January 18, 2016

two-piece scene

last year I've shown a small squared sneak-peak of this almost finished and now it is!


scenes don't get more sober than this I guess ;). But I think it has all it needs.

obviously it's mostly the decal and the kit that make this scene, but what I did do was add veneer to the back of the mdf-lasered chairparts to add realism. Further it made more sense to make the center of the seat lower (it was level with the surrounding area) and in a slight bowlshape.



for the sign I had cut the thin metal to shape with small scissors, made holes and blackened it on the stove (always fun, must be my manly side that likes the 'playing' with fire ;) ) before I added the decal and finished with some rust. So don't you think it was all thanks to modernday-inventions and an easy win ;p.


and to see the holes better:


why this 2-piece scene you (don't) ask? ;) One day I was looking online for old metal sign-images to save for future 'replicating-in-mini' for the Oldtique Store, and came across this weathered one. I thought it was só great! The chair in the photo they used on the webshop where the RL-sign was sold, resembled the one I ordered not too long before in 2014 with some birthdaymoney (a kit of Arjen Spinhoven).

it's hard to see (and forgot to take a picture of it) but here you can see a sliver of the part of the back that comes out under the seat and goes into the slot of the backleg. After I'd glued the back in place - the only time that was possible - I added some veneer to that too, to finish off the woodlook


so I just thought it'd be fun to do the same setup. Because I like the combination of the elegant chair with the rough and industrial look of the sign. And they do so well just the two of them, without anything else like accessories, I didn't want to insult them with any.

just used my brickprinted background and wooden floor as a backdrop that make it slightly less a complete copy (besides the chairs already look pretty different).

the photo it started with (as you can see the sign is not as pale as mine turned out, has to do with my decalpaper - Sunny waterproof decal paper. That doesn't just make for a very sharp print as you've seen examples of before, but colours are also much brighter. So I always have to tone them down quite a bit and sometimes it turns out I've toned them down a bit too much, although in this case I don't mind the extra faded look at all):


the chair before and inbetween. I didn't know at first how to get the background of the wood'carving' a bit more realistic and what I'd tried hadn't worked. But solved that eventually with a thick layer of Golden gel medium mixed with brown paint (about 50/50). That at first seemed too thick and I thought I'd ruined it (couldn't get enought of it off before starting to dry), but once that settled a bit (didn't know it would do that) it turned out fine. It doesn't have the woodtexture or anything, but it did turn out how I hoped!

the way I apply the veneer is by putting woodglue on the mdf, stick on a piece of veneer and let dry with glueclamps. Then the tricky part comes, the cutting. I do this with fine tipped scissors and make some cuts with a scalpel for the rounded parts. But however I did it, it chips... veneer is just way too delicate, but of course that has to do with why it's so great ;). The upside is it gives this old chair it's character I think and therefore only repaired/replaced larger chipped-off veneer. Some seams you can't even see anymore (I challenge you to find the spot on the back I had to add a larger piece :D ) and others you can, but all add to the overall aged look and I like that.


22 comments:

  1. The sign looks fantastic, very weathered and old. I love the chair.

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  2. Arjen has beautiful kits. I like your chair and old sign.

    Kind regards Xandra

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  3. Dos piezas geniales!!La silla es preciosa!!
    Besos

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  4. Me encanta la silla . Has montado una bonitas escena.

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  5. Well, there you go again, making awesome things even MORE awesome!!! The chair is incredible! I could not have known it was a mini if you didn't show a close-up with your hand!! The sign is fantastic too.... in it's worn out grim.... decaying condition! I am very impressed with your veneer.... and thank you for explaining that it would chip no matter how careful you are... but you have fixed it! Now I won't feel so bad when I Eventually try veneering something!!! Thank you for always explaining so carefully what and how you do things! It is very helpful!

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    1. thank you so much Betsy :D those are great compliments once again! Oh yes, it's good to know right? And veneering is much fun despite the chipping I think, it gives a very nice result with very minimal effort, we gotta love that right? ;)
      and you're so welcome, I like to write about it and I'm very happy when it helps others as I learn that way from others too.

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  6. Very authentic! Everything is perfectly aged.

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  7. Hello Monique,
    The vignette is beautiful. The aged elements are perfectly done and I love the chair.
    Big hug
    Giac

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  8. Hi Monique! Ik vind jouw tweedelige miniatuur scene echt prachtig werk: het één versterkt de ander, dus is het geheel in balans en mooi :)! De stoel is perfect bewerkt tot een mooi stuk oud meubilair, prima gedaan.
    Groetjes, Ilona

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  9. Hi Monique, You have made the chair completely unique. When looking at the veneer it occurred to me it could be used on a cast iron stove . Excellent "bullet" holes in the sign. I think the faded look in the decal is perfectly aged.
    Regards Janine

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    1. thank you Janine! I guess you could, it's wonderful to use no matter how fragile, it's also quite forgiving in repairing chips, especially large ones. If you will do that someday good luck and I'll look forward to seeing it!

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  10. Amazing how just two items say everything. Love the sign. I intend experimenting with de-cal paper this year so it was great to see what can be achieved.

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    1. thank you Janice. Ah, decal is great, I hope you enjoy working with it and if you have any questions about it, please don't hesitate to ask, I'd be happy to help!

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