Inside Out: Boxed in (Part 4)...

Whilst you all enjoyed Alan's wonderful photos of Manvers yesterday, I did make some more progress on the Inside Out - so a bumper update to share where things stand at the start of today, Christmas Eve here in the UK...

The box is built - more than that, the box has a lid, and light... oh, and the structures are in primer. That's actually quite a lot of progress isn't it! Posed here, without a backscene, in the study with the room lights off its a rather wonderful contrast between the greyscale of the layout and the full colour of the locomotive...

I've been sharing progress with my good friend Chris...

There’s a part of me that wants to suggest leaving the components exactly like they are here. Contrast here bringing as much: 

Inside versus outside;

Painted and weathered interiors(1) combined with the unfinished(2);

The way an almost monochrome exterior creates a kind of frame for models in the picture such as the engine. 

Note(1): it’s what’s inside that counts; in this case the change here is interior details and finishes. 

Note(2): monochrome to allow the eye to explore the navigational clues left by shadows and a way to showcase the quality of work you do underneath the paint.

Chris’s reflection was exciting. I had felt the nervous energy of seeing something similar but lacked the courage to express that in words. I loved the concept, the sheer artistry in that approach - but equally, it felt off brief. The intention here is not to build a box viewed in the normal manner, from the front, but something else… a curiosity. Normally the front view will be boxed in, and we’ll peer through the shed to the world outside… this is the direct translation of my inspiration and I’m keen to explore that, rather than become a little more abstract.

However, it been an opportunity to step back and reflect on my purpose.

So the problem of back scenes… 

When I first sketched the scene out, I had a particular view in mind. Distant semis glimpsed over fields. Flat. Pale sky, but cloudy. Bright, a contrast to the dark shed interior.

I tried finding some images online to no avail. I tried using an ID backscene I had, similar to Paxton Road, but it was printed on that plastic and difficult to cut - plus too saturated.

I found some images of Bold, with the distant power station. These looked ok but weren’t the vista I had in mind; the semi detached houses could be anywhere, a power station less so…  in the end, I took a copy of the ID Backscenes image I wanted, which was of course very pixelated. I applied a Gaussian blur and added some transparency to lighten the image. Re-sized and cropped to fit, this looked just as I had imagined…

So today, all the preparations for tomorrow are already complete. The dogs need a walk so I must stir from this sofa soon. I’m told Royal Mail will be delivering not just my Farish Transport For Wales 150 Sprinter (whooooo hoooooo) but also the detailing parts I ordered from Modelu for the shed. That probably means it’s worth breaking out the paint brushes and painting these primed parts and watching the scene come to life. It has been a wonderful few days here, working on this - I’ve really enjoyed the muse. Daily updates on progress may stop for a few, but I’ll keep working away and have more to share soon. Tomorrow I’ll be opening an EFE Austerity as well as some Platform 5 Michael Rhodes books, so I’m sure more distraction, more inspiration, more recharging will be forthcoming - alongside family and food I am grateful for this Christmas.

At this time of year, I’d ask you all to take a read of the footer too - and consider supporting the blog this festive season. Until next time, where I hope you all ‘get what you asked for’, more soon…

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