Louis of Nutwood Posted November 2, 2019 (edited) Entry for Book III Challenge IV, Category B "The Crown in Daily Life". Memoirs. I jumped out of bed, panicked with the pounding sound coming from the other side of my chamber door. No sunlight came from the outside, meaning it was still dawn. I ran out of the room and there, covered in the shadows of the trees, stood a tall man with a thick brown bush under his nose. - Five minutes. We are going fishing. My father was not an early riser. But if something could take him out of bed before the sun casted its first light, it was important. That morning, he had fetched a horse, tied his bags onto its saddle and prepared breakfast so we would not starve on the road. Make no mistake. It was important. The days in our village were cold, frosty, windy, and slippery. Everyday, through the whole year, through each of the seasons. But there were these other days – only a handful of days, when the gods were good and the clouds would clear out, the wind would stop, and the sun was so warm it made our skins burn. Those were the days my father would go fishing. He taught me the art of catching fish. But not only choosing a bait, casting a net and waiting for a bite. No. He taught me to read the tides and the wind. To hear the forest and perceive the scent of the trees. To observe the animals and learn from their instinctive survival drive. That was fishing for him. - Hear that? It’s a cormorant. This big black bird, called cormorant, I learned, was known for hunting fish. According to my father, no animal in the forest could smell fish like a cormorant bird. So, we would track this big black bird and follow him to the shores, only to find a pond flooded with either salmon, trout or bluegill. - Now, just remember to be patient. Move slowly and steady. Put your hands together and dip them into the water. Feel the flow. Just focus. Breath in. Breath out. It could be a matter of seconds or even hours. - You never go for the fish. You let the fish come to you. And when it does... You grab it. But it sounds much easier that it is. __________ Hope you can all find the hidden crown piece. Let me know what you think. Make sure to check my other entry for category A in this challenge: Louis of Nutwood. Edited November 3, 2019 by Louis of Nutwood Adding reference to new entry. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kai NRG Posted November 2, 2019 Boy I had to look for that crown! Cool use! Neat way to build trees too, I don't think I'd ever seen that technique used at this scale. It doesn't look quite... real, if you know what I mean, but it has a certain artistic style to it that goes well with the rest of the MOC. Overall a really nice vignette with some out-of-the-box techniques (like the sideways bank, lime green grass) - good work! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Louis of Nutwood Posted November 3, 2019 4 hours ago, Kai NRG said: Boy I had to look for that crown! Cool use! Neat way to build trees too, I don't think I'd ever seen that technique used at this scale. It doesn't look quite... real, if you know what I mean, but it has a certain artistic style to it that goes well with the rest of the MOC. Overall a really nice vignette with some out-of-the-box techniques (like the sideways bank, lime green grass) - good work! Thank you, Kai! I’m happy you found my carefully hidden Easter egg. Yeah, I agree that the tree is not the most realistic interpretation, but I did shoot for more of a cartoonish style. Since this is a memoir, I believe we tend to relive good moments as if they were brighter, cheerful and more colorful than they actually were. Hence, the color choices too. I’m not really used to working with brighter colors, but I really liked this result. I’m glad you enjoyed it as well! Skol! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
marvelBoy123 Posted November 3, 2019 Love the build, but the stand out piece has to be that bird - you managed to capture so much detailing a small area. Good Job! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Louis of Nutwood Posted November 3, 2019 12 hours ago, marvelBoy123 said: Love the build, but the stand out piece has to be that bird - you managed to capture so much detailing a small area. Good Job! Hey, thanks, fellow builder! The bird was the first thing I've built, and it certainly was the most challenging feature. It's the first time I've built something like this, and I'm very happy with the result. Thank you for the comment, mate! Glad you liked it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grover Posted November 3, 2019 I really like this build. There's so many great things going on here, from the cormorant to the amazing use of colors. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I didn't notice the lime green until the second time I looked at it. I think that's a huge compliment since the lime green usually sticks out like a sore thumb to me, and your use of the bright fall colors really helps sell the lime green. Am I mistaken in thinking the cormorant's beak is a golden crown? Because if not, I have not found the crown yet! Great little story to go with it, and I like the idea of the cartoonish nature of the scene being from memory. Great job! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Louis of Nutwood Posted November 4, 2019 4 hours ago, Grover said: Am I mistaken in thinking the cormorant's beak is a golden crown Not mistaken at all, sir Grover. You've just spotted it! 4 hours ago, Grover said: I really like this build. There's so many great things going on here, from the cormorant to the amazing use of colors. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I didn't notice the lime green until the second time I looked at it. I think that's a huge compliment since the lime green usually sticks out like a sore thumb to me, and your use of the bright fall colors really helps sell the lime green. I wanted to try something different, bolder. I usually stick to more neutral and dark colors, as you know. But I really enjoyed adding different splashes of color. You do have a great eye to spot details, so I'm very pleased you liked the color choices. 4 hours ago, Grover said: Great little story to go with it, and I like the idea of the cartoonish nature of the scene being from memory. Great job! Thank you a bunch, sir Grover! I know how much you appreciate those deeply thought choices and references. Happy you liked the story (which is a true personal family story) and the build. Cheers! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zoth33 Posted November 4, 2019 Nice vignette. Interesting trees, nice technique. The path to the pool is nice. Neat story too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Louis of Nutwood Posted November 4, 2019 10 minutes ago, zoth33 said: Nice vignette. Interesting trees, nice technique. The path to the pool is nice. Neat story too. Thank you, fellow Knight! I am particularly proud of the trees and the bird. And I'm glad you liked the story too. Skol! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
soccerkid6 Posted March 2, 2020 Very fun designs for the tree's foliage! The dark tan wedge plates make a great path, and I like how colorful you made the scene Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Louis of Nutwood Posted March 12, 2020 On 3/2/2020 at 1:41 PM, soccerkid6 said: Very fun designs for the tree's foliage! The dark tan wedge plates make a great path, and I like how colorful you made the scene Thank you, Sir Isaac! I tried to include brighter colors as the scene is supposed to be a good memoir. I'm glad you liked it - especially now that you're a part of the one company that binds all of us together. Cheers, sir Isaac. It's an honor to have a Mitgardian in such a distinguished position. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
