I finally have a kit ready!!! Inspired by the Lord of the Rings movies.
Introductory Price: $ 45.00 plus shipping.
Shipping is standard priority mail $10.95 plus .70 for delivery confirmation. Shipping total: $11.65
Total cost: $56.65 for Conintental US. Please contact for other addresses.
For the time being I don't have paypal or take credit cards. I want to see if this takes off before I take the big plunge! Contact me by email for any orders.
Kit includes: Wooden base, front wall, two doors, three sets of resin windows, styrofoam top, two packages of floral decorations, one sheet of printed wall panels on cardstock. Not shown in photo, small package of model railroad grass, small package of vines, and small packet of loose flower material.
Unpack your kit. Take a fingernail file or regular file and clean any sharp edges from all of the resin pieces in your kit. I use an oil-based release on my molds so wash your resin pieces with a mild detergent or denatured alcohol unless they came already primed. I prime all of my pieces with a flat spray paint; the flat paint creates paint beads on all of the surfaces and makes dry brushing much easier. The first step is to paint the carved wood planks on the floor of your house.The floor in the photo below has large holes from air bubbles, this was my first pour, your model will not have this problem. The plaster absorbs the spray paint primer and a second coat of paint is necessary. I usually use a burnt umber acrylic paint (any brand) for the basecoat and let it dry. Be sure and cover all of the wood grain. After you prime your wooden floor, check for any other areas that may need to be covered. Paint the Styrofoam* top burnt umber. The next step is to dry brush a caramel or nutmeg brown color against the wood grain of the floor and along the base and dirt area on the back of the model. The best way to learn how to dry brush is to lightly load your brush with paint, brush it gently on a paper towel or other surface and paint the tips of your fingerprint on your finger. This is a double sensory input and you will quickly be able to tell how much pressure and paint to apply to highlight something. Dry brush a raw sienna color with the wood grain this time. Let dry and then very lightly brush a gray or denim blue for weathering. I sometimes will use a golden yellow or ochre color also.
While your floor is drying, dry brush a country tan or goose feather color over the flagstones and steps on the front of the model, making sure to leave the brown prime coat showing in between the stones and on the cracks on the stones. Look at the stones in the photo below.
Do the same on the front wall being careful not to paint the wooden timber. Reminder, be sure and do any sanding before you start painting. Refer to picture below. I use broad and cheap brushes for my dry brushing, use a stabbing motion like you are stenciling something, this leaves dark areas underneath and creates the illusion of age.
Pick three or four colors to use for the base color of your flagstones, I usually use burnt umber, burnt sienna, gray, and nutmeg brown. Randomly paint several flagstones each color again making sure to leave the dark base showing in all cracks. When you are finished, the rocks will look dull and lifeless, so will your front wall. Stipple a little nutmeg brown on the front wall. Then take an antique white and dry brush all of the flagstones. Look at the picture of the flagstones again and you will see the difference.
Take some scissors and cut out your interior cardstock wall sections. I lightly traced the pattern of the front wall in pencil. Double-check my tracing though. Carefully plan out and check your walls. Be sure and look at the photo below, I made sure to have the timbers show all the way to the top of the front wall, for when the roof is removed. I folded the two longer narrow pieces and lightly traced the contour of the hillside and cut accordingly before I used any glue. You can use the extra images for the ceiling or to add more timbers as needed. Use tacky glue* or other suitable glue, and attach each section to the walls. I included extra pieces just in case of miss cuts. Let dry. Glue your doors and windows on to taste; I often don’t use a door on the interior so I have more room for furniture. Glue the front wall onto the main piece. It’s starting to look like a mini now!
Front and back views of house so far. It still looks lifeless and bland. Adding the grass will change everything!
Now for the fun and challenging part. Remember, perseverance!!! Unpackage your grass covered Styrofoam*eggs. Take a sharp knife or Xacto* knife and cut through the outer layer, this is very similar to peeling a very, very, stubborn orange. The goal is to peel the outer grass layer off without destroying it, sounds good on paper, but it is not a fun process. An alternative to peeling the grass eggs is to break out the model railroad grass flocking and use a layer of Tacky glue to make it stick. I hope to have some photos of the alternative up soon. Note: model railroading grass is not included in my kit.
That being said, it’s time to suffer for your art. I usually make a shallow cut about halfway around the outer layer and then peel, expect some pieces of Styrofoam* to peel away with the grass. Don’t worry if it doesn’t all come off in a nice neat piece. All of the pieces are usable. I use tacky glue* to adhere the grass to the hillside. Once the grass is pulled away from the Styrofoam*, you can cut it easily with scissors.
I usually do all of my peeling over a paper plate so I can use the scrap pieces for flocking on other projects.
Now it’s all about creating a faux grass patchwork quilt on your hillside. Go slow and do one section at a time. The grass will have the tendency to try and stand up at the seams. Don’t worry if the glue bleeds through. Like I said, perseverance. Keep pressing the grass down every few minutes. You can leave open areas to taste, the brown basecoat will show through. I usually use the left over tufts to fill any unsightly spaces and then add some flowers or vines (included in kit.) to help hide any stubborn seams or problem areas. First coat of grass has been applied in photo below. Notice the white glue in photo on the left. It dries clear and is basically invisible.
 
If you plan on having the top removable, make sure and do the grass in sections where you can easily remove the roof. If you prefer the top to stay on, glue the Styrofoam top in place and cover accordingly. I am starting to like the top off, it’s much easier to see inside and everyone gets the idea of the hobbit house being in the side of a hill. It’s up to you. Here’s an overhead view of an unfinished piece with some grass on it. The grass is all the way to the edge on this piece, if I was going to have a removable top, I would set the styrofoam* top in place and make sure it sat smoothly on the top of the hill. The grass is bristley enough that it will hold your flower mix without glue, but a good coat of hair spray doesn't hurt. Sprinkle your flower mix and glue your vines on as desired. If you want a shine on your piece you can seal it with a clear acrylic gloss spray, any brand.
Here are some photos of a few finished houses from my collection and from students. I hope to have some more photos with the flower mix and vines shown clearly. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about this kit. Enjoy!!!
 Kansas City Class Pics!!!
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