Finishing the Model

Here are some photos of the finished model:

paintedinterior

For the kitchen scene, the lower right portion of the set will be lit to draw attention there. The “Heirloom” and clock are removed; George Bank’s desk becomes the kitchen table; a stove is placed in front of the fireplace; a sink on the hall tree; and a cupboard in front of the front door opening. The oven, sink and cupboard are all “magic,” primed for Robertson Aye’s destruction of the kitchen. The sink will have a small smoke machine in it, to simulate him scalding his hands on hot water. The shelves and plates in the cupboard will fall down when he bumps into it, and will return to their proper places with the pull of a lever. And the oven door will fall open when Aye bumps into the stove, capsizing the roast inside, with smoke and red lights.

Once these items and their effects are built, I will provide photos and explanations.

Two drops are planned: a nighttime scene of the rooftops of London, and a daytime scene, showing the house (Number 17) and the park.

Here is the night scene, with figures in place, for scale:

paintedrooftops2

And the daytime scene, ready for the “Supercalifragilistic” number:

paintedtalkshop

Painting the Drops

At the writing of this entry, I’m in the middle of painting the daytime drop. But first I had to make a gridded version of the drop designs, once they were approved. I simply traced the model drop, added color cues and notes, and applied a 3/4-inch grid.

drop4sketch_grid

We then laid the actual drop down (these drops are used over and over again), and I marked out the design with chalk. For the strict perspective of the buildings, I established a single vanishing point, and snapped chalk lines at intervals along the left side and bottom of the drop.

drop4_layout

Author: Steve

After spending years as an IT professional, creating and supporting systems for designers, writers, and editors, I am now pursuing a dream: to be an artist. I have "drawing on the brain"--not only do I feel compelled to draw all the time, I enjoy thinking about art.