Tower Windows....

 

Details, Dithering Details...

It took me most of another day, Dear Readers, to finish painting the grout lines on the Tower wall and the crenelations. By the time I was done there was no daylight to see by, so I had to use flash to record the completed wall. It sure gives a hint of what the Castle will look like when it is done! I can't tell you how much I look forward to that eventual day! And I have to stand back so far to catch the whole Tower that you also can see the surrounding "neighborhood" and the mess of my workroom. But never mind.... that is what workrooms are for! And you might be forgiven for thinking this part of the Tower was now done, but alas, I still had to design and build all the trim for those Windows. The only one on this wall that had been completed was the trim around the Guard Room window beside the Main Door. And it was a very simple replication of the trim inside the room. But for the upper Chambers I wanted fancier details on the exterior of the Castle Windows. This Castle is meant to be in the early Norman style, and those Castles were very plain in their design. The only places where ornate stonework was used were on the window and door surrounds and on the main arches of the Great Hall and Hearths.

Here you can see I have begun the decorative frame

 for the window of the Lord's Council Chamber.

 I had already established the basic design for the framing

 on the rear wall window. 

It is simple "braided" columns and a "Sawtooth" arch  on the top.

But the rear wall window does not have an opening section,

while the side wall does.

It makes the resulting window frame

 need to be wider and a bit less graceful....

The window grout lines have not been painted yet.

It took me ages of Dithering to settle on this design.

Because in the old Castles the windows

 increased in ornateness the higher up they were.

The council Chamber is not the highest floor!

Would I be able to make a fancier window on the top floor

 and not exceed the simplicity of the styles at that time?

(I dithered a Lot!)

But one thing I was pretty certain about was

 the need for the Saw toothed arches over the windows.

If there can be said to be a defining "Norman Style", that was it!

But they are not that easy to make!

This is one of those annoying places where I have had to compromise

 my sense of "Realism" for this Dollhouse.... the Walls are not thick!

In the Norman Castles the window trim was recessed into the wall thickness.

Alas, on my Dollhouse Castle, it needs to protrude from the wall.

This is 1/4 inch thick plywood, thinner than the Walls,

 but thick enough to allow for the toothed design.

I sort of have to saw and cut and chip the distinctive diamond notches

 along the inside edge of the curved arch.

The saw doesn't always fit inside the tight curve... (at the right angle!)

 and there is no vise clamp to hold it at the right angle to saw.....

(Yes, it is the Middle Ages in my workroom too!)

But I managed to make a suitable approximation of the design.... 

one notch at a time.

Yes, the notches are not all exactly the same.... 

but that is also true of the originals.... 

(I looked closely at some old door frames.)

And I know some of this is boring,

 but there are no off the shelf windows 

for Dollhouse Castles to be bought anywhere!

 I have to make them myself.

And what of the Top floor Windows, Dear Readers?

Well, I dithered even More on those!

For starters, the back wall windows were highly irregular!

You might recall when I was building the Bedchamber,

 I wanted to add the spiral stairs in the inside corner

 and this required that I re-work the windows

 that had already been cut in the walls.

In order to fit under the stairs, 

the window needed to be much smaller.

 And then I wanted to add another that small size

 on the other back corner where no window had been planned.

I decided to make it look like the castle had been "retrofitted"

 and leave the original arched window frame

 where the first hole had been cut and

 "fill it in" to create the smaller window.

It has the notched Arch, but no decorative columns.

And where the window was cut that now had the spiral stairs climb past it, 

I decided there needed to be an arrow slit rather than a window with glass.

But should it have the same fancier treatment

 as the rest of the windows on this floor would have?

I dithered for ages on this!

But I reasoned that the arrow slit was probably also a "retrofit"

 and the original frame would have been fancier like it's neighbor.

And here I needed to make columns,

 similar but a tiny bit fancier 

than the ones on the lower level.

Since I had used the spiral carving on this room's Hearth details,

 I figured it would be appropriate on the window frames too.

But these more delicate "columns" needed

 a stronger base and "capital" piece.... 

it just looked wrong with out them.

And then I was sure it was too much... too ornate.... too unlikely....

But I had already used a similar Column

 on the windows of the Chapel and the Great Hall....

So I decided to just build them and if I hated them later....

 I could always "retrofit" a new design.

Here is the other Bedchamber window with the fancier trim... 

sorry for the dark picture..... it has been really gloomy!

But you can see the fancier capital here.

And with flash.... and the grout lines painted...

And the Tower Stairs window...

(flash is so brutal!)

The Council Chamber and the Bedchamber...

And the full Tower with flash.

I am sure, Dear Readers,

 I will have to "live" with the window frames

 for a while in order to know for sure

 whether I think they are the right frames.

But for now, I've Dithered enough on these Details!

More Little Bits......

Details....

I am Sure Most of you, Dear Readers, will Not be surprised to see that I did add another plant to the Cottage Tea Cosy garden! I added a Pink rose to the gap next to the delphiniums. I do like my gardens filled to overflowing with blossoms! And then I started on the background cream color. It did not take me long to complete it. And all the while I was stitching this cottage, I was thinking what an utterly charming Dollhouse it would make! A little thatched cottage amid a bountiful blooming garden... I was so tempted to start one! Then I remembered I already have one unfinished Thatched Cottage... without the garden... *sigh*..... so I contented myself with Dreaming of a thatched cottage garden in all it's glory (a little like my RL garden at the moment!)

Here I have finished the stitching... 

but have not assembled it yet.

And then because I really am addicted to the stitching at the moment, 

I dug through my stash of kits

 and started on another Janet Granger Christmas Stocking...

(Not because I am starting to prepare for Christmas, you understand...!)

This time it is the Three Kings!

And I must say going from stitching 32 count

 to 40 count cloth is a noticeable change!

 

I am really enjoying working on this one!

And while it is a Boring detail...

 I have also added the arch stones to the Guard Room windows.

Just the key stone is still needing to be added to this window.

And then I will need to re-attach the shutters too.

(And the opening wall window is done.... but I forgot to take pictures...)

The key stone has been added here...

 and while I am looking at all the Details in this room.... 

I am reminded that the junction of the wall and ceiling has always bothered me!

See the uneven crack between the poorly fitted

 arch support stones and the vaulted ceiling?

I have been pondering how to correct this problem for years and years!

And because I had resolved to add these supporting arch stones

 to the Great Hall Ceiling before I Attach that in place....

 I had already painted the strip of wood I thought would work.

 But the Great Hall Ceiling is not ready... 

so I thought I would test this method here... 

and correct this problem at the same time... if it worked.

Which you can't be sure until you cut and attach the pieces....

I have made a start in the above picture... there on the left...

(I know it is infernally dark in there even with the spotlight!)

Because I am cutting one stone at a time, 

I can fit them closer to the ceiling...

 and with a little gentle carving and trimming 

I can even out the disparity in the main archway....

 at least mostly!

And it covers that awful gap!

I will re-paint the spacing of the "grout" lines to match the cut pieces.

But first I have to also add these stones to the side wall.

And these required extra trimming

 because the ceiling design is closer to the edge...

I wanted to make sure the "stones" 

did not cover any of the painted design.

It just squeaks by!

(But I rather like the way the Circle and the Arch just touch!)

And I told you I would repaint the Vault Stones "grout" lines...

Starting with the dark shadow line over each stone junction.

And along the side wall too....

And with the lights on.... well, Some of them!

The "grout" lines have all been painted...

 even between all the stones added to the doors and window frames.

Now the torches are lit.... can we see the details...?

(Darn Castles are so Dark!)

I do think it makes a Vast Improvement! 

Even though it is something nobody will ever ever notice!

And as always, it is hard to see the ceiling!

But at least it now looks properly supported!

(I do need to admire this ceiling a little bit!)

I am So glad this "fix" worked!

Eventually I will get the shutters re-attached.... 

and build the ones for the Front window!

It took a whole Pile of Little Bits of "stone", Dear Readers,

but these little Details make a Huge amount of difference!

(Now I just need to Finish painting the Great Hall Ceiling too!)

Back-Tracking.....

Progress..... Step by Step.... Stone by Stone...

It usually doesn't feel like Progress, Dear Readers, to go back over your work and undo parts of it in the hopes that going a different way will get you the desired results. But we all have had to make those choices from time to time. In the case of my Medieval Wall Map it was easy for me to decide that the initial color layer was not right. It needed to be toned way down and made to seem less like "real earth" colors and more like a blank canvas outline. You must remember that I am making this up as I go along and I am trying NOT to copy real maps or real known Medieval maps with any accuracy. It didn't take long to paint over the land shapes with a beige wash. I wanted to get the oceans color in place before I went further with the land, so I painted them blue, ultramarine blue.

It is a lovely bright blue!

This is just the first coat. 

And I am sure that I have mentioned before

 that paint is often quite translucent (a great thing!)

 and needs careful layering to make it look right.

And of course, we have to stand back from time to time

 and look at the effect on the whole room.

 

And especially taking into account the floor tiles.

(Hard to do on a gloomy day!)

And while I was redoing parts of the map, Dear Readers,

 I was also re-doing the "stone" surrounds

 for the windows in the Council Chamber.

 This required undoing the shutters for starters.

You can see the light shining right through those

 screw holes for the shutter hinges!

 I made sure of this because I would need to drill through 

from the outside to correctly position the shutters

 on the new "stone-work" once it was glued in place.

Here the new stonework is being slowly added.

The top stones are the hardest to shape correctly..... 

they require a lot of cutting and sanding and testing the fit.

And while paint was drying on the "stones"

 (which needed to be painted with three colors before they could be attached)

 I was adding more color layers to the oceans on the map.

 Here I am adding thalo green (a very translucent foresty green).

Here you can see that it covers the blue but doesn't hide the blue.

And by the time I have completed the window stonework

 and re-attached the shutters, it is late and dark.

 (At this time of year that means quite late!)

But you can see what an awesome difference it makes!

I had to use my spotlight to show the details!

Here with the top shutter closed..... 

the shutters "fit" more snugly into the window frame this way

 because the window itself is set back from the surface.

Here with both the shutters closed.

It just looks So much better than before!

And the Map and the floor in "candle-light"....

Impossible to tell if the colors are right.... 

but I already know they are not.

On a gloomy morning it is hard to tell..... 

So I work on the other window "stones" 

while I debate the color strategy for the map.

I "Undid" this window as well.... 

even re-fitting the hinges on the lower opening frame

 to recess the extra 3degrees of slant for the hinge plates!

This was challenging.... but now was the opportunity to get it right!

The plywood is difficult to work on its end grain

 (which happens to be the direction it is aligned on this wall).

And here I am adding the stonework frame.... 

gluing with my trusty clamp!

Here the stonework is all attached.

You can see how it recesses the window.

And with the shutters reattached....

I just Love how it looks!

And see how snugly the shutter fits against the stonework?

I did not have to adjust this in the slightest!

And with the bottom closed too.

It looks snug and safe!

As for the paint colors on the Map.... 

I decided to add another layer of the blue over the green....

Just to tone down the green and unify the blue....

I know it is a subtle difference.... 

here partly done.

I was worried it would darken the blue too much... 

but decided I needed to give it a try. 

I could always paint it over and start again if I didn't like it.....

Here you can see it closer.... 

the lower left has not been over-painted yet, the upper left has.

Here it all has been over-painted with the blue.

(Once again it is late and dark!)

And here you can see the map with more light.

And that is as far as I got, Dear Readers,

Back-tracking stone by stone and step by step,

I think I made Great Progress!