Gardulla's Palace - FINISHED 9/26/06

[IncomT65]

This is gonna be a great diorama! I don't know anything useful about dioramas but this looks extremely good. Keep it up!

[Nirvana]

Wow! Looking at this is really making me want to make a dio half this good...I just love the texture to the Fomcor walls, is that spackle?

This is just great, I can't wait to see it finished.

[BrentS]

Thanks for all the kind words and encouragement.  This project is coming along slowly but steady.

DN- Yes the walls are foamcore with spackle.  There are two layers of paint (base coat + wash).

Monster Monkey - good luck with the Cantina.  I don't know if you saw the pictures from Diago-Bah's diorama (I hope I got his name right) but he made a freakin' amazing cantina.  He's posted them here and RS.

Smarty - you seem to be the king of the SW backstories.  I had no idea about the hermaphraditic nature of the Hutts.  I guess I never really thought all that much about it.  However, I can tell you, my Gardulla has boobies.

[IncomT65]

Did someone mention 'boobies'? 

[BrentS]

Minor Update (from a volume perspective).  I worked hard on this project several hours tonight and have a little update to share.  Its only a small portion of this but I'm very pleased with how it turned out.  Almost exactly as I had it in my imagination.

I wanted to start adding some of the "realistic" touches to the interior of the Palace.  One thing I wanted to do is put a curtain up on one of the arched doors.  Here is the output:





You can also see a pillow I made out of some excess fabric and the start of something that might be a rug.  I really need a sewing machine to make this rug correct but I don't see that happening.

I'm very close to really starting to add the details to the interior.  Hopefully it comes together in the end pretty quickly.

As always, I look forward to your comments, criticisms, or questions.

[Jedi_Assassin]

WoW! This is going to be one sweet dio!

[jedistyle]

that curtain looks great, it even has a draw string. this diorama is gunna be awsome when it finished, definetley looking forward to another update! great work Brent!

[CHEWIE]

Jaw just dropped on the floor... that curtain detail is unreal.  It looks like this is a mini set to a movie.  Wow Brent!

 

[findswoman]

Wow, this is really coming together nicely, Brent!  I like the props so far.  Maybe the daïs could use a few cushions and throw blanket type things to give it a luxurious look?  As you very rightly say, only the best for this sexy mama...  In any case, we'll work it out.  Where would you like the rugs to go? The big one in the throne room, I take it?

... the Findswoman

[BrentS]

Update time.  Lots of little things added to the mix this week.  Its really shaping up and I'm quite excited about it all.

Here's the round up of new additions:

1) Light fixtures (with working LEDs) on one wall
2) Gardulla's Dias has been resized (read shrunk) so as to not take up quite as much space.  Its also been painted.
3) Support columns painted
4) "Iron" gate added to back room
5) Staircase in back hall painted
6) Tables and fixtures sculpted and painted.













I've been playing with the LEDs for this fixture.  I was afraid they were going to be too dim but then I removed the resistors and whammo they really turned on bright.  I may switch to some yellow lights that are a bit dimmer.  We'll have to see.  The original bulbs I bought (from Radioshack) burned out without the resistors.  However these new ones are from Superbrightleds.com.  They certainly live up to there reputation!  The problem with the extra bright bulbs now is that the paint on the fixture isn't quite opaque enough.  More experimentation is needed!!

I added the gate as a suggestion from a friend of mine.  I thought about adding another curtain but ultimately decided that I liked the asymmetry.  I need to figure out some mechanism to "latch" the door shut.  The hinge does work so I can open and close the door.

As always, comments, criticisms, suggestions are welcome!

[jedistyle]

man those light fixtures look great brent. this just keep s getting better. lighting that actuallylights up and works is always so impressive to me, i've always wanted to try somthing like that, you did a great job!

the tables could stand to be a bit taller, around the figure waists. mabey you could try paint ting and scuffin up the small bar table that comes with hem dazon, so it would match you dio. actually i have 3 extra's of those tables if your interested, with your that'd be 4 and could acomedate a decent amount of scum and villany as well as make a decent size bar area, i also have a extra section of bar from the outlander night club obiwan, mabye you could use it a a small bar stand and put a bar tender behind it, jus some suggestions, if your interested just pm me!

great work brent, i always like seeing this at the top of the page.

[CloneCommander1]

WOWOWOWOWOWOW!!  Great work!  The LED's look fantastic, along with those beautiful fixtures.  The cloth curtain is just great, very realistic.  And I love how you did the walls, great work.  I only hope that when I finish the lights on my dio they'll look as good as yours.  Keep up the good work!

[VF/501]

Looks like the perfect hive of scum and villany.  Great dio and I can't wait to see it in your PN.

[babyjawa]

This is awesome! I have been watching this for a while now, but haven't posted about it. Usually I am one who gives a lot of critisism, but I unfortunatley can't here because I have no reference to compare your with. I love the curtains though. I think the fit the dio very well, and the color it great. The spackle stuff really gives it detail too...

If you wouldn't mind I'd like a few questions answered, please.

1. I have been working on a diorama also, and I have been using foamcore, but I think that it's too thin to support mine also. How did you make your thicker walls? Was it layers of foamcore?

2. How do you wash/give something a wash? I've searched for it before, but I'm just really stupid at finding a thread. The search never works the way I want it.

Thanks,

babyjawa...

[IncomT65]

....  (I'm speechless in a very very very positive way  )