Rocking On....
I Decided, Dear Readers, that while I was painting Rocks, I might as well take care of painting the side wall of the Tower where it abuts the Great Hall section of the Castle. The upper portion of this wall is visible from the top of the Great Hall so it would need doing eventually. The surest way of getting the courses in the proper alignment is to start from the bottom and work up. Above you can see the Tower turned so the inside wall is now facing out for easy access. It didn't take very long for the rocks to take shape.
The only careful part is making sure the courses
are the same from the back side to the front.
I measure the distance from the "ground"
and align the rocks so they properly meet at the corner.
The short side of the rock on one wall
must have the long side on the other, around the corner.
Adding the "rock" texture....
And making sure the texture of the rocks continues
the same as it goes around the corner.
This way the "rock" maintains its visual integrity as one "rock".
And adding the grout.... half done!
And by now it has gotten so dark that
even I maintain that the flash is needed.
And the next morning I continue
with the other "inside wall"...
the one on The Great Hall side wall.
Once again, I carefully align the courses
with the back wall which
was the first to be painted years ago.
Partly blocked in...
Texture filled in....
And the grout lines added.
I only turned the Great Hall far enough
to reach in there to paint,
so it is harder to see the results.
From this angle you can see better....
And from "ground level" looking up!
But this wall, Dear Readers,
is the Inside wall between the Castle sections,
so it will never be seen!
But I'm Rocking it anyway....
because I will know it is there!
(And I am hoping I will be able to post this to blogger....
I have not been able to comment on any blogs this week...
and I changed nothing in my settings......!
So I don't know what changed!.... Grrrr....)
Amazing, Betsy! The stones really bring the castle to life! I think it should be stated here that though you make this look easy, it is NOT! I have one heck of a time just keeping roofing shingles straight, and you are doing all of this rockery by hand!!! The perfection you strive for is also commendable, with the stones looking true to life around corners. Thinking about things like that is something that comes with experience and like with me, get learned the hard way, lol! I am so excited about the progress you have made on the castle this year, and can't wait to see how it is commemorated on this year's Christmas card!
ReplyDeleteYour rockwork is amazing, Betsy! This really is a work of art! I think it's so cool that you would rock a wall that won't be seen just because you know it's there. Keep on rocking!!
ReplyDeleteWhat makes this rocking work more amazing is that it's done on already assembled walls. I didn't realize how large the castle is before the stones. Stunning work!
ReplyDeleteHugs, Drora
Hi Everybody! I'm trying to figure out why I have not been able to comment on any of your blogs this week... and I wasn't even able to comment on my blog yesterday.... but today I can....!? Possibly progress, although I have not figured out what is going on because I have not changed anything on my settings!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, Thank you for your lovely comments! Hopefully I will soon be able to comment on your blogs again! I'm trying!!! :):)
¡Eres una tallador cantero de los buenos! ¡Das un realismo a la piedras impresionante!
ReplyDeleteYou're really rocking it!!! I'm speechless (well... almost *grin*) about the amount of progress you've achieved. And you make all of this sound so easy and fast... but you can't fool us - we do know how much effort, time, skill and talent this takes. But the result is awesome in every way!!! So keep on rocking... and I hope blogger is kind to you again in the meantime.
ReplyDeleteHugs
Birgit
P.S.: I couldn't help from getting a very broad grin on my face as Jodi mentioned the You-know-what-card... I can only agree with our dear friend, we can really look forward to this year's version showing solid rocks... and maybe some rhododendron flowers blooming at their walls. However, although You-know-what is faster approaching than we would like it to there's still something else lurking around the corner: (*spooky-organ-music-setting-in*) "H"!!! Oh, I'm so excited what adventures our dear friends will have to face this year... and find comfort in the thought that in the end all will be well with the Deadly Nightshades playing something in the range of "For those about to rock... we salute you!" ;O)
ReplyDeleteMore hugs
Birgit