How to make a black castle less boring

[SerenityInFire]

So I have this army of skeleton warriors who need a home.  I want to build a big black castle for them, but I am at loss of how to do this without making it look boring.  I'm open to adding splashes of color (namely dark bley, dark red and reddish brown) but can't figure out how to do so in a manner such that the colors don't look out of place.  I'm going for something that's halfway between a toy playset and an adult collector's piece.  Any and all building techniques and ideas are welcome.  This is something I've been wanting to do for years, and have gotten nowhere.  Thanks in advance for any advice.

[Alexandrina]

Give the walls texture. Add windows, murder-holes, crenellations, etc, so it's not one solid mass of colour. I've been working on a similar design (huge black castle) for a film project, and I've tried to have different levels to the structure. For an example of what I mean, have a look at this early render - the higher platforms are 'floor level', but there's a courtyard set into the ground. Steps are good for breaking up a block of colour, and can be a good excuse to add a splash of colour.

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I'd also suggest doing the floor in a colour other than black. Dark bluish grey works well imo - it's just as dark, especially in dim lighting, but it's distinctly different from the black.

You can also accent at points such as the edges of doorways/windows, lining them with a colour such as red to make them pop. If you want a more cartoonish fantasy feel, perhaps build into the wall a skull with glowing red eyes or something cheesy.

[AmperZand]

Edit: Ninja’ed by @Alexandrina! 

You can use an accent colour or two to draw the eye to key features or edges such as merlons, doorways or quoins. A simple example can be seen in this LEGO set. I recommend dark red and/or dark bley given the subject matter.

Additionally, you can add texture to your black surfaces. 

Lastly, if you give your structure an interesting silhouette, that can also distract from too much blackness. With an undead theme, gothic architecture is the way to go. Imagine a black version of St Pancras Station.

Edited February 22, 2021 by AmperZand

[Alexandrina]

4 minutes ago, AmperZand said:

Imagine a black version of St Pancras Station.

Not strictly relevant, but last time I was in London, a full year ago now, I was right next to St Pancras and walked past there a few times. I had no idea it looked so impressive from up high. I think I was too busy looking at the map on my phone so I didn't get lost! 

[MAB]

Definitely texture (studs on sides, textured bricks, non-flat walls. I also like sparse use of accent colours, I find most of the dark colours work well with black - dark blue, dark green, dark tan, dark red, dark BG. As it is for skeletons, you might also want to build some parts by embedding bones into the structure too. You could even use white as the accent colour if you are doing this. 

[Aurore]

This sounds like an interesting challenge!

I agree with the previous commenters : textured walls, architectural details on the castle itself, or landscape/surrounding details, can balance a quite monochrome palette.

For example, this castle uses very few colors but is far from boring thanks to its original architecture and great level of detail : Schwarzwald Castle by Ciamosław Ciamek

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Or this one, whose walls are only subtly textured but features unusual proportions and one tiny blue and white section (and colorful landscaping that your skeletons would not approve) : Farwin Castle by Brother Steven 

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Or this abbey, which has the same color as the rock it's standing on, but whose surroundings feature interesting splashes of colour : Abbey of St. Delyn by Patrick Massey 

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[SerenityInFire]

Thanks for the suggestions guys (and gals!).  I'll definitely be incorporating these ideas into my Skeleton Castle.

[The_Cook]

I'd go for accents rather than texture.

The given examples of texture all work because the base colour is light and therefore the texture creates shadows on the light surface. Shadows on black are harder, with black texture you're typically looking for highlights from carefully placed light sources. The examples of "all black" models tend to be from the sculptural space, I don't have links but I seem to recall an all black recreation of The Alien from "Alien" and also an all black Haunted House. Others on the forum might remember where those images are.

For examples of accents there is plenty of existing TLG reference material, 6085 with grey buttresses or 8877 with dark red lining around the base of the parapets.
 

[TheLegoDr]

Orthanc is all black and works really well with textures. But it also has a specific shape to it and the varying levels with protrusions.

If I were designing one, I'd think mixing colors. Very few buildings are all one color anyway. It'd be good to have accent colors that bring it all together.

[JintaiZ]

I think it's fine if a Castle is all black as long as the interior details are great (and visible) so the best solution may be an exposed back. I look forward to seeing the result!

[SerenityInFire]

6 hours ago, JintaiZ said:

I think it's fine if a Castle is all black as long as the interior details are great (and visible) so the best solution may be an exposed back. I look forward to seeing the result!

I'm the kind of builder that's too stupid to just get my bricks and build something, so I have to plan everything out in LDD.  I'm starting with the gatehouse so I'll be sure to post some of that in this thread as I go along.

EDIT:

Here's what I've got so far.  And here's the interior:

Edited February 24, 2021 by SerenityInFire
Added progress