New Looks

Black wasn't at all right.  A dark tone like the walnut used for the beams might have been too drab.  So the table and chairs have been given a new look using a mix of walnut, cherry and fruitwood stains.  I'm not sure how they turned out to be so orange, I think it might be the reflection of the burnt orange fireplace.  Maybe I should have used a bit extra walnut to deepen the colour a little more.  At the moment I'm hoping that by the time the accessories have been added it will improve the appearance of the furniture and I won't have to fiddle with it.

The faux wood look was done by first covering the existing black of the chairs and table with a coat of beige.  I then used a stiff brush to apply some of my mixed woodstain gels in grain-like streaks.  When this was thoroughly dry I added another coat of the stain, this time with a soft brush and I added a little water to the very thick gel so that it spread more easily.  This was then finished with a coat of gloss.

The chair backs were further decorated with some gold relief stickers in a fan shape which were filled with faux leadlighting paints for a bit of colour.  I'm thinking that the chair backs are still a bit too plain and need more decoration but that depends on whether I can find some more relief stickers in a suitable design.  The seat cushions have also been reupholstered in plain blue velveteen.

The next task I would usually undertake for a room would be the accessories.  Unfortunately we have finally been getting some hot summer weather here in Tasmania and if I tried to work with polymer clay it would just get too soft and sticky and be impossible to scuplt.  So instead I skipped ahead and dressed a few people for the room.

Again, I couldn't make new dolls out of clay, so I used some dolls already on hand.  The first was this porcelain doll who has been dressed in a medieval style gown.  It has a high waist and full circle sleeves from just above the elbow.

Her headdress is made from a piece of stain ribbon, gold seaquins and flat backed gems with some red fabric.  Her necklace is made of strung white pearl seed beads with a gold finding and more flat backed gems.

Next, I finished off the wizard I started for the Library before I decided there was no room for him.  I replaced the trim along the edge of his robe with something less glitzy, gave him some ginger hair and a hat.

I don't like his outfit but at least his beard an mustache worked reasonably well.

 The third doll for the Hall is a plastic Heidi Ott lady in a fantasy gown.  Her skirt and sleeves are patterned chiffon, her bodice is silk dupion and her waist sash is satin ribbon.

The sleeves are open along the top of the arm and the shoulders are left exposed.  Gold ribbon trims the edges of the bodice and attaches the sleeves to the gown.  The doll was pre-wigged, I only added a gold ribbon tiara ontop.

 A piece of excess chiffon was used to make a "bum-roll" to lift the rear of her skirts and increase the size of her hips as they looked too skinny.  I was thinking about making the dress look good rather than how to fit the doll wearing the dress into the Hall when I decided to give her a small train at the back.

Next week I'll either show you the accessories from polymer clay for the room or the start of the furniture for the 24th scale tower, depending on the weather.