A Cottage Industry

Whilst making vast numbers of potion bottles to populate a scene, miniature squash and broomsticks, I'm also creating two tutorials (commissioned by a magazine and a clay manufacturer)..... and working on the thatched cottage.

Thank goodness there's a Tiki bar in this apartment and my partner knows how to make an Old Fashioned.

So, in case you missed it, my previous post about this fairytale cottage was here. 

It's in one inch scale, so it measures just over a foot in height. It's made using a foam-core base, wood, different types of clay, plaster and other mixed media. 

I'm happy to share some photos of it in the making here on this blog, but if interested in knowing more about technique and materials I'll be publishing a more in-depth 'how to' in my book and there will be a video tutorial on my YouTube Channel and Vimeo on how to use Celluclay. I'll post about it on this blog or on the Tall Tales Productions Facebook page, so don't forget to follow and 'like' to get updates. 

Note in my photos below that I began with a rectangular doorway and then changed it to be arched. Aside from that it pretty much follows 'design 3' in my sketchbook. 

I'm enjoying making this little thatched cottage because it puts me in mind of Helen Allingham's paintings, and two of my favourite films: Polanski's Tess (1979) and Far From the Madding Crowd (1967).