Bones Galore

I know, TWO posts in one day! Indulgent. I had some time before I head out to work so I thought I would take a couple of pics while working on my bones. I am working on the roof top and have time while the first layer dries.

 

 

Just testing some bone placement. I don't like the hands. They look cheesy but I'll let them "hang out" until I come up with something better. The throw-away parts of these skeletons are the hands, feet, and back rib cage. The spines can be used but take a lot of work to make them look decent.

 

I use wire cutters to snip each bone away from it's neighbor.

 

You can see the snip marks. I use finger nail files in various grits to sand them off. The plastic is really stubborn and will want to leave little "strings" behind. Just keep at it and use tweezers to pull them off if they insist on hanging on.

You can see what I mean by "string". More like a nib? Am I making up words as I go? These are stubborn with this type of plastic but they will go away with work. If you're really having a tough time, use your dremel sander. Just be careful to not apply too much pressure.

These bones are in the keep pile. The pelvic bones will serve as the top part of my bone wind chime.

 

After I have enough of these cleaned up I will show how to color them to make them look more realistic.



Happy Equinox!

 

 

The word equinox comes from the Latin words for "equal night." The fall and spring equinoxes are the only days of the year in which the Sun crosses the celestial equator. It is my favorite time of the year hands down. This the time of the year when all my favorite things come: Sweaters, firewood, roasts with potatoes and gravy, soups, pumpkin ANYTHING, bright colored leaves, and of course Halloween! We have only seen the first hints of color changes here but the weather has certainly fallen right in line. The skies are darker and we are in the highs of upper sixties to barely seventy.

 

It is also the time of the year where I do not feel guilty for staying indoors working on minis all day. During the summer there is always that nagging feeling that you should go out hiking, camping, rafting, etc. to take advantage of the warm weather. Ya just don't have that in the Fall except for long walks to enjoy the colors while they last.

 

The portico is done and I am somewhat happy with the coloring. It was a bear to match up exactly but I am feeling OK with the final results. Tomorrow I will be finishing the front door and the portico will be attached permanently. Now all I need to do is finish all the windows, shutters, roof top, and shingles. Then comes the base and landscaping.

 

My new workroom is in order and I have already been working on some detail projects.

 

 

I picked up these skeletons at the Dollar Tree. They are about 5.5 inches so the scale is perfect for 1:12. They look kind of silly as is but I cut them up. Using snips, I cut each bone apart and then use emery boards to file down any nubs or snip marks. They can then be re-painted to look like realistic old bones. And they cost 25 cents each! Ya just can't beat that. I will be making a bone wind chime out of some and the rest will be place here and there. I can never have enough bones lying around! I may even incorporate some into furniture pieces.

 

If anyone is interested I can post a tutorial on how I convert these cheap skeletons into realistic additions for your Halloween mini scenes. Just let me know.

 

Enjoy your weekend!

 

 

Only in Portland, Oregon........

 

Only in Portland would you be sitting in the middle of a bridge, on a lawn (yes, lawn), having a brunch picnic, when two human flowers just show up and join you......

 

Only in Portland. It made me smile. Just thought I would share.

 

See, I do get out of my workroom occasionally! Speaking of my workroom, I have it nearly complete. I just need to get my paints organized by color on the shelving and my various small tools put in order. I should have the portico coloration done by this evening and the support beams added and aged. It took me a half hour yesterday to find my Super Glue Gel so I am still not quite as organized as I need to be but I am getting there.

Garth Manor seems right at home. I set up a six foot table so I have enough room to add and work on the landscaping base. Table still has clutter that needs to find a home.

Fortunately the parlor has two doors. One that leads to the front room( shown here) and entry, and the other that leads to the hallway and stairs. I am going to block the front entry to make room for this other table for side projects of a smaller nature. I need to start on my commercial pieces soon.

 

This room is so nice. Just has a very warm feel to it. The Manor will enjoy it's new home.

 

Have a great day!

 

 

 



Mixed Topics (i.e. rambling)

Having a great week so far. Just thought I would share a couple random things with all of you. Oh and a quick Manor update as well!

 

Meet Brumbiddle. I received him as a Yule gift a few years ago. He watches over our front door and makes sure no mischief occurs (other than his own...)

I am moving my craft room from upstairs to this unused downstairs parlor room. In the winter it will be much cozier to work and the light is great. I just need to clear out the clutter before I re-fill it with other clutter! I have made a promise to myself that I am going to organize my supplies.

 

The first two washes are on the portico. There is a dark umber-ish color under a grey wash. Two more layers of wash will probably be enough.

 Another view

 

Here is the final roof after an additional wash of murk.

Me looking kind of crazy. Fitting.

Speaking of crazy, I read on one of my Yahoo groups about these Dollar Tree mini glass bottles and bought out their stock. I have over a hundred of them now. They will be perfect as herb and potion bottles in my upcoming Occult Shop project. I can't get myself just to dump out the glittery stuff that came inside them but I am not a glitter person at all. I will replace the plastic stoppers with ones from clay. It will be a fun side project.

Disaster Averted!

Good news for us! We don't have to move! Thank the Gods! Because if I had to try and organize and pack up my craft room in the middle of this build I would curl into a ball and die. I would be like a puddle of quivering flesh on the floor. Like a piece of chewed up gum..... Ok, not really, but the thought of having to move made me physically ill. Whew! Now, back to business.......

 

 Here you can see the aged roofing. I am still thinking one more coat of wash.....Then the trim work.I will be adding some weed growth along the trim line for added realism. Heck, I have weed growth along my own roof line and my house is lived in!

 

 I got a really nasty splinter while roughing up the wood strips. I have bled more on this project than any other in my twenty plus years history with miniatures. A portent or omen perhaps....?

 

 I have added a couple of layers of additional dark wash on the area below the broken roof to show the effects of the elements. More to come. Once the desired effect is achieved, I will add moss growth.

 

The area on the bricks below the opening with further weathering. This is just the first layer but I want to keep it somewhat subtle and not go "overboard". It is barely noticeable at this point.

Dry fitted all portico parts. The fit works. Now I just have to give it one more day to allow the "patchwork" clay dry and I will begin the stone painting. Tomorrow for sure! I am so excited because it will truly reveal the overall look for the structure. FINALLY!

 

 

 

 

I Need To Hustle!

I really need to kick into high gear because we will most likely be moving into a different place in November. I am sad about this but it is a necessary evil.

 

My goal is to have the house on it's foundation, have all exterior (house) work done, including door, windows, and shingling, and most of the landscaping ready to be detailed. This may not sound like much but at the rate it has been going, it is a push. I just need to be careful about rushing anything. I don't want to do anything slipshod or half-arsed just because I have a goal to meet.

 

 Here is what I have accomplished over the last couple days:

 

 The stone has been painted and sealed. Really looks correct now. I am happy with the results. I still cannot permanently install this until the house is on it's base. You can see part of the original "basement window" that was part of the original house design because I just pushed it against the house to snap a pic. That will not show when installed.

 

I used those "Woodsies Thin Craft Sticks" to create the doors. I have found so many uses for them. The slight opening of the cellar doors is intentional and will feature a creepy element ;-) 

 

 The portico roof collapse with wood overlay. I just used some old clapboard siding strips. Next comes my favorite part- hacking away with my Exacto and attacking with my metal bristled scrub brush. Then multiple coats of various washes to age and weather and a further "scrubbing".

 

The area below the hole will have been exposed to decades of rain and direct exposure to the elements. I will need to adjust the coloration of the stones as well as the brick flooring in the affected area, making them a bit darker with hints of dark green. Moss will be added during the final detail work. I will use various shades of green and brown scenic flocking available through model train shops. I use the super fine and build it up in small layers to achieve proper scale and shading. 

 

There will be beams on the underside of the roof that will have been the cross supports. These will be added once the roof is attached to the actual portico so the measurements are exact. These touches will barely be seen but I want them there so if you look closely enough, you will see them. They would have been there in real life so I want them.

 

I need to get my butt upstairs and get to work. No rest for the wicked as they say.



Who dwells in the cellar?

Who dwells in this cellar?

 

Who knows..........