Lighthouse Standoff

[FichtenFoo]

Here's that lighthouse/Hardgraph diorama I've been showing the wood objects for.

http://fichtenfoo.com/02GiantRobots/02b-Lighthouse.htm

[Major Blah]

Surprising how well the stock figure pose fits with your story.  The boy is awesome (actually it might be even more awesome if it's a girl with teddy bear  ).  Looks like a bit of work for the lighthouse stone wall but I'm sure the effort will be worth it.  I'm interested to see what type of lighthouse this is going to be.  Any electrical plans for the lighthouse?

I think the jeep looks better without the hood to cover the spare wheel actually.

[Irk]

I'm excited about this one - should be one cool ride following the progress - I'm sure you have a few secrets up your sleeve still!!
Are you really going to apply mortar to the stones? Thats a great idea. Do they have a ready made product or are you planning a Foo-mixture?

[FichtenFoo]

Thanks guys.

Major: In this case the story fits the figure as opposed to makiing the figure fit the story. The pose just worked out well that way. What do you mean by lighthouse type? I will be lighting it... I'd be stupid not to!

Irk: Thanks. I'm actually throwing away what you see there light-house wise. I figured out a better/more realistic way to do the stones. I filled another cup with plaster and started carving the bricks. Then a guy at the mig forum suggested texturing them with a wire brush. Here's the results of that:

Lighthouse Standoff

I think now I might leave it in natural stone. It'd be a shame to stucco and cover all that up now! Here's some real stone lighthouse reference:

http://galenfrysinger.us/1/new_england/stonington03.jpg

[fulcy]

Either leave it all stone, or stucco over part of it - kinda like it use to have a stucco finish, but over time the stucco has worn off, and left the stone underneath exposed..

[Maschinen Krueger]

you've built a boat. you built a boat. Kick Ass!

Chuck has some amazing effects doesn't he. Your weathered wood looks fantastic. Great setting too. Will the light house work?

[FichtenFoo]

Yeah, I guess I'm crazy that way. It was a fun little build though and in the future I might do another... maybe for a MaK dio next time. The lighthouse will work. I need to get a slow-speed servo motor first and an uber-bright LED. I also need to figure out what I'll use for the round reflective mirror as I won't be able to spin the light due to the wires. Spinning the mirror with the bulb shining down upon it will do the trick.

[bhop73]

Your boat and door look pretty amazing.  I'm guessing part of that is because it's real wood?  Nice.

[Irk]

Wow, the plaster stone is looking awesome. The other way made the stones look a little smooth - though I figured you would have fixed that with washes and painting. This plaster way gives great texture.

Did you seal the plaster before you painted it? Or are you letting your paint/washes soak in?

[FichtenFoo]

Thanks bhop! Nothing looks more like real wood than... real wood!

Irk: I'm letting the paint/washes soak in. I did a number of tests with acrylics and the Apple Barrel, when applied full strength would rub off easily. Letting them soak leads to some nice variation within the same color and also helps with potential chipping.

[Nix0-san]

This is something really creative , Especially the way you built the light house , I mean a cup and a lid !?!? .. Who would've imagined anything like that! 
Sir your not only a kick-ass professional modeler but a very creative person , =D .
Well , As far as the progress goes i think it's all coming together nicely , No small paradox's here or there , The human kid scale is perfect and the boat scale is also really well studied . It's like there's a good story behind this model, A story one understands not by reading or listening but by looking . I Suppose this is what I'd call Eye-reading  .
I can't wait to see the textures you chose for the light house , Also Foo do you have any ideas about the base ?
Maybe a rock cliff and a see crashing on the shore . Like something done in this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQQHg4tg9r4 great video (Z'gok Diorama) .

Keep us updated !
can't wait to see ur next update .
 

[FichtenFoo]

The lighthouse tower using the new plaster is complete. So much carving that I've gotten a few blisters!

http://fichtenfoo.com/02GiantRobots/02b-Lighthouse.htm

[Amalga]

This is pretty different from what you usually do. I really like it. I'm anxious to see the finished lighthouse. The only "gripe" I can think of--and it's quite minor--is that the shapes of the carved stones fit together too well, making it look more like a pattern than stones being stacked together. It's a minor grievance, though, and I'm sure it will be negligible when painted.

Still pretty masterful, though. The wooden pieces are an extremely nice touch and the boy standing at the doorway gives the diorama a lot of character. :)

[zerobxu]

I have to agree with the "patterned" look somewhat, but I think that with washes, filters, etc, that appearance will quickly disappear. I think it's a by-product of the single color of the thing right now. As a whole the thing looks great. Almost reminded me more of a castle turret than a lighthouse--hey! You should do a castle (or castle ruins) next! Eventually, you'll stop getting blisters...

 

[FichtenFoo]

Thanks. I think with the painting it's looking less patterened. I added an image of what I've painted so far. Ignore the stark white mortar as that will be colored and darkened later with pigment washes.

Lighthouse Standoff

I'm tempted to do more stone walls though... they're fun!

[zerobxu]

Yep--that paint totally got rid of any appearance of a pattern. Looks like stone and mortar to me!

[Ezechiel]

Yeah, looks very realistic...but such a tedious job!
I'm way too lazy for that.

[Amalga]

The painting definitely does away with the patterned look. The stones look fantastic and very nicely weathered as they are.

[clee-cm]

I am really liking the way the lighthouse is turning out. The stone work looks very realistic, I am looking forward to seeing the completed lighthouse.

Keep up the great work! 

[braxat2000]

Man that is amazing.
I love this composition, tall dioramas are usually very impressive, and that boat and door you painted are magnificient.