Applying siding to templates

With the window openings cut on side walls, I made wall templates from black construction paper. I will apply Greenleaf 3/4" siding strips to these templates and then glue the templates to the building walls. I did this for the siding on The Artist's Studio, and it was a much easier approach than applying directly to the wall boards.

There are templates for inside and out to give the illusion of a plank-built barn. The interior will have strip wood beams to mimic the skeletal structure of the barn.

I cut the 3/4" siding strips in half lengthwise to make narrower boards. While I like the look of the wide boards on Baslow Ranch and The Artist's Studio, I wanted to have a different look this time around. In cutting the strips lengthwise, I was left with boards that had one clean edge and one rough edge. I sanded the rough edge just enough to make it less noticeable but not to the point of making it a super clean, new plank.

I drew a few vertical guidelines with a carpenter's square and then began applying the siding strips back to front allowing the ends to go past the top and bottom edges of the template. I used Aleene's Quick Dry applied with a toothpick. I was careful to keep glue off the front of each board, but it won't matter if there are errant marks in the end. The guidelines helped me keep the boards relatively aligned, but the variation in the width (a natural occurrence with strips like these) left some gaps perfect for an old building. For the front piece, I used a whole 3/4" wide plank cut to size.