex house paint, or liquitex acrylics.

Boy, am I happy I asked! Thanks for the warning and tips.

I will look out for similar materials here in the UK.

Do you just dip a brush in the tin and spread the paint on the foam, or do you use a specific technique?

Joao

damn I love this thread allready!

JoaoS wrote:

Boy, am I happy I asked! Thanks for the warning and tips.

I will look out for similar materials here in the UK.

Do you just dip a brush in the tin and spread the paint on the foam, or do you use a specific technique?

Joao

Just slap it on with a brush. Sanded foam paints better, but came soak up paint sometimes. I usually only sand if it's something rounded, like a hill.

Cool. I got myself some blue foam, so I'll take a sample of it and do some testing.

Can't find anything that sounds like latex house paint. Maybe they call it other things over here.

Joao

JoaoS wrote:

Cool. I got myself some blue foam, so I'll take a sample of it and do some testing.

Can't find anything that sounds like latex house paint. Maybe they call it other things over here.

Joao

Just regular paint like you'd buy at the builders shops? Water based.

More work, I added this dormer, the roof seemed a bit bare on this side, and I had an extra window.
Also, while I was thinking of it, I added the eaves, I usually forget that step in a hurry to throw shingles up. I made a second chimney, this time for a hearth, rather than just the shops kiln. Of course, I got the windows all installed as well.

Thanks for taking the time to post this WIP thread.

theomar pius wrote:

Just regular paint like you'd buy at the builders shops? Water based.

Thank you sir! I have that stuff at home, so I might be able to run the test today.

Great work with the dormer, windows and chimney!

The building is looking very promising.

Joao

With the windows in place, I usually move to the roof. I do it in this order, so that if I need woodwork to hide flaws or problem areas, I'll know where those are ahead of time. I use either plastic card, or thin card boxes to make my shingles. Yes, I lay them on 1 by 1.

One by one?! You need to produce thousands of them!!

Looking good, by the way.

Joao

JoaoS wrote:

One by one?! You need to produce thousands of them!!

Looking good, by the way.

Joao

Yep, I'll cut a box into half inch strips, then cut the strips into unmeasured shingles. Lots of work, but patience makes for good results.

Awesome building so far, I can't wait to see the end result!

Work work work. Still doing the roof on the potter, it takes a while to do all of those tiles one by one.
Here are some wire frame trees, trunks to be done in clay, branches wrapped with Teflon tape.

theomar pius wrote:

Still doing the roof on the potter, it takes a while to do all of those tiles one by one.

No kidding?! I took your example, and tried the same roofing technique on one of my houses but by the third row of tiles I almost lost my will to live!!!

Your trees are huge! They're proper trees, those.

Joao

Ok, the roof is done on the potter. I've started working on the base, and what I've been basing on lately is 1/8th inch acrylic. I used to always use mdf board, but the switch to plexi is just because it's easier and cleaner to cut, I can use a knife rather than a jigsaw. The hole in the center is to give access to the interior of the building to light it up down the line sometime. Another new material I'm using is the white foam, which is foamcore with the paper stripped off. Now, I have the solid strength of the plexiglass, and a carve able foam that I can scribe a cobblestone road into. You can see where the potter will go in the city, although since it is individually based, it can be plopped onto any wargaming table.

Man, you worked fast on those tiles! Looks great!

It's good to see how the town is developing. Awesome work!

Joao