Showing posts with label Cloud Palace Roof Shingles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cloud Palace Roof Shingles. Show all posts

Monday, March 6, 2017

The Other Kind of Painting....




It's Just Got To Be Done....

You Might recall, Dear Readers, that I was also working on the shingles for the roof of The Cloud Palace during my recent vacation. One of those tedious tasks that needs to be given plenty of time. The shingles were not the best quality and needed to be sanded and trimmed and cut to fit to the angles of the roof. And because I had gotten fancy with the roof where the Palace joins the Tower, there were extra fiddly places where the shingles had to be fitted carefully. I really wanted to get this roof finished so I could move on to the other tasks (like finishing the rocks for the sides of the Towers) which are so easily put off when there are so many more exciting things to pursue!

So I worked at it a little every day and finally all the shingles were attached!
And then it was time for primer and Paint!

There is little that is more boring than Primer!
Except that in this case, 
it changed my original ideas about the roof color!
You will probably laugh when I tell you that I had been planning
 to paint the shingles the soft gray color 
and then try silver "accents" on the edges....!
But this is The Cloud Palace, I hear you say.... 
shouldn't the roof be all white like a beautiful cloud?
(I am really Not an All-white kind of decorator!)
But seeing the roof with the white primer
 made me change my mind.
I painted the shingles pure white.

But I didn't like it.
It was too bland. Too flat. Too boring!

Even in the bright morning light 
you could barely see the texture of the shingles!
So I decided to try the silver paint  "accents" 
that I had intended to add to the gray shingles.

I added a silver edge to just the bottom few shingles to test how it looked.
At night it just looked like gray edges.

But in the morning light they glowed!
I thought it might just make all the difference!
So I painted the edges of all the shingles with the silver paint...

Of course, in ordinary light it all looks just like gray edges....

But viewed from the right angle.... it shines!

And even when it isn't glowing.... 
it accentuates the shapes of the shingles 
and adds "interest" to the roof!
So while I had the silver paint out, Dear Readers,
I also decided to touch up all the other edges 
that were still incomplete....

Like along the front edge of the floor where 
the "tab" from the kit intruded on the floor pattern.

And also on the inside where more tabs disrupted the tile pattern....
Tiny little details that really make a lot of difference!

I am loving the way the shingle pattern stands out now.... 
a subtle counterpoint to the geometric floor tiles.... 
same colors, different pattern!

And while I was finishing up all the details.... 
finding tiny places that needed paint.... 
one of those Magic Moments happened....

The setting sun reflected off my neighbor's windows, 
and shone into my house from the East......!
And lighted up the Cloud Palace so Beautifully......

I could not have planned for this if I tried!

Shining all the way in to the painted planters.....

I am always amazed at what the sunlight shows!

And as the sun was setting... it didn't last.....

Gone so fast....

An unexpected gift....!

And even though the Painting was boring, 
Dear Readers, the results are not!
That other kind of painting....
It just Has to be Done!


Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Progress....




Big and Little....

I was absolutely Determined, Dear Readers, to make Progress on the Teeny Tiny Garden before I did anything else this past weekend! All that was left to assemble were the tables and chairs and some "refreshments" and decorative planters. All the pieces were carefully sorted in teeny tiny plastic bags and the instructions were very straight forward. It didn't take too long to make the tables and the two planters with "flowers" in them. Both are in place in the above picture, but you might need to poke the picture before you can see the details clearly. The flowers are standing next to the fountain. Then I needed to assemble the "refreshments" to sit on the tables. These consist of bowls with colored beads in them, and tiny "glasses" cut from a straw!

Can you see them?
Yes, they are very tiny!!!

Maybe you can see them better in this picture...
And those are the chairs off to the side...!
But then I decided that the pond also needed 
some "koi" swimming in it.....

Can you see them?
Tiny orange specks in the pond?

Here you can see the chairs have been added too...
I swear this garden is getting "smaller" with every minute!

Lady Virginia arrived to enjoy the Garden Party....
I guess she will have to wait for her sisters!
( I can see I will have to make a bigger Tiny Garden
 if they All want to come for tea!)
The Garden kit came with some "paper doll" style ladies...
 but I am going to keep them for another day.
But I have to show you the Tiny Garden in the Morning Sunlight.....
 

Surely the best moment to visit the Garden!

Rather than Leave you there, Dear Readers, with so little to see,
I will show you several other Projects that I worked on over the weekend!
It was a Long weekend for most of us, and I am also having a Vacation week, 
so I have decided to tackle several larger unfinished projects.... 
and another Teeny Tiny New one...

I've begun stitching another of Janet Granger's needlepoint kits...
This is an oriental patterned Tea Cosy kit... 
stitched on 40 count silk, using single strand of cotton floss.
It is my first attempt at this count and I am using my magnifier.

I think I'm making good progress so far!
I stitched the darkest blue on Sunday and the lighter blue on Monday.
There is still a Long way to go...
but at least I've made a start!

And that is not all I want to show you....
I also have Finally made a start on 
attaching the Shingles to the Cloud Palace roof!

As you can see from this picture, 
the Palace Main room is not attached to the Towers,
And here it has been cleared of all the furnishings and inhabitants!
Where did they all go, I hear you ask?

Well, they are all temporarily on "Retreat" 
at the nearby SkyTower Pavilion!
It is a bit of a Squeeze.... 
but they are having fun!

And it leaves the Cloud Palace free to have the shingles glued on....
I am using the method recommended by the kit instructions 
which say to use hot glue...
It is slow going!
The back is all attached....


The front will take much longer....
It has so many gables and dormers!
And then it will all need to be painted.....!
And speaking of Painting, Dear Readers....
I have been Itching to get back to painting the
 details on the Castle Great Hall Ceiling....
Do you even remember where we left off?


I had begun the Little borders with the Ordinary People....
Even though All the Saints were not quite finished....
That was .... How long ago???

Here is the central panel border.... it is really only just begun!

And the right hand panel with the dancing figures....
It was so long ago I had to spend hours 
searching all my books for the "originals" 
I am using for my models!

And I am slowly but surely adding all the tiny details 
that make the pictures come alive....

Here you can see my painting with the tiny "source" painting in the book below....
This is a tiny volume of miniatures found in 
the Pierpont Morgan Library in NYC. 
This one was painted around AD 1350 in Belgium.
(Sorry about the glare on the page!)

I spent all afternoon on just this painting!

But now I am very close to finished with this painting!
They all have their faces, but I still have to do the hands, 
which is the hardest part!
And then the other panels....
And then the rest of the Saints......
And the borders on the other side of the ceiling!
Can you believe it Dear Readers?
I am finally making Progress!
Big Progress on the Little Things...
and Little Progress on the big ones!