Free build: A Modest Homestead

[SarahJoy]

Some years ago, Siedna Ruadh, Historica's most acclaimed painter, decided to retire from active commissions and start an artist's commune with her husband, Mateus. After some discussion, they decided to settle outside of Petraea, just west of the city on the Oil Road.

In addition to the glorious warm weather, Siedna and Mateus were attracted to the more permissive government and society of Kaliphlin, and the proximity to higher education in Petraea. By staying near to the capital city, they could avoid the problems with raiders and bandits found further into the wilderness. In short, it seemed an ideal location for the founding of an Atelier.

Once Siedna and her husband had scouted the location for their new settlement, they began by building a modest homestead. It wasn't very big -- just enough space for a bed, dresser, and easel. It was cozy, though, and served as their home while they began to build the community they had envisioned.

I welcome all constructive criticism! The door is abysmal; I need to study door construction for my next building. I'm also planning on trying a white backdrop for the next build -- the tan contrasts nicely with the gray, but I think it makes the pictures too dark overall.

Edited to add: This build wouldn't qualify for HSS or UoP credit, but it is meant to roughly correspond with the AoM House: 1st Phase. Perhaps a bit fancy for a hut, but about the same scale!

Edited August 15, 2014 by SarahJoy

[robuko]

The famous atelier of Ruadh! Nice colour and texture, I really like the roof and the base is nice too. Must be hard to get in and out through that door

It's good that you used a neutral grey blind, your photos show visible shadows especially on the interior scene so you might have a think about lighting too. White backgrounds are actually a bit harder for me because I use a lot of white in my builds.

[Xcod119]

Looks quite a cosy home from the desert sands!

[SarahJoy]

The famous atelier of Ruadh! Nice colour and texture, I really like the roof and the base is nice too. Must be hard to get in and out through that door

It's good that you used a neutral grey blind, your photos show visible shadows especially on the interior scene so you might have a think about lighting too. White backgrounds are actually a bit harder for me because I use a lot of white in my builds.

Thank you! Yes, the lighting is particularly rough on the interior scene. I have a few softboxes, so lighting for exterior shots of a build is just a matter of trial and error, but working out how to light an interior is a challenge. I half wonder if it would be easier to just build everything to open up on hinges!

Looks quite a cosy home from the desert sands!

Thank you!

[Gideon]

Very nice little house, way better than what we usually see from first GoH builds! I especially like the first picture

As you pointed out, the gray background works very well with tan (I've actually changed from using a white to a gray background for my tan builds), I suggest that you keep using it a while longer while finding a lighting setup you are happy with. Lighting interiors are hard, I usually just build only the exterior or a two-sided interior nowadays. (Not least because interiors always seem to suffer more from the limitations of less-than-minifig scale building)

My favorite door technique is SNOT brown log bricks and plates, but I havn't found out a nice way to make such doors move...

[Gunman]

Cute looking little house SarahJoy :) I like the little trees in the tubs!

[Scaevola]

Very nice house, the red stripes and irregularly shaped windows are excellent details. Good job with the roofing and interior decoration as well

[soccerkid6]

Excellent first build! I like the landscape and the house is very good. The red and gold accents provide some nice contrast

Good interior as well. As far as door designs go, I usually use a design like this:

By using plate modified you can make it actually open.

My favorite door technique is SNOT brown log bricks and plates, but I havn't found out a nice way to make such doors move...

You can use minifig hips, 1x1 brick rounds, and technic half pins to make them open:

[Yzalirk]

Very nice first build, it came out really nice! The only I just don't like about it, it's jst a very small detail, but those little saplings next to the house. You could have used the cone pieces with maybe two on each to make it a bit nicer looking. Other than that, this is a great first build.

Also, great tips SK, I may try those myself!

[TheUtilityBelt]

Great build, and I'm suprised you would settle into such a small house. Where do you get your food?!

[-Carson Haupt-]

I like it! Great first build. I do think the door blends in a bit too well though, maybe try another color to differentiate it?

[Lord Vladivus]

Nice build!

[SarahJoy]

Very nice little house, way better than what we usually see from first GoH builds! I especially like the first picture

As you pointed out, the gray background works very well with tan (I've actually changed from using a white to a gray background for my tan builds), I suggest that you keep using it a while longer while finding a lighting setup you are happy with. Lighting interiors are hard, I usually just build only the exterior or a two-sided interior nowadays. (Not least because interiors always seem to suffer more from the limitations of less-than-minifig scale building)

My favorite door technique is SNOT brown log bricks and plates, but I havn't found out a nice way to make such doors move...

You're too kind! I'll take your advice and stick with the gray for a while, really fine-tune that setup, and thank you for your other suggestions -- lots to think about.

Excellent first build! I like the landscape and the house is very good. The red and gold accents provide some nice contrast

Good interior as well. As far as door designs go, I usually use a design like this:

By using plate modified you can make it actually open.

You can use minifig hips, 1x1 brick rounds, and technic half pins to make them open:

Thank you, and thank you for those marvelous door examples! I'll definitely be trying them out.

Very nice first build, it came out really nice! The only I just don't like about it, it's jst a very small detail, but those little saplings next to the house. You could have used the cone pieces with maybe two on each to make it a bit nicer looking. Other than that, this is a great first build.

Thanks! I messed a bit with those little topiaries, but bigger/more green just didn't look right, in the desert, at that scale. Let's say they're newly planted and haven't had time to grow much yet.

Great build, and I'm suprised you would settle into such a small house. Where do you get your food?!

We'll be moving into a much larger house once the town is more settled. This one's just a place to live while we build up the town. As for the food, seriously, y'all, you're killing me! The farm is coming! One build at a time!

I like it! Great first build. I do think the door blends in a bit too well though, maybe try another color to differentiate it?

Good idea. different color, or perhaps some sort of door frame.

Cute looking little house SarahJoy :) I like the little trees in the tubs!

Very nice house, the red stripes and irregularly shaped windows are excellent details. Good job with the roofing and interior decoration as well

Nice build!

Thank you all!

[Kai NRG]

Very nice house here, good job with the texturing and I'm liking the red strips! I think the main problem with the door (not from a functional perspective, but aesthetically) is that it blends in too much with the rest of the house; I always try to make my doors different colors from most of the rest of the house. Personally I rarely make my doors functional, in fact generally I don't bother to attach them in any way as I find trying to do either one hampers what I can do with the walls around the door too much. SK's example of using minifig hips though was really ingenious!

[mccoyed]

I'd actually recommend cloth for the door.

[jdw88311171982]

I love the house. I like mccoyed's idea of a cloth door. I may use that idea. The color choices are great. In my opinion the potted plants look cool.. Anyway great stuff, I like seeing small builds like this.

Edited August 15, 2014 by jdw88311171982

[Gabe]

Excellent first GoH build Sarah, really nice! The red stripes on the house have a pleasing echo in the dark orange stripe in the base, and the gold ornamentation lifts the whole build. Not only that, but your ground landscaping is complex and detailed. I'm a fan of those potted saplings by the door too, they are simple but they look great, and help to delineate the hidden doorway. (You can also use green spikes for small plants too) Speaking of the doorway, some other ways to make it stand out would be to make a lintel over the door or a door frame, or small stairs leading to the doorway (which you kindof have, except the tan blends in with the ground), or perhaps not have the stripes go over the door itself. And then of course you can have texture and colour variations as well.

Your interior is great as well! So much to look at on such a small base. I'm really looking forward to seeing your township grow.

[SarahJoy]

Very nice house here, good job with the texturing and I'm liking the red strips! I think the main problem with the door (not from a functional perspective, but aesthetically) is that it blends in too much with the rest of the house; I always try to make my doors different colors from most of the rest of the house. Personally I rarely make my doors functional, in fact generally I don't bother to attach them in any way as I find trying to do either one hampers what I can do with the walls around the door too much. SK's example of using minifig hips though was really ingenious!

Thank you for your compliments, and thank you for your suggestions for the door. It's interesting to see how many builders avoid door functionality altogether!

I'd actually recommend cloth for the door.

That's an intriguing idea.

I love the house. I like mccoyed's idea of a cloth door. I may use that idea. The color choices are great. In my opinion the potted plants look cool.. Anyway great stuff, I like seeing small builds like this.

Thank you!

Excellent first GoH build Sarah, really nice! The red stripes on the house have a pleasing echo in the dark orange stripe in the base, and the gold ornamentation lifts the whole build. Not only that, but your ground landscaping is complex and detailed. I'm a fan of those potted saplings by the door too, they are simple but they look great, and help to delineate the hidden doorway. (You can also use green spikes for small plants too) Speaking of the doorway, some other ways to make it stand out would be to make a lintel over the door or a door frame, or small stairs leading to the doorway (which you kindof have, except the tan blends in with the ground), or perhaps not have the stripes go over the door itself. And then of course you can have texture and colour variations as well.

Your interior is great as well! So much to look at on such a small base. I'm really looking forward to seeing your township grow.

Wow, thank you for your kind words, and thank you for such marvelously specific feedback! I think your idea of skipping the stripes and using a lintel would have been an elegant solution, using cheeses or this piece to tie in to the shape of the roof.

[mrcp6d]

I like the roof, the gold detailing, and the little potted plants; however, I agree that the door could use some contrast with the rest of the building.

[Simon_S]

Very nice, I like those red stripes you put in there to split up the tan. You could also add another strip in dark orange or medium dark flesh - I think those colours could work well.

@SK: Thanks for sharing this technique... I guess my door designs will have to change soon too.

[Kayne]

So, it's been said enough already, but nice first build! I must also comment that the desert landscaping is definitely a plus here as you definitely took the time to give it life(not necessarily living things, but varied height to the sand), which is not typical especially for a first build!

[NiceMarmot]

Great little house, an especially good first build! Unlike everyone else, I don't mind the door at all. It's a bit different, but that's OK. Perhaps it blends in so well with the wall so that local burglars can't figure out how to get in. I wouldn't change anything.

[TenorPenny]

Modest and lovely. Well done..!

[Rconn0]

Wonderful outside design and the door looks fine. The inside is a cool design but a tiny bit cramped.

[Maxim I]

Very nice first MOC for Ruadh!!! I love the colourscheme and the gold you incorporated in the house!!