Window Drama Channeling Victor Horta

Entry with New Windows

One of my favorite Art Nouveau Architects is a Belgian named Victor Horta.  He was born in 1861 and died in 1947.   One of his primary beliefs was that an entire space should be designed as one entity, that every small part of a design should contribute to a whole.

Baron Victor Horta - Belgian architect and designer

His work is truly magnificent, and in every building he designed you can trace this philosophy within the final result.

Victor Horta Museum - Brussels

Every line complements every other part of the design, nothing is left to chance.   Lines flow into one another, shapes work together to create a memorable effect, and colors harmonize into an outcome that leaves one fully enchanted.  Every portion of the design, in some way, seems to be drawn directly from Nature itself. 

Exterior View of Manor Facade Windows

I wanted the facade of my Manor to capture a bit of this feeling, to send ones mind back to nature, to contribute to a whole that feels a part of nature.  Steampunk, in particular, often draws on this aesthetic to create environs that feel exotic and exciting.

Steampunk incorporates elements from many sources, a bit of fantasy and a bit of every artistic style imaginable.  It is heavily informed by historical design, particularly during the Victorian era. The elegance and studied beauty of the Art Nouveau Style is a favorite element in many representations of the Steampunk genre. 

Closeup of the Entry Window

One of the hallmarks of the Art Nouveau style, and of Victor Horta's work, is its asymmetrical lines and it's use of undulating lines that harken directly back to nature.  The myriad forms of flower stalks, insect wings, vine tendrils and sapling branches are deeply embedded into the design style. 

I chose to try and emulate the tendrils of vines to complement the colors I wanted to use, and to harmonize with  the deep browns and blues of the interior of the entry.  I felt like they went well together, and were in the spirit of the "designed whole" that Victor Horta displayed.  

Birds Eye view of the Manor Entry Grand Staircase

The shapes of the stairway, the door, and the almost water like appearance of the poured resin floor seemed to create a whole that I particularly liked.  I felt like this window treatment is solidly in the spirit of both Steampunk, and of the Art Nouveau style I so admire. I feel like it echoes the spirit of the Entry so far. 

Tassel_House_Stairway by Victor Horta

In the photo of the Tassel House Stairway designed by Victor Horta, you can see the ghost of some of the choices I've made in my own Entry Stairway.  This is one of my favorite pictures of Victor Horta's work.  While the actual lines of the staircase above are somewhat different, the general effect of the final stair will be very similar, if I have my way!

Victor Horta's Studio

Above is a photo of Victor Horta's studio, which now has been converted into a museum.  You can see the same curves and vine-like shapes in use in this example of his work.  I wanted this same sense of natural movement to inform my windows. The result of this desire is the window set I created for the facade of the Manor.

Foam Core Mockup In Progress

I began as I usually do with a mockup of my potential windows.  This was fashioned from Foam Core board.  I used a photo of a firescreen that I loved to help me determine the right lines, traced it onto Tracing Paper, and transferred it onto the Foam Core.  To transfer from Tracing Paper to the Foam Core I used the process of using a soft graphite pencil to scribble along all the lines of the tracing on the side I wanted to use.  Then I placed the tracing, scribble side down, on the Foam Core, and then retraced all the lines.  This left a clear imprint of the pattern on the Foam Core.  

Using the Scroll Saw to Cut the Windows

I then transferred the same pattern, once I had decided I liked the design, to two 1/32" pieces of wood.  I taped those together to try and cut the exact same pattern on both windows. 

Woeful results of the wood cutting process.  

Unfortunately, this did not work too well. Above is what I ended up with.  A lot of work went into those two sad pieces of wood.  Time to go back to the drawing board. 

Suddenly, I decided my mockup versions looked just fine.  We'll see whether that decision sticks.  I am not done with the windows yet, as I intend to add a bit more depth to them, so we'll see.  I may try a different thickness of wood and redo the windows with that, but for the moment, my plan is to see where this version takes me, and if I like it, it will become the final!  See how that works?

I painted the Foam Core board a bronze color that I thought harmonized well with the floors and the gold leaf above the door on the inside.  I am very happy with the results so far.  While they do still look a little rough to me, I know that the work I plan to do on them should remove that roughness.  

Now on to the door...  getting the basic shape of that right will be my next task.  I actually already have that shape designed, but the door is not yet built so we'll all have to wait for the final result!

The Rejected Door Design - the New One is much better!

I did do a mockup of "the door", but this one has been rejected.  I'll share it with you here, just because it really ought to see the light of day somewhere!  It's cool, but just not right for the manor. This is why we do mockups!  :0) 

Hope you all enjoyed seeing the work of Victor Horta.  He is truly my architectural hero...Everything he did appeals to me.  Maybe its the curves...maybe the colors, maybe the truly designed total environments, but something about his work speaks to me like no one elses!

Until next time!  I hope you all are enjoying your summer!

Doug S

How To Window Decor Steampunk Style!

Hello out there!  I hope you are all well, happy and occasionally working on your projects! 

I've had a couple of long awaited days off from work, and have spent them relaxing and catching up on the Manor. We spent the Memorial Day weekend in Sequim, Washington (pronounced Squim), after first visiting my Mother on Saturday, so we've been doing a bit of traveling.  We had some good eats and some incredibly relaxing family time,   We've had beautiful weather, and all is well with the world.  I am sure you wanted to know all that!

Today I wanted to share with you how I went about creating the new facade decorations below the kitchen and grand parlor windows!  This bit of work was a lot of fun, and I can see that the techniques used are applicable to many different projects, so I thought I would share them with you tutorial style!

Carving the Wood Base


You will need straight, close grained wood to carve from.  I used Balsa Wood (it's soft and cuts like butter!) that was 3/8 inch wide.  My local craft store didn't carry 3/8 inch balsa or basswood, so I glued together two 3/16" pieces to create the 3/8 inch width I wanted.

The red and black "clamps" are Closet Spacers I bought from an Estate Sale!  They worked beautifully for this application. 

The curves for the window base were drawn using a French Curve so that I could easily create a "flowing" curve that was pleasing.  After establishing the curve on one side, I used tracing paper folded over in the center to trace the other side, so that both curves were very similar, if not the same.

  

For my project, I had to carve four nearly identical profiles on the front, so that the finished pieces look the same.  To facilitate that, I established lines to use as a gauge to help me ensure that I was carving the same basic thicknesses and shapes at each measuring point.  I transferred each line I established on the first piece to each of the other pieces using a ruler and extending it across to the new piece.  I then used a pencil and a measuring caliper to establish points in a curve that were identical at each line on each piece.

Before carving out the unwanted material with a gouge, I used a chisel to create a Stop Line wherever I did not want the wood to split out.  For this piece, I created a stop line at the top and the bottom, to protect the "sill" and the "foundation piece".  You can see the piece carved to the stop line at the top of the photo below, and the stop line(s) at the bottom of the photo as well.  These aid in getting a straight cut across the piece.

Then using the gouge, I removed the unwanted wood down to the lines I had drawn on both ends of each piece.  Finally, using the chisel once more, I smoothed the basic carving surfaces and sanded out the gouge and chisel marks, to create a smooth finish.

I was placing a medallion in the center of the carved pieces, so I needed to create a flatter area in the center of the carved piece.  Again, the stop cut comes into play.  I used a stop cut to trace the shape of the medallion I was going to use, and then carved out the center to create a flat area to hold the medallion.

I used the same stain as I have used on the doors and windows already completed (Gunstock by Minwax) to stain the well sanded piece, and the carving step was completed.

Adding Steampunk Details

Now it was time to add the details that help to establish this window base as Steampunk.  To do this, I chose to use polymer clay to create brick colored tile for the window.

I cut a template from card, and then traced around the template with my knife to ensure that my shapes were the same.  I also traced around the medallion to establish the shape into which it would fit, and cut that out of each piece.

I used a knife to create the effect of tiles by cutting through the clay on diagonal lines. 

I used four colors of acrylic paint to create the textural depth of the brick.  The base was Brick Red, the next coat was a powder blue, the third a coat of Burnt Sienna, and the fourth a coat of "Burnt Sugar" (a golden brown color).  All coats except the first were applied and then  wiped off, leaving only traces of each color to create depth.  I then added more brick red to a gloss varnish to deepen the colors just a bit more.  The entire surface was then coated with a clear glossy varnish.

The last step was to add the "black stone" details, which I did again with polymer, this time painted black and coated with a matte finish.  

You'll probably note that all through the tutorial, I have had the base "upside down"....actually this was a "fortuitous" discovery.  When I had completed the piece, I turned it over to do something to it, and realized I liked it MUCH better "upside down"... so the "upside" is the "bottom-side" in the picture above...or what is now TOPSIDE.   :0)  I thought it looked even more steamy this way...and I think you will agree, it looks rather sporty on the facade of the Steampunk Manor. 

That's all for tonight folks!  I hope you enjoyed the "tutorial" such as it is, and that someone will find portions of it useful for their own projects.   I again have to apologize for the quality of some of these photos.  I have much to learn, it appears, about more than just minis...!

Until next time!

Doug S

The Language of the Eyes - Window Box Progress

Hi folks,

Something about a window speaks volumes about what is inside a house.  Like our eyes, they display our secrets, telling the world about how we live, who we are, and what we love.

My Grand Parlor windows are still in progress, I think now I have spent close to 30 hours working through this window set! The gestation period for these ideas was much longer than most!  But, halfway through, I am seeing the spirit of the house come alive, as I add more and more details around the box windows.  It is an exciting and rewarding period in the construction of this Chateau.

But what secrets lie behind these eyes, do you suppose?   

Secrets of Love?

Stories of Horror and Destruction?

Maybe just the work of a very odd artist?  

Whatever secrets are buried within the depths of the Chateau, I am sure they will come out one day. Secrets have a way of wiggling themselves into the Light.

My first secret is that I have discovered the difference between an artist and a craftsman!   I have been reading my "new" old library book, 'The Secrets of the Doll House Makers' that I got off of Amazon for only 11 dollars!  (This book has been priced over one hundred dollars when I have looked before)

Since I began building the Chateau in January of 2014, I have felt secretly guilty, since I have not "drawn out a plan".  I kept reasoning with myself that a "reasonable man" would draw everything out, have every duck in a row, and everything generally "put together" before starting.

As I read through the well written articles about each of the mini masters of the past (and present!) I have learned about the way that each of them worked, and while MOST DO have detailed plans and spend hours and hours taking photographs and planning every move, there are SOME who operate just the way I do...and I feel oh so vindicated!  I share my building approach with Robert Stubbs of all people!   It's a relief to know I am not "wrong" in my approach!

It was very clear to me as I read through this book that we all approach our work so differently, yet most of us fall into one of two camps - the artist, or the craftsman.  I just happen to be the "artist" type.  Tall, good looking, and oh so romantic...ooops, that just slipped out.  Please forgive me!

However, this IS the reason that I struggle with many of my designs, each an idea that needs a (sometimes long!) gestation period before coming unbidden into the world.  But I know now, that I have the soul of an artist, responding to the moment of creativity, and to the muse within.  I am just not a craftsman!  :0)

I spent three or four days obsessing about the color to use on the end caps of the Chateau.  I loved the color of the Chestnut Brown on the front windows, but I did not want to carry that clear around the house, as I thought that would be too much of a good thing!  I finally settled on a brick red color, and once I had it on the Chateau, it really spoke to me!  It's all "Steampunk and Victoriana" like, and that pleases me.

As with everything at this stage of the game, none of this is anywhere near complete, but the brick red and chestnut brown will make a wonderful backdrop for the architectural and decorative trims yet to come.

I chose to close in the windows just a bit, and provide some additional detail, which I think has worked out wonderfully.  I would have liked a fully open window, but I knew I wanted to carry the theme from the kitchen doors across to the other end of the house, and as I cogitated, stared, and cursed over the window design, it finally came to me that this treatment would meet my needs, and would add an additional element of interest to the windows both inside and out.

In the inner sanctum - a view of the new window from inside.  Still has the sticker on it!  :0) 

I love the effect created by the additional wall space added under the window.  It cries out for some fancy molding and trims, and provides me with a wonderful opportunity!  My wife is a talented painter, and she has agreed to paint this area with small murals, and I am stoked.  I have "dreams a dancin' in my head".

The Bones of the Window Insert

The windows are made, so far, of 5 parts.  You can see above the four panels that make up the wood portion of the windows, along with the small acetate piece that goes into the squared off opening. 

Inner Window with Sandwiched 1/32 inch basswood and acetate window

Each "nouveau" window cut out is 3/32" basswood, while the narrower slice that holds the acetate and the nouveau trim piece on the outer window are of 1/32 inch basswood.  The pieces are stacked one upon another to create the thickness of the window.

Stacked Window pieces

The Outer Window surface was added over the top of the two pieces pictured above, and then Art Nouveau inspired trim was cut using a craft knife, and added to the outer surface for trim

Window Trim

To this trim will later be added some additional decorative trimmings and architectural details, that echo and morph the effects on the kitchen doors. The empty spaces on the window base will include some of this trim. 

Glued up stock, ready for carving

To build up the trim below the windows, I used a very similar process to the process I used to create the doors, though since these were much larger pieces to carve, I glued up several pieces of varying heights which helped to set the basic profiles before carving, and allowed for less wasted wood.

Carved and Sanded Panels 

The decorative panel below the windows has a slightly modified profile, as I wanted the panel to line up along the base of the window well.   As with the doors, I sanded out the shape I wanted using a progression of sandpaper and steel wool, 

Kitchen Doors with Brick Red Surround

My next tasks are to complete the windows by adding the metal decorative rods, staining the doors, and adding the decorative trims to further imitate the kitchen doors.  Once I've completed that much, I'll be moving on to the exterior Entry Door and Windows, and then I will be working inside the Chateau again, and will resume work on the trims. 

I look forward to the day when I can batten down the hatches and glue everything together.  That, however, may be a while in coming!  It is a good thing I enjoy the creative process, because I spend about 80 percent of my time thinking and about 20 percent actually building anything!  But that is the progress on the Chateau since my last post, 

I wish you all the best, every one of you!  I enjoy your comments, and treasure every one of you who take the time to give me your thoughts and impressions!  I look forward to revealing future secrets and look forward to that someday when the story of the Steampunk Chateau will be fully expressed!

Until Next Time!

Doug S

Setting a Firm Foundation

Hello folks!

I find it amazing how even in miniature, certain things must be present in order to create any realism. This addition of a foundation to the front of the manor,  more than anything I've done to date, began to bring to me that sense of realism and architectural harmony that I have been excited about creating. It feels to me like finally beginning to turn the corner from building something to creating "art".

I am not anywhere near finished of course, most elements are not glued down which leaves some visible gaps, and I know I won't be gluing things together for some time.  This will of course lead me to scrambling for a box or two to put things away into, but it still feels great to have taken this step toward the finished product.  It is encouraging to see a "plan" start coming together. 

All of this philosophical discussion is about nothing more than beginning the build of some trim for the foundations of the manor.   Lots of fun in the garage, cutting tiny wood pieces, and a lot of glue, the final product months away, but still, I get a moment to get all choked up, right? 

Remember this picture?  This is what I started with, some real world, man sized (?) trim from Lowe's hardware.  

I've spent the weekend back and forth into the garage, (slamming the door every time in my haste, I'll confess) cutting the trim into small pieces. Each section of the foundation is made of three pieces of wood.  One backing piece of wood with two added pieces of molding. 

You can see that the larger molding was used as a base, to create something akin to a marble or cement foundation (the decision has not yet been made!), and the smaller trim (also purchased at Lowe's believe it or not!) became the upper trim.  Together, these created the sense of a strong, firm foundation. 

The Window Boxes themselves will have a decorative treatment that will extend the linear lines at the bottom to encompass the entire house, but already the sense of a firm foundation is established. Anything from here on in will just be strengthening that.  I am excited about where this is going. 

Together with the newly "completed" (far from it!) window boxes, I think the facade is taking on a strong presence.  I am excited to start doing things like adding the additional doors and windows, and cladding the exterior, but I will need to wait on some of that, since my goal is to complete the inside trims for the three modules so that I can attach them to one another.  

I will be doing some additional window and exterior work where it affects the decisions related to trim, so those are my next steps.  These things have to happen before I can finish the exterior, due to the modular nature of the house. 

I want to welcome some additional followers!  Thanks for joining with me on the journey to my Steampunk manor, with all it's ups and downs!  I look forward to getting to know you all!

Until next time!

Doug S

Redeux!

There are many times in life when we want a redeux!  (redo!)  Most of the time, we are not able to, but happily, in the world of miniatures we are able to redeux to our little hearts content.  The Box Windows needed a redeux, so just sharing the results.  Therefore, no real progress beyond catching up to where I once was, but I am much happier with the result!

You probably could tell from my last post that I was not too happy with progress.  After that post, I kept looking at the windows, and I just could not reconcile myself to the aluminum sheathing, because it was just too creased, and I knew if I didn't redo it, I would be unhappy with it for the life of the project.  So I decided to make a change. 

Basically, all I did was to rip off the aluminum sheathing (a scary proposition!), and cut new sheathing out of mount board, painted it up the same way as the aluminum, and started gluing.  I am SO much happier with it and now feel like I can move on to bigger and better things!  

I have little more to share, so unlike most of my posts, this one is a short one!  Oh, and you can see just the slightest hint of the next step if you look closely at the first photo above.  This plus the hint in the last post should give you a pretty good idea of what may be coming!

Thanks for letting me share my redeux!  

Doug S

Box Window Progress

Hi folks,

This post will be all about progress and the lack of it.  Sometimes progress is one of those elusive things that does not show itself until the last board is in place.  I've been working on the Manor off and on, in between the chaos of an extremely busy schedule, and while there has been a lot of progress, there is not much that speaks of any real beauty to come.   

Most of what I have been working on is going to be "under the covers" at some point or another.  Still it is progress, and I thought that you all might think I had died and gone to heaven or something if I didn't post, so here it is. 

In the last few weeks, I have spent most of my effort on refining the design for the facade.  And of course, most of that you will not see! Patience will be required while I slowly dredge the things in my mind out into the real world.  In my quest to bring the imagined masterpiece to life, I have worked on adding coloring and assembling the previously built windows, adding some balance to the facade, and cladding the box windows in aluminum.  

Step 1:   You may remember my last post regarding the Quest for the Perfect Windows.  The windows had yet to be painted, and this was my first undertaking.  What I ended up doing with those is to paint the mount board with a copper color, and then used Indian Ink and Raw Sienna paint to age and stress those so that they looked weathered and aged, and like old metal.  

They don't look like much set off by the white Foam Core, but they have a wonderful aged feel and they are similar in tone to the Steam Punk doors I last posted about, which pleases me, as it brings the color tones around the entire house (or will when I get finished!).  

Step 2:    I've wanted to create a Steam Punk Vibe with the foundation around the entire house, and I began work on this next.  Again, no progress that looks like much yet, but I've created a wood base for the foundation that will help balance the front of the manor, and will provide a unifying element across the facade.  I've several ideas that I want to pull together to create interest and add additional bulk to the foundation.  

I've added a platform on top of the foundation pieces,with wood.  Above, since I didn't remember to take pictures of that, is the Foam Core version, and only between the windows.  The great reveal will be later in the post. You can take another view of the beautifully aged copper windows this way, right?

Step 3:  This is the "interesting" but not necessarily beautiful portion of the post. Notice, you have just experienced the "big reveal"!  Around the base of the module you will see the new wood base in it's full and unadulterated glory.

Now that we have that done, on with the rest of the story.  I decided to overlay the window boxes with aluminum sheeting.  What you see above is the underpinnings, so it is still Work In Process.  I thought I would break down how I accomplished that, as I think it was an interesting process, and with a little more skill that I currently have, I think it could net extremely beautiful results.  As it is, I am happy with it other than a bit of buckling in the aluminum that I will need to disguise.

This is what I started with.  I purchased a sheet of recycled aluminum at 30 gauge from http://www.whimsie.com/index.html.  The service was fast, and the recycled aluminum arrived in a strong packing tube and in good condition.

I used tin snips for the first cuts.  I drew all the lines with a green felt pen to give me something to cut along.  Cutting the metal turned out to be very simple to do.

Lessons Learned, I would use my utility knife (and did for the final two that are pictured).  While it takes a bit more effort, the result is smoother and cleaner than using the tin snips, which caused the metal to curl, and necessitated flattening the metal again.  You see above that the pieces are a bit lumpy, which was caused by the tin snips.  It is easier not to bend it in the first place than to take out the unwanted undulations.

In order to manage the fold over the top of the window box, I cut the pieces larger than required to fold over the top of the window box.  I cut flaps at the top to the depth of the box, so that I could fold over and glue the metal to the box.  The first attempt, pictured above, ended up being too damaged to use, and was used to cut the patterns for the "new" ones. :0)

Prior to cutting the flaps into the "new" pieces, I painted them using Rust-oleum's Metallic Paint and Primer in One.  The color is 'Flat Chestnut'.  It leaves an incredibly beautiful finish, with a real depth to the color that adds a lot of immediate interest by itself.  I put three coats on the metal, adding the paint in very light layers to build to the final color.

I then bent the aluminum using my metal ruler to attempt to keep the metal smooth.  I laid the metal ruler along the lines I wanted to bend, and slowly bent the sides and top back to create the box.

I then glued the bent aluminum onto the window boxes, using, of all things, Arlenes Tacky Glue.  I love that stuff.  It will glue just about anything!

I left the base of the windows open, because there will be some details added there.  I'll save that for a later post. 

You begin to see the hint of the eventual effect by getting up close and personal with the windows.  I am liking the overall effect.  You can see above though that I had to cut away a bit of the aluminum to allow the window to go back in on this one.  I'll have the exciting task of making that melt away over the next few weeks.  :0(  I figure it will be covered up by the trims, so have left it to deal with at that time.

Here is the other window looking onto the Butler's Pantry.   It's a bit exciting to start seeing the effect that is being created.  

I chose the deep brassy color for the box exteriors in part because I wanted to balance the Oriel windows in the next story.  I like the way it brings the color down to the base of the house, helping to draw in the coloring I used above.   This is a picture of the brief vacation the house got from me poking into it's corners over Easter.  It's a lot of work transporting a bunch of modules up the stairs and rearranging them on the base board!   Unfortunately, I hadn't put the windows back into the openings when this was taken, so you'll have to imagine for while. 

The Future:  Now I will leave you with a bit of a glimpse of the future.  Not sure when I will be adding this detail, but it'll give you an idea where I am thinking I will go. 

Here is the baseboard trim (real life size!) that I bought to use on the wooden foundation that I have added on both ground floor modules on either end.  I'll be cutting it up and using it as part of the decoration for the foundation.  Still working out the details!

Until next time! 

Doug S