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!

Maps....

How Do You Know Where You Are.... Going...?

I Hope you will not mind, Dear Readers, if I take you on a bit of a Ramble while I show you what I have been working on recently in the Lord's Council Chamber in my Castle Dollhouse. Above you can see the Chamber as it has recently developed, and I am sure some of you would think it is nearly finished. It has the fireplace, the floor, the glass windows and the ceiling is even showing the base colors of blue paint. But Alas, the longer I look at all those details, the more there is another detail that stands out in my mind as a step Not taken when it should have been! I am referring to the lack of three-dimensional stonework around the windows and doors. The What? I hear you ask. Well, let me show you what I mean...

Here you can see that the door surround in the Lord's Council Chamber

 has only "faux painted" stones to frame it. 

While in the Great Hall, all the door frames and window frames

 have a three dimensional "stone" framework, 

which you can (sort of) see in the above picture.

(I apologize for the dark photo!)

When I started building the Castle all those years ago,

 I hurried past a couple of these steps... 

because they use a great deal of time.

And it has bothered me ever since! 

(But do you have any idea how many window and

 door frames we are talking about...?)

Now that I am working on the Lord's Council Chamber, 

it stands out too much to ignore....

 or rather, it doesn't "stand out" enough!

I decided that it is not too late to correct this oversight...

 especially in the Lord's Council Chamber,

 while I am still "building" all the details.

It requires the slow process of cutting and fitting the "stones"

 and painting them individually before gluing them to the wall.

I was having difficulty finding wood stock of the right dimensions... 

not too thick, but wide enough to make good big "stones" ....

I realized that I have many old paint stirring sticks

 that have a great dimension....

Here I have started to add them around the doors.... can you see them?

I know it is subtle... but it does make a difference!

It is slow going.... but I am sure it will be worth it in the end!

And along with the framework surrounding the doors

 (and eventually the windows too)

I have also added a "carved stone" rail across the middle of the wall, 

which will frame the painting....

Which will cover most of this wall....!

"What on Earth could she be thinking... ?" you are wondering.

Well, Dear Readers, I am so glad you asked!

Because many many years ago

 when I was traveling in Europe

 as a college student, I stumbled across

 the Gallery of Maps in The Vatican.

I was completely unprepared... 

had not known they were there... 

and I've never really recovered!

I have always loved maps.... and Oh My what amazing Maps!

And of course, when designing my own Castle.... 

I thought "shouldn't my Little Castle 

have some Approximation of such maps adorning its walls?"

It is taking many coats of primer to whiten the wall 

sufficiently to cover the "stones".

And there needs to be an upper framework added as well....

here being braced while the glue dries.

And while I am slowly adding the stones that will frame this painting, 

I am pondering the problem of the Map itself....

Those maps in the Gallery in the Vatican 

were painted in the late Fifteenth Century.... 

the very end of the Middle Ages...

And a Medieval Map was a very different thing!

I know this.

And This Castle is supposed to be an Early Medieval Castle.

So Exactly what sort of Map will be on this wall...?

Ahhh.... that is where the Adventure starts!

It is much harder than one imagines to "unlearn"

 the perspective that is currently known....

To try to see the World as it was seen

 when nobody could really see it all...

I will fail over and over as I try.....

But sometimes you just have to jump in and start....

Please don't judge this beginning too harshly, Dear Readers,

because it will undoubtedly change....

As I try to find my way... 

mapping a World that has never been...

 and probably never will be....

I have no Map to show me the way....

How do You know where you Are..?

How do you know where you are Going...?

Hinges.... Again....

Take Two....

It was a Gloriously Beautiful Day on Saturday, Dear Readers, with the promise of a three day weekend stretching before me and seemingly endless time to accomplish things Great and Small. And high on my list was finishing the window for the opening wall of The Lord's Council Chamber in the Castle. I had pretty much finished the frames and needed only to fit the glass panes (with the lead lines trimmed to a decent shape) and attach them. The upper fixed panes worked like a charm and were done in short order. So I started fitting the lower hinged window, confident that I knew what I was doing because it had worked on the previous window. Alas, there were a few small things that didn't go as planned.

Above, you can see the interior side of the window,

 hinges notched into the frame, pane fitted correctly.... 

but the window is not seating properly at all,

 and won't close fully.

Hmmm.... what is the problem here?

Upon closer inspection, from the outside of the opening panel,

 the entire frame is not screwed into the opening in the right position.

 The pivot of the hinges should be flush with the wall,

 not pushed out by a sliver.

How did that happen?

I did everything the same way I had on the other window!

Here you can see it from above.... 

it is never going to close correctly.

It was late, I was tired and annoyed. 

I went to bed and Dreamed of hinges.

 

The next morning I took the window apart again. 

And examined things a bit closer....

I found a couple of problems.

Firstly, I was wrong... 

the hinges do not form a Ninety Degree angle when fully opened...

They probably forma a Ninety-three degree angle

 (I don't have good enough measuring tools!)

So in order to have the face of the frame close flush with the wall, 

the hinge plate will have to have a slant inward

 to accommodate the extra degrees.

The simplest way to accomplish this was

 to add a "frame post" to the side of the window.

And to make sure the notches for the hinge plates had a good tilt to them.

The other small problem I found was that

 when I was drilling the holes for the screws

 (remember that I am drilling into the side of a small opening

 and could not get a perpendicular angle to the drill no matter what I tried)

 the screws happened to align with the glue layer of the plywood

 (which is much harder than the wood itself)

 and so the drill slid to the side just enough

 that the whole hinge was out of place.

Alas, I did not take a photo of this detail,

 so you will have to imagine it for yourself.

The good news is that this problem was

 also corrected by the addition of a "hinge post"

 because I could do all the drilling

 prior to inserting it into the wall!

Here you can see I am fitting the "hinge post" to the side of the window,

 ensuring that the resulting angle will equal the desired Ninety degrees.

This is the front facing view... 

yes, the hinges are large and sturdy!

Here you can see the hinges are attached to the new post

 (which will be trimmed along its side)

It is now ready to be fitted to the window opening.... 

or rather, the window opening needs to be fitted to it!

Which was another whole adventure... 

but was not the fault of the hinges 

that it did not go smoothly!

Some shims had to be employed 

when My carving techniques went awry.

This is the outer view... sorry for the blurry shot

(by now I was getting cranky!)

And the view of the interior side... with the window "ajar"...

But does it close properly...?

Yes! 

It closes perfectly!

And the open view.... 

showing the hinges correctly placed!

And getting the paint added to disguise the addition...

And the outside view..... this is the outer wall of the Castle... 

which is a long way from being "finished"....

 so we will excuse the rough finish!

Whew! (That was Rough!)

And pretty much used up those three days!

But before I leave you, Dear Readers,

 let me show you a little more of that 

Lovely Lilac in bloom...

It was such a Beautiful Day!

And maybe we can forget all about the frustrating hinges....

I can almost smell the blossoms...!

And I can Hope, Dear Readers,

 that my next attempt with the Hinges.....

 will not require so many "Takes"!

Lilacs And Love....

Late Bloomers....

You might be surprised to learn, Dear Readers, that our local lilacs are just Now coming into bloom! It is a very very late Spring in this part of the World, but not All of us mind! It is still just as Beautiful as can be with the sun shining and the birds singing. Will and Gabrielle are enjoying the early morning in the sunshine beneath the Blossoming Lilac. Yes, it was time at last to bring it out of the storage box for its brief reign of beauty! This also required a certain amount of shuffling the Houses around, even though it is still too early to move the house plants outdoors which signals the true start of Summer at my house and the rest of the dollhouse seasonal shuffle takes place.

I hope you don't mind if we revel in the lilacs for a minute or two!

 In case you did not remember that it took well over a year

 to construct the lilac shrub, I think it deserves

 a minute or two at least of admiration!

Will and Gabrielle are smitten...

and not just with the lilac!

It is difficult to get good pictures.... 

the sun is either too little or too much...

But, Oh we love it so!

It was one of those weekends when

 there was not much time for minis.

But I did make a Start on the next window

 for the Lord's Council Chamber.

The opening front has one window.

I started by making the paper pattern for the opening.

And cutting the outer framework from 1/8th inch thick plywood.

I must be getting practiced at this.... 

it fits better than the last one!

Yes, I am going to make the bottom section open with hinges again! 

This requires building two separate frames for each half of the window.

Here I am making sure the bottom half

 will fit right with the upper half. 

And you can see the inner side of the opening door

 has been painted to resemble the stone walls.

Both the frames have been fitted,

 now they will be painted while I make the glass panes....

Once again, I have stained the bottom opening section

 as it would not have been made of stone like the upper frame.

You might recall that I had found two panes of glass in my scrap pile

 that were Exactly the right size for the windows.... 

I decided to only use one on the first window

 since I needed to shape the top pane anyway.... 

which means I still had a ready made pane for this window!

What you see here is the top pane which I did have to cut to fit....

 prepped for the lead lines painting.

There are guide lines on the paper

 for the exact size of the window opening 

and the placing of the lead lines.  

Here you see both panes "leaded".

As usual, the lead paint is hard to control 

and my lines are too blobby and badly spaced.

I will be able to do some cleaning it up once it is dry.

And in case you were wondering if I had made up my mind

 about the grouted floor in the Lord's Council Chamber...

Even though it is impossible to get the perfect

 bright sunny morning pictures...

I Absolutely Love it!

 

 

And though the Lilacs are blooming so late, Dear Readers, 

They take my breath away with their beauty!

I Love them still!