Realistic Poured Cement!

For a long time, I wondered how to realistically mimic poured cement in miniature. There was no way I was going to mess with actual cement mix; I'm just too clumsy.

I figured this process out as I went along, so there aren't any progress pictures, but I promise it's easier than it sounds. Pictured below: a tiny VW bus parked on my new "poured cement" driveway.

You Will Need:

Illustration board (a.k.a. mat board - use white, ivory, or gray, not black)

White glue

Paintbrush (I used a 3/4" wide artists' brush - anything smaller and it would have taken a lot longer)

Gesso

Gray paint

Utility knife

And of key importance...SAND! The finer, the better. (I live fairly close to the ocean, so I used beach sand; if you are hopelessly landlocked, toy stores that sell children's sandboxes usually sell bags of sand, too.)

Cut your illustration board to the size and shape you want. Fit it into place to make sure the sizing is right.

Coat the surface of your illustration board with a thin, even coat of white glue (use a brush). Sprinkle the sand onto the board, covering ALL of the glue. Allow to dry, and gently tap off any excess sand.

If any spots on the board didn't pick up the sand, apply a dab of glue and sprinkling of sand to the affected areas. Yes, this will create a slightly uneven surface. However, it looks exactly like old, cracked-but-repaired/unevenly poured cement if you do this. So, for a newer-looking driveway, be extra careful to cover everything in one application. For an old, repaired sidewalk, don't worry too much about it.

Dilute gesso and gray paint with water, and brush onto the sand. The color of gray paint that works best depends on what color the sand is. The sand I used was a nice medium grayish tan with black and white flecks, so a lighter, cooler gray was called for (I used Martha Stewart's craft paint in Gray Wolf). If you are using white (or light tan) sand, you may want to omit the gesso. Allow to dry, and if you are happy with the color (which will be lighter when dry), brush on a second coat. (It's a good idea to test this on small pieces of board until you get the color just right.)

Pictured below: cement walkway to concrete front porch.

Once the paint is good and dry (and you are happy with the color), seal your cement. I used two light coats of hard-finish Mod Podge.

Finally, when the sealer is dry, use the knife to score the cement where desired (you might want to change the blade when you're done). Scoring can imitate lines from cement being poured in small areas (such as with old sidewalks), or score unevenly to create cracks. If you wish, you can add dabs of paint to simulate oil drips, rust from an old car, decaying wads of gum, or moss growing in cracks.

I initially experimented with first sealing, then scoring, then painting the board (basing this process on Otterine's concrete tutorial). I quickly found it wasn't necessary, since the sand obscures the scoring and any base coat of paint. It's best to apply the sand first.

Close-up of the VW bus parked on the driveway. (I made the vanity plate by using a license plate generator, choosing the brown/yellow color scheme that was used in the 1960s rather than the white-red-blue California plates in use now. Then I took a screenshot and scaled it down.)

More to come...I still have much to do for this house.

Thank You

In the past year, there has been some debate in the miniature community regarding ethics.

Is is okay to copy another miniaturist's work for sale? What about just making a copy for yourself? Is it okay to make a cast of someone else's design and copy it to save money? Is it okay to copy someone else's dollhouse and blog about it? Should we use special tools like laser cutters and 3D printers? And is it ever okay to not credit someone for their original work?

Regardless of your take on the above questions*, there is a deeper issue at hand: we can, and should, remember to show appreciation for other members of the miniature community.

I would like to take a moment to thank the following people. Without them, I would most likely never have tried to build a dollhouse on my own (let alone two...and I have another planned) and certainly wouldn't have such a rewarding hobby.

Thank you, Lea. Without "Le Grand Livre de la Maison Miniature", I definitely wouldn't have been able to build the house in the book (although I altered the design in several places) and would probably never have realized that scratch building doesn't have to be limited to people with "real" woodworking skills.

Thank you, Brae. Not only is your blog an inspiration to many of us, your generosity in sharing techniques and sources takes much of the guesswork out of making miniatures. Although I might have eventually riddled out faux cement on my own, I am completely hopeless with Word and would never be able to create my own printed miniatures without your tiny magazine tutorial.

Thank you, Pepper. I probably wouldn't have made my own lamps for the bungalow without your tutorial, nor did I know about the (apparently known to everyone but me) technique for aging wood with steel wool and vinegar. You are the reason the bungalow roof looks 94 years old (the age of the "real" house).

Thank you, Josje, for sharing how to make a sofa from scratch. I couldn't have copied my own sofa without your help.

Thank you, John, for being hilarious and for sharing a tidbit about wrapping wallpaper around the edges of inside walls for a neater finish (especially helpful in the bungalow since the roof lifts off!).

Thank you, Giac, for kind words of encouragement to not only me, but to everyone else (don't think I haven't noticed the nice comments you post on everyone's blogs).

Thank you, Norma (my first follower!), for taking the time to encourage so many of us.

Thank you, Emily, for sharing your techniques. Although most of them, i.e. making doors from scratch, are way beyond my skill level, having this information widely available will encourage further innovation, which in turn is good for the entire miniature community.

Thank you to every blogger on my blogroll. If I am following your blog, it's because I like your work (yes, I'm still having trouble with comment forms and have no idea why, since there is no pattern to it).

And a big THANK YOU to all of my readers, whether you are a regular reader who comments occasionally or just someone randomly dropping in to look at that 1:12 Cornballer I made. Obviously I can't thank everyone by name (since I only know who comments), but a few regulars come to mind: Fiona, Karin, Elizabeth, Kristine, Tony, Erik, Mini Dork, Mad for Mod, Stephanie, Marisa, Ilona, AM, Andy, and Simon.

Thank you all for being awesome.

*My take: 1. I don't sell my miniatures, but I would never copy another miniaturist's work outright unless he or she either stopped making the item I wanted or passed away. 2. I might make something inspired by another miniaturist, but I wouldn't make exact copies of someone else's original miniatures. 3. No - and I'm on a budget! 4. If you're going to copy someone else's house, at least be respectful enough to keep it offline. The house from "Le Grand Livre de la Maison Miniature" is meant to be copied by the reader, but it's a rare exception. 5. I have never used a 3D printer or laser cutter (I don't even use power tools), but since they can do things traditional tools just can't do at such a small scale, I am in their favor. 6. Never. I am a firm believer in giving credit where credit is due.

Walt Disney: Miniaturist

I make no secret of my appreciation for Disney. Earlier this year, I even posted one of my favorite cartoons, "Out of Scale", pitting Chip and Dale against everyone's favorite hothead, Donald Duck.

Like many Southern Californians, I grew up with annual trips to Disneyland (so did my mom), and had an annual pass when I lived fairly close by. Recently, I found out that not only was Walt Disney an avid collector and creator of miniatures...but that Disneyland was likely inspired in part by Walt's hobby.

According to a Walt Disney Family Museum blog entry, Walt saw the legendary Thorne Rooms in San Francisco in 1939 (revisiting them years later at the Art Institute of Chicago) and was collecting miniatures by 1947. Ever the storyteller, Walt came up with the idea of a touring exhibit of historical dioramas, and went so far as to consult with Eugene Kupjack (yes, THAT Eugene Kupjack).

Walt called it "Disneylandia."

You can pick your jaws up off the floor...the project was scrapped. Sort of. According to an earlier blog entry, Disneylandia grew into a theme park - Disneyland. (There were, of course, several other influences, which I won't get into for brevity's sake.) At one point "Lilliputian Land" was slated to appear between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland...this, too, was scrapped (giving a realistic range of motion to nine-inch-high mechanical people wasn't yet feasible). But, the concept lives on in the classic Fantasyland attraction "Storybook Land" (one of my favorites...I dream of seeing the Disneyland Paris version).

In the meantime, Walt built the Carolwood Pacific (a highly detailed, small-scale railroad) in his backyard (it was dismantled long ago, but the barn lives on in Los Angeles' Griffith Park)...going so far as to make his own scale-model pot-bellied stoves...eventually making 100, two of which were purchased by Mrs. Thorne herself. (A year after the railroad was installed, "Out of Scale" was in theaters. I doubt it's a coincidence.)

He didn't stop there: Walt also built his own miniature scenes. The best known is probably "Granny's Cabin", built in 1949 and based on a set from "So Dear to My Heart".

Recently, I spent a week in Florida and was able to see Granny's Cabin at Walt Disney World. As of this writing, it's on display at Disney's Hollywood Studios, inside the "One Man's Dream" exhibit...along with a 1/8 scale mechanical dancer on a tiny vaudeville stage (an early robotics experiment built by Imagineers; mentioned in the second blog post) and a number of unbelievably detailed scale models (this being Walt Disney World, castles at various Disney parks are well represented).

It's nicely done. It's not a "dollhouse" in the traditional sense, but a large, multi-roomed diorama - the facade is picture-perfect, but much of the exterior is bare wood, there isn't a conventional "roof", and the top has clunky vintage electrical cords snaking across it because - gasp - way back in 1949, long before perfectly scaled LED bulbs existed, Walt Disney went to the trouble to light his painstakingly crafted cabin with full-size electric lights. (To this Los Angeles native, it looks like a film set shrunken down to the size of a coffee table.) The level of detail in the cabin is especially impressive when you consider that it was built at a time when most miniaturists had to make everything by hand, i.e. milling tiny floorboards or turning spindles on a lathe (no Lawbre or Houseworks components in those days - heck, even Tynietoy houses had most of their details painted on). In spite of the challenge this must have posed, the interior of Granny's Cabin looks as though it could be a real place.

I do hope someone notices the sharp contrast between the diorama's plain wood shell and the detailed kitchen interior (although this blurry, badly lit snapshot does not do it justice).

There you have it...Walt Disney collected miniatures (he owned more than 1,000 by the mid-1960s). Sometimes he made them himself. And miniatures were a likely influence in the creation of Disney theme parks worldwide.

I'll leave you with a quote from the man himself: "My hobby is a life saver. When I work with these small objects, I become so absorbed that the cares of the studio fade away...at least for a time."

Well said, Walt.

P.S. A special dollhouse was commissioned for Hong Kong Disneyland - you can read the story behind this very special creation (and see jealousy-inducing pictures) in the April 2006 issue of Miniature Collector.

P.P.S. This blog post features a picture of what appears to be a grown man playing with dolls (they look somewhat familiar, but I'm no doll expert) in a haunted dollhouse...the man is Imagineer Ken Anderson, who was working on the Haunted Mansion at the time. In the picture, he is using an early scale model and dolls to test a two-way mirror effect.

P.P.P.S. Update 12/20/14 - Storybook Land has been updated (IIRC, the last updates were from "Aladdin" and "The Little Mermaid")! The three mills from the Silly Symphony short "The Old Mill" have been put into storage to make room for Arendelle! I can't wait to see this.

Making Retro Figural Lamps

Some things aren't easy to find in miniature. I love the look of retro figural lamps and wanted a few in the bungalow for character and charm (it is possible for midcentury modern to look a little TOO clean).

Using Pepper's lamp tutorial as a starting point, I got to work. First order of business was to cut four identical bottle caps to the same size.

Next, I cut four matching pieces of aluminum tubing, drilled holes into four wooden discs (off-center to allow room for figures), glued the tubing into the holes, and added lamp harps from Falcon Miniatures (sold on Miniatures Marketplace). I also trimmed the lampshade spiders to fit the caps (wire cutters worked just fine - they're not too thick).

The lamp on the far right is being test fitted with an LED bulb in this picture.

On to shade coloring: I cut out pieces of parchment to cover the caps, tested a few colored pencils on a scrap of paper, and held my figures against the test paper to see how they looked. When I found two colors I liked, I drew a subtle, very 1950s looking starburst pattern on the parchment, sealed with clear sealer, and carefully glued it into place.

The figurines I used for these lamps are by V&R Miniatures. They're handmade (no molds!), highly detailed, and beautiful (and surprisingly inexpensive for the high quality).

Now I just need to install these in the house!

1920s/1950s Kitchen

When I planned the bungalow kitchen, I wasn't sure if I should be true to the house's age and do a 1920s kitchen, or do more of a 1950s kitchen to fit the mostly midcentury modern furniture my imaginary (modern-day) inhabitants own. And what about appliances? Older kitchens often don't have the original refrigerator or stove for safety/product lifespan/energy efficiency reasons (in my experience, old stoves are somewhat prone to gas leaks).

Finally, I stumbled upon pictures of the adorable in-room kitchenettes at the Chateau Marmont Hotel, built in 1927 (originally an upscale apartment house). Then Retro Renovation led me to a few companies making new appliances that resembled their midcentury predecessors. Bingo.

I had been eyeing Town Square Miniatures' white 1950s kitchen set, since the oven and refrigerator look similar to their GE, Smeg, and Big Chill counterparts. But, I wasn't sure about the sink cabinet until I found the "hex tile" and "subway tile" papers (both made by Itsy Bitsy Minis) that I also used in the bathroom. Perfect. (Well-maintained sinks don't often NEED to be replaced, so an original sink paired with newer appliances made sense.)

I also bought a few packs of Houseworks' fancy dresser drawer handles, flattened them slightly (so I could re-use the existing nail holes), and painted them black. I then carefully pried out the silver-tone drawer/cabinet pulls, carefully pried out the sink (not an easy task), and removed traces of glue from the sink area.

I covered the countertop with the subway tile paper, taking care to line up the black "trim" tiles with the top of the backsplash and the edge of the counter (this took some cutting and pasting, but was well worth the effort). I also used black "trim" tiles to outline the sink (a detail seen in both the Chateau Marmont kitchenettes and in my grandmother's midcentury kitchen). After the glue dried, I coated the new "tile" counter and backsplash with clear gloss glaze, reinstalled the sink, and attached the new handles. (The bottom center of the sink cabinet can be removed and used as a separate cabinet, so I could do that and put a little curtain under the sink instead, as is often seen in older kitchens. It's not permanently installed, just in case I change my mind.)

I love this kitchen.

Move-In Ready!

The bungalow's interior is ready for its imaginary occupants. (I'm not sure I can honestly call the house "done" since I plan to mount it on a base and add miniature landscaping...and most likely a matching garage. I'm still deciding on the exact layout, so I'm planning to work on furniture/accessories for a bit and come back to the base by the end of the year.)

View of the main room and kitchen (experimenting with furniture placement in this picture):

The finished kitchen. I decided to move the cooker because I've cooked in aging kitchens that had the oven/stovetop wedged into a tight corner...it's kind of a hassle. I slightly doctored a Town Square Miniatures kitchen set to give it a mixed 1920s/1950s look and will detail that in a future post (the oven hood was handmade out of balsa wood, and the cabinets are House of Miniatures kits). The subway tile and hex tile, which are repeated in the bathroom, are papers from Itsy Bitsy Mini.

I really wanted a claw-foot tub for this house. So, in spite of the fact that the antique-style toilet would probably never pass California's water usage requirements (in case anybody didn't know, we have a severe water shortage and get so little rain that half the state is basically wildfire tinder), I used Chrysnbon's Victorian bathroom kit. I've decided that this is a "lovingly restored" house with re-grouted tile, clean-scrubbed fixtures, etc. - but I might add more storage to the bathroom in deference to the modern family living here.

Bedroom 1. I know exactly what I'm going to do in here. (It's hard to tell in the pictures, but I used textured scrapbook paper for the walls in both bedrooms to create the illusion of grasscloth wallpaper.)

Bedroom 2. Still making decisions, but I do have a growing selection of accessories for this room.

Check back soon for more.

The Floor Plan

Hi everyone - there will be a proper update soon. In the meantime, here's a shot I took while working on bedroom layouts (just so you know I have, in fact, been working on the house).

The interiors haven't been installed in this picture, but it does show the room configuration - two bedrooms on one side,  the kitchen and bathroom on the other, and a big living/dining room in the middle.

The house that inspired this project is one room deeper in real life, and the bathroom is probably between the bedrooms (I found a floor plan for a very similar house about 30 miles away, built around the same time, that has this configuration). But, this dollhouse has a fairly large footprint, and I haven't even mounted it on a base yet. Knowing I needed to keep the project a manageable size, I shrank the house's depth by several inches during the planning stages. Hence the need to place the bathroom next to the kitchen.

More to come.

P.S. I am still having issues with not being able to comment on blogs (and often have trouble reading a select few of them). If you are on my blog list and have updated in the past few months, I am definitely keeping up on your work.