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Gabe

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Everything posted by Gabe

  1. Gabe
    I'm so conflicted about this build... there are some things i love about it, like how gorgeously impressionistic it looks, and the deft posing of the deer - it looks so alert, like it has just caught sight of the camera. But there are a few issues that continue to niggle - most of them relate to how even everything looks - the snow is melting evenly, almost in droplets, the ground is even in both elevation and patterning - it kind of reminds me of pixillated game textures, and this removes a layer of realism from the build. I feel this evenness could be broken up with differing textures (eg tiles, slopes, wedges etc), or by blocking the colour changes more effectively. But overall i can't deny that the build has a certain power all of it's own, and it's certainly a moc that i've felt the need to come back and study a couple of times to make my mind up about it. It's a simple, lovely build and has been very enjoyable to view.
  2. Gabe
    I would like the answer to this also!
  3. Gabe
    Nice build and the storyline is intriguing! I think you are right about the mausoleum being the best part of the build, the recessed skulls and detailing look very effective. Most of your photos are in focus and reasonably lit, but could benefit from some post production in a program like GIMP to straighten them up, adjust brightness etc.
  4. Gabe
    Nice builds LittleJohn and Brickcurve! The palm tree design looks interesting, I don't think I've seen that before either. Possibly its limiting factor might be scale... It looks a bit too small to be effective at minifig scale, especially when other designs work so well. But it looks good on that little island! :)
  5. Gabe
    A beautiful winter landscape, simple yet effective. This is one of those Mocs which exceeds the sum of its parts to become something very special. :)
  6. Gabe
    Sweet build LittleJohn! The boat has some nice shaping on it, small brick-built hulls are always tricky. I'm interested to see how the whole collab turns out!
  7. Gabe
    Thanks Pedilego! It was interesting how often the observation was made at Brickvention that the clouds looked like snow - even with the name card bearing the title "Above the clouds"! I wonder if it's because ppl assume that the table=ground level always, or whether i should have made the clouds more cumulus-like and not so stretched out? Still, it's cool that ppl see different things in it, and it is fun listening to ppl offer their own interpretations about what i've made. Thanks Blufiji! Yeah, i was pretty happy with myself that i managed to use those 8x16 pastel Friends plates at last! Thanks Gunman! Glad you like the lighting. Thanks so much Kai, glad you like it! Cheers Kalais! Yeah i know what you mean, it's not a very typical composition.
  8. Gabe
    Thanks Garmadon, Wedge, Gunman, Blufiji, deGothia, Kai, LittleJohn, Captn Braunsfeld, songwm and frumpy, your kind words mean a lot to me. Thanks mrcp6d! Yeah, one of the things that has often irked me about viking and northern builds in general is just how drab and monochrome everything tends to look... i really wanted to try to stay away from making the wooden houses so uniformly brown. The tan corner framing was an attempt to lighten the atmosphere a bit. I'm not entirely happy with the result - it works, but at the expense of a certain "lived in" feeling... i can't help feeling it looks a bit too clean? Idk. Thanks Sorreion, glad you like it! Yeah, it is a summer moc (it is summer in the northern hemisphere right now anyway!), but it is also a coastal moc, so the lack of altitude and possibly the salty atmosphere as well means that it can be free of snow even when other parts of Mitgardia are snowbound. It would be a different story in winter though! As to the location, i imagined it as one of a small string of isands just outside the mouth of the Bay of Storms on the east coast.
  9. Gabe
    A nice build, the way it's laid out looks very realistic in terms of the amount of space you'd need for such a business. The main problem you look like you are coming up against is a collection of parts that isn't big enough for your ambitions. One way to get around this (at least until your Lego collection grows) is to compress the footprint you are building on, for instance just concentrating on a facade, or a working area rather than the entire shop and living quarters. You can then use the parts you have to make that as detailed as you can. Also, don't neglect to build up... it is often true that hight = visual interest. If a small build is looking a bit flat or squashed for space, a balcony or a second story can help to make it feel more expansive. Secondly, try to pick an angle that you ideally want the moc to be viewed from (the "hero" shot), and build with that viewpoint in mind. For instance, i think the front view of your moc (looking at the outside forge) is the best, but i'd love to see that nice slanted roofline at the same time. If you made it so that roofline fell to one side rather than the back, it would break up how square everything looks and create more interest. Now we are getting into the territory of building for photography. Photography and presentation is a whole another subject, of course! Looking forward to seeing more of your builds in the future!
  10. Gabe
    Very cool story and build Sunder! It's great to see more characters aligned with the creative arts. I love that demon, it has a lot of character for the scale. Reminds me a bit of Gene Simmons!
  11. Gabe
    Nice wall defence Dathil! The wall looks very detailed on both sides, with some nice action posing too. One thing that niggles slightly is how flat the ground is... castle walls were usually built on higher ground, to give a more commanding position. If you had your attackers charging up a slope or hill to reach the wall i think that would look both more realistic and dramatic.
  12. Gabe
    Nice build, i like the little alcoves placed at different hights, gives the whole moc quite a jaunty feel. Nice way to use the new Scooby-do pumpkins too. Looks like the summer joust has some great entries!
  13. Gabe
    I reckon we all would have loved to see another Kaliphlin build from our former leader, but it sounds like he's pretty busy with Brickworld stuff (*so jealous!*). I just hope i don't let the side down, there isn't much time left in the comp!
  14. Gabe
    Thanks so much Pvt13, Elostirion and LittleJohn!
  15. Gabe
    Thanks! Hair is just hair as far as i'm concerned, lots of guys in the north of Mitgardia have long flowing locks to keep their necks warm. Cheers Gideon, glad you like it! The moose antlers are from Brickwarriors. Aw thanks Soccerkid, your praise means a lot coming from the Mitgardian mainstay. Haha i thought i was being subtle about Erland's origins, but obviously not subtle enough! Yeah i know the old memory loss trope has been done to death, but it's a great licence to have someone wander round aimlessly for a bit having adventures.. Thanks to Faladrin, Brickcurve, Dathil, SirGillian and Elostirion for your kind comments! I'm glad you like my build.
  16. Gabe
    Woah Rogue Angel, that display looks pretty sweet. Lots of different roofing styles going on. I'm very curious about that big ship/building at the end of the table too!
  17. Gabe
    Great little build Mike, the tree is a beauty. I like the mushroom peeking out from beneath one of the roots. The subtle change in ground colour beneath the vegetation is nice too.
  18. Gabe
    Stunning castle Blufiji... it sits so naturally in the landscape and just has an essential feel of rightness in it's proportions. I love the mix of different textures as well. Inspiring stuff!
  19. Gabe
    Man, this a seriously creepy, beautiful build, i love it. Such lovely natural shaping on the tree, and the grey trunk sets off the orange leaves well. The eyes on the ground are an inspired touch and the stuff of nightmares to be sure!
  20. Gabe
    Nice little gatehouse, Kai! I really like the porticullis made out of spears. It is refreshing to see such a clean, uncluttered build, but for my taste it feels perhaps a little too sparse on detail... something like a line of wooden supports sticking out of the walls such as in Djenne in Mali would have given the wall a lot more visual interest i feel.
  21. Gabe
    Lovely layout of your town square! The fountain is a highlight - i see you got the Trevi fountain set, your version makes for a sweet alternate build. The glass windowed buildings do look rather modern, although glass is not unknown in Kaliphlin, just very, very expensive. It's use on that scale must have cost a pretty penny!
  22. Gabe
    Nice little landscape! The splashes of high colour really make it pop. The choice of black for the foreground is certainly bold too - is it meant to be a river, or perhaps volcanic earth? If i have a small criticism, perhaps the flame tree at the top could use a little more development so it didn't look so clumpy. The action shots are well done, i quite like the lightening strike. Nice work!
  23. Gabe
    Ok, my newer moc is up! Yeah it's a bit further north than i've previously been but i'll be heading south again soon... Click on the pic for the link: Mitgardia1.3rb_150616 by Gabriel Thomson, on Flickr] Now i really need to go to bed...
  24. Gabe
    Cheers Kayne! Yeah, that cave like entrance on the right side of the build is just a little passage that leads into the main cavern... there isn't anything in it and sadly the view through it isn't terribly good - perhaps i should have made it wider! Anyway i'll try to take a pic when i get it back - it's gone to a local Lego show without me for the weekend. Thanks Titus! I should mention about the roof on the large building btw... i borrowed a shingle technique of Siercon and Coral's for that, if you want more info on it they've made a great that shows you how it's done.
  25. Gabe
    Thanks so much Rogue Angel... just good old synchronicity at work i guess. So you've made a GoH display for Brickworld? That's awesome! I look forward to seeing it posted! Thanks Gedren! Yeah i'm not the best at maintaining believable continuity, sadly... often if something looks good, that's good enough for me! Maybe the clouds could be some kind of magical defence, or due to unusual weather patterns etc? Thanks Cablefoxley! The lights are from Lifelites, i just used Modulites in the room ceilings, connected together with jumper cables. I know Gideon has used Lifelites quite a bit in his mocs as well, with some cool flickering effects for candlelight etc. . Thanks soccerkid! Yeah i really like olive green and sand green together i must say, sometimes close colour combinations can work really well. Thanks Brickcurve! Yeah BV 2015 was a funny year... i still think Nick Runia was robbed, personally, i loved his opposing towers . The cloud was made with quite a few borrowed parts btw, so i no longer have that, sadly! Thanks Garmadon, it's certainly good to be back! Hopefully i can contribute some more builds now i have more time. The opening panel in the back is for the light switch btw. There was also a removable panel on the back of the lions head so i could get at the motor and battery box. Aw thanks Gideon, i was very much inspired by your Sultan's Gate build, and kept in in mind quite a bit as i was building the walls. My partner must take the credit for the goat as it was her suggestion too! Thankyou so much for your kind words Titus, Isundir, Hobbythom, Capt Braunsfeld, Exetrius, Dathil, Mpyromaxos and Faladrin! I'm glad you have enjoyed my build. Thanks Kayne! Yeah i had a bit of an inactive period too last year - i'm sure i missed a lot of awesome mocs on my following list. It's great to be back and into it again for sure!
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