mind gone blank Help!!

[John Busby]

Hi all
At SWMBO's insistance the town visable from the kitchen is being done
with the pleasant town collection[censored] toy town mutter mutter!!
I have to paint them as per box in those awfull toy town colours
wheres Noddy's car YUK!!.
Not liking the job my mind has gone blank on a few simple tricks to
get away from the straight out of a box look.
HELP HElp Help please help
regards John

[ttrigg]

John

SSSHHHHHHHuuuss, Be quite, you just might give my SWMBO ideas. Quite I say!!!!!

[kstrong]

The first trick is to paint everything. You don't want any unpainted plastic surfaces showing. That'll go great lengths to get rid of the out-of-the-box look. Don't use vibrant, saturated colors if you can avoid it. They don't have to be dull earth tones, but reigning them in just a bit will help them fit into the surroundings a bit better. For example, use a maroon instead of flaming red, or a buff instead of sunflower yellow. You'll get the variations in colors SWMBO's looking for, without needing sunglasses.

Next, have some fun with signage. Stores will almost always have some kind of advertising in the windows. That gives the town a "lived in" look without much effort at all. Any other little details you can work into the scene, not necessarily the building itself, will also help tie everything together.

Later,

K

[John Busby]

Hi Ken
Thanks shows how bad things had got had not thought of trying to tone down the colours a bit
First one is purple and white not my idea of
the right kind of colours Oh well at least the roof is now flat black which helps a little.
Not sure what to do about the roof join its a bit obvious.
White School House is a bit of a problem well its white not that that is bad
its what colour to do the trim to pull down the white a bit in the kit its grey
which don't feel right.
It needs a dark trim colour and NOT Purple.[V]
regards John

[vsmith]

John

Just rent some episodes of "The Simpsons" pause it whenever they show a house or building and just copy those colors, if those arent bright enough for her.......D'oh!

[kstrong]

Hmmm.... Purple.... Isn't that against the local covenants? Yeah, that's right... the HOA wouldn't allow it...

As for the white, I'd go for a very subtle light grey or eggshell. (Head over to your local paint store/big-box and see how many shades of "white" there are.) You don't want a noticable color like beige, but just a slight hint. After all, whitewash was the cheapest way to paint a building, and was quite common. What you want is just enough of a tinge of color so it's not WHITE, just white. Also remember that after a month or two outdoors, natural weathering will help blend them into the surroundings as well.

Later,

K

[Anonymous]

Change it to grey house white trim, makes the trim POP out!

[John Busby]

Hi Ken and Matt
Will check out paint shop next time i am down that way.
The Purple must be a plot of the local Temperance League
to keep customers out of the liquor store[:D]
Vic
You have got to be Kidding the toy town look is bad enough without
adding the Simpsons to the mix ARGH!!
would take Noddy's car over that any day.[:D]
regards John

[John Busby]

Hi all
Well the liquor store is done and the school is done exept for signage from the sign maker.
Its time to refurbish (which includes painting it) the old saloon I need a little help not being good with
computor graphics
Any chance of some one doing a black cat silhoette for a hanging sign
template
and
Black Cat Tavern sign for me.
Also any one know where I can get a large enough medieval type spear
preferable metal to use as the pole the sign hangs from
regards John

[jzmsvm]

John,
From the date of this posting, maybe this is old news, but I'd love to make your Black Cat Tavern sign. I consider myself pretty good with graphics and would be happy to help. Just let me know the size you need, if you have any specific ideas on how it should look and what format you would prefer and I'll get to work!
Jennifer

[John Busby]

Hi Jennifer
[bow][bow][bow][bow][bow]
As a Jpeg would be good I can get at them
Not quite sure how the cat should look but it will have two rings through it so it can be suspended from a large scale pike for the horezontal pole..
I would think one ring through an ear the other through the tail so my thoughts are standing up with the tail sort of up in the air so I can get the rings level.
Would be handy if I could have a sign in ye olde English style that says Black Cat Saloon to stick on the wall as well.
I was going to call it the leaky cauldron but wrong style of building for that[:D]
and no alley out the back[swg]
But that may help with the style of cat though.
many and greatfull thanks
regards John
Ps Work temporaraly stopped on town have the track gangs at work at the moment clearing vegetation and I put the roof for the depot in a safe place with all that entails[:(]

[jzmsvm]

John,
I have two signs made and I'd like to send them to you to see if I'm on the right track. Should I send them to your email on file or another address?
Jennifer

[John Busby]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jzmsvm

John,
I have two signs made and I'd like to send them to you to see if I'm on the right track. Should I send them to your email on file or another address?
Jennifer

Hi Jennifer the E-mail address on file will be fine
I've only got one E-mail address.
regards John

[jzmsvm]

John,
I sent you an email through the forum. I can't attach the files, so I need you to email me back on the outside. Were you able to get my email?
Jennifer

PS: Sorry everyone else for taking over this topic. As soon as John and I figure out how to communicate directly, I won't high jack the topic anymore. :)

[Rene Schweitzer]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jzmsvm

John,
I sent you an email through the forum. I can't attach the files, so I need you to email me back on the outside. Were you able to get my email?
Jennifer

PS: Sorry everyone else for taking over this topic. As soon as John and I figure out how to communicate directly, I won't high jack the topic anymore. :)

Ok, now you have me curious! One of you has to post a picture of the building and/or sign! [8D]

[ttrigg]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Rene S

QUOTE: Originally posted by jzmsvm

John,
I sent you an email through the forum. I can't attach the files, so I need you to email me back on the outside. Were you able to get my email?
Jennifer

PS: Sorry everyone else for taking over this topic. As soon as John and I figure out how to communicate directly, I won't high jack the topic anymore. :)

Ok, now you have me curious! One of you has to post a picture of the building and/or sign! [8D]

Here! Here! I second that motion!

[John Busby]

Hi ttrigg
Patience let me fini***own first. only one building to finish up and Two more buildings to build
All of them kits so should not take long.
I hope[:D].
Hi Jennifer
nothing in my in box yet[:(]
regards John

[jzmsvm]

John,
For some reason I can't get the emails to go through. [:(] Send me something at the email in my profile and we'll try that way. [:)]
Ooooorrrrr, if some one is interested in posting my signs, they are in JPEG format and I would be happy to pass them on, I just am unable to post myself. I can NOT figure that out! (And I thought I was computer saavy [:I])
Jennifer

[Anonymous]

try pastel colurs , AND VERY HEAVEY WEATHERING, WITH 4 TON OFF SOOT
mike

[John Busby]

QUOTE: Originally posted by kmet

try pastel colurs , AND VERY HEAVEY WEATHERING, WITH 4 TON OFF SOOT
mike

Hi Mike
Are you trying to get me killed by SWMBO[:D]
Wether I like it or not no 4t of soot.

[John Busby]

Hi Jennifer
Did my forum genrated E-mail get to you[?]
Still nothing in my in box not even the copy the forum was suposed to send to me[:(]
regards John

[Anonymous]

Let me know if you all can see John Busby's pics. These items are blocked by the School I teach at so I am posting them based on faith.

Capt Carrales
[4:-)]

[John Busby]

Hi Capt Carrales
not visible to me have the boxes
and inside the box is a little box with a red X in it.
It should be noted when they become visible or if others can see them.
That jzmsvm Jennifer did the art work and gave her consent for them to be displayed here.
On a NOT for commercial use basis and if you borrow them for your own modeling Jennifer is to be given credit for the art work.
regards John

[tangerine-jack]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jzmsvm

John,
For some reason I can't get the emails to go through. [:(] Send me something at the email in my profile and we'll try that way. [:)]
Ooooorrrrr, if some one is interested in posting my signs, they are in JPEG format and I would be happy to pass them on, I just am unable to post myself. I can NOT figure that out! (And I thought I was computer saavy [:I])
Jennifer

I went through the same thing just the other day with my RR logo. I can't say what I did exactly (something about a sea-lion, a ball and a flaming hoop). Email the files to me and I'll convert them to the proper format for posting.

[tangerine-jack]

Ok here are the signs for all the world to see. I am much impressed! I'll let John explain them to you.

[vsmith]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tangerine-jack

Ok here are the signs for all the world to see. I am much impressed! I'll let John explain them to you.

Neat!

though to me the first one looks more like it should be "Black Cat Tea Room" the kitty's just too cute for a bar[;)]

But put that second one on a red background, thats a sign![;)]

Just right for the kinda place you could hear some wiseguys say "Good Place for a Moi-der,"[:0]

[:D]

[John Busby]

Hi Vic
The top one is the fashionable city establishment where
the so called quality people go mere mortals like most of us would not
even get a look in.
The bottom one as you suggested is the rough end of town where watching
ones back is a good idea
Alternative B don't upset any one you might spend the rest of your life a frog
just how would you model a broom stick park[:D]
The signs for NON commercial use if you borrow them please do the right thing
and give Jennifer the credit due for the signs.
The picture thrown in at the bottom for good measure a trained dog[swg]
she used to like that corner to watch the trains but is giving me a dark look for disturbing her train watching with a camera now sadly deceased
Regards John
PS finished size for printing 1 1/2" wide 2 1/2" high that's 1/24 scale and should be close enough for most of us.

[John Busby]

Hi TJ
[bow][bow][:D]
Thanks
regards John

[Anonymous]

Have I missed something but that isn't even a cat its a dog; and it isn't even black more a brownie colour. As well i can tell yoy it isn't very happy.

Rgds Ian

[tangerine-jack]

Now Ian, I usually agree with you on most everything, but I have to disagree with your observations in this case. The animal in question is clearly a raccoon, and it is indubitably a white color. The color can be verified by printing the image and comparing it to an LGB color chart, clearly that hue is called “white” in the LGB chart, so therefore that is the color it is.[:P] Now if only the rest of the North Americans would wake up to the fact that "black" is "white" to the rest of the world..............

BTW- welcome back Ian, I missed ya![swg]