No fair getting those little people to do all your work, Ray.
Most excellent.
Nice !
Beautiful work… 
WOW again…
Etc, etc. Best means best.
What a beautifully executed and thought out structure! And the removable rooms…what a slick idea!
The exterior is nearing completion…
After taking the photos in my last post, I still wasn’t satisfied with the painted stones on the side of the building. There was too much variation, and the colors weren’t close enough to the real stone walls nearby. So I modified the stones I’d already painted, and then completed the remainder of the wall. Here’s how it looks now:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Mineral_Ridge_1_files/Media/IMG_8258/IMG_8258.jpg)
I’m still not entirely happy with it, but it’s close. I will probably try to tint some more of the stones, and perhaps do a very thin wash over the whole wall. But for now this will have to suffice – we have an open house tomorrow. BTW, I also painted the front wall, which was much simpler. It received a solid coat of Apple Barrel “Country Tan”.
The window frames were painted white. The front panels and door were painted dark brown:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Mineral_Ridge_1_files/Media/IMG_8153/IMG_8153.jpg)
I painted these by hand using a small, pointed brush. Getting a sharp, clean edge between the frame and door was tricky. I painted everything white first. Then I painted the panels and door brown, building up the color a little at a time in thin layers. Then I had to touch up the white, and then touch up the brown. Eventually it reached a point where it was acceptable, though not quite perfect:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Mineral_Ridge_1_files/Media/IMG_8150/IMG_8150.jpg)
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Mineral_Ridge_1_files/Media/IMG_8199/IMG_8199.jpg)
The front windows and door assembly is only very slightly weathered, not enough to really show much in this photo. I glued the 2mm glass to the rear using clear silicone sealant, and also added a doorknob. The doorknob is an Ozark Miniatures casting, with the oversized keyhole filled in with putty:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Mineral_Ridge_1_files/Media/IMG_8203c/IMG_8203c.jpg)
The upstairs windows were painted white and given a bit more weathering, since it’s likely they would not be repainted as frequently. The weathering was done by lightly applying random streaks of gray-brown, using a ratty old brush. After painting was completed, the glass was glued onto the rear:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Mineral_Ridge_1_files/Media/IMG_8160/IMG_8160.jpg)
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Mineral_Ridge_1_files/Media/IMG_8206c/IMG_8206c.jpg)
The attic vents were painted in the same manner. Then the rear of each vent was painted black, and a fine brass screen glued into place:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Mineral_Ridge_1_files/Media/IMG_8210c/IMG_8210c.jpg)
Next, I glued a back onto the sides of the vent, to form a box which is open at the top. This will allow the vent to function, while keeping out any rain that might blow in:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Mineral_Ridge_1_files/Media/IMG_8217c/IMG_8217c.jpg)
The “rolled roofing” material was painted black, then given several thin washes of white following by some brownish gray washes. This simulates the appearance of roofing which is somewhat aged and weathered yet still in reasonably good condition. I also painted the access hatch and glued in the smokejack and vent pipe:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Mineral_Ridge_1_files/Media/IMG_8222c/IMG_8222c.jpg)
And here’s how it all looks so far:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Mineral_Ridge_1_files/Media/IMG_8220/IMG_8220.jpg)
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Mineral_Ridge_1_files/Media/IMG_8226c/IMG_8226c.jpg)
A closeup of the side window:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Mineral_Ridge_1_files/Media/IMG_8247c/IMG_8247c.jpg)
This shot is looking towards the townsite from across the layout:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Mineral_Ridge_1_files/Media/IMG_8250c/IMG_8250c.jpg)
Besides making possible further adjustments to the color of the stones, I also need to create some signs and other small details. Then I have to start on the interiors.
Ray,
You don’t want “perfect,” you want real, and this looks like a real human did the painting, rather than a machine, somewhere in China or Germany.
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Mineral_Ridge_1_files/Media/IMG_8150/IMG_8150.jpg)
I think it looks great!
I like the way the “rock walls” came out. Perhaps a black wash to tone it down a bit and emphasize the highlights???
jaw-dropped, speechless applause!
If I didn’t know any better I’d say I was looking at a real building…
Beautiful build. I really like the colors selected. Very nice.
Doc Tom
Amazing work.
Completely boggled here. I think you’re mad;)
I decided I wanted a couple faded, old signs on the side of this building. I searched online for pics of “ghost signs” and other old wall signs, and studied them to get a feel for the lettering styles, layout and weathered appearance…
First would be a sign for the bank which originally occupied the structure. I laid out a simple design and printed it onto self-adhesive vinyl. Then I masked the background area and used a stencil brush to stipple in some charcoal black:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Mineral_Ridge_1_files/Media/IMG_8266/IMG_8266.jpg)
When the background had dried, I cut out the lettering from the vinyl and positioned the mask over the background area. Then I stippled in some off-white:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Mineral_Ridge_1_files/Media/IMG_8269/IMG_8269.jpg)
After removing the mask, I touched up the edges of the letters, and painted in some brown spots and tints. Here’s the completed sign:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Mineral_Ridge_1_files/Media/IMG_8272c/IMG_8272c.jpg)
This simple sign had turned out well, so now I was ready to try something a little more complicated. The next sign would be an old ad, in several colors. I worked up a design I liked and printed out two copies onto self-adhesive vinyl:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Mineral_Ridge_1_files/Media/IMG_8301c/IMG_8301c.jpg)
Then I cut a mask for the entire background and stippled on a thin, spotty coat of off-white. When this dried, I masked the border, and positioned the vinyl “tamale” cutout, then painted the background a mottled red color:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Mineral_Ridge_1_files/Media/IMG_8282/IMG_8282.jpg)
Next I cut out the lettering, and laid the vinyl mask over the red background:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Mineral_Ridge_1_files/Media/IMG_8285/IMG_8285.jpg)
The letters were painted off-white, and the tamale was painted in shades of pale yellow and brown:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Mineral_Ridge_1_files/Media/IMG_8289/IMG_8289.jpg)
When the mask was removed, it looked pretty ugly! The rough surface had allowed paint to bleed under the edges of the mask, so there was a lot of touch up needed. I also needed to add the “red hot” lettering to the center of the tamale:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Mineral_Ridge_1_files/Media/IMG_8293/IMG_8293.jpg)
I cut a mask for the “red hot” lettering and painted it. Then I touched up all the edges, hand painted a thin drop shadow on the lettering, and added a black outline around the tamale. Finally, the entire wall was given a very thin wash of “mortar” colored paint, while the building was laid on its side. This helped to fade out the signs, and also toned down the colors of the stones a bit and very subtly tied the whole thing together:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Mineral_Ridge_1_files/Media/IMG_8296/IMG_8296.jpg)
Here’s how it all looks now:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Mineral_Ridge_1_files/Media/IMG_8304c/IMG_8304c.jpg)
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Mineral_Ridge_1_files/Media/IMG_8311/IMG_8311.jpg)
That’s all for now…
WOW!!! Very nice, Regards, Ron
i’m starting to get green - from envy…
Ray,
Your skill at modeling is unsurpassed! I am truly amazed.
I like that…a lot!
LMAO!!
That is SWEET!!!
Outstanding !
Outstanding.