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This is the first house out of a series of houses to come.
Each house in this series has 2 different facades and with every façade comes a story. Who lives there? What does he or she do and what is the story behind the house?

The first story is about the old crumpy Captain Knucklebones and can be read "here".
The second story is about Merchant Smoothes and can be read "here".


Designing the house:

PICTURES

Now that the docks and ships are there it is time to dress up the land that lies behind the docks. From the first moment I started working on the docks I pictured a scenic image of an elevated area behind the docks filled with historical/fantasy houses. The elevation has to wait a bit although I already made some test sculpts for it. More important are the houses so this is where I focus on for now.

The design of this house is not as original as you might think. I have seen designs of houses where boat themes where incorporated in the house’s structure. A boat form used as a dormer window was the triggered on this project and from there I let my imagination run free. This will be clearer when you will look at the other houses that are currently in the making.

With the rough form of the façade in mind I started to make some drawings to find out what would look good and what not.



I made a test sculp where I tested the combination of stone structures, the boat forms and the woodwork. After this test I was set to go.

Preparation of the form itself:

With more possible structures in mind I start to build up the rough form out of foam. The most important part at this stage is to get the measurements of width, height and depth right so I do not have to make large adjustments once the façade is ready for production.



The next step is making the molds out of the foam versions. With these molds I can make plaster casts. Actually a fast and simple method for making rough casts of different shapes and forms. I choose to make 2 different rough forms. I can make a more detailed form out of form but this will narrow down the possibility of make larger alterations. A a form with more mass to work with does mean that I am able to carve complete different facades out of the same basic form. In the end it all is about choices. Will I safe on material and be aware of the fact that I will need more time sculpting or do I want to spend more on making extra molds and cut down the sculpting time.

Now that the plaster cast is ready I can start sculpting. The next photo shows what I use when I start carving/sculpting. In almost every item I sculpt I use one or more of the items you see in the picture.



The towel is my working surface. The block of plaster will twist and turn while sculpting. So to avoid unnecessary damage to the plaster cast a softer work surface does come in handy. The towel will also keep the plaster dust and crumbs from spreading around.

The hobby saw is a fine saw that I need mostly in the early stages of the project. I use it to remove larger chunks of plaster in a controlled manner by sawing away the unwanted parts. When I stop using the saw I wipe it clean and dry on the towel to prevent rust.

The dentist tool is a sharp stainless steel scraper with multiple sharp sides. With this tool I can make thin but sharp and deep carvings in the plaster or scrape the surface. In some cases I need to remove plaster from a spot that is not accessible with this dentist tool. In this case I often grab for my chisel set. These tools are used mostly for levelling a surface and at points where other tools can not reach.

A sharp pencil draws well on plaster. When a line has to be precise I will draw it first and then cut it . The ruler is just there to check on distances and to draw, cut and carve straight lines. I often carve lines without using a ruler since I like cuts to be slightly irregular.

Once you start cutting you will produce loads and loads of grain and dust. To keep a good eye on things, while carving, I use a stiff brush to wipe away the excessive material during the carving process.

A sculpting impression:



Once the outlines of the form are determined and the larger chunks are cut away with the saw and chisels the finer work starts. I start sculpting at a point that is most appealing for some reason. From there I will work around the entire project. Most of the forms, lines and structures are not determined yet and ideas exist, evolve and are executed during the sculpting process.

The first step in adding detail is to bring everything at the right depth/height. In most cases the wall is the deepest/basic layer. Wood will stick out a bit and sometimes another layer of wood does stick out above that. The windows have an elevated edge with a slightly deeper grid of a woodwork frame. Again a bit deeper the individual small windows will be added. The window shutters are thicker and stick out further then the entire window.

When all the layers are at the right height and form, I can start texturing the individual parts. The wall and roof are the last 2 parts that will get their texture. Mostly the higher elevated areas of wood, slate and stone will get their texture first.

Wood can get 3 types of texture. Smooth, grained where the grain is carved in one by one (mostly the bigger beams) or grained where the grain is scraped in (fine woodwork). The three types of texture will complement each other and is used to express differences in types of wood and to make forms and structures better visible to the eye. When I have to carve more planks side by side I always try to apply grains that go in different directions. The planks themselves have a deeper cut so the planks stand out more. The grain is carved less deep. When grain direction differ, individual planks will be better visible and will look a lot better once painted.



The window pains (glass itself) is scraped diagonal. All the individual glass parts are scraped in the same direction. You have to be consistent with this because it looks a lot better once it is painted. The irregular structure of the glass itself gives the glass a better look when it is brushed.



The stone structure of the wall and the slate roof is carved last. I use a metal ruler (if possible) to carve the horizontal lines once that is done I go for the vertical lines and so I have to cut each stone individually. The same goes for the slate texture on the roof.



The chimneys and the drain-pipes are loose elements. All elements are cut out of plaster which is quite a delicate work. I used the lantern from my buccaneer ship to make a wall lantern out of it. I simply glued the lantern on a stick and wrapped some rope around it. A 2 piece mold was made for the lantern.



Once the cutting is done it is time for making the molds. This is always an exciting part of the work. Imagine you carved for hours and hours and the mold does not set right. You might end up with a bad mold and an original carved and possibly damaged original piece of work. During the mold making process most original pieces will damage. The first time this happened I did not like it at all but I got used to it. A good mold is more rewarding then having an original carved piece of plastyer.



Assembling the house:

The idea about this project is that I end up with a certain number of wall elements. Different facades and different sides make up different houses. Before gluing the house I have to do some minor sanding to make a better fit. Most important is the roof. Since the top is where the to parts come together. Assembling the parts is done with superglue. Once the front and back are firmly glued I glue the sides with the help of elastic bands.
I also glued a house with Pattex Contact glue from a firm called Henkel. This glue does take some more time to dry but the effect is quite good so I can recommend this glue as well.

Painting the house:

With no specific colour setting in mind I started painting the house. The basic layer of paint is raw umber. While painting the basic layer some minor gaps are getting visible. This are small openings where parts of the house are glued together. The acrylic paint I use fore this basic layer is a lot thicker than the acrylic paints that are used for miniature painting. This paint is therefore perfect for camouflaging little gaps by simply filling them up with paint.
I painted the house using mostly paints from "Aleene's".

Walls



Basic layer is "Raw Umber". The first brush is done with "Medium Poppy". This is followed with a brush of "Deep Blush" and "Yellow Ochre". The final brush is "Soft Peach". With every stage I use a lighter colour and use a less firm brush technique. Depending on structure and the colour that is used I try to brush regular or irregular.

Wood



The woodwork always starts with "Raw Umber" and mostly get a "Yellow Ochre" brush. If I want to go for a red shaded kind of wood I use "Terracotta" or "Deep Blush". This is followed with a "Yellow Ochre" brush.

Windows

Windows get a basic layer "Black" and a brush of any kind of blue that is mostly mixed with black. A lighter blue brush as a finished layer might be added also.

Roof



In this case the house has a slate roof. Normally slate has a dark and deep blue shine so I used a mixture of "Azul" with "Pewter" over a basic layer of "Black".

Finishing the house with details:

The drain-pipes can be assembled with or without an s-shape extention and a waterbucket on top. In order to get the drain-pipes at the right place I have to cut some small pieces of the horizontal beams to let the vertical pipes through. In this way you can build up the drainage system any way you like.

The chimneys are optional as well and can be placed anywhere on the roof.
The banners on the house are made out of metal foil. The post is made out of a toothpick and the knop is a cut off top from a pin.



Some final shots of the house:

On to "The house of Lady Bloomsburry & Nylon Ykes"

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