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Building a Ruined Farm House

a build story by Martin Wasiak
15
Comments
Ruined Farm House


Here we go...
What was supposed to be just a simple test of new diorama building techniques, is turning into an actual diorama. What you will see here are steps (most of them) I have taken to create my latest diorama. I don't have a title yet so for now this will be know as the Ruined House project even though there isn't much of a house here. I am going to give you a step-by-step recount of materials, techniques and tips I used in this project. Here we go...
here is the wall...
I started out with a square piece of a 3/8 inch blue board. Blue board is very similar to Sheetrock (a.k.a. plaster board or gypsum board) and it is used to build walls in places that deal with moisture, i.e. bathrooms. In order to use the blue board, I had to prep it first. I soaked it in warm water for about 15 minutes and then gently removed paper backing from both sided of the board. While it was still damp I scribed individual stones and hacked the big hole you will see in the middle of it. I then let it sit for a couple of days so that it could dry thoroughly. When it dried I painted it with acrylic paints to give it that stone block look. I gave it a base coat of charcoal, followed by stone grey in various shades, followed by dry brushing of cream and light brown colors. I again let it rest so that paint could dry.

About the Author

About Martin Wasiak (Marty)
FROM: MASSACHUSETTS, UNITED STATES

I have been building models since I was about ten years old. My uncle, who a the time lived in Holland, introduced me to model-building by giving me some of his unbuilt kits. They were mostly Tamiya's German Armor and figures. I immediately caught the bug so to speak. Like many others, I put my ...


Comments

KFMagee
Marty - your woodwork and vines are EXCELLENT.... the nail holes and aging of the wood was particulary good, and is often something overlooked. My only problem is the roof shingles... they appear to be FAR too large... in scale, wouldn't they be far smaller? They look like plywood sheets rather than shingles.
JUL 12, 2004 - 12:05 PM
Marty
Keith, you are probably right. I had nothing to go by so I sort of eyeballed them and they do seem a bit big. This entire project was just a way for me to test a whole bunch of new techniques and to be honest I never actually intended for it to end up as diorama. I certainly didn't think it would be good enough for a Feature Article but I am glad it did. I have learned a lot during this project and now know what not to do next time.
JUL 12, 2004 - 12:18 PM
wampum
Your work is excelent. Thanks for sharing this little beauty with us , The roof tiles can be corrected easily, but it's not so necesary.
JUL 12, 2004 - 06:54 PM
kbm
Marty: your practice diorama looks great, particularly the grass and wall. A quick question: in your article you just said you painted the wall, did you use a brush or airbrush for that painting? Thanks, Keith
JUL 13, 2004 - 05:55 AM
Marty
Keith, I used a brush and cheap craft acrylic paints.
JUL 13, 2004 - 08:26 AM
kbm
Thanks Marty. I am in the middle of a diorama and I have been trying to decide how to paint a wall made out of cork as well as a Verlinden building. You have added some additional food for thought. Keith
JUL 13, 2004 - 09:33 AM
ambrose82
I must echo all the praises already stated by my fellows here at Armorama. The only criticism I have is in regard to the bricks of the building where the damage has occurred. The way the work has eben scribed, the bricks appear to be almost like a veneer placed over a solid concrete wall. What I mean is the mortar gap between the bricks appears only on the surface and does not appear to continue through the brick wall. Does this make sense? The damage also is very regular giving the appearance of a whole punched through a solid object rather than a hole blasted through an aggregate of individual bricks held by mortar. This is the impression I get from the pics anyway. Otherwise it looks very good.
JUL 13, 2004 - 10:23 AM
Marty
Scott, Your point about the mortar lines is valid and has been brought up several weeks ago when I first introduced my project to Armorama community. I contemplated making necessary modifications but at that point in time I was too far into this project. I was afraid that I would possibly do some unnecessary damage to the wall and surrounding area if I started to mess with it. I decided to keep it the way it is but will definitely pay attention next time I build a wall with a big'ol hole in it.
JUL 14, 2004 - 12:40 AM
ambrose82
Hey Marty! I hope you know my comments were not intended to be negative, but encouraging. I didn't see the previous comments on this. I think overall you've done a fabulous job on the piece. It turned out very well and it will only be improved by the addition of some figures or AFVs!
JUL 14, 2004 - 03:22 AM
Marty
Yes I know, although all comments are welcome. Things need to be criticized so that they can be improved. I appreciate both, negative and positive comments.
JUL 14, 2004 - 03:54 AM
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Copyright ©2021 by Martin Wasiak. Images and/or videos also by copyright holder unless otherwise noted. The views and opinions expressed herein are solely the views and opinions of the authors and/or contributors to this Web site and do not necessarily represent the views and/or opinions of Armorama, KitMaker Network, or Silver Star Enterrpises. All rights reserved. Originally published on: 2004-07-11 00:00:00. Unique Reads: 16453