Goblin Diorama- Part 12 - Also Roadside Art Photo

I have finally started putting the clapboards on the house for the diorama.  I've been so busy that it seems as if I've been forever getting the house done.  So far, I have finished the clapboards on both sides.  The windows still need some trim, but that will come later. 

I am used to making my pieces out of paper mache', so using different materials is interesting.  There will still be some paper mache' on other parts of the diorama.  The clapboards are wood craft sticks that have been sanded, scratched, and painted with a diluted black paint.  (1 part paint to 12 parts water)  I'm using hot glue to adhere them to the foam core board house.  It took a couple of boards before I figured out how to mount the clapboards without burning the dickens out of myself.  However, once I got the hang of it, things went smoothly after that. 

I started on the sides, because I figured that the mistakes I made on the learning curve would be less obvious.  I've begun work on the front, but have not yet finished it.  There will be photos of the front of the house on the next blog post.  I may have to make some more clapboards before I finish the back.  I made what I expected to use on the house plus a few extras, but I had not counted on how many of the boards would split when I tried to cut them down to size.  I may have to come up with a different method of cutting them.  I had been using heavy duty scissors because it was fairly quick.  Cutting them with a craft knife will take more time per board.  Anyway, progress is being made.  I expect the rest of the diorama will move along quickly once I get the house made. This portion of the project is very labor intensive.

I received a couple of encouraging comments from a reader in the last week.  Thank you for taking the time to make a comment.  It can sometimes get lonely out here in blogger land.  I took a look at my commenter's website, and I thought it would be of interest to my readers who are looking for interesting websites on creating in paper mache'.  Check out the website here:  http://www.whimsysculpt.blogspot.com/
I hope you will enjoy it.  It has some interesting material.

In other news, I saw some interesting roadside art while I was out traveling this past weekend.  I took a few photos.  I'll be posting them over the next few blog posts.  Natural Bridge is a tourist area in Virginia famous for its naturally formed stone bridge.  There are other attractions around there as well.  It is also an area known for its quirky roadside art.  The piece shown in the photo is in nearby Glasgow, Virginia.  It is supposed to be Raquel Welsh on a dinosaur from an old movie.  I think it was called 10,000 BC.   The piece was made at a local studio at Natural Bridge, Enchanted Castle Studio.  They offer workshops and studio tours.  Check out their website here:  http://www.enchantedcastlestudios.com/

I'll be back on Sunday with new photos of the artwork and the latest photo of the field project.