Casa Bonita - Stationary by Kim

Watch Di on Create and Craft TV - 19 November 2022 at 11:00 - she'll be showcasing the new 'Casa Bonita Greyboard Pieces' and complimentary 'Casa Bonita Drawing Templates'. 

When I first saw the Casa Bonita greyboard and templates, my first impression was 'railway station' - Mediterranean villas, nah! So I used the large set for this one. (Stationary - not moving - station ... get it?)

Anyway, I used a large art board, with black gesso and base coated with Lamp Black. I tried various layouts until I found one I liked (and changed at the last minute). First job was to glue on the roofs. As my station is an old, country building I thought one part should have a corrugated tin roof, so I found a piece of cardboard box and stripped away the outer layer revealing the inner shape. I cut it to fit and stuck it on the tall building.

To make life difficult for myself I decided to cut out the doors and windows. To get the sizes I drew around the greyboard windows in the kit. I used a very sharp craft knife and recommend you are very careful if you decide to do the same - or get someone to help if you are not confident.

Having cut out the windows I used part of the sprue (the waste bit left behind when you remove all the pieces) as the crossbars of the window frame. I glued it on from the back. I made window frames from coffee stirrers, and stuck these on the front.

I wanted the walls to have the old, mossy granite look. I sponged on random areas of Burnt Umber, Fawn, Forest Green, and Burnt Orange. Once dry I used the 'rocks' shape drawing template with a black UniPin fine liner pen to add the stone wall effect.

The 'iron' roof was base coated with Burnt Orange, then textured by lightly sponging Burnt Umber and Black. The smooth roofs were based with Zinc and the slates outlined in Black.

Once dry all the prepared pieces were glued in place on the back board. To increase the 3D effect each building was spaced away from the others by using waste greyboard as spacing pieces.

Now for the details:

Bushes - Leaf Green base with dots of red, yellow, and white.

Windows - crossbars in Fawn, frames with a wash of Burnt Umber so the woodgrain still shows through.

Doors - The squared ones are shutters with the openings still in place. Painted Forest Green with Fawn outlines.

Canopies - To get the canopy shape over the ticket office door, use one canopy shape reversed over the other and mark around. The cut off the excess with the very sharp craft knife you used earlier.

The background is Forest Green, once the decoration pieces are glued on, they are painted Fawn.

The Station Cat - Base coat with Moon Yellow, a little Fawn for his lighter bits and used the black fine liner for eyes, nose, and dark markings.

Flower pots - Base coat with Burnt Orange, shade with washes of Zinc.

Entrance Steps - Base coat with Moon Yellow, then use thin wash of Zinc for the shadow on the risers.

Ticket Office interior - Base coat the full arched door piece with Fawn. Paint the ceiling section White, the a Forest Green picture rail. Use Black for the chequered floor tile pattern to get the 3D perspective. Leave a skirting board above it, then the panelling and arch in Forest Green, 'Tickets' and the small opening are with black fine liner pen, and the shadow person is ordinary pencil.

To add depth to the ticket office I used spare greyboard off-cuts to space the interior behind the doorway.

All that's left is to stick the remaining pieces on to the arrangement - sorted! Thanks for dropping by!

Products:

Large Casa Bonita greyboard and design templates

DecoArt Colours

UniPin Fine liner pens

24 Boxes of Advent - Dun Drekly by Kim

Part of my inheritance from my mother was a Dremel. It is a multi purpose tool often used by model makers. It has many different bits and spins at very high speeds. (It sounds a bit like a dentist's drill).

So, I thought, let's give it a go on greyboard ...

A short video of the finished box is available at : instagram.com/the_scratchypen/

I put the box together as in previous episodes of '24 Boxes of Advent' then, once dry, got to work with the Dremel. I chose a very small ball shaped bit, and after sketching out the rough stone wall, carved gently into the greyboard to produce the recessed joints between the stones. I was careful not to go too deep. This produced a lovely rustic looking surface.

My original plan was to have just three stones missing from the wall so the viewer could get a glimpse of what was inside, but, I changed my mind and opened up a big window. I sanded the surface lightly to tidy up the edges of the carving.

Next, a base coat of DecoArt Zinc, followed by random dry brushed patches of Burnt Umber, Burnt Orange, True Ochre. For the mossy edges, and the outside of the box I used Forest Green and Wasabi Green. I added snow to the edges (well it is supposed to be Christmas!) with a texture paste. I used a little black under each stone as shadow.

Next, the interior - a diorama. I measured the inside of the drawer section. Across the back is 76mm, from front to back (interior measurement) is 69mm. It is 75mm tall. From a cereal box I cut a piece 185mm wide and 75mm high. Measureed 60mm in from both ends for the folds. This meant there was a backdrop of 65mm wide. By making the walls a bit smaller it increases the 3D effect especially in the fireplace. I used a sharp craft knife to cut out my sketched fireplace.

Now the scene. Choose your wallpaper. Pink and green stripes seemed nice (Really?). And a white skirting board (mouse hole is optional). 

On the left we have two pictures, a portrait of Auntie Mable, and a  scene of rolling hills and sheep on a sunny, summers day. These were painted on small greyboard scraps of 10mm x 15mm.

On the right a Christmas tree. The tall side are 55mm and the bottom of the triangle is 50mm folded in the centre. Decorate your tree with your favourite baubles. The star is in Venetian Gold paint. Other baubles are painted around the room as you see fit.

The end wall. The fire grate is painted with Zinc then the ironwork in Lamp Black. The flames are painted with red, orange and yellow flame-shaped dabs using a small detail brush. The mantle piece is cut from a small piece of balsa wood, and the surround, either side is wooden coffee stirrers. These are painted with a wash of Burnt Umber for a nicer colour. Two small pieces of waste greyboard are painted gold for the wall lights, and a piece of greyboard offcut has cooking foil glued on the surface, and a frame of Lamp Black, for the mirror. Christmas stockings are cut from cereal box and painted. A spot of glue sticks them to the mantle.

The wooden floor is a wash of Burnt Umber painted in stripes, and the fireside rug is more cereal box painted to fit with the rest of the decor.

Once your scene is dry tidy up the creases and slot it in. 

Mother's Dremel

The wooden shutter is built from coffee stirrers and stained with a wash of Burnt Umber. I left the support rails long so that I could add the house name board and use it as a handle to slide open the shutter. I had to make a pair of small cutouts in the box to accommodate the rails.

Products:

Tando Creative Box Storage 

Scraps and greyboard offcuts

DecoArt Americana colours