Spooky Squirrel Posted June 3, 2021 Author Share Posted June 3, 2021 Just now, havanaholly said: I have a nutmeg grater dedicated to grating chalk pastels. If you grate a little gray,white and umber chalk pastels and brush the different colors lightly over your shingles, it well also give them an interesting aging effect. Creepy - it was like you were reading my mind!! I have some pastels and I saw others using it for awesome effects and didn't know how they made the powder! Thank you so much @havanaholly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted June 3, 2021 Share Posted June 3, 2021 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spooky Squirrel Posted June 4, 2021 Author Share Posted June 4, 2021 So... things have happened. The experiment was very useful - for anyone wondering, sealing the egg carton bricks prior to adding painting/color to the bricks (I do this prior to adding the mortar so it looks like brick and not egg cartons LOL) is preferable but both ways actually work in a pinch. First off - I do want to mention that the latex tutorial worked like a CHARM!!! Abandoned Miniatures is a freaking genius and everyone should do themselves a favor and check him out: YoutTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpEczh-MV7I8WgPaVmMYhh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abandonedminiatures/ He is easy to listen to, uses simple materials approx 90% of the time, and you can tell he really enjoys the process. His tutorials and work is amazing - so everything that I am about to get into has zero to do with his stuff - he is legit and recommend you check him out. That being said ....I do not like how it turned out at all. The first thing I notice is how horrible my tape job was. Considering I want to use one of Abandoned Miniatures tutorials to repaint the porch and window sills with a crackle texture - isn't the worst thing in the world but it was a bit of a let down to peel off the tape and see how rough it was. I have a lot of touching up in my future. The paint peeled perfectly... but the raw bricks showing through isn't looking as great as it looked in my head. Also - that exterior color looks how rotten blueberries smell ..... GROSS! In my defense, it looked a lot more like a dark, deep, red wine in the isle. On the house, it is a sad mulberry color that is just not the vibe I am going for. To be honest, when I was planning out my back up plans I was expecting that either the bricks would fail since I was messing with when the best time to seal it would be, or the tutorial wouldn't work. In this case - the bricks held up fine either way and the tutorial worked perfect. So I am taking a step back to see where to go from here. Also, celebrating the fact I only did the front of the house instead of the entire house since I am not sure what is going on LOL Current thoughts to move forward with: age the bricks and make the paint color dirtier - part of my dislike may be because the bricks and paint are too 'clean and new looking' to be peeling after aging it .... double down on the technique. Pick up some paint that doesn't look like a depressed flavor of kool aid, and layer some latex down to have accents of the rotten blueberry color peak through as an accent rather than the main color don't bother touching up until I do the second color lay down a white color over the blue so it will show through the blue crackle layer While I am a little frustrated that the color was such a miss, I am thrilled about the tutorial and the more I think about having an additional color showing may help add to the story and the history to the house. What would you do? What are your thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted June 4, 2021 Share Posted June 4, 2021 I think you are being too critical. We tend to be hard on our own work as we know where we didn't get exactly the effect we hoped to achieve. I don't know what it looks like in person, but in the photos it looks like a house slowly disintegrating, one paint chip at a time. There's something to be said the the serendipity of happy accidents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted June 4, 2021 Share Posted June 4, 2021 There's also the possibility of over doing the grunge; even in RL it isn't total awfulness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spooky Squirrel Posted June 4, 2021 Author Share Posted June 4, 2021 40 minutes ago, KathieB said: I think you are being too critical. We tend to be hard on our own work as we know where we didn't get exactly the effect we hoped to achieve. I don't know what it looks like in person, but in the photos it looks like a house slowly disintegrating, one paint chip at a time. There's something to be said the the serendipity of happy accidents. Thank you - I really appreciate the compliment. The effect turned out amazing - I honestly think I just hate the paint color. 28 minutes ago, havanaholly said: There's also the possibility of over doing the grunge; even in RL it isn't total awfulness. This is true - although I think a little more weather would help, it isn't the lack of grudge but that I just really, really hate that paint color that is the issue here 🤪 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spooky Squirrel Posted June 7, 2021 Author Share Posted June 7, 2021 I am sooooo excited to see the exterior come together! I did go and buy some paint that is the same color, but darker and more vibrant and I could not be happier with how it turned out! The tutorial worked great with the layers, and the old paint job looks like it was the same color just sun bleached and aged. This couldn't have worked out better if I had planned it!! And the roof is coming along as well! Aging it is so fun, can't wait to finish the mold and then add some chalk pastel details and glue some moss over it! It looks like the house in the neighborhood that you think could be abandoned but not entirely sure (which is the goal!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted June 7, 2021 Share Posted June 7, 2021 2 hours ago, Spooky Squirrel said: This couldn't have worked out better if I had planned it!! Another happy accident! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spooky Squirrel Posted June 7, 2021 Author Share Posted June 7, 2021 1 hour ago, KathieB said: Another happy accident! YES!! I know it is a fine line between working toward what is in my head and accepting how it turned out, but I am so happy that I did the second layer because it is a level of detail that I didn't think that I could achieve! 🥰 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted June 7, 2021 Share Posted June 7, 2021 We learn by doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spooky Squirrel Posted June 16, 2021 Author Share Posted June 16, 2021 So excited - almost done with gluing down the roof shingles! Wanted to wrap it up this morning but had to get to work instead (very lame) I went on vacation for my birthday, and was able to score some cute miniatures at a few antique stores - and was gifted some amazing minis as well!! I have been playing around with the layout of the house and think that I am closing in on how I want it arranged. Planning for the beacon hill house that I will be doing after this house is done is picking up and really becoming a solid plan - now when I am looking for items in the wild I am able to identify how I can incorporate it into the house. Of course I still have. a long way to go on Spider Cottage - and I am so excited to continue evolving my ideas and skills on this one ❤️ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted June 16, 2021 Share Posted June 16, 2021 I'm wondering what your Beacon Hill wants to look like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spooky Squirrel Posted June 16, 2021 Author Share Posted June 16, 2021 1 hour ago, havanaholly said: I'm wondering what your Beacon Hill wants to look like. It will also be a decrepit house (hence me practicing all the techniques on this Spider Cottage) The first floor will be (right to left): the living room, the parlor (inspired by the Dark Shadows tv show and People Under the Stairs), and the kitchen (inspired by both Coraline and Texas Chainsaw Massacre) Second floor will be (right to left): Master bedroom, library (inspired by an xfiles episode), bathroom Third floor will be (right to left): Spooky doll room/ inspired by the frozen Cathrine and Charlie story, (unsure/TBD), art studio (inspired by House of 1000 Corpse and the video game ) will also be doing a mod to have an additional room in the attic (Rosemary's baby inspired) So I have a room (top middle, where the staircase ends) that is up for grabs, and I don't have a super solid idea for the porch yet either. I am also still collecting so many ideas on Pinterest, will need to organize those to be clear soon! LOL Additional inspiration is coming from the Addams family Tv show, Italian giallos from the 70s, Layers of Fear video game, and abandoned buildings Still have a lot to plan but I am excited to flesh it out a little more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spooky Squirrel Posted June 17, 2021 Author Share Posted June 17, 2021 I started putting the moss on!!! I am so excited! Does anyone else get sad when they finish a portion of the house? For example, I was sad when I finished the walls because I had so much fun with them. Now, I am getting sad that I can see that the roof will likely be done this weekend. Will have better photos later but I have also added mold with pastels, and have layered on a little more of the black staining. The roof looks perfectly in need of maintenance and I am so happy! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 7 hours ago, Spooky Squirrel said: ...Does anyone else get sad when they finish a portion of the house?... No, because I play with mine once they're done. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spooky Squirrel Posted June 21, 2021 Author Share Posted June 21, 2021 This weekend I made a ton of progress - First up, I created some overgrown planters and a trash heap for two adorable skunks I need to find a better place to take photos but you get the idea. This weekend I also found the courage to make my curtains. I have been collecting hankies and thinking about what I wanted to do for months now and I finally pulled the trigger and did them. The living room's windows and walls are complete before the floor and ceiling ... oh well The bathroom in this house is so tiny and oddly shaped - I have been playing with layout but I think this will be the best that I can do. Have to do the floor in this room as well. Like with the bathroom - I am planning the layout of the kitchen, which is another wonky space. Really looking forward to the square rooms of the Beacon Hill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted June 21, 2021 Share Posted June 21, 2021 That Michael's hutch looks so startlingly new and clean! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spooky Squirrel Posted June 21, 2021 Author Share Posted June 21, 2021 15 minutes ago, havanaholly said: That Michael's hutch looks so startlingly new and clean! oh yes - I haven't started any work on the furniture! Don't worry tho - it will be aged and packed with spooky stuff soon enough hahahahaha I am actually really excited to get started on the kitchen, I have so many ideas to play with!! including using model paint for painting the plastic kitchen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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