The idea is not original but I wanted to do it my way. From the structure to the tinniest detail I enjoyed the pleasure of hand making all of them, engaging myself in a kind of game. At same time I tried new materials I had the experience of adapting some technologies to 1/12 scale. The result was an intensive 8 days of work without stress, full of fun and pleasure. Of course this is not what I can call a “professional” work but it was worth while the effort. In the end I like the final view of this “cosy” corner as Ana Maria Morgado called it in her Blog http://ajourneythrougharts-and-miniatures.blogspot.com/
She is now the owner of this piece.
I offered it to her with the same pleasure as I did it!
These are not miniatures but I had to share this amazing work with you!
Click the link below. It will open a Word file with lots of photos from a Russian,
an American and some other unknown artists who carve egg shells.
http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/23064005/1222250862/name/Rezqba_po_qiihnoj_skorlupe.doc
Enjoy it and have a Happy Easter!
Finally I decide to try a very simple electric work. When I build “Villa Joana” (my grand daughter’s dollhouse), I had the first contact with electrical materials. In the beginning I was a little nervous… my knowledge in electricity field is not enough and I fear everything could explode… but, nothing happened so I started being more confident. When I was installing the lamps in the house I thought it would be great if I succeed building some lamps. So, I decide to start with this simple design. I saw it in an issue from February 2006 of “Dollhouse MINIATURES” (page 38). I didn’t follow the instructions but I copied the general idea.
The author is Fran Casselman. I couldn’t find any site or Blog but if you search with Google or any other browser there are lots of references as well as a page on Facebook.
I also decide to introduce something different from the presented model so, I asked a friend to cut a decoration for the lampshade. I draw it and he did the laser cut.
It was not so easy to improvise materials for making the electrical connections. I used a small 9v bulb we generally have in car’s instruments like miles counter. Those bulbs have outside wires so I had to solder them to the electrical wire. Amazingly I didn’t melt the tinny wires!!! Beginner’s luck? May be… But it works till now! Problem: the bulb is not replaceable!
In the middle of the four wood pillars there is a thin brass tube. The electrical wire goes inside. I had to carve the top of the four pillars in a half aspheric shape to fit a brass piece that serves as support. Inside this brass piece I introduced a hard plastic tube to isolate and prevent heating. Well, this description may seem a bit complicated but if you look at the photos I’m sure you’ll see it clearly.
I had to create a standard model to cut the four brass wires that sustain the lampshade (all with the same size and plied exactly equal). It was a little difficult to fix them once I didn’t want to use glue but I like the result.
The four pillars around the brass tube are kept in place by brass bands fixed with tinny brass nails.
There are still a lot of building challenges I must solve before I try my own designs but I intend to do it soon.
I have a lot of new pieces in mind.
As you have noticed my last posts are months out of date. But this one I couldn't miss.
It's not the first time I refer my friend Ana Maria Morgado. She is an amazing miniaturist as well as very good artist with photos. Last summer to celebrate her birthday I offer her one piece I made express for her. A birdcage. She deserves this and more. She is one of the most important persons for my miniature work. Always encouraging me to go further, always looking for something that can helps me (books, materials, ideas, general information).
For the last two years she was my companion in the miniature shows adventure. We shared the tables and we build together a few pieces. Her hand paintings are simply magnificent!
Her last Blog is wonderful!
http://ajourneythrougharts-and-miniatures.blogspot.com/
Great work, Ana Maria! Congratulations!
But, going back to her birthday and the birdcage I offer her, here is the photo I took
And now, look the "poem" she did with the same piece!!!
I never had a so beautiful photo in my blog! Thank you my friend!
Published by MINIATURAS - Construcción & Coleccionismo, nr 151 (July/August 2010) you can follow the building procedure of this birdcage called by the editor " La Jaula de la Felicidad" what means The Happiness Birdcage. Happiness for the bird, probably a nightingale who flew away and sings now in a beautiful garden full of roses. :) At least, this was the idea I tried to write in the tinny Chinese characters over the gold leaf in both front columns. A friend of mine, Chinese, taught me how to write it, but I doubt I have succeeded... it's too difficult to write in this scale!!!
You can click on the photo or increase the zoom to read. I'm sorry I have no time to translate it now. May be later, but I can't promise...
Another article published by this revue last Summer -issue nr. 151
Click on the photo or increase the zoom to read. I'm sorry, it's written in Spanish and I suppose the automatic translator doesn't work in those cases...
In my next post you'll find a tutorial for the chinese birdcage you see in the first photo of this page.
This is the only photo I have of the show. I shared a table with my friend Ana Maria Morgado. Take a look at her Blog.
http://www.am-ambientes-em-miniatura.blogs.sapo.pt/
She has an exceptional work!
Well, "new" is a funny way to call them!!! They were new last November!!! Those pieces were made to present at Tom Bishop Show in Madrid.
This time I decide to choose Arts & Crafts style. The exception is the Victorian birdcage and an ebonised table, topped with a very thin leaf of wallnut roots.
The Show was not good (business speaking). Everybody was complaining in the end. The economic crisis is spread along all Europe.
Madrid is very near from Portugal and the expenses are not too much but for those who came from more distant countries were very disappointed. Let’s hope better times arrive soon.
Thanks God I have a very good customer in USA! All those pieces were sold as soon as I arrived from the Show.
Mr. Greg Madl from Swan House Miniatures told me that some of them were sold immediately! Sometimes he has no time to take photos to put on his WebPage! It happened with the Colonial armchairs I show in my last post as well as with many other pieces before.
I love miniatures, I love my work but it’s a great incentive that other people likes them too and are so interested till the point to pay for them! Is the best recognition we can have. Everybody knows its not impossible but very difficult to live on this kind of work, but when we sell we can go on, developing our skills, buying new materials, new tools (which are expensive), and dedicate more time to study and research.
Arts & Crafts style table with some accessories - books, inkpot and penstand
Actual ebonised table
Victorian birdcage with a wood sculpted bird (detail)
Arts & Crafts - Aesthetic Movement style desk and chair. Both are finished with real leather. I made the handles for the drawers. I couldn't find appropriate models in the market.
I don't like to present those pieces without accessories, so I did these. A table lamp, an ikpot, a pen and a tinny greetings card.
An Aesthetic Movement style flower stand and, below a photo to see detailed carved work
(Detail)
Arts & Crafts side table
A pair of Aesthetic Movement style armchairs with real leather seats
Aesthetic Movement style flowerpot. Built of walnut, hand embossed brass on four sides and handcarved feet
It’s impossible!!! My professional life doesn’t allow me time for Blogs! Everyday I must choose between making miniatures or actualise this Blog! Miniatures win always, of course!
Last time I promised to show more photos from this pair of Spanish Colonial armchairs.
Here they are. But I’ll show too, a different way I found for the canned seat. I won’t explain it by words. Photos show it better. I used the “classical” gauze as everybody but I decided to improve it with a diagonal crossed thread (the same thickness as the gauze) as you can see on the photos bellow. It’s easy and the result is much more real! Try it.
After cutting to fit the right size, a little paint: ochre, white and a touch of burnt sienna and it's ready!
Promise accomplished, I'll be back as soon as possible.
After so many months without posting I found all different!!! The interface is not the same and I had to check everything before I was sure that it works. But here are the news.
Once my granddaughter's dollhouse was finished, I started new pieces.
A pair of caned colonial chairs.
As soon as I can I'll show different views from them.
A Dolls House for my grand daughter Joana. She is now 7 years old and we live far from each other - about 300km between us. I think she is in a good age to get the "virus" of miniatures.
Two years ago I started collecting a dolls house. A weekly publication from Planeta de Agostinni - "Casa de Praia" (What means Beach House). The collection finished last December.
Since last two months I've been building and decorating it. All the miniatures inside belong to the collection and were sold with an instalment (fascicule). Of course I added a few details. Nothing special, only to compose the scenes here and there or to substitute some pieces I didn't like.
It was the first time I did such a work and I was very curious to know the sensation. It's funny!
Not so easy to build, (some parts of the structure had not the exact cut) but now it's almost ready. Only the curtains are missing. (The ones of the collection are really bad!!!) I'll try to change them a little, and next week, I hope, it's finished.
The front pannel is too big and heavy and for openning without problems I have to reinforce the hinges. And that's all.
I need to start preparing my next show. Definitivly building dolls houses is not my favourite hobby! Within two years we'll speak about it again because I already started another collection from the same editor - The rustic house. It's for my other grand daughter Sofia. She is now 5 years old and is Joana's sister.
and some details of the interior
The living
The kitchen
The baby's room
The parent's room
The bathroom
The yard
I hope she likes...
Another team work!
This time, Gisela Silvestre and I, we adapted the design from a traditional Portuguese carpet. It's from Arraiolos a small and very beautiful village in the center-south of Portugal, internationally known by its famous tapestries.
Embroidered in a simple "petit point" once the typical Arraiolos stich is not valorised in a miniature work, the main field is deep green with tinny buttons surrounded by a frieze of delicate pink roses on a light cream background, following a classical design.
The result is "super". The work of Gisela is preciously perfect! I would love to have one, real scale, for my home.
Bellow, some pictures of details
Global view
And some details
. Two of my pieces for Arnh...
. DHN Show - Arnhem - Nethe...
. A long time has passed si...
. Cofee time - pastel paiti...
. Miniaturistas - Portugal
. ANA MARIA MORGADO - "AM- AMBIENTES - EM MINIATURA"
. SOFIA - " A MINHA CASA EM MINIATURA"
. SOFIA - " O MUNDO DE ZAPHIA"
. ANA MARIA MORGADO - "ARTES E MINIATURAS"
. ANA MARIA MORGADO - "AM-BONECAS E COMPANHIA"
. ANA NOVO - "ALL TINY DELIGHTS"
. BIBY - "BIBY CASA DE BONECAS"
. MARINA - "CASA DE BONECAS & MINIATURAS"
. ELIS - "MINIS - MY SECOND LIFE"
. MARIA PAULA - "SÈNES EN SEINE"
. Para apreciar
. CRISTINA NORIEGA (móveis e ambientes)
. ALL THINGS SMALL (plantas e flores)
. ANGIE SCARR (miniaturas em FIMO)
. CONNYS POPPENHUIZEN (ambientes)
. FERD SOBOL EDITIONS (móveis)
. LADY JANE (jardins de Inverno)
. MARK TURPIN (arquitectura em miniatura)
. PETER TUCKER (ambientes e mobiliário moderno)