One Side Down.....

I finished one side of the exterior of Buttercup bookshop this morning. Will this ever be finished?
I am beginning to think not.

Here's the pallet that I used for the rocks. It takes a lot of different colors to make the rocks look realistic. There are two shades of green, two shades of red/orange, three shades of brown and black, white and gray. With all of that, I end up with muddy brown rocks, but they aren't all the same color of muddy brown.


I started by doing a wash of different shades of gray and black in all of the cracks between the rocks.

The colors are placed randomly on individual rocks. Sometimes they are together. In the case of the reds, ochre and greens, they are used less frequently and not many of them together.


After I get that done, I start with washes with darker colors and dry brushing with lighter colors. Usually I mix just a touch of red iron oxide, Wedgwood green or ochre with the antique white.


The last is just antique white very lightly dry brushed at random over the rough edges of the rocks. This ties everything together and evens it out.

Here's Buttercup's best side. At least it is for now. After finishing this side I am definitely going to do more rock work on the other two sides. I love "storybook style". There are no rules about how to put on the rocks or how many to use.

Buttercup seems to be much happier this afternoon.

Now, the dollhouse eating trolls under my bed are another story. Let me introduce you to Barney and Jake. They are the two that live under my bed. If I don't get to the dollhouses that are under there before they do, they munch on them.

I must get the Buttercup done. I keep hearing rumblings from under there at night. I think that they are trying to get into the Harrison and Glencroft kits that I have hidden under there. So far I have been keeping them at bay by tossing a few Starbucks' coffee stirrers under there each night. Barney looks like he is enjoying his. Jake, I'm not so sure about. I guess I had better get over to Starbucks for coffee now.

See you tomorrow.