Thank you guys.

The build goes on, time to refresh this topic with a pic :



Stil a lot to do, but we'll get there !

Wow Guy that looks lovely! i love the little architectural details involved, and all this big diorama begins to really get into shape, how many months are you on that one now, some 6 months at least? well it gets more impressive by the minute, i hope to see you painting it soon!
good luck with that great project of yours

Really nice work Guy, You mind if i steal your way to construct buildings is great!

superb work!

Martyn

JBA : thank you. Next time I start priming the house. Painting is the funniest part of the job.

Martyn : thank you. I try to share the experience as everybody does here.


The colombage is almost done now. I made a filler of plaster, water and wood glue.

I protected the wooden parts with plastic tape for masking. There's a subtle wood texture in it and I like to keep it that way.

Removing the tape after filling :



An artist's knife was used to make the surface a bit flat here and there :



Close ups :

The texture in the plaster was done with an old stiff oil paint brush :





Next update = primer.

Guy

I've just found your blog tonight and am absolutely amazed by your workmanship.Truly stunning an an inspiration to us all.

Keep on amazing us, mate!

Mick

Bravo!! :-)

Good to see you back after the summer holidays. Great result and tutorial. Never forget the tutorial , that's also work to put it in here!

Cheers
Claude

Hello my friend,

I see your still at work, and, wow, with great results. the plaster texture is just perfect.
I would have something constructive to say, but, well, I can't say nothing. You're far too skilled for me
Keep amaze the diorama section Guy, you've got the feeling with this dio!

Thats just amazing scenery! What wonderful buildings! Bravo!

Thanks guys !

Another update, primer + the painting started :



Cheers friends.

Simply stunning.
Do you, like Joachim, plan to build a whole city like this ?
Please do not hesitate !
Your works give us a lot of inspiration and how to.
THANKS !
Julien

hi Guy, I´m waiting also see your advances, every time stonishes me with your work. Probably we haver here at Armorama a bunch of more talented people making scale houses for dioramas What level!
congratulations

I actually want to LIVE in that house!

Excellent work Guy

Julien : thank you for the kind words. I will not go as big as Claude, but his work is truly amazing and it shows his power to create something beautiful. But more houses are about to come in this topic...one by one.

Carlos : the same here my friend, I look forward to jump in your topics too, they are my greatest inspiration. I'm glad to see that the cork way is on the roll here on Armorama. There are many talented people here for sure. The interaction is the fun part.

Jon : oke, buy enough cork to build the house in 1/1 scale , tell me when you start ! For a couple of pints of Guinness I build you a castle !

Gerard : thank you !

New update of the first house :

I reworked the upper window by replacing the glass by other transparent card (thicker = no small wrinkles).
I removed the yellow glass in the small window sections.

The flag holder looks more rusty too now.



A hole was drilled in the side wall to keep controll from the inside.
The hole was filled with small stones and plaster.



I attached the isolator firmly with putty and only a bit of grey is needed now to finish it.
I'll do the same with the hook.



The blue wall paper downstairs was painted matt black, for more depth this was necessary.
I did this also upstairs.

Cheers !

The finished window.



Cheers. G.

Hello friends,

Here's a photo of the two houses as they will show up on the diorama :



A detail photo, still very much to do !



Cheers !

terrific work guy. I may have missed it but do you have a sketch of the layout of the diorama?

Really amazing focus on the details and it really makes this a stunning piece. The amount of research you have put in this is testiment to the high quality work.

Hello my friend,

perfect color tones and perfect build.
I really like the door below the street level, once the road finished, it will add a lot of dynamism in the ground.

Then, what about the new house?

You're about to build a Clervaux-in-Normandy isn't it?

Cheers and congrats for such a spectacular work.

Alex.

Love all those details shots Guy, and then it looks equally as impressive viewed as a whole! Now I hope to see more of what you will build NEAR those houses

Hi, Guy,
I have been following your build for long time, very nice detailing and very inspirational, too. Keep going this stunning stuff!
Cheers
Libor

pretty good man...keep it up!!

amazing amazing work

Pat : believe it or not, I have it all planned and worked out in my mind. I know pretty well what I want. But I keep reworking ideas too, this way of building gives me a lot of freedom.
Thank you !

Scott : you are much too kind my friend, but indeed I try to go as far as I can in the details. It's good practice and experimenting with the materials is fun. Thank you !

Alexandre : no my friend, not another "Clervaux."-like diorama. That's something only really powerful builders can do. Claude is one of those who can go really big in size and in detail.
But I have to say that I will put a bunch of inspiration in it so I'll need some space .
Actually I'm finishing my second house. The next project will be a house with a garage (I have bought the amazing Citroën Traction Avant 11CV so there's already one situation !).
Let's say that the diorama will be very much alive when finished ! Thank you !

JBA : I'm glad you like the detail shots because they are most important to me. I have to say I really fell in love with the Normandy architecture. Building a house has become as important as building a tank or another kit. I hope it will all come together in a couple of years ! Thank you !

Libor : I know how talented you are, so your words mean a lot to me. I also enjoy your thread and it's a source of inspiration for me too. That's the fun part of a forum, the interaction between people and the way we share our hobby. Thank you !

Erik : thank you, stay tuned for there's a lot of this stuff to come in the future .

Simon : thank you ! I hope my stuff remains amazing enough to stay hooked up.

Next update :

I started painting the details, using oil paints in different ways, but there's many things to take care of...so I'm not finished at this stage.

The wood work must look well aged :



Detail shot of the mid-section of the house :



The ornamental wood work :



The stones above the entrance door for the servants :



I didn't glue on certain details for the risk of damage during painting stage, so there will be a lot more to see when done completely...

Cheers !

Hey guys, I reworked the lower window, gave it an aged white paint layer.



The main door :



The door for the servants, not finished at this stage :



Cheers !