Tis the reason I got the blog in the first place. Here's a breakdown of the project...
Aim: To photograph a building in Madrid (we were on a class trip there) in detail and make a accurate scale replica of the facade of the building.
Materials: AutoCad, Foamex (plastic sheeting), styrene strips and tubing, clear plastic, flock, scalpel and a lot of blades, metal mesh, wire and model paint. Mould and resin used for rectangular flower pots.
Skills learnt: Replicating to scale, paint finishes, molding and casting, major attention to detail, basic AutoCad, textures, super glue would prefer to stick you to stuff rather than stuff to other stuff.
Project Highlights: In 1st year we went to Spain, and while there we were tasked with picking a 3-4 storey building, photographing it in detail and taking scale measurements. Both of which were a little tricky as I have no Spanish to explain what I'm doing, and the building I chose was in a narrow street behind the hostel we were staying in. A full shot was out of the question but I could see the upper balconies from our hostel room, so i took a few shots from there too.
Back in Ireland, after a mild panic of the airport scanner destroying my camera, I did a little Photoshop work in order to be able to make a AutoCAD outline from the photographs I took. After the AutoCAD was complete, and after figuring out how to actually use the college printers to print from AutoCAD, I was ready to begin construction.
Because it was only a facade I didn't need to build back into the building, I only needed to start at the wall and build out. So the AutoCAD served as a template for cutting out size and the holes for windows and doors.
After cleaning off the spray mount I started making everything else. Doors were tricky because they needed to be cut so thin. I also got to make my first every silicone mold for my plant pots. After I painted them, I used a little bit of glue to flock the top of them. The smaller circular pots were made out of styrene tubing, some styrene striping for the ride, and a small bit of frayed copper wire that was flocked. They're probably the smallest thing I've ever made. And I'm still so proud of em!
Ain't they cute?
Also in that photo is one of the balconies with the door and shutter out of focus behind it. That particular balcony on the really builting had those flower pots and then a wind breaker around it. My wind breaker is a small patch of dishcloth painted green!
The balconies themselves were all hand made from sections of styrene rods and styrene sheeting. They took the longest to do. While we were told we could buy balconies at the Dolls Hospital in Dublin, I was determined to do mine by hand. Gave me a good lesson in time management... I was also slow at making things in 1st yr, but this module helped me understand the materials so i can work faster now. There was a lot of trial and error and fingers stuck together.
Here's another shot of a balcony. This one had an air-conditioning unit, and a washing line with a pair of black trousers on it.
I think my favourite part of the whole project were the front doors on ground level. They were nice and detailed, and there was a fair bit of graffiti on the shutter and the main door to the apartments that was a lot of fun to paint.
Notice the little intercom by the green door? that was fun to make!
And here's a shot I took at the end of 1st yr of the completed building. Sorry about the poor quality, it was taken with someone else's camera.
Notes: I really enjoyed this module, and I got a B for it, which I was really happy with.
This was very cool indeed! Excellent work, you should make a little town next.
ReplyDeleteI spent a lot of time in Edinburgh thinking "I could model that" especially that awesome old building on the royal mile, or the houses by the Palace!
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