Setting the scene: Part Four

As I was hanging the washing out I realised I never explained the red chair in my recent post. And then, when I came upstairs to clean off my work desk, I somehow found myself playing with said red chair instead of putting it away...

The idea of painting one of the ugly brass chairs red came from this image, spotted in the Conran blog:(which I duly saved for future inspiration)

Then, last night I remembered these cutouts in an old issue of Dolls House and Miniature Scene I picked up cheaply at last week's show:And I started thinking about a Royal Wedding scene: someone watching the wedding at home on the TV, having decorated the room with bunting and stuff for the occasion.

(Of course, I learnt long ago that what you think you're going to create and what you actually end up with are usually quite different.)

A quick google for "Royal Wedding design" turned up some potentially useful wallpaper from Graham & Brown. So I stole the image and printed it out on A4 paper. Pulled out a Lego Scala TV from one of my houses (it has a great back) and the crown I pulled off the top of a Re-Ment clock (storage beauty #3). Cut out the bunting. And pulled together a test scene to photograph:
Nup. Not right. (Although I wonder now how it would work if I'd made the bunting and had it hanging across the top?)

I quickly added a vintage tea towel Union Jack cushion and shot again:Even worse.

Maybe if I balanced the red of the chair on the other side of the scene? I cut out the party hat from the printables and tried:

Better but still boring.

The hat one the chair?Nup.

By now the next load of washing was done so I stomped downstairs grumbling about it serving me right when I wasn't supposed to be making scenes anyway. And on the way out the back door I noticed the blue version of the red chair waving at me in an "I'm dry enough to play with" way...

And I instantly thought "Royal: blue blood"Nice try but... meh.

I (finally) realise I forgot to add the skirting...Which didn't help much.

Hang on: maybe the issue is that the scene looks lonely! Most people got together to watch the wedding. And (if you want to get deep and meaningful), a pair of chairs, one red (female) and one blue (male) might add extra meaning to the scene:
(You can see the edge of the papers in the photo: I left it there as this series of posts is to show my process. If I'd been satisfied with the test photo, I would have moved the furniture further to the left to shoot the final version)

I'm pretty happy with the test, but swap the chairs around for a second test shot: And decide to leave the scene alone, get on with what I'd planned to do today and wait for further inspiration.

First though, I'll share a shot to the right, showing an idea I had of using the window in the scene, with a picture of a street party outside: And, finally something I threw together as I continued to put things away: my funny little head from the show, looking all regal, wearing a crown and watching the TV... (Crap, maybe that was the scene I was after all along?)

Time taken: Around an hour between clothes washing, lounge tidying, and studio clearing.

Setting the scene: Part Three

In the spirit of full disclosure of my process in creating a miniature scene, here's a picture of my desk when I got up this morning: I can do one of two things:

1. Push the piles aside to make a new scene (yes, there's one bubbling in my head and it's not the one I started documenting yesterday morning...)
2. Spend some time cleaning up and putting stuff away.

Speaking of which, today I have to dust pack three dolls houses for an exhibition which starts this week, cook lunch for guests and do the housework. So the next scene probably won't be happening any time soon...

A seventeen yearly tradition?

Looking through the window:

Oct 20 1994: (With the Bay Villa)

May 7 2011:
(With a random piece of cardboard...)

Setting the scene: Part Two

I was out and about today but came home with lots of new bits and pieces for mini inspiration.

Which means (and this is fairly typical) that the scene I thought I was going to make wasn't the scene I ended up working on.

I started the day with a haircut at the mall. And since I'd reached my $15 off coupon I decided to pop downstairs to Lincraft and see what they had that could be used for minis that I could spend my windfall on.

And left with this... (Which cost a little bit more than $15)

I then headed down to see James at Victorian Dolls Houses to pick up more frames. And I spotted a cheap plastic white window: just what I've been looking for as I'm aware that some of my scenes are lacking a certain depth.

Finally, after lunch and a catch up with a friend, I dropped into the model shop round the corner. only to discover they're closing down! Oh no! But they had 30% off all Tamiya spray paint so I bought some non-black varieties.

I came home. Tested out the metallic red spray paint on some of the ugly brass furniture I have. Cut a hole in the cardboard I use as backing to fit the new window. Attached the black and white bead to an Irwin Interior Decorator lamp shade. Clipped the hanging bit off the top of the silver letter A.

And set up this test scene:(With a still slightly wet chair: if you look carefully you can see the smear on the wall from when it fell over onto the chair with the extra weight of the shelf and the window)(Cropped as it would usually be, without my hands in the frame)

Ignoring the lack of scene out the window (It's in a box. I'll find it tomorrow) I realised, after looking a the photos that there was something else needed. So I added a "blind":And decided that tomorrow, when the paint is dry and the light has returned, this is a scene worth continuing with...

(Time taken: the whole day, on and off)

Setting the scene: Part One

Call of the Small's recent post on how she puts a scene together came around the same time I was contacted by The Editor of Tiny Times (The Australian Miniatures Enthusiasts' Association magazine) asking if I'd like to write a piece about how my minis have moved out of the the dolls house and into a more ephemeral world.

So I'm playing along with what I'm sure will turn into a miniature meme (you always have the best ideas, CotS!)

I'm finding it almost impossible to make scenes during the week at the moment: a combination of long working hours and autumnal light fading early. So, unlike the 14 minutes Call of the Small's latest scene took, mine will take days, with plans hatching in my head as I eat lunch,drive to work, or drift off to sleep in bed.

My starting point are some recent eBay purchases (yay for having enough extra money in the budget to buy minis occasionally coupled with a lovely AU/ US exchange rate!):

1. This antique table and vases2. These Fisher Price tables (snapped up for a song after remembering Call of the Small's clever use of them as shelves last year) 3. This Art Deco bedroom suite:(All bought for Stephen's apartment, which you can see a bit of in this post)

I wanted a masculine but sumptuous look, something referencing an antique dealing man-about-town.

Reading the latest marie claire the other night I saw this:And remembered a piece of fabric I was given last year which I really didn't know what I was going to do with (and almost sent to the op shop several times)

While pulling it out of the fabric tub I discovered a piece of leopard print carpet which I though might go with the whole feel I was after, using the fabric to upholster the wall. But alas, together, they seemed to moph into a ponderous German between-the-wars feel:
Not what I was looking for at all

I played around a bit. Introduced some more modern touches. Tried the fabric as curtains.
Realised I was probably trying to fit too many pieces into the scene and needed to pare down. And I left the whole idea to mature in my head...

(Time so far: three days, on and off!)

Midweek miniatures

A link from a friend a couple of days ago pulled up this: "Marc Giai-Miniet is a French artist who looks like Santa Claus and works like a madman, building much of his livelihood on small, fastidiously complex dollhouses, some just 36 inches long and 35 inches wide. "

(Check out pictures of the artist's studio on his site:Jealous yet?)

And you might want to check out The Design Files' guest blog, where Sydney Architect and Designer Scott Weston is in residence, along with a number of his concept models... (images shamelessly nicked from the respective sites)

Still six months behind, alas

Today I made a visit that's been on my list since the Call of the Small exhibition closed.

And then I came home and knitted some wool I bought while I was in Wellington last year.

*Sigh* One day I'll catch up, I'm sure...

Sofa so good

Just quickly, before I race off to work:

Joann Swanson's latest blog post includes instructions for making this modern sofa with a base of foamcore:
If you decide to have a go, I'd love to see your end result!

Making modern miniatures: an index?

Hi guys

Before I launch myself into a new project I thought I should check: is there in existence an index of modern mini projects from the dolls house magazines (Nutshell News/ Dollhouse Miniatures, Dolls House & Miniature Scene, Dolls House World, The Dollshouse Magazine etc etc)?

And if there's not (and before I start driving myself potty with creating one) would you be interested in contributing if I were to set up a wiki similar to Call of the Small's excellent Mini-sizer?

A day-trip to the Sydney Show

I took the ACT Miniature Enthusiast's bus to the show yesterday. It stopped for a "comfort stop" half way up. On the road between Canberra and Sydney there's not much choice in food: or:or (of course):(which is where we stopped). I did wonder if all the junk food on offer might cause this:
but it seemed everyone was fine.

At the show I met Judy, who has set up Modern Miniatures by Neu, an Australian-based site which deals only in the modern.She's absolutely lovely and coped rather well with my excitement at seeing a whole stall full of things I might just like to buy, either in person or online

I, of course, dragged Div over to meet her too.

Speaking of Div, she's finished the black and white house I visited at her place last year:
It gained a lot of interest and I was chuffed to read the sign that went with it:
Where else did I visit?

The local Community Centre, which had a library...(I missed the dolls house and miniature section) and a knitting group in the room upstairs...Just down the road I stumbled across an artist's studio open day (you can tell they tidied up especially!) I met Bill, the artist who owned the studio, who told me it was all cardboard. He showed me some of his other cardboard modelsand seemed surprised when I got so excited(Do you think we could convince him to make 1/12th plans and kits if we asked nicely?)

By this time I was completely exhausted with seeing the displays and trying to catch up with friends old and new. So I ducked back to the Community Centre for a quick massagebefore Rooruu whisked me off for our almost traditional trip to IKEA, returning me to the bus just in time for the return trip to Canberra.

So, what did I buy? Not terribly much (but certainly more than I have in previous years):
(Dangly charm things for inspiration board use. Scrapbooking frames to experiment with. Mini rug canvas for a couple of ideas I want to steal try.A swag of plastic bottle tops of some sort to use as plant holders and vases. Some cheapy random bits I picked up for a couple of dollars. Two more sets of IKEA lights. Three magazine back issues (at $2 each, I figured they'd make good bus reading on the trip home: except they didn't have the lights on...). The almost complete stock of vintage plastic houses from the same seller ($2 each!) and some flowers that aren't white for future scenes.)(Just to make you super-envious...)

Credits*: Fast food outlets, Dom Furcciniti. Operating theatre ("Aftermath"), Maree Flaherty. Revell House, Div Williams. Blue Hills Community Centre (Library and Nifty Knitters' Group) by Mountain Miniatures. Art studio and Miniature buildings, Bill Maguire from Leprechaun Miniatures Club. The Pysiotherapist, Colleen Tynan.

(*Yes, I actually got them all for once!)