Jewelry Box Conversion Steps One and Two

Hey there folks, sorry I feel like I've been away too long, but I have been building consistently while I wait for my very special purchase to show up (still! geez.) that I want to add to three or four diorama pieces to really make them come to life, yes I know, you can't wait, but I should have them up some time this week. While I've been patiently waiting for the postman to come I began this Dollar Store conversion,
 PHOTO 1) Dollar Store Jewelry box found in the craft aisle $1.25 I intially thought to do a diorama that actually folds back into a box and believe me I will but there were two "sets" I wanted to do first for fun

PHOTO 2) The plexi sheet was an off cut that I got from the shop I build frames in (see blog "The mad craft shoppe" in the links section) it's going to be for a cool underwater base, which may have nothing to do with the Any How Town stories (or does it ?). Those great "pipe"things I use all the time and they are from a game that is available at some more exclusive dollar stores, they have become indispensible for making sets and buildings look real, the devil is truly in the details because they are a pain to use woodglue on and if you build with them you may have to use a different product, like an all purpose glue, I'll post of a photo of that stuff next week, if anyone is interested in these tutorials.

PHOTO 3) Here's the other half of the Jewelry box which I want to eventually have look like the inside of a giant Big Ben Type clock, I just need to track down some gears or things that could pass as gears and of course the base coated underwater base.

All for now, back to work, we'd love to hear from you
A.Shay Hahn
madcraftshoppe@live.com

Building A Street Scene, Popsicle Stick Process II

Here are the two views of our street scene after a bit of dry brushing, all of these colours are available in a paint set at any dollar store, again no need to break the bank we ain't building dollhouses here, we're building Any How Town. I have yet to decide if I'm going to build any functional doors for the piece, but currently I'm feeling pretty lazy about that, I'd like to just stage a little scene and shoot that. Also I hope to start doing some new revised character drawings and posting them here for you to see, there have been some changes to characters in AHT since I started this blog and I think it would be great to get up the new looks for some of the folks, so be patient with that. I'm also awaiting a very special package in the mail and when that arrives I'll stage some dioramas of the other buildings that I've been putting together over the past couple of weeks.
have a happy Monday,
A.Shay Hahn
madcraftshoppe@live.com

Building A Street Scene, Popsicle Stick Process

I've been working on a bunch of commissions and a new album design (see links "the mad craft shoppe) so I haven't been writing at all and I really miss getting Oliver and Eaglet into trouble. In my off time and while paint is drying I've been working on more buildings and thought I'd document the constructions so you can see how easy it is. The top two photos show the beginnings of the build, all of the items displayed were purchased at dollar stores, except the luon boards which I got from the carpentry shop that I build my painting frames at. The doors, bricks, rocks on the ground and window frames are all popsicle sticks, The balcony rails are barbecue skewers (found in the kitchen aisle of ALL Dollar Stores) and the stairwell is built from little wooden cubes that you can find at some dollar stores (or Deserres for about $1.50 for a bag) and the treads of the stairs are from a "Mini Jenga) game that some dollar stores carry. The next two photos are just a black basecoat I applied to the majority of the piece, I also have the rest of the railings and ladder for the building on the left which are just waiting for base coat and will then be glued on.
 I hope you enjoy seeing just how easy it is to build this stuff while you watch television, or hang with your kids or your very patient girlfriend. I just might get a cable access show and do it on television for all the folks in the GTA to watch.
ASH
madcraftshoppe@live.cm

Boot Trucks! Ways around Any How Town

I seem to be in a cycle when I do the builds for Any How Town, animals, buildings, vehicles usually 4 or 5 of each at a time, here are three of the most recent builds, these are "Boot Trucks" so named for their original purpose which was running illegal liquor around Any How Town and the Millay State during the Last Good War when alcohol was temporarily banned. A Boot Truck is a small truck with an engine capable of a good speed but with a hard body used to travel offroad, over hills or through forests, like an SUV. Eventually Boot Trucks have become a bit of a status symbol in the Millay State with builders trying to outdo each other with the best looking truck. The bottom two are conversions made from (probably stolen) Orrow Water Delivery trucks, the three wheeler is considered cooler, even though they are harder to pilot over rough terrain, the first picture is of a modded Boot Truck that is more like what you would say running back and forth over the plains and farmland, stripped down for speed, but still sturdy enough to withstand rough terrain.
A.Shay Hahn
madcraftshoppe@live.com