‘Feudal Courtyard’ [Dandelume, Avalonia]

[T-86(swe)]

I built this vignette for the Summer Joust and thought I would incorporate my GoH-city Dandelume and the story surrounding it. More to come if I find the time during the summer…

”In the feudal keep of Dandelume there are plenty of small courtyards and gardens. Alannais, the daughter of duke Wifgrir had always enjoyed them.

She would visit the oldest courtyard close to her wing of the keep for privacy matters, servants and others from the feudal court seldom went here. Alhough always followed by one of the duke’s soldiers, she would spend time near the old fountain, under the tree. She would read, think and dream.

It was a pleasant solitude place, away from all the regular commotion going on in the keep and the busy city.”

 

Flickr-album: 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/t-86/albums/72177720309167212

Edited June 19, 2023 by T-86(swe)

[Grover]

Very nice.  The tree is a show stealer. Getting that level of leaf density on a tree without making it look like linear sheets is difficult, and you have mastered it.  I also like the trunk extending under the stone, as if the elves built the stone carefully over the tree without damaging it (as you would think elves would do).  The lantern is pretty slick, too.  I'm not entirely convinced by the square water, thinking maybe some trans light blue shooter pieces (i.e., marvel stuff) might look good, but it's pretty obvious what it is, and I like the stone work on the fountain.  The overall color choices are quite nice, and I really like the HP body with the Arwen hair.  The sideways fence pieces in the back look more elven and less asian with their open tops, which is well done.  I also appreciate the non-vestigial crenellations that one could actually take cover behind.  Some nice subtle detail work on them.  The lighting on the background is nice, too.  Overall, very well done!

[T-86(swe)]

On 6/21/2023 at 6:17 AM, Grover said:

Very nice.  The tree is a show stealer. Getting that level of leaf density on a tree without making it look like linear sheets is difficult, and you have mastered it.  I also like the trunk extending under the stone, as if the elves built the stone carefully over the tree without damaging it (as you would think elves would do).  The lantern is pretty slick, too.  I'm not entirely convinced by the square water, thinking maybe some trans light blue shooter pieces (i.e., marvel stuff) might look good, but it's pretty obvious what it is, and I like the stone work on the fountain.  The overall color choices are quite nice, and I really like the HP body with the Arwen hair.  The sideways fence pieces in the back look more elven and less asian with their open tops, which is well done.  I also appreciate the non-vestigial crenellations that one could actually take cover behind.  Some nice subtle detail work on them.  The lighting on the background is nice, too.  Overall, very well done!

Thanks Grover, I always appreciate your elaborated feedback. Also I totally agree on the water-critique, need to expand my collection with some nice trans light blue-pieces! 

[Gideon]

Lovely little build, great details in such a small footprint
Photo presentation is also good, although a small suggestion for improvement (in the GoH spirit of continous improvement as a builder ) in the future would be to have the camera further back and zoom in a little bit more instead, in order to not "magnify" the front of the build so much at the expense of the great details further back.

[T-86(swe)]

On 7/10/2023 at 1:44 PM, Gideon said:

Lovely little build, great details in such a small footprint
Photo presentation is also good, although a small suggestion for improvement (in the GoH spirit of continous improvement as a builder ) in the future would be to have the camera further back and zoom in a little bit more instead, in order to not "magnify" the front of the build so much at the expense of the great details further back.

Thanks Jonas! I agree with the suggested improvement in photographing. Im still figuring out how to capture the builds so your input is valuable! 

[Exetrius]

Cool lantern, and fence. You've done well squeezing a courtyard in a limited footprint! In this scene, I think there's some room for improvement in the back wall. There's quite a big contrast between the arch that looks rather thin, and the thick merlons. I know arches are really strong, but that would be a lot of weight for the arch to bear. Adding a layer of one or two bricks of just wall between the arch and the crenellation would help make the wall more realistic, in my opinion. I like the left wall though, nice texture, colour accents and decorated fountain. 

Edited July 17, 2023 by Exetrius

[T-86(swe)]

2 hours ago, Exetrius said:

Cool lantern, and fence. You've done a well squeezing a courtyard in a limited footprint! In this scene, I think there's some room for improvement in the back wall. There's quite a big contrast between the arch that looks rather thin, and the thick merlons. I know arches are really strong, but that would be a lot of weight for the arch to bear. Adding a layer of one or two bricks of just wall between the arch and the crenellation would help make the wall more realistic, in my opinion. I like the left wall though, nice texture, colour accents and decorated fountain. 

Thanks for the sound feedback. I totally agree with you on the thickness-support for the crenellations!

[mrcp6d]

Strong vig here.  While the foliage is definitely the highlight, the "stonework" around the fountain is well-managed too. 

I think some more height for the wall in the back and a maybe equal amount of height above the fountain might have provided some more framing for the tree and created a better overall composition for me.

[T-86(swe)]

On 8/30/2023 at 9:58 PM, mrcp6d said:

Strong vig here.  While the foliage is definitely the highlight, the "stonework" around the fountain is well-managed too. 

I think some more height for the wall in the back and a maybe equal amount of height above the fountain might have provided some more framing for the tree and created a better overall composition for me.

Really agree with your suggestion of more hight! I will need to remember this in the future when building similar creations.