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  • Please see the most recent updates in the "Where did the .com name go?" thread. Posts number 16 and 17.

    Post 16 Update

    Post 17 Warning

"Loss Of Innocence,Will It Ever Be The Same"

A fellow modeler has just informed me that these buildings on Fullerton St in Chicago still exist,in fact he lived not too far away on the same street in the 1970's.
Art is truly a living thing and does provide us with a little comfort knowing that it does really have a life of it's own, beyond the lifespan of the individual artist.
I wish I knew the photographers name ,in his day he would be at the top of his game which really comes through to me in the pics.In fact ,that is what first caught my "artist's eye" ,the creative angle from which the pic was taken.Rather than just the usual airplane pic he captured a story which lives on to this day.100 years ago an artist/photographer takes a pic and all these years later an artist/modeler builds on the foundation of his work.Maybe a 100 years from now, using a medium that we can't even imagine today ,another artist will be influenced and expand on our work.And so it goes.........
 
Backyardflierfacade092.jpg
 
JohnReid said:
...all these years later an artist/modeler builds on the foundation of his work.Maybe a 100 years from now, using a medium that we can't even imagine today ,another artist will be influenced and expand on our work.And so it goes.........
Click to expand...

I see a museum with a hologram room set up where you walk in and you are in Mr.Mair's back yard. Even less in the future I can picture someone doing this as a mini-3D scenery for FSX.

You sure get a guy thinking sir.
 
Bricks,bricks and more bricks!<!-- google_ad_section_end --> <hr style="color: rgb(133, 130, 101); background-color: rgb(133, 130, 101);" size="1"> <!-- / icon and title --> <!-- message --> <!-- google_ad_section_start -->Last night as I was painting the sun was setting at a low angle and I decided to take a few shots.The brick face looks very rough from this angle and magnification but at scale distance under normal lighting conditions it is fine.The cement grouting is hidden in the shadows so very little shows in this pic.I now have to repeat the same thing again ,in mirror image, for the other row house and then another quarter or so for the partial house.A lot more bricks to go I'm afraid but it will be worth the time and effort in the end.At least that it the story I keep repeating to myself.
 
After studying the 1/48 scale mock up I decided to stay with the multi-level idea after all.I think that it is visually more appealing and I like the fact that the flier's backyard is on the highest level as this tends to put more focus on the airplane and main storyline.
It may complicate the landscaping of the backyards but I will deal with that a little further down the road.In the above pic I haven't yet cut the roofline so it looks a little odd ,but it too will show a slight drop just like the foundation line.The joint between each row house will be covered by the evestrough's downspout.The brick will be the same color but the trim will be French Blue.All those windows need to be built and installed.I am planning to put lighting and curtains behind the windows with maybe a half concealed ,shadowy, nosy neighbor looking out upon the scene.This will be down in such a way as not to draw the attention of the viewer except as an afterthought.
 
You know John ... I gotta be just a little anal here ... :icon_lol:

While you got all the bricks a nice pretty brick red ... I am wondering if you're going to take the time to paint the mortar joints a light grey/gray color ... as the mortar wasn't dyed to match the brick.

Many times, the mortar joints came flush to the face of the brick too ...

Just had to ask ... :ernae:

Looking good!
 
Hi Ted! I plan to experiment using pastels.The cement on my bricks would be fairly new at this time and slightly recessed. I should think that little surface re-grouting would be necessary at this point.
When viewed in person,at scale distance ,with proper lighting it looks a lot better than in pics.A lot of care is required here ,not to get things too obvious,subtlety is the key.:ernae:
 
With a small,soft,cheap brush and gray pastels I have worked a little cement color into some of the spaces between the bricks.The abrasive nature of the bricks are really hard on brushes so be aware.
Any unnecessary gray color on the face of the bricks can later be removed using brick colored pastels.

When putting it all together I will do a final weathering of the facade using my old toothbrush and thin acrylic paint spray technique.
 
For those who maybe interested:<!-- google_ad_section_end --> <hr style="color: rgb(133, 130, 101); background-color: rgb(133, 130, 101);" size="1"> <!-- / icon and title --> <!-- message --> <!-- google_ad_section_start -->I took the rare opportunity to take some really closeup pics of a static display Bleriot XI that usually is hanging from the ceiling at the Canadian Aviation Heritage Center at Montreal.They are changing the prop for a more authentic one of the period. One wing has been removed for convenience.
These are very good reference pics for those wishing to scratchbuild a static or a flying model of this famous airplane.Please note that these pics are for your reference only and may differ significantly from the real airplane.
wink.gif

See my photobucket album CAHC, then click on Bleriot model at CAHC in the sub albums.
 
This is a very slow process for a number of reasons.First and foremost is my ambition usually exceeds my energy level.Where I used to be able to work eight hours at a stretch ,I now only work three or four.The repetitive nature of the stuff I am doing now may also have something to do with it. My inability to drop one project for another, before the first one is completed ,could be another factor.When I get tired of building I usually am doing some kind of research instead of actual building.
Why do I mention this? well aging is not something we normally build into our future plans.If you want to get good at this stuff there is definitely a learning curve involved. Better to get most of the steep learning curve part out of the way while we are relatively young.It takes a lot of energy in the beginning to commit oneself to learning something new,energy that may be not be there as we get older.I read somewhere that every man or woman should have at least three careers in their lifetime,the last one beginning in their fifties.Aside from all the usual pressures of life work,family,etc..it has been said that the most creative time in the life of most artists begins during this decade.I guess what I am trying to say is don't rely upon your retirement to get it done.If you feel a need to be artistically creative better start now.
"Whatever you can do or dream you can,begin it.Boldness has genius,power,and magic in it.Begin it now."(Johann Von Goethe)

End of lecture........


In the latest pic you can see the difference between the almost finished brickwork and the newer facade.
Once the basic color is on the face of the facade, the real fun begins.Each brick has to be worked on individually to achieve a nice varied and subtle look.It can really be time consuming but it is worth the extra effort in the end.
The most important thing to remember is that you are essentially working with watercolors (gouache-acrylic) and it is important to use lots of water in your mixes and not get things too dark too quickly.Take full advantage of the transparency of the medium and paint in thin coats to achieve subtle differences in color or intensity.All the colors in the brickwork you see is the result of only one tube color put on in thin layers.
 
My confuser has been down awhile,something about the power supply.
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The last pic shows how I will use the two brick facade panels for photography.
Brick facades are common everywhere, so they make great backdrops for a lot of subject matter.The museum will have to wait awhile for this one,I guess.
Speaking about the CAM ,it seems that their building project has been delayed.The money has been approved so I guess that it is just government bureaucracy.
Speaking about museums, I went to the RCAF museum in Trenton Ontario this month.There has been a lot of very nice improvements going on there but the aircraft that are sitting outside still look a lot worse for wear.
 
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