Friends,


Actual outdoor status

Above you see the actual status of the outside my shed. It's the final picture before I start my snow adventure and indoor adventure.

Please shoot at the actual status....what needs to be done......., what was overdone, what's missing etc.

Sure I love the "good work" replies, but I'm in the middle of a modeling blues and need some slap against the head..... fast !

C'mon ....hit me and hit me hard.... I really need these cryitcs.... I'm out of inspiration here....

and now shoot at it !!

Eagle

I have no intention of "hitting you hard" as you don't deserve it. However I'll offer these suggestions for your consideration.

From the photo the corrugated roof looks pretty "new" so I'd think about applying a dark wash, and some "rust" brush work along the edges, and perhaps streak some down the corrugated roof itself. (The bent edges are a very nice touch).

You could also consider putting a worn looking spot in front of the door where people have worn away the grass by walking into the shed.

There could be some staining below the window from rain running down off the sash over the years.

Perhaps a small chimney or stove pipe on the roof would look nice, as would some tools leaned up against the shed, or hanging from the outside of the shed.

You are doing great here. Keep it up, and please post more pics as you progress.
ps: Thanks for the opportunity to comment.

Are you going to rust the roof?
Brandenus Pimpus

Also a basket and some tools along the shed would be a nice touch
Brandenus Pimpus

Just two more pics to get the big picture :

WWHold and Lifestyle,

thanks for those hints and tips. About that roof... it's alrady rusted, but just wasn't visible ion the initial pic. I think these two new pics show the big picture a bit more.

About those tools and that chimney...... hmm that sound good !!

thanks so far !!

Firstly I must say what a good job you've done and I wouldn't have criticised as it is very good. However you asked so here it is;
The roof: The roof appears to be very uniform in colour unless this roof was put on recently there would be varying degrees of colouration. The damaged areas appear to have no rust on them, I'm not saying half the roof should be orange but a little hint on the damaged sections( maybe not the bent bit but defiently on the tear above the door). There appears to be a screw sticking up out of the roof (nice touch), the thing is why is this one screw sticking up.The only reason I could think for this is the roof is damaged there and been pulled back,but I'm sure you have an explanation. What is the area around the hut like maybe a few pieces of twigs/leaves to give the impression of a nearby tree.
What did you use for the tin on the roof? It looks really good.
These are just some personal feelings and I hope they have been constructive, this is way beyond anything I am capable of at the moment.
Respectfully
Robbo

Okay, you asked for it so I thought I'd offer a few suggestions, please don't be offended, I think it looks pretty good.
Right, here goes.... not sure how easy it would be to do with your shed at that stage of construction, but I thought busting one of the window panes and having it patched from the inside by perhaps a bit of cardboard with printing on it might look good, you'll have to be careful about period accuracy for the branding on the cardboard though!
Try a few cobwebs too perhaps by stringing glue across the corner from under the eaves of the roof (practice first though! don't ruin it on my account!!), if it's anything like my outbuildings it'll have plenty of them! I'd rust the metal up a bit too and have rust streaks from where the bolts pass through the wood.
Judging by the proximity of the grass, I'd say the lower areas of wood might be a different colour from being damp as well. Also perhaps you could add a 'hasp' type lock to the door with a padlock and/or rusty chain (cheap jewellery painted up or if it's really cheap actually rust it for real - put it in a dish of salty water). Finally, leaning something up against the shed near the door will help reinforce the scale appearance, a pickaxe, spade or rusty saw or something. Careful about the period accuracy of it though. Or why not perch a bird on the roof? Wildlife is often conspicuous by its absence in a lot of dioramas!
Hope these suggestions are of help. By the way, the rustic appearance of the wood is really great.

These reactions are what I was hoping for.. Good constructive input !!

You already gave me some ideas guys !!

thanks so far !!

You said you are going to add some snow, right? I would suggest adding some dead brown grass then. Of course, if your dio is representing a freak snowfall in August then bright green is just fine.......

Nic

Nic,

you're absolutely right on that grasscolour... I disliked it myself the way it is now....

Got any tips on how to change that colour... what colour to use, drybrushing or a stronger method ?

I think a pile of old firewood stacked against the outside wall would help also.

Patrick

I would drybrush it with shades of brown and tan. There should still be some green left in it, so I wouldn't spray over it an risk getting overspray on the building.

Nic

Wonderful - don't change a thing
Actually - in looking at it I would concur with the rust on the roof.
I would put some little weed things growing at the base of the wall. Tall kinda grassy things.
How is the door kept closed? Is it a traditional bolt, or lever type of thing or is it friction? For bolt or lever you need some kind of thumb thingie (I know I don't know my door termonology) or if its friction, maybe a chain hanging from the handle and a peg on the wall, maybe a broken lock somewhere.
Here's another thought - depends on the weather where your dio is set. If it's a very rainy place the water running off the roof will actually wash away a strip of grass just under the edge where it lands on the ground.
Maybe a dead portion of the vine too.

All these are totally optional. Some more than others (rain run off one especially). You're giving me a high bar to get over!!! Love it.!!!

Danny,
You try to give us the impression this is your first dio, but I can tell there are years of experience there ! (or a born dio builder !).
I'd put some really rusted spots on the roof, mostly at the edges of the plates. Certainly at the place above the door where the structure of the plates is cracked. Then I'd add some rust (no, lots of rust) to the door hinges, too.
The plants may have some yellow and brown leaves. Not all green leaves have the same colour, even on the same plant. That applies to the climber against the wall, too.
Your window deserves some cobwebs in the corners. i'd do those with some spraypainted grey paint in the corners, after masking them of course.
Spraypaint the grass lightly (after masking the building) but let the orginal color shine through.
I'd drybrush the wood with some greyish colour. Wood colours grey through the years. Make a mixture of terpuntine and a few drops of dark grey and apply it in all cracks and crevices.
When I look at the grass and the ground, I wonder "could that door open or is it blocked ?".
There may be traces of the door opening in the mud below.
Some wood logs and gardening tools against the wall may look nice, too (there's plenty of those on any average tank : shovel, spade, axe...)
But forget these remarks : it's really excellent. Weathering is dangerous game : it gets better, better, better, better, better and then all of a sudden : wham ! you overdid it !
Don't go further than you feel reassured with.

Great Stuff!!

Maybe add a crack in the window or even a hole in it. A damaged side due to something falling on it. Since you don't have any gutters you would have an area where the water would spatter against the facade, even discoloration because of the same. A little rotten area where some water has been leaking. Depending how cold you would like to be maybe a damaged area that has frozen water in it (that happens a lot in Sweden in sheds and the like, a part starts rotting and freezes because of being soaked in water) Maybe a repair to a side...

Again looks great!!

Jan,

to be hounest with you all...... this is only my second dio.... The first one was some 15 years ago or so...... The only problem is since I got older, I also got more demanding.... It's got to be perfect or it has not got to be at all........

Thanks for all these positive crytics !! it's helping me a lot in getting back on track again !!

Your ideas for improvement will be TradeMarked as I go along :-)

ThX again !!

Hi nice work Eagle!! My suggestion would be to try and link up a bulb and try to illuminate the shed through the windows. This would add a touch of warmth to the shed and provide a nice contrast to the chill of the snow outside. I m not sure if this could still be done at this stage though............

Hi Eagle,
If you want to know how old wood is weathered, let me know, beacause on my last holliday in Germany I took at least one picture of an old barn on which the wood was really grey.
You might be able to use this as a reference. How 'bout adding a little leafless bush nex tot the shed? Or a old wooden barrel?

Hi,

At CobleStone - Wooden buildings - you have references for Finnish/Russian WW II period wooden buildings.

HTH

Like most guys have said, the roof needs to be rusted, or at least significantly darker than the current color. maybe add a bit of ground up pastels to give the paint a texture as metal feels grainy/rough as it oxydizes. ModelMaster Burnt Iron makes a really good start for that, IMHO. This is a nice dark metal color with a tinge of rustiness to it.

I also concur on the wood, untreated wood goes gray when exposed to the elements.

The grass looks a bit like Easter basket grass. I like Woodlands Scenic burnt turf for ground cover, the green is subdued and there are a variety of shades in the package. Some tall grass along the walls, again from Woodland Scenics would add dimension. I like using some of this next to rocks or fence posts.

To make rust stains, as suggested, I'd use a dark reddish brown pastel chalk to get the streaks of the wood. Drag it down and it makes a realistic fade.

Keep up the good work.

Pfew.... that's quite a bit to think over....

Well I'd better go back to the drawing board tonight and have some serious second thoughts about the aproach...

thanks for all your input !! It's highly appreciated.

Danny

Hola Eagle,

If you plan to have a wood stove in the house, you'll have to watch the snow on the roof, as it would melt through the heat of the thin tin roof. Ofcourse this depends on how much snow, how cold it is etc etc etc, but just take this in concideration

Hi Eagle
WOW, it really looks good. But what is it? A tool shed, wood shed, chicken house, is someone living there? The suggestions have been really good, I like the stove pipe out of the roof idea. But if you have the chimney you have to have the wood pile. If its a tool shed, you should put a bench outside the window. Somewhere to lay your tools down while u are working on the car/tractor etc. If its a chicken house, put a trough for feed and a bucket (water) and a pitchfork/wheelbarrow against the wall. Actually we always had pegs and hooks to hang tools off of our sheds back on the farm. These are just some ideas for super detailing. It looks great now, especially like the bent edges on the tin and the nails sticking out, very realistic. We had a tin roof shed when i was a kid and i bet twice a year i had to go up and pound down loose nails.

Well friends,

I made up my mind....... the colour of the wood, the grass, detailing...... it was a wrong start.

Since practice makes perfect, I decided to take drastic measures...... This is where I will be off tonight :


practice makes perfect....restart

This feels good.... a chance to improve my skills.

Thanks for the replies so far !! Watch the new shed rise like a phenix from the flames and I think you might see some of your ideas in that new shed !!!

to be continued....