French POW dio WIP **update: 2/26/09 pg 11**

Steve,,,this is eye poppin, jaw droppin work that you are doing...the figgies, barn...wow!

 

  Steve, man this is coming along great. Nice touch texturing the wood. nice job on those figs also.  Is that the mini art wagon? 

So where will the Neil Peart drum kit go?

Seriously, that's going to look beautiful. I'll be keeping an eye on this one for sure. How will you make the wood look aged? Use that patina that Floquil or somebody makes?

Wow your realy putting some efort into this barn I hope it turns out very very very very well. Can't wait to see more!

Continued working on the 2nd floor last night. Took some SBS shots, just for laughs.

One thing I wish I started doing at the beginning of this barn's construction is to make the wood look a little more real, more like scale lumber, with texturizing before I attached it. I can still go back and do that to the structure, but realized some areas would be harder than others to retro-texturize. I figured I'd do it to the flooring before I laid it. Here's what I did:

Cut 7cm planks (about 8 scale feet):

Made deep grooves with embossing tool: 

Made lighter gooves, with razor saw, to texturize:

Sanded this down with fine grit sandpaper:

Here's what it looks like:

On the planks that will have exposed ends, I texturized in cross-hatching pattern:

Glued 'em down with carpenter's glue, with (hopefully) equal spacing. Some ref shots showed floors with about 3 - sometimes 4" spacing, others had no gaps at all between planks. I opted for gap:

With a dental tool, I "hammered" in the planks:

Here's the rear of the dio so far:

How the barn sits, from the front:

The unfinished farm cart, where it will be parked... I just wanted to get the cart built up enough to be able to see how much room it would need. Will detail later:

 

That's as far as I got last night. Tonight, finish 2nd floor, and continue on with roof detail.

If you're looking, thanks. Comments and suggestions always welcome. I haven't stepped foot in a real barn in years, so chime in if you see missing detail, or if I've added something that shouldn't be there. I'll be glad to hear it.

Steve

 

Mansteins revenge wrote:

Is the canteen on the soldier depicting a torn felt cover with the metal canister showing through???.

Yes, but I can only take partial credit. The real credit lies in the fact that I failed to notice the imperfection in the molding until after I primed it. I figured torn felt was the best way to resolve, since that's what it looked like.

Thanks for your input Manny and Ian. I want to be better at oils because, when done right, I like the way they look more than the acrylic shading technique. It's just a matter of taste.

Steve

I think it is too early to tell which paints suit your style best---I say keep experimenting and it will come...they both look great. Is the canteen on the soldier depicting a torn felt cover with the metal canister showing through???...If so, you are 'da man...talk about tiny details...WOW, crazy good...

Personally, I like the ones done with oils better. 

Ya'll are too kind. Thank you for the compliments about the figures; they are, as for many, my weakest link. I think I can answer everyone's questions in one fee swoop:

The figures (all resin, yes- I'm admittedly an official resin snob) are mostly reworked poses (except for the two examples I've posted). Primed in black MM enamel, base coated in Vallejo acrylics. The first figure is shaded and highlighted in oils; the second figure is my experimenting with shading and highlighting using the Vallejos (on the tunic only, that is). You guys tell me which method looks better to you.

zokissima: I know the layout seems unclear. I'll try to get some layout shots a little later on. Thanks for the encouragement regarding the figures.

Steve

Those figures are looking very nice. Clean edges and some very good detail.

I'm having a hard time visualizing what your overall dio will look like though.

Excellent work on the figures!  I really like the shadows and shading you're doing!  Do you start out with a black base coat/primer then paint up from there?  It kinda looks that way; just curious, always trying to improve my figure painting techniques... 

Fantastic detail work, too!  Are those Dragon/DML figs or resin? 

I'm still hungry for more!!!  

Also, what are the dimensions on your barn?  Foundation to roof peak and also from floor to floor?  Are you going with 10 scale foot ceiling per floor or a little less?

Steve, as great as the barn looks, it's the figures that are drawing me in.  Your figure painting has improved immensely since I first saw your work just a year or two ago.  Your style of subtle shading is something I'm working on improving in with some figures right now.  Are you using oils or acrylics?  I've been sticking with oils lately, since it gives me, oh, about 4 days to fix my mistakes while I attempt to teach myself some shading and highlighting. 

 Looking GREAT! Your Inspiring me to try a dio. I have built structures years ago, but only in styrofoam. Your storyline is very interesting. 

Hey guys, thanks for looking in...

senojrn: thank you very much, I'm glad you're gonna get to making your barn. I'll throw my grandpop's story in there when the figs are completed- it'll have a bit more relevance then. I'll add some in progress pics ofsome of the figs; I left them out at first because, after importing the photos, I can finally see how they are covered in sawdust (from the barn raising). A hundred more disclaimers could follow, but what the heck...

 

Buddho: thank you for your compliments!

Manny: yeah, the barn will be completely open from the back. I am building this on a 14" (thereabouts) turntable- lazy susan- so the viewier can spin it around to view the inside. The roof sections a be also removable. Finished ground floor last night, and began 2nd floor. I'll take some shots and post.

Thanks again, guys, for your comments.

Steve 

SteveM wrote:

Hey Manny. Thanks fer lookin'. Combo of balsa and basswood: bass for strength in the main frame, and then balsa where softer wood more convenient. I'm gonna leave all doors open for sure. In addition, I'm making the roof sections removable. I am contemplating having the garage door(s) off completely, and stored inside the barn itself, a la "these doors are old, and I'll get around to fixing them one day". It'll also leave more space for the figure placing. Here's one of the ref pics I've been working from: The smaller shrub is made by "planting" small  twigs, from a porch broom (from Michael's), in that little, cut, square of styro. Then small sections of Woodland Scenics foliage branches, scraped mostly clean of the foliage itself, were glued on. The larger shrub is Hudson and Allen branches glued to an armature of real twings. Thanks again for the comments. I know, of all of the people on here, you'll keep me honest with my refs. Feel free to chime in anytime, if I start to get lazy. It will reveal my impatience- which I'm trying to overcome. Steve

If I were you I would leave the whole backside open to be viewed...nice...

Steve...this is going to be one heck of a diorama...your barn and shrubbery are top notch stuff...excellent.

Steve!

FREAKIN OUTSTANDING WORK!!!  I am anxiously waiting to see more!!!  The barn looks awesome!  You've inspired me to start work on a dio that I've been milling about in the back of my mind for years now that includes a barn very similar to yours!!!  Thanks for the inspiration; seeing excellent work like yours always makes me want to get my projects going!! 

Do you have any pics of the figures yet? 

The background story sounds like a pretty good one; I'd very much like to hear...er, read it if you'd like to share it!!!

Keep posting!!! Looking forward to the update!

Hey Manny. Thanks fer lookin'.

Combo of balsa and basswood: bass for strength in the main frame, and then balsa where softer wood more convenient.

I'm gonna leave all doors open for sure. In addition, I'm making the roof sections removable. I am contemplating having the garage door(s) off completely, and stored inside the barn itself, a la "these doors are old, and I'll get around to fixing them one day". It'll also leave more space for the figure placing.

Here's one of the ref pics I've been working from:

The smaller shrub is made by "planting" small  twigs, from a porch broom (from Michael's), in that little, cut, square of styro. Then small sections of Woodland Scenics foliage branches, scraped mostly clean of the foliage itself, were glued on. The larger shrub is Hudson and Allen branches glued to an armature of real twings.

Thanks again for the comments. I know, of all of the people on here, you'll keep me honest with my refs. Feel free to chime in anytime, if I start to get lazy. It will reveal my impatience- which I'm trying to overcome.

Steve 

Very nice work...some questions:

1) is that balsa and basswood?

2) gonna leave the barn open so the viewer can see inside or close 'er up?

3) freakin' nice shrubbery---how'd you make 'em?