Construction Advice

[Moto-viper]

I'm building a set and need some advice on how to build some bits of it.

The set is of a talkshow stage, backstage, control room and maybe some offices. Think like Lettermans set, or Muppets Tonight for what I'm going for.

I've got the band, but any idea on how to make instruments for them? Guitars, drums, horns are what I need most.

For the control room, I want it so I can have behind the techs looking at their screens, but also from infront, showing behind them - any thoughts on how to do that? My thought was have the screens and back wall removeable somehow.

Also any tips on making a good generic office corridor, large scale seating (for the audience), a cafeteria and anything else that might be useful?

[Hammerfel]

Someone activate the CAP-signal! :)

[Buckwheat826]

Yeah, I'm sorta in the same bind. I want to make a fairly large set. I intend to bulid a a fairly large, desk size box out of thin wood. These will be for like a corridor and another for a motorpool/hangar. I thought of paint spraying most areas but for details, pipe effects, architecture tweaks i will use thin card and poster board. I will then apply some printable designs (from various files for patterns, doors, etc.) I guess I'm leading up to the question of making patterns on the computer. What software would you recommend? Photoshop is pretty much all I have at the moment. I lost my Illustrator and am not that great. Is it easy to do? I know the result varies on the individuals skill, talent and imagination. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

[Moto-viper]

I use photoshop for all the graphical stuff I do, but I'm not that good either :D

I usually look through the file repository here and browse for stuff I need, or else do a Google image search. Else I just make it as simply as I can in photoshop.

What sort of patterns and images were you wanting to make BTW?

[Buckwheat826]

Well...let' see. If you have DD issue #30 (page 1) there are images of a Cobra corridor. I like the glass/ skylight design or if those are lights that run along the corners of the ceiling. I guess some techy V (80's Visitors Mother ship)series or Star Wars looking patterns for the walls etc. I will cruise around the net to try to find some more and visit some art stores here in town. If else fails I'll try my luck with Photshop. I'm OK with photo editing but not creating fresh art designs with this program. At a gamer store I ran in to at the mall downtown, the hobbiest have the best little scale dios for their troll armies. I wish I was that good. They use foam core and paint. I want to achieve that effect.

I tried printing a "cement" file from this site but it printed horribly. You can't see the texture and the color is totally off. I use kind of an old HP Photosmart series 1000 printer. It's not the ink cartidge. I don't think I know how to calibrate it so it works the way it should. Or maybe the printer is just crap.

Thanks for your response and input. I'll keep you posted as I get some results.

Enjoy the holiday!

-Buckie

[Moto-viper]

Holiday? I'm Australian so not for me (though I do get Queens Birthday off in a couple of weeks :D ).

If you are making cement, what you can do to get a texture is to mix a batch of grey paint in a tub with either ver fine sand (very being the oprative word), or something like Harpic (caustic soda - pot and pan scouring stuff) until you get a 'gritty' feel to the paint, then slap it on. It should give you a textured surface. Polyfiller also works, but gives a smoother, more wavy texture.

Unfortunately I don't have the DD comics, but guessing form the general description, a piece of clear plastic sprayed white on the reverse of where people will be looking should give a skylight effect depending on the lighting. To make some panneling, simply attaching a thicker, differently coloured piece of cardboard can work to make a panel or bit of scenery. Fly screen (the mesh, not the woven type) can be sprayed and used for vents - I've used the net stuff apples come in, pen lids, pieces of old watches, badges and all sorts of other stuff in various projecs, so there are alot of things that can be turned into other things.

Masking and spraying would be best for laying down guide lines on the floor and the like. Violentfix has a tutorial on how he made his hanger on his site, so you could have a look how he did his too. http://www.violentfix.com/cobra/dio-creation/airfield.htm

Hope that helps :D

[Buckwheat826]

Thanks! I've used the clear plastic/reverse paint shooting to make my Cobra computer network terminals in my central Tele-viper intel room...he hehheh. But I never thought to use the same for other stuff. Duh! And the cement mixture is brilliant. Much thanks to you, mate! You've definitely given me some inspiration. To be continued....now we have to get you started!
I will look over and ponder what you need and hopefully come up with something as well.

Again...to be continued!

[Buckwheat826]

Well after checking out Luke's jail set, I think that's a pretty good example of where to start with the building and offices, etc. Foam core and wood is great! As for props like instuments...Drums could maybe be made from camera roll containers. I don't know. Playmobil has some cool stuff. Check out EBAY and see if they have some loose lots or cheap new stuff.

I'm still thinking....

[Moto-viper]

Good thinking about the drums mate :) I've decided for the control room to have it above the main stage, with a window looking down so I can get front and rear/side shots in. I'll probably make it removeable for better shooting. I'm checking out playmobil now actually :D