Mandarin Orange Crate Helicopter Day Two

This is the fourth year that I've built a mandarin orange crate vehicle, this year I decided to try to do a helicopter. There are some problems with it but nothing that can't be solved with some adjustments, I think that it looks too boxy right now like a truck instead of a chopper so I need to remove the sides and change them out with something else.

Time is also a factor, there's a lot going on this holiday season (as always) and I may not get as much time with the piece to get the look I want.

Come back in a few days and we'll see where I'm at.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

 

Day Four - Double Mandarin Orange Crate Tank WIP

So after getting the base coats on and adding highlights, dirt and shadows it was time to make the walker legs. I figured that it would take up less space if I built tank treads instead and here they are. I have no idea why I'm still doing this or what I'm going to do when I'm finished this piece - but that is a question for the New Year.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com



Mandarin Orange Crate Walker - Day Three WIP

 Day Three Two Colour Basecoat is on. This is the day when I start to question why I built the thing in the first place. Basecoating is dull, but you have to do it - and detailing is even worse. I think I really just prefer building the things. I think I would prefer to make more fortune just leaving them unpainted.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com



Double Mandarin Orange Crate Walker, Ready for Paint!

I've added the adjustable helicopter launch pad, I also beefed up the front walls of the walker to get rid of the straight lines. I'm going to paint this soon and then see if I need to add legs to it or if it can pass without them, it's pretty.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

 

"Popsicle Stick" Excavator and Patience and Stuff

Here's the painted up and finished excavator, it turned out pretty boss. And almost all the materials come from kits purchased at the Dollar Store! Once again I'd like to thank the folks over at Deviant art who take the time to comment on the work that I post. This month, more than any I've been pretty much on my own with my projects. Yes, I have my beautiful wife and ridiculous dog but other than that I've had very little contact with other creative or friends.

This month in particular is a waiting game, played out at home in front of the laptop transcribing the second book in the Any How Town series and waiting to hear back from the lit. agent that I contacted, I'm glad I have this project to work on as I wait, but the waiting does take up a certain percentage of my concentration.

I have more to say but maybe I'll get another post up later of some more kit work, because I really can't handle any more typing.

Happy Valentines Day to my wonderful wife,

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com



Five Wheeled Hot Rods and the Peril of Sharing

I've so far transcribed 146pages of the 210 pages of the second book, about 32,000 words and it's driving me batty. During this painful task I am not editing, I'm making some notes, but mostly I am just typing away while in the back ground David Caruso mumbles away on CSI Miami, I don't even have time to finish these cool builds which were made from the Empire State Building wooden kits (see posts below). I'm going to turn them into wheeled Hot Rod racers and there is a secret  thing that they'll be able to do that will blow your mind.

Unfortunately you'll have to wait awhile before finding out the secret.

Which leads me to another thing that's making me nuts.

Book Two of the series is even more fun than Book One, I want each book to up the ante, things get harder for our heroes, there are new challenges, puzzles, environments and enemies. One of the plans that I used when plotting the Four Books was that the AHT series is like a video game, each success opens up new challenges, new skills are developed by our heroes, it's a great template if you can think about how a video game is designed and it really keeps me on track for advancing the story. Someday when I give an interview about this process I'll talk about it with more depth but right now I have to be purposefully vague.

There are things that are unique in these books, some of them I have published here, but most of those things are buried way back in this blog, you'd have to read the early posts to know what I'm talking about and by my Google Stats I can tell you that no one is doing that.

So I soldier on typing and griping until the task is done.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

 



Steam Shovels and Typing, Typing, Typing

Hope you enjoyed the history of the project, thought it would be of use to anyone who finds their way to the blog. I've transcribed 16,000 words so far of Book Two, there sure is a lot going on as our heroes dig even deeper into the mystery of the first story arc.

It's probably no secret that transcribing is boring, to relieve that boredom I'm taking short breaks to build this bad boy.

The crane can turn on the base, the arm can turn independently of the chair and the arm itself has two functioning elbow joints, pretty cool, can't wait to paint it up and I'll be posting a tutorial later of how to build pivot joints and the like.

until next time,

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com



A.Shay Hahn, Life Boat Build WIP

Here's as far as I got today on the Life Boat build, mostly I'm just dinking around with placement of figures and the boat itself, still lots to go until I'm happy with it and I'll have to shoot a few hundred digital shots until I get what I'm looking for. I'll also have to hook up some kind of lighting rig, maybe two MR's on a fader box ( please don't send me technical questions, I'll probably get a buddy to build it for me, I have no clue about this stuff) to control the light, this was shot with just the over heads in the studio so it reads pretty "hot".

The background is just a block in and will gain detail over time.

If you're trying to identify figures in the build just keep in mind my favourite trick for making new "characters" which is this, I pop the heads off of figures and switch them.

Haven't heard back from the agent I contacted yet and I'll continue working on the second draft of Book Two (which is probably 70,000 words - the first book which was mostly the set up for the next three books is about 54,000 words) through to the end of February.

time for a cold glass of juice.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

 

 



Alfred Hitchcock's "Lifeboat" Build

I have had an obsession with "Lifeboat" for a couple of years, it began with the Annie Leibowitz photo from the Vanity Fair Hollywood Issue that recreated scenes from Hitchcock films. I had also been painting many pictures of women sleeping in rowboats and angels with wooden wings rowing them (see my other blog "the mad craft shoppe" at sidebar) there's also a great fan created Tragically Hip video that uses footage from the film - darnit I can't remember the song - I'll find it later and post it, so as you can see the seeds of obsession had started getting some pretty firm roots in my head and once that happens - I'm on a mission.

(My current mission is to find a used copy of "The Gunstringer" for Kinect, so let me know if you see one in Toronto)

It's easy to just buy dvd's to complete your collection on ebay or buy at full price at a retailer, but I like the hunt and I would scour used stores for very specific films that I wanted, The Blood of Heroes, Ian McEllan's Richard III and of couse, Lifeboat. After a couple years of fruitless searching I finally found a copy - under the Christmas Tree, many thanks to my lovely wife.

 I decided to build my own lifeboat and worked on it as we watched the film.

It's day two of the build and I'm at the paint stage, have to throw a raw umber on it to tie it together but it's coming along nicely, my only regret is that it should be deeper, here's a tip for you builders out there - it's easier to make your figures sit if they can actually sit with a full bended knee.

Luckily I have a chaotic scene planned for this diorama so if all the folks aren't seated that's fine.

check back in later today to see how it's coming.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

 

 

Mandarin Orange Crate Craft #3

Heres the third and probably final mandarin orange crate walker (with Scooter buddy!). I decided to change up the single driver concept and made two seats for drivers and one for a front gunner, something like a battleship, if the tower was exposed.

If I was completely nuts I would've made the tower on a stick so it would turn, but also I was a little too far into the build to go back when the idea hit me, if someone wants to commission one Id be happy to add that function.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

 



Mandarin Orange Crate Craft II

Here's the second mandarin orange crate walker. The last piece had a great clunky military transport look to it but I thought I could improve on the legs. With this model I extended the legs on wooden dowels - maybe this walker can telescope it's legs up to give it a higher vantage point. I also made the side panel the cargo door and added window openings to the back and other side.

I originally conceived of this vehicle as a bounty hunter/poaching vehicle so I may stage this again with some views of the interior, just waiting for some things to arrive in the mail that I'm going to use.

Next week is a big typing week so this week has been a great creative binge before doing a bunch of "office" work on the book series. The first arc of the books is four stories and I've started plotting the fifth and sixth books which make up a two book series.

Batten down the hatches Newfoundland !

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com
UPDATE- Didn't realize this pic was so dark, will have to reshoot.



A.Shay Hahn, tiny carpenter, man of mystery.

At the top is a photo of Lawrence (Lorenzo!) Etherington's massive 600 page sketchbook that arrived in the mail a couple of days ago. I've had my head buried in it (when not playing Dead Island, finished the game, really enjoyed the sense of tension it creates) ever since. If you read this blog on a regular basis you'll know of my ongoing love/hate that I have with myself over my drawing skills. I figure this book is a great way to keep me working daily on my skills. If you are unfamiliar with the Etherington Bros. head to their blog its alot of fun, they are living the life and doing it right.

The second shot are a couple of cokpits that I built just in case I want to make any more Mandarin Orange crate vehicles. I'd like to thank all the folks over at Deviantart who took the time to comment on the build and on the sewer system.It's nice to get some positive feedback, since I rarely, if ever, get any comments here, this blog gets huge google hits for the tutorials but rarely does anyone say anything to me directly.

In book news I've sent out the first package for the Any How Town book series and I'm going to wait until the new year before approaching any other agents. The agency that I sent the package to interests me and I want to get a chance to get my first rejection under my belt before approaching any other agents.

If you go to the mad craft shoppe blog (see links) you can see what is currently hanging at the Press Club (850 Dundas West) head on over and pick up a painting, makes a heck of a Christmas gift.

Alright back to the ink mines, take care.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Mandarin Orange Crate Troop Carrier! You gotta see this!

So here's the piece almost completed and then completed with paint job. I think it turned out pretty well considering I did it while bedridden and noseblown. I'll add another picture later on when I get some more mandarin oranges.

In painting news, today is the last day to see my show at the Cameron House, doors open at 5pm and you can purchase work (in cash) from the bar staff. Kevin Quain and the Mad Bastards play this eve, perfect rainy day music.

Hopefully this is the last day of Super Cold 2012 and I can get back to finishing my book, also I want to give a huge show of support to the Etherington Brothers, two brothers (writer/artist) whose work I think is the best, check out their blog here.http://theetheringtonbrothers.blogspot.ca/  I bought the 600 page sketchbook (see Store in their links) for myself as a Christmas gift.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Mandarin Orange Crate Craft, Part Two

I've decided to make an AT-AT Snow Walker out of the mandarin orange crate. The three pics above are the four feet for the legs of the walker, the second pic. is the cab for the driver to sit in and the third is a fold down back down so people can get in and out in vehicles or on foot.

Updates soon come! This is fun!

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com



Robot Dino Riders and the Curse of Monopolies

Here's the first of the painted robot dino riders and I know I couldn't have done it without you Dollarama but other smaller dollar stores are closing because of your market domination and I don't like it. I picked up these awesome little wooden kits (just look at that crazy frog) at a store that is being put out of business and these amazing birds (birds are really hard to find, buy them in multiples when you can) from another store that I'm sure is also feeling the pressure.

Variety is the spice of life and I know my kitbashing will suffer if I can only purchase from you, yes you sell some great things for my purposes but you don't sell everything I need. You don't even sell wood glue!

In book news I'm almost finished my hand written edit of Book One and then will do my type edit. I'm pretty thorough when I edit my work and this method just works best for me. The query letter is sharp and the synopses is great so each day we get closer and closer to sending the book out to agents.

Tomorrow is Saturday and from 4-7pm you can come by the Cameron House for the reception for "popular/mechanics" my latest show of paintings. Music will be  provided by Colonel Tom and the American Pour from 6-8pm. If you want to read more and see the work, just head over to the "mad craft shoppe" blog (see links on the right side).

alright, back to work

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com



Building Popsicle Stick Robo Dino Riders!

Here are three of the Dinosaur Kits that I've bashed (kit bashing is a word that's been around a long time that I just learned, it's more or less what I do but originated with more complicated models, like the World War Two model kits) to make two legged vehicles similar to the Sputterjack racing machines.

In Any How Town Book news, the synopses is almost perfect, I'm moving onto getting a solid query letter written this week and I've finished the final edits on the first fifty pages of the first book so things are moving along just as they should.

If you're in downtown Toronto head to the Cameron House to see my paintings, you can preview the show at my other blog, "The mad craft shoppe" (see sidebar,right) and the reception is Saturday, November 24th from 4-7pm.

get your toque on,

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Building A Popsicle Stick Diorama, Large Scale

Okay, I've decided to go for it, in November I'm going to take all the bits and pieces that you've seen me post over the past few couple of years and buils one large scale diorama piece. I'm heading into the carp shop next week to figure out if I should build it as a box or if there are any better options. So stay tuned

in November and watch the tutorials come together.

Also in Research and Development I bought a few of the dinosaur kits and have started a few crazy builds, these should be fun.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com



Building Popsicle Stick Vehicles, Research and Development

You never want to get stuck in a rut and just build the same stuff over and over again, sometimes while I'm working on a painting (see madcraftshoppe bog, sidebar) I just glue some pieces together and try to make something new. I had the wheel from the first photo hanging around forever - when I found that the spacing of the pipes matched the holes in the piece that is attached to the undercarriage I knew I had something cool that I could build that I've never done before.

In the second photo you see the cross piece at the front of the vehicle has two separate wheel "arms", this was a real breakthrough and I can't wait to finish this guy. I feel the same about the last photo, when I was building the "Karzas" (scroll down a few posts) I wanted to get to adding a side car to a couple of the vehicles, but I was stuck in my ways and never got around to it - now I have and just look at the results! I haven't quite finished this guy yet, but I'm really glad I pushed the envelope on the design and ended up with a "side car" that shares duties as the front wheel.

Keep experimenting!

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Building Popsicle Stick Vehicles, Painted War Wheels!

Here are the boys all done up and ready to be driven into battle. I had mentioned I was going to do a tutorial on painting metal, unfortunately the pics that I took indoors had a crappy yellow cast to them from the lights and gave no good information.

As an apology here are a couple of tips to get you through until I do a proper tutoral, or scroll down the blog and find the tutorial on animal painting. Alright

TIP #1 - Use as little paint as possible, the technique we're using is called DRYBRUSHING - it means that your brush is dry - so pat out all the water on a cloth and then dip it into your paint. Before you start painting pat off as much paint as possible and then lightly start to work on the area. We build up colour slowly.

As you can see in the bottom photo we went from a dark base, to a medium grey, then a light grey highlight was added to the grille and then after that just little touches of a red oxide/raw umber mix were brushed in to add a rusty battered quality. Turned out pretty well and very little paint was used.

TIP #2 If you want some objects to look bright and shiny, paint them WHITE first. I know this seems obvious but sometimes you can end up doing alot of coats on a section that has a dark basecoat and still not get the POP that you want. My advice is paint it white and then add two or three coats of whatever colour you desire- this works especially well when using red.

Alright next step

Add a figure and a setting.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com