Dollhouse Blogs

Monday 2 January 2012

Music Room

Hello Everyone.
I hope you all had a wonderful New year! I had a week off for Christmas and New Years, so I wanted to finish the Music Room before I went back to work. I'm glad to say mission accomplished!
The Music Room is right under the Library. I've mentionned that Dewell Manor is on the edge of a cliff in England. These are the 2 rooms that would have views of the ocean on 3 sides, So I made the windows as big as possible.

The fireplace, overmantel and ceiling cornice are from Sue Cook, and the colums from Unique Miniatures
I didn't make the arches in the top sections of the windows. The window treatments will cover them, so I saw no reason to spend time on a detail that would be lost. 
Since the paper was busy, the ceiling moulding ornate, and the fabric for the window treatments is a bright blue silk, I decided to keep the rest of the wall detail fairly simple. The most time consuming projects were the Atlantides and the Marble Columns.

Atlantides are male sculptures that top or replace columns and look as though they are supporting the structure. In a past post I used the term carryatides, but from what I read carryatides are female sculptures. I've only ever sculpted clay once, and that was for the 2 dimensional figures over the Great Room fireplaces, so in true Giac form, I told myself, maybe I'm gifted and just don't know it. Well, 2 days later, I can say my work is good, but not great.

If anyone ever wants to try sculpting, it's actually a lot of fun. I first tried working with regular clay, but the figures and detail were so small they dried out, cracked and chipped every time I touched them. I then tried Super Sculpey and I loved it. It's an oven bake clay and I thought it was easy and fun to work with.

I first twisted metal wire so as to make the figures stronger. Next I covered the wire frame with Sculpey



The matal wire was in the shape of a T. Here it is all covered


I took out some body building magazines and used those as guides to shape the musculature


(Again, sorry I can't get this picture right side up) I only had 2 sculting tools and needles, so fine details like fingers were left out. With more tools I think I could of done better, but I was more interested in the overall shape of the figures and not the details, so the investment didn't seem worth it.


Here are the 3 I made, Buba, Brutus and Adam (he was the first finished for the room). When they were done I baked them for 15 minutes. the slimmer ends, like the "hands" burnt a little, but it didn't bother me because I covered them in 2 coats of Gesso and then faux-marbled them. I'm proud of them, but know they're good, not great...but man did I ever have a good laugh at my first attempt below
This was my very first 3d sculpture ever. Jo asked why I was laughing and I told him I created a steroid loving Drag Queen in a flamenco version of Cabaret! Laughing at yourself is the best therapy in my opinion. Smashing him to start over was also fun!

The faux marble technique was the same I've used in the past. 2 coates of medium gray brushed on, 1 coat of off-white sponged on, 1 coat of pure white sponged on, then medium gray veins applied with toothpicks. The Atlantides were easy enough to paint, the columns were time consuming because of the fluting.


The columns are from Unique Miniatures. I had to heat them with a hair dryer till soft to straighten them. I had to cut out a section of the column to make them shorter. It went well, except after a while the razar saw I used with a mitter box heated the resin column and the saw had a hard time going through.  The columns in the corners of the room without Atlantides will hold busts of great composers.

This room was really long to put together, but I'm very happy with the result. I wanted this room to be very delicate and feminine, and I think it will be perfect once the curtains are up.

On another note, Jo and I are going on Holiday for a week as of this coming Sunday (the next 4 days of work will be murder) so it might be a while before my next post. I hope you all have a wonderful couple of weeks and I will definetely catch up on your blogs when I get back..

I wish you all the best and a great couple of weeks. 

Giac

24 comments:

  1. Giac, the room is stunning!!!!! Love the Atlantides, well if this is your first attempt at sculpting, I would love to see what you come up with next, one normally gets better at stuff over time, you obviously have talent for it!!!!

    Have a great holiday!!!!
    Elga

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  2. Giac, I really love this room! Your sculpting skills are incredible for just trying it out!!! You will be hooked before you know it. I love sculpting!!! There is so much that can be done with polymer clay.

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  3. Awesome!!! I love your house, I admire your patience and talent! great works!
    I wish you all the best in 2012:)
    Magda

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  4. You're clearly a man of many talents! The figures are very impressive and fit into the room so well. I DO like to see completed rooms empty of furniture and then filled up. It's a great way of appreciating all the details.

    Have a great holiday.

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  5. Le sculture sono le mie preferite,io non riesco a modellare i visi in miniatura alla perfezione, in scala 1:1 è più facile, e con l'argilla poi...uno spasso! Quando li faccio non uso molti strumenti, solo un pennello di gomma per arrotondare parti come guance, o il corpo, e uno spillo attaccato ad uno stuzzicadendi per essere più lungo. Un piccolo consiglio... per evitare la prossima volta che le parti più sottili si brucino, tirale fuori e coprile con della carta alluminio per forno, proteggerà la scultura e non si brucerà!
    Le Cariatidi non solo sono donne, ma non sorreggono nulla, venivano usate come colonne dei templi greci, al posto delle solite colonne lisce.
    L'effetto marmo è perfetto, la tua sala è meravigliosa!
    Baci
    Mely

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  6. Hé , pas mal tes sculptures de Drag Queen pour un premier essai !!! l'effet marbre rend très bien .

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  7. Another amazingly good project. Giac, sei bravissimo. Tanti auguri, Rosanna

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  8. Hey Giac, great job on the sculpture. It's way bvetter than just "good" ! The room looks fabulous and I can just picture high above the cliffs.
    Have a great holiday
    Si

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  9. Hello Giac!
    The music room is really coming together. I am again impressed that you took on the "sculpting"
    and did so well with it. It is a great illusion
    and that is what miniatures are all about!
    What kind of window treatment is in store for us? Blue silk sounds perfect for that wallcovering. Hope your week is good.
    Ray

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  10. Wow your sculpture's are fantastic. You have done a fabulous job on this room. I love it. You have so much talent i love your work. Have a wonderful holiday. Wishing you and yours all the very best in 2012.
    Hugs Maria

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  11. Entrar en tu blog es una continua y agradable satisfacción viendo los trabajos que realizas. Admiro tu atrevimiento con las esculturas ¡te han quedado magníficas!. Que pases unos felices días de vacaciones. Un saludo, Eva

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  12. Giac I love your idea of using Atlantides in your room and love your approach to trying something new. You did very well!
    Look what I just saw on another blog: http://architectdesign.blogspot.com/2012/01/telamons.html
    But, just one thing...sculpting fun? Haha, not for me, I have always disliked the feeling of clay. I will sculpt, but only if I have to.
    Enjoy your holiday!

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  13. Awesome! I will have to borrow your composer capital idea when I get to that point on my victorian house. I think the solid blue curtains will look great.

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  14. Wow, Giac! This room is Beautiful! Lyrical! I can just Hear the Harps playing with the surf in the rocks below.... and the Winds Howling in the crags.... SO Romantic! I LOVE those nearly hidden cupids above the Mantle.... so subtle I had to look Closely! Your Sculpted "Atlantids" are Amazing.... hard to believe they are your First Tries!!! The Wallpaper is Lovely... such a beautiful color... and the FLOOR is GORGEOUS!!!! I want to come sit in this room.... hear the ocean... watch the light and shadows move across the floor.... and hear Divine Music! (I'll just sit in here while you go on Vacation!)
    Have a Great Vacation!

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  15. Just found your blog,wow and it such a great place with many ideas.I'm very glad that I came here,the things you do are really amazing!!! Jeannette

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  16. Hi Giac, another great room, the sculpture worked out well, and they add an extra touch of fun and excitment to this room!

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  17. Como siempre un trabajo formidable, Giac. Aunque pienso que quizás las columnas y atlantes pintados de blanco, habrían resultado más elegantes, es solo una opinión personal. ¡¡Un saludo!!

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  18. Hi Giac,

    What a beautiful room. I can just imagine looking out to the sea from those windows. What a lovely place to be.

    Your sculptures are great and such an achievement.

    Well done,

    Fi x

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  19. Sorry this is so late, Giac, but I just had to congratulate you on your exquisitely-wrought Music Room. How terrific that you made those Atlantides! Great job. I had the same problem with my pilasters so I took your advice and ran my new hot-pink, Revlon 1875 Ionic blow-dryer over them and they are now straight as a --straight as a-- well, whatever, they're really straight, now. So thanks!

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  20. Incredible job Giac!! I love all of the architectural details. Sculpy clay is a great medium for making a multitude of objects. Your Atlantides are wonderful. As far as the resemblance to 'drag queens' on steroids, I used to sew for several drag queens, and thank god their upper torsos didn't resemble your first Atlantides. (LOL) Can't wait to see the blue silk window treatments. You are very talented.

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  21. this is incredible! you are very talented and you got excellent eye for decorative details. Building this kind of house is something brilliant idea- its like a dream of life, the idyllic vision. Keep up whit this dream! wonderful! and you are very talented drawing too!

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  22. Wow! Your sculpting is amazing! Love the way they are holding up the ceiling! So creative!

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  23. Your music room is absolutely breathtaking Giac! A very beautiful room indeed! x

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