Halcyon's bits and pieces

[Halcyon]

Phew !!! (big sigh of relief)... I have just posted my painting challenge entry for this month.

http://www.worldoftwilight.com/forum/index.php?topic=1892.0

Halfway through the month, I was only a little behind schedule... but then real life just kept getting in the way.
There were times this last week when I didn't think I would get anything finished in time. 

Next month will be Gohral and Obal and possibly some Devanu. 

[Kryptovidicus]

I know how it feels .
Sadly I haven't been able to finish even one starter this month.
I'm a making a last ditch effort this weekend, but it isn't looking good.

Anyway, congratulations! You made it , and they look very good too.

[Carcharoth]

Congratulations getting them finished!
Would it be useful to push the deadline back to Sunday night?

[Halcyon]

Would it be useful to push the deadline back to Sunday night?

Thank you for the offer, but I have nothing else I could finish in time, even with an extra day. 

Plus, I had planned to spend the weekend, on getting a bit more done on my buildings. 

[Halcyon]

As I mentioned above, I have taken a couple of days off from painting, to try and make some progress on my buildings.

I have now managed to build and undercoat two roofs, clad one of my towers and made a door for it.

The roof is not yet attached, but this is what  I have achieved so far...



I used...
500g Tesco Drinking Chocolate container (3 3/4" diameter cardboard)
260gsm Hammer Ivory Card to clad the tube (it has a mottled texture)
210gsm White Card for the Roof and Timbers (double thickness for both)
8mm Plastic Disposable Tattoo Ink Caps for the Windows
Balsa wood for the door.

I tried making a roof out of single thickness card, but it ended up looking too flimsy, so I now spray-mount two pieces of card together to give it the proper thickness. Likewise the "timber" frame looks better when it is double thickness.
I am happy with the door height and width, but I think the arch needs a slightly taller Keystone adding.
 
I was ordering some cheap stuff on eBay from China and came across the Tattoo Ink Caps, amongst the sellers other items.
At only £1 for 100, I thought it was worth getting some to see if they would work as windows (and happily they do  ).
The rim is 2mm wide giving a diameter of 12mm for the window, you just have to cut a 9mm diameter hole and push the cap in.



I plan to make a four storey tower out of a Pringles tube and I also have a 750g Cadbury Drinking Chocolate container.
It is the same diameter as the Tesco one and should make a nice three storey building.  

I am looking forward to continuing with this project, once the painting competitions are over.  

[Kryptovidicus]

A very nice start, this will look great!
These windows are genius! Don't sue me if I copy that .

[Carcharoth]

Excellent bit of scenery building! Going to have to order some of those caps - round windows are a real pain to do neatly!
Other than that you've taken the same approach I tend to - right down to the cladding in paper etc.

I don't think you need much advice, but just in case you are interested...
You could try adding diagonal support struts between some of the beams.
I nearly always draw fubarnii houses with various intersecting cylinders. It's a bit tricky (particularly for the roofs), but it gives a nice haphazard feel. Clan Orel have a more disciplined approach to building though, which would fit with your desert scenery.
Has the house got a chimney?

Really good work 

[Crucium Giger]

Delightful building that fits right in and as the others have said the windows are ingenious.

[Halcyon]

These windows are genius! Don't sue me if I copy that .

Be my guest, copy away.  
There is also a medium size cap which has a 17mm diameter and the same 2mm rim.

round windows are a real pain to do neatly!

Yes, I know... originally I tried using washers, but the flat washers didn't like sticking to the curved cylinder !
I attempted two ways to try and bed the washers down, bending them so that were curved and filing a hollow into their backs.
Neither worked and both were a complete pain to do... needless to say the project ground to a complete halt for 3 months, before I stumbled upon the caps.  

You could try adding diagonal support struts between some of the beams.
...
Has the house got a chimney?

I might add some diagonal supports later on, I just wanted to get the window placement right first and yes I do plan on adding a chimney.

I nearly always draw fubarnii houses with various intersecting cylinders. It's a bit tricky (particularly for the roofs), but it gives a nice haphazard feel.

I was trying to keep it simple to start with, to make sure all the techniques worked.
However I do have some morecomplex plans that I would like to try at a later date, including a covered walkways between towers and a large circular outpost with several towers in it's wall.

As the buildings are a bit of a side project, which I only dabble with to give me a break from painting, don't expect for them to be finished anytime soon.  

[TuffSkull]

Buildings looking superb, and a great solution to doing round windows. You might have started a "thing" with that idea....... 

[Halcyon]

Work on my Devanu is on schedule.

As of this morning, they have all been...

a. cleaned (mold lines removed and washed in detergent)
b. arms and legs pinned and fitted
c. based (sand and grit added to base)
d. undercoated

I have also managed to slap some paint onto the Kosok, a Jenta and a couple of Grishak.
Plus Gohral, Obal and their Bodyguards have also been started. 

Hopefully the rest of the month will be as productive (unlike last month). 

[Kryptovidicus]

Wow, big plans .
Good luck to get  everything finished!

[guppug]

Nice looking buildings.

[Halcyon]

Over the weekend I managed to finish my Grishak.  



I am glad to say, that the Devanu are also progessing nicely and so far everything else is still on schedule.  

[Kryptovidicus]

These fit in great with your desert terrain! Looking forward to see the rest of your Devanu.