Mosslanda: Defiance - Freehand sketching in card…

I wrapped up progress on Defiance on Sunday with some card mock ups. Regulars may remember that a similar approach worked well on Denton Road - and for those interested in the specifics, this time used a supermarket own brand wheat biscuits box…


I have no dimensions, nor do I miss them. This is a painting in three dimensions and all by eye - do the mock-ups look right against the models, cut and adjust. It is not just about one structure either, but a balance between them…


So despite all of this I’m still not set on the final result. The above image shows the evolution… top original, building on left too wide and hence squat… middle revised building width, narrower and taller… bottom same width cut down yet still not right… I wonder if a combination of the bottom composition with the step in height between the structures but with the taller left building might be the one… we’ll see…

Meanwhile I’ve cut the wing for the right hand side with cut out to allow you to look inside the unloading shed which is one car long and will be lit with some toned down yellower LED light. Next up is cutting the holes for the power and controller sockets though. Tangible steps forwards, not second guessing composition. It will come together, I’ll just live with it for a few days, mocked up in the workshop. It will mature and a way forward will become apparent. Until next time, more soon…



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Comments

  1. Great progress James.
    Bottom one is definitely my favourite. The tall building on left with 1 window and the vents is the same as the prototype plus the addition of the lower building next to it breaks up the long low middle section. However, only you can decide if it's right for you...
    Will you be including the girders/pipes crossing the track at the left end? Or any of the chain link fencing at the front left? Mocking those up might help you choose a final scheme?

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    1. Thanks Ian. I am considering the pipe bridge I think, but not the fence… I think in the bottom image the taller building isn’t quite tall enough, but otherwise it’s a good compromise on lengths.

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    2. The girders on the roof would fill in the sky a bit without increasing the height of the actual building?

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  2. Hi James, I agree with Ian, the bottom image is heading in the right direction. The middle section is tricky, you don't want it to dominate but there needs to be something there.
    I clicked on the Defiance label and ended up back in 2022 with 50149 stabled at Paxton road, a great way to while away a coffee break! Take care.

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    1. Gosh now there was a locomotive and a half…

      And another scheme which lost energy quickly…
      I’ve left plenty in my wake it seems!

      I’m erring towards a mix of the middle and bottom… but we’ll see!

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  3. The lower one for me. But with girders.
    Perhaps add the building behind in a low(er) relief to add some visual height.
    I also wonder if the wires/ cables would add anything. I am thinking that this could be used to draw a line on the picture. I am struggling to gind the right word here, but an artist can use colours and lines to guide the eye around a picture. If you get my drift.

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    1. Thanks Andy. I have considered all this yes, it’s part of an overall picture I’m just sketching out as I go… and sharing because I enjoy writing as much as needing assurance…

      I think a lot of this composition is coming from inside of me - so I’m wrestling with words to try and explain my process - but really it’s just heart…

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  4. That should be Find not Gind. (Stupid phone screen buttons and fat fingers. Grrrr.)

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  5. It’s interesting how we’re all so quick to jump on the compositional elements…

    On reflection this is more me talking out loud…

    I have a story where the GP20 is the lead actor and the stage merely a suggestion of the prototype… hence shapes and volumes rather than detail I think… we’ll see!

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  6. Ah, that makes sense, I'm definitely guilty of getting caught up in the background detail James. That's why I prefer modelling rural locations to urban ones, as greenery can be far more generic and planting trees takes very little time. I always seem to notice wonky guttering or windows on the buildings I make, which is probably why I cover them in greenery!

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