Full Plate Posted September 17, 2016 (edited) Avalonian Countryside The beauty of rural Avalonia have few peers. From ripening fields to towering forests, the countryside is the heart and soul of the land. Local farmers have been tilling the earth for generations, and would like nothing more than to live out their lives in peace. However, the ambitions of greater men regularly disrupt these desires, and the young men sent to battle seldom return; some caught by the stray arrow or a sharp spear, while others are drawn in by buzz and adventure promised by the capitol. But for the people who get to live here in peace, there is no place greater. It's home. Have been wanting to build a more sizable representation of the Avalonian landscape for a while now. Tried to include different aspects of Avalonia, like fields, grasslands, moors and a few different types of forests. Hopefully it is an accurate visualisation of rural Avalonia This is my first time dabbling in microscale, and I found it both more fun and more challenging than I thought it would be. The main thing is that it allows for representing a large area with few pieces, which, with my current lego budget, is pretty critical. I definitely see myself building more in this type of scale. Thanks for watching, hope you enjoyed it! C & C always welcome Edited September 17, 2016 by Full Plate Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Garmadon Posted September 17, 2016 Excellent build and lovely micro-scale, FullPlate, and your photography is superb as usual! The standing crops, hedges, and paths are beautiful, and the houses and dock are excellent as well! The depth captured in the border/edge is a great detail as well, and I really like the lime section as well, especially in the last picture! About the trees (the round non-flower ones), I am a bit divided - I think from some angles (e.g., the 5th, and the last, pictures), they look superb, but from others they seem a little too much like balls stuck on trunks The round flower-stem ones look great, however, and help break up the others a little - but while I don't particularly dislike them, I can't say I'm the greatest fan of the stalk ones... I think that trying to capture a more organic feel like you do with your other trees would add some more good diversity here, but then I can definitely see how building branches and posing leaves would be quite complicated at this level! Overall, though, gorgeous depiction of Avalonia's country side! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mike S Posted September 17, 2016 Brilliant scene! Nicely done! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kai NRG Posted September 17, 2016 Beautiful microscale, I especially love the lake with the little houses behind it! Great job with the olive green at the water's edge - it looks really natural. It's really great how much variety you've managed to pack into here without it seeming crowded and the little details (like the boat and the outhouse!) are fantastic! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
soccerkid6 Posted September 17, 2016 What a wonderful depiction of the Avalonian countryside The variety of forests and plains is quite attractive. Superb road and stone wall designs too I agree with Kai that the boat and outhouse are really nice details Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henjin_Quilones Posted September 17, 2016 Beautiful! It almost perfectly captures what I imagine eastern Avalonia looking like, with those grasslands, wetlands, and varied forests (of course the Mystic Isles and Enchanted Forest are a whole other animal when it comes to flora and terrain). The trees are lovely, even the angular boxy ones, since there is not really any other way of building them that I can think of, and the pine forest looks good, too. The small amount of human activity in the corner give the whole thing visual interest and brings it to life, particularly with those small details noted by the others. The grain field is perhaps my favorite part, though that marshy area is a close second. Excellent work! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stelario Posted September 17, 2016 Looks awesome. I like how all the colors fit together. think the crops in this scale are way to fat. :P Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blufiji Posted September 17, 2016 A very memorable scene. I love the different colors of the trees, the slightly sloping hills and the serenity of the build. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Graham Gidman Posted September 17, 2016 (edited) What a wonderful build! Those trees are very cool (you seem to have a knack) and I love their colors - well done! Edited September 17, 2016 by Graham Gidman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deraven Posted September 17, 2016 Wow - I love it! The things you've been able to suggest in some areas with just a single plate properly positioned are fantastic! And I think I'm in love with that micro forest. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BrickCurve Posted September 17, 2016 Wow, one of the best microscale landscapes I have ever seen! Amazing job! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TitusV Posted September 17, 2016 Another awesome MOC from you, these trees are just absolutely awesome! Awesome, awesome, AWESOME! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tezclatipoca Posted September 18, 2016 Wow ! You always doing great MOCs ! When I saw the title and your name I knew it will be a great build. But I was not expecting a micro. And what Micro build ! The composition is just excellent with the fields an plains in front of the habitations and the forest behind. The colours are greatly disposed all over the trees, making the impression of some decicual forest at the back right hand ! Congratulation ! Avalonia is greatly represneted with that build ! I am happy to see you found that build fun and also challenging. I want to see more builds like that ! Excellent job ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Full Plate Posted September 18, 2016 Excellent build and lovely micro-scale, FullPlate, and your photography is superb as usual! The standing crops, hedges, and paths are beautiful, and the houses and dock are excellent as well! The depth captured in the border/edge is a great detail as well, and I really like the lime section as well, especially in the last picture! About the trees (the round non-flower ones), I am a bit divided - I think from some angles (e.g., the 5th, and the last, pictures), they look superb, but from others they seem a little too much like balls stuck on trunks The round flower-stem ones look great, however, and help break up the others a little - but while I don't particularly dislike them, I can't say I'm the greatest fan of the stalk ones... I think that trying to capture a more organic feel like you do with your other trees would add some more good diversity here, but then I can definitely see how building branches and posing leaves would be quite complicated at this level! Overall, though, gorgeous depiction of Avalonia's country side! Thanks Garmadon! I definitely see what you mean about the trees. From some angles they can look a bit unnatural. The scale certainly limits what can be done, but that doesn't mean it can't be improved. I think the biggest improvement that can be made to the trees is probably the trunk and I kind of regret not putting more effort into that (which I suppose is a bit ironic since the trunk has been the main focus in most of my trees ). Thank you for your input! Brilliant scene! Nicely done! Thanks Mike! Beautiful microscale, I especially love the lake with the little houses behind it! Great job with the olive green at the water's edge - it looks really natural. It's really great how much variety you've managed to pack into here without it seeming crowded and the little details (like the boat and the outhouse!) are fantastic! Thanks Kai! Happy you liked it Sometimes have to hold myself back not to overcrowd a scene What a wonderful depiction of the Avalonian countryside The variety of forests and plains is quite attractive. Superb road and stone wall designs too I agree with Kai that the boat and outhouse are really nice details Thanks SK! Glad you liked the build Beautiful! It almost perfectly captures what I imagine eastern Avalonia looking like, with those grasslands, wetlands, and varied forests (of course the Mystic Isles and Enchanted Forest are a whole other animal when it comes to flora and terrain). The trees are lovely, even the angular boxy ones, since there is not really any other way of building them that I can think of, and the pine forest looks good, too. The small amount of human activity in the corner give the whole thing visual interest and brings it to life, particularly with those small details noted by the others. The grain field is perhaps my favorite part, though that marshy area is a close second. Excellent work! Thanks Henjin! Yeah, this only covers eastern Avalonia, as the other areas are vastly different. Was a bit concerned that the different areas would look a bit disconnected and square, but happy you feel that is not the case Looks awesome. I like how all the colors fit together. think the crops in this scale are way to fat. :P Thanks! Those are gene manipulated crops! Seriously though, yes, they are way out of proportion. I think some people took them too be reeds as well, which is probably both due to the size and because I didn't make a distinct barrier between that are and the lake. In any case, I'm not sure how else to depict crops at this scale. Plain bars come to mind, but then you need quite a depth in the base to allow for 4L bars to fit, since I don't think they come in 3L? A very memorable scene. I love the different colors of the trees, the slightly sloping hills and the serenity of the build. Thanks Blu! Glad you like it What a wonderful build! Those trees are very cool (you seem to have a knack) and I love their colors - well done! Thanks Graham! Trying to expand my repertoire of trees Wow - I love it! The things you've been able to suggest in some areas with just a single plate properly positioned are fantastic! And I think I'm in love with that micro forest. Thanks! Glad you really like the forest Wow, one of the best microscale landscapes I have ever seen! Amazing job! Thank you! I will probably build more I think Another awesome MOC from you, these trees are just absolutely awesome! Awesome, awesome, AWESOME! Thanks Titus! Happy you find the trees awesome Wow ! You always doing great MOCs ! When I saw the title and your name I knew it will be a great build. But I was not expecting a micro. And what Micro build ! The composition is just excellent with the fields an plains in front of the habitations and the forest behind. The colours are greatly disposed all over the trees, making the impression of some decicual forest at the back right hand ! Congratulation ! Avalonia is greatly represneted with that build ! I am happy to see you found that build fun and also challenging. I want to see more builds like that ! Excellent job ! Many thanks Faladrin! Micro is certainly a new area for me, but I will definitely build more of it Glad you feel it's a good representation of Avalonia! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Elostirion Posted September 19, 2016 Incredible. Stunningly beautiful. Must have been really difficult to MOC this between microscale (where you just take one or two bricks for a house) and fullscale. And the result ist just so beautiful! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
narbilu Posted September 19, 2016 just wow! nothing more, nothing less... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Full Plate Posted September 19, 2016 (edited) Incredible. Stunningly beautiful. Must have been really difficult to MOC this between microscale (where you just take one or two bricks for a house) and fullscale. And the result ist just so beautiful! Thanks! It did feel limiting at times to work in micro, but after a while I just conceded that the build won't be as detailed as minifig scale builds, which was kind of liberating just wow! nothing more, nothing less... Thanks man! Made a short tutorial for the trees here since some people have asked for it. You can find it here: Microscale Tree Mini-tutorial Enjoy Edited September 19, 2016 by Full Plate Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brandon Stark Posted September 21, 2016 Wow. This build is just stunning. You really captivated the Avalonian scenery with this. Your many types of trees and fields are just amazing. The different color leaves of the trees are also really cool. As for photography, the angle on the last picture is my favorite. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LittleJohn Posted September 27, 2016 This is definitely one of my favorite micro-scale builds of all time The landscaping is superb, with all those excellent trees and ground texturing, and I love how you did the stone wall around the fields/path The houses are great as well. Clever use of a 1x2 tile for the boat too Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LordDan Posted October 2, 2016 Incredible micro build! The various tree designs are fantastic as are the fields, buildings, and pretty much every aspect of this build! Also congratulation on having this blogged by TBB... Twice! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MassEditor Posted October 6, 2016 Wow, this is something else FP! Probably the best microbuild I've ever seen. Such attention to detail, color and composition... truly inspiring. I can't help but look at that forest and imagine myself strolling through it and finding all kinds of secrets. Tremendous build, and congrats on TBB! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gideon Posted October 6, 2016 This build is so great in so many ways, fantastic work The only slight suggestion for improvement (in true GoH spirit) I could think of would be to have the road and open area not as regularly studded, maybe mix plates and tiles or something like that to make a more even surface (while yet keeping some texture)? Keep on building! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Full Plate Posted October 17, 2016 On 9/21/2016 at 5:42 AM, Brandon Stark said: Wow. This build is just stunning. You really captivated the Avalonian scenery with this. Your many types of trees and fields are just amazing. The different color leaves of the trees are also really cool. As for photography, the angle on the last picture is my favorite. Thanks Brandon! Glad you think it captures Avalonia well I really wanted varied forest, but had to hold myself back a bit to not go "too autumn" in the end. On 9/27/2016 at 4:32 PM, LittleJohn said: This is definitely one of my favorite micro-scale builds of all time The landscaping is superb, with all those excellent trees and ground texturing, and I love how you did the stone wall around the fields/path The houses are great as well. Clever use of a 1x2 tile for the boat too Thank you John! Glad you liked it That stone wall was a real headache though, as the pieces are just lying there. I'd only recommend using that technique if you don't have enough frustration in your life already On 10/2/2016 at 10:02 PM, LordDan said: Incredible micro build! The various tree designs are fantastic as are the fields, buildings, and pretty much every aspect of this build! Also congratulation on having this blogged by TBB... Twice! Thank you Dan! It was a lot of fun to build Haha, yeah I was surprised that they blogged the mini-tutorial too. On 10/6/2016 at 10:05 PM, MassEditor said: Wow, this is something else FP! Probably the best microbuild I've ever seen. Such attention to detail, color and composition... truly inspiring. I can't help but look at that forest and imagine myself strolling through it and finding all kinds of secrets. Tremendous build, and congrats on TBB! Thanks ME! Glad you like it I did want to make the forest intriguing, and I used low camera angles for that purpose so that you could see into the forest a bit. In the end result the inside of the forest is not very visible, but I guess that is how real forests are anyway On 10/7/2016 at 0:08 AM, Gideon said: This build is so great in so many ways, fantastic work The only slight suggestion for improvement (in true GoH spirit) I could think of would be to have the road and open area not as regularly studded, maybe mix plates and tiles or something like that to make a more even surface (while yet keeping some texture)? Keep on building! Thanks Gideon! I definitely agree about the path and the courtyard. That and the tree trunks are the two things I'm not really happy with in the build. The path simply comes down to my inexperience with micro builds. When I build paths in minifig scale I usually make an underlying layer and then add on colors and texture on top of that. But in micro scale the height of one plate is a huge deal, so it looked really strange when I added extra plates on the path that made the path almost as high as the stone wall beside it. By the time I realised it was a bit too late to fix it as the surrounding parts were done and I needed to be done in time for Ängelholm. Lesson learned! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
