paupadros

[MOC] A Summer In Tuscany

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A Summer In Tuscany

Hello guys! I've been fairly present in the forums lately, but haven't released a MOC in about seven months, so it's about time!

40100947492_f5456c0acb_b.jpgA Summer In Tuscany by Pau Padrós, en Flickr

This is “A Summer in Tuscany”, packing 4497 pieces, mimicking the sizes of Assembly Square and towering 33.6 cm (13 inches) tall. There’s a certain je-ne-sais-quoi that some wonderful modulars capture, and I wanted to capture some of that in mine as well. What better place to look for it than Italy, then? Inspired mostly on the buildings and summery atmosphere of the Emilia-Romagna (I know the name doesn’t say that…) – Piacenza, Parma, Modena and Bologna, to name a few.

39235321255_7444a238d6_b.jpgA Summer In Tuscany Side by Pau Padrós, en Flickr

Another point of view on the two façades. Vines climbing up walls and fences, flags being blown by the soft breeze. Gelato signorina? Have one at Giolitti! Have fun looking for references hidden throughout the whole model!

PD: Genie’s lamp as decoration on the yellow building :tongue:

 

 

The Orange Building:

39235324235_53c86069b3_b.jpgA Summer In Tuscany: Orange Building by Pau Padrós, en Flickr

Fun and reckless! Orange isn't the safest colour to build a modular out of, and even less when you decide to stick a 45-degree façade on it. Nevertheless, I feel this building is the crazier part of the model and brings that needed extravaganza to make a great modular. The rooftop detailing is subtle but one of my favourites

Ground Floor:

39235328405_93ab265d57_b.jpgA Summer In Tuscany: Giolitti Gelati by Pau Padrós, en Flickr

“Giolitti Gelati” has all the ice-cream flavours one can ask for: Lime, Orange, Olive Pistachio Green or Flame Vanilla Yellow, all wordplays on Lego colour names.

Middle Floor:

39235331625_07220e5a5f_b.jpgA Summer In Tuscany: Le Lampade di Roberto by Pau Padrós, en Flickr

Roberto has any lamp you might need in stock. From a Luxo Jr. studio lamp to a cinema focus. Many of the lamps are from Lego’s official modular (not just Palace Cinema's)

Top Floor:

I'm sorry I didn't take a picture of this, but rendering took way too long and stopped it. Inside is a stained glass artist studio. Fairly cool, huh :wink:

 

The Yellow Building:

Didn't take a specific shot for this one, as it would be too similar to the second one. It feels like the anchor of the model. (Call me crazy for saying this), but it's the building I played it safest with -and I know it's yellow! :laugh:. It works as a harmonious counterpart to the Orange building. Adding as shallow dark orange roofing is something I'd been wanting to do since I finished Italian Villa. Desires one by one fulfill themselves, don't they?

Ground Floor:

39235333765_0db0ebba21_b.jpgA Summer In Tuscany: Bike Shop by Pau Padrós, en Flickr

Hard at work, trying to fix a greasy bicycle. Through the back door, it leads to a little garden. He’s so concentrated in fact, he hasn’t seen somebody peeking through the window… The same "somebody" who's been secretly placing flowers on the man's outiside bicycles!

Middle Floor:

39235336205_3239d905fb_b.jpgA Summer In Tuscany: Puppet Theatre by Pau Padrós, en Flickr

Shush! The play is about to start. Suitable for kids and adults alike. Curtains closed, phones off. Oh! Forgot we're not in the present! :grin:

Top Floor:

39235339165_49c66326e2_b.jpgA Summer In Tuscany: Astronomers' Club by Pau Padrós, en Flickr

As night falls and stars start sprinkling all around the sky, seeing planets is the new black for our ABS friends!

 

One final picture:

39235342025_35f57b25e7_b.jpgA Summer In Tuscany's Best Friends by Pau Padrós, en Flickr

Magic Shop and Sweets & Co. hugging their new friend and compainion to the modular street.

 

Hope you enjoyed my little tour around my newest model. Drop in any comments (hopefully praises :tongue:) or dislikings, of course if you feel like so. Thanks again, have a very very nice day wherever you are in our wounderful world!

Edited by paupadros

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Those colors work really well!  I like all of the telescopes as well.  After all, the great Galileo Galilei was from Tuscany.  Fabulous MOC.

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Thanks a lot! I feared the yellow building would look too similar to my previous Italian Villa, but I think it has a different (more Mediterranean) flair that distinguishes it. Lego's repeated themselves in colours in a modular building anyway :laugh:

It's funny, you're the second that talks about the telescopes when, for me, were just an addition, and had not even thought of Galileo.

Glad you liked it!

Edited by paupadros

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Wow very pretty MOC all throughout. I like the shuttered windows and backpack flower planters. The angled wall of the orange building is excellent, the ornamental decoration along the facade and roofs are great. Lamp shop is very original and the part use for the stack of tires in the bike shop is very clever. Beautiful buildings Paupadros! 

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5 minutes ago, koalayummies said:

Wow very pretty MOC all throughout. I like the shuttered windows and backpack flower planters. The angled wall of the orange building is excellent, the ornamental decoration along the facade and roofs are great. Lamp shop is very original and the part use for the stack of tires in the bike shop is very clever. Beautiful buildings Paupadros! 

Thanks a lot! In fact, the angled wall just came like rain, I was playing around in LDD (had the sizes of the first building already figured out) and was trying the second building. A gap was left and thought... Well... Wouldn't it be wonderful if a 45-degree wall just magically snuck there? And it did! Now you mention the rooftop detailing, the one in the left building is supposed to be a metaphorical prision. The feathers representing the prison bars and the dark orange roof the imprisoned subject matter. All very Shakespearean.

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1 hour ago, finnbricker said:

Looks gorgeous! Did you actually build in bricks too?

Thanks! No, I haven't built it, but out of all of mine, I think it's the most plausible ie. has the least amount of bricks in unexisting colours.

38 minutes ago, Delbaerov said:

This building is delightful, i'd love to see it in real life!

Thanks a lot! Would hurt on the wallet though... :grin:

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This looks truly lovely! Happy, cheerful atmosphere and some lovely detailing. The rendering is also pretty good. Excellent work!:classic:

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Wow! Definitely didn’t expect that as your next MOC! Surprising... There are so many things I love especially your typical crazy style :grin:, the interiors, the rooflines, the tree, the atmosphere, the angled walls, the wine and the mosaic wall of the orange building!

The only thing I’m not sure about are the windows, I’m sorry Pau, I’ve never been able to like those easy looking windows... Have two solutions I would try if I were you: 

Replacing these windows with those ones.

Or using the great technique used in those MOC’s: 

https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-10740/De_Marco/mini-modular-townhouse/#info

I’m also not sure about the basic decoration around the windows for the yellow building, it looks a little bit too plain and needs a little bit more something I don’t really know how to explain IMO...

Those are just according to my taste though :wink:

I wonder how your Italian Villa would fit with the yellow building mirrored!

20 hours ago, paupadros said:

Top Floor:

I'm sorry I didn't take a picture of this, but rendering took way too long and stopped it. Inside is a stained glass artist studio. Fairly cool, huh :wink:

Oh, it seems like an interesting idea! I hope you’ll able to render...

Edited by LegoModularFan

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21 hours ago, Littleworlds said:

This looks truly lovely! Happy, cheerful atmosphere and some lovely detailing. The rendering is also pretty good. Excellent work!:classic:

Thanks a lot! That's what I was aiming for!

 

8 hours ago, LegoModularFan said:

Wow! Definitely didn’t expect that as your next MOC! Surprising... There are so many things I love especially your typical crazy style :grin:, the interiors, the rooflines, the tree, the atmosphere, the angled walls, the wine and the mosaic wall of the orange building!

Thank you! I try to be somewhat unexpected whenever trying something new.

 

8 hours ago, LegoModularFan said:

The only thing I’m not sure about are the windows, I’m sorry Pau, I’ve never been able to like those easy looking windows... Have two solutions I would try if I were you: 

Replacing these windows with those ones.

Or using the great technique used in those MOC’s: 

https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-10740/De_Marco/mini-modular-townhouse/#info

Construcive criticism is a great way of learning. About the windows, I think they're what they give that warm look. The windows are the eyes of a building, so changing them now would be awkward. That said, I see no difference in the premade windows you've mentioned and mine. Both are frames with things to silde in. The lip underneath the window is totally not part of it either. Maybe it's the missing indention that are bothering you or the premade shutters, not sure. I like mine, but your suggestions are nice as well. :classic:

 

8 hours ago, LegoModularFan said:

I’m also not sure about the basic decoration around the windows for the yellow building, it looks a little bit too plain and needs a little bit more something I don’t really know how to explain IMO...

That does have a reason. I tried detailing a little further those windows, but everything I tried detoured from the idea I had in my head. The more I added, the less "current italian" and more "run down Barroque thing they have in Sicily" it turned, so just left it as it was.

 

8 hours ago, LegoModularFan said:

I wonder how your Italian Villa would fit with the yellow building mirrored!

On the MS+ASIT+S&C picture down below, this building looks surprisingly similar to Italian Villa. Would be interesting, may try that.

 

8 hours ago, LegoSjaak said:

Great work.... i immediately got that summerfeeling.... got thirsty, hungry too!

That's the idea! If you're thirsty one of the famous Giolitti Gelati might help (indeed a real gelatteria in Rome! :laugh:. The best one, by the way, their cream is just insanely good)

 

And thanks to evenyone else for the kind comments, took a long time to make, so I'm really grateful!

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1 hour ago, paupadros said:

That said, I see no difference in the premade windows you've mentioned and mine. Both are frames with things to silde in. The lip underneath the window is totally not part of it either. Maybe it's the missing indention that are bothering you or the premade shutters, not sure. 

No worries. In fact, I kept looking at this MOC regularly and actually it did grow on me! I really like it as whole composition!  I take back my two critisms, Sir! 

1 hour ago, paupadros said:

On the MS+ASIT+S&C picture down below, this building looks surprisingly similar to Italian Villa. Would be interesting, may try that.

:classic:

P.S. It would be great that you make some more MOC’s in the same style to make a big square ... 

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18 hours ago, LegoModularFan said:

No worries. In fact, I kept looking at this MOC regularly and actually it did grow on me! I really like it as whole composition!  I take back my two critisms, Sir! 

:classic:

P.S. It would be great that you make some more MOC’s in the same style to make a big square ... 

Glad you like it now! About the square, It would be preferable if I didn't build anything deeped than 32 studs, and a good square would require much more space than that. As a project on a table, sure! Something in the lines of @snaillad's awesome "Piazza Maria" I think you mean would totally work. In fact, I'm suspicious Jamie had a little look at that before making Assembly Square...

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17 hours ago, AlexanderM said:

It`s absolutely amazing :) Nice work, thanks for sharing

You're welcome Alexander! Here in Eurobricks we're just to cool to use :) <-these, so we use our own: :classic: or if you're so mesmerised of amazingness you can have this one :wacko: (my favourite!). Thanks for the compliments!

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i love this and would REALLY love to buy the instructions for it as it would fit perfectly with an Italian Cafe i just purchased.  do you have instructions or would you be interested in making them?  I would buy more than just this set.  love you work!

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12 hours ago, Creation88 said:

i love this and would REALLY love to buy the instructions for it as it would fit perfectly with an Italian Cafe i just purchased.  do you have instructions or would you be interested in making them?  I would buy more than just this set.  love you work!

First off, million thanks! I'm genuninely glad you like my work! I've mentioned this sometimes, my style of building is chaotic, I don't look whether a piece does or doesn't exist in the colour I want it to be in my models, as they're digital. Therefore, I don't make instructions becuse they would highlight pieces which may not exist currenly :tongue:. But, A Summer In Tuscany is out of my models one of the most feasible to build (which has the least amount of part mix-matches), so just send me a Personal Message here on Eurobricks with your mail and I can send the LDD file. :classic:

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thanks so much!  I think because I'm a new member, I cannot send messages.  Could you message me by chance?  if not I will ask a moderator.  Thanks so much!  Can't wait to open it up in LDD.

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The most beautiful place in the most beautiful country in the world. It's a great presentation of the atmosphere and this looks fantastic. Perfetto! :classic:

 

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On 6/13/2018 at 10:54 PM, Ogist said:

The most beautiful place in the most beautiful country in the world. It's a great presentation of the atmosphere and this looks fantastic. Perfetto! :classic:

Thanks @Ogist! Italian piazzas and vias are very beautiful indeed. The perfect balance between shameless buildings and a heck of a mess covering them. Very much glad you like the atmosphere, what would you say is your favourite part about them? I'll tell you mine, the yellow building's rooftop, the feathers represent prison iron bars and the shallow roof, a prisoner :head_back:

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