I started off with a simple grid of plates to make the base. Plate modified with stud were incorporated around the outer edges to allow for a SNOT border to be attached later.
Another layer of plates locked everything together securely.
After which dark tan was added as the ground color. We have a load of 2×2 wedge tiles in dark bley, so I experimented with those as stairs leading up to the apothecary building.
The initial plan was to have a stone foundation underneath a tudor building.
The stonework incorporated quarter circle tiles for texture, but I didn’t really like the look.
This early attempt at a stone railing by the stairs also didn’t give the aesthetic I wanted.
So I switched to a more traditional wood railing, and compared a few sconce/lantern options.
I wanted to use some bright colors, so medium blue was my first try for the tudor.
I wasn’t happy with the single stud thick wall design, so tried this half stud offset technique next.
It still wasn’t working for me though, so I switched to an entirely stone and plaster look. Tan and bright light orange being used for the plaster portions, and SNOT tiles for the stonework. Which worked way better than the tudor styling.
Above you can see a thatch roof attempt with tan tiles, which didn’t give enough contrast. So I tried the same design with medium dark flesh tiles. Which was an improvement but still not perfect.
Finally I settled on dark orange 1×1 round bricks which really popped next to the bright light orange of the walls.
With the stonework style changed, I tried some more ornamental options around the doorway.
This pattern of quarter circle tiles added to the unique fantasy styling of the building, and gave me a better way of incorporating that particular element in the scene.
A second story addition in the middle added more visual interest and kept the building from looking like an elongated shed.
Some placeholder posts let me decide roof line placement before the second story was completed.
At this point I was really pleased with the building exterior, but obviously the landscape needed work.
Adding the border kept the rainbow plate base from being distracting as I decided how to approach the landscape.
Just dirt and cobblestone looked pretty ugly and didn’t fit the bright, cheerful atmosphere already established.
So I took a cue from John’s Alyna builds, and added patches of lime green grass with olive stalks.
At which point only the interior of the apothecary needed to be built. So I table scrapped a bunch of furniture options. Several of which will be broken down in future furniture guides.
A simple pattern of alternating 2×2 tiles with 1×1 round circle tiles worked nicely for the floor.
And here’s the finished model!
Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more posts coming soon.
Alnya Apothecary: Build Log
Here’s a look inside the build process for my Expert Artisan Prize model.
I started off with a simple grid of plates to make the base. Plate modified with stud were incorporated around the outer edges to allow for a SNOT border to be attached later.
Another layer of plates locked everything together securely.
After which dark tan was added as the ground color. We have a load of 2×2 wedge tiles in dark bley, so I experimented with those as stairs leading up to the apothecary building.
The initial plan was to have a stone foundation underneath a tudor building.
The stonework incorporated quarter circle tiles for texture, but I didn’t really like the look.
This early attempt at a stone railing by the stairs also didn’t give the aesthetic I wanted.
So I switched to a more traditional wood railing, and compared a few sconce/lantern options.
I wanted to use some bright colors, so medium blue was my first try for the tudor.
I wasn’t happy with the single stud thick wall design, so tried this half stud offset technique next.
It still wasn’t working for me though, so I switched to an entirely stone and plaster look. Tan and bright light orange being used for the plaster portions, and SNOT tiles for the stonework. Which worked way better than the tudor styling.
Above you can see a thatch roof attempt with tan tiles, which didn’t give enough contrast. So I tried the same design with medium dark flesh tiles. Which was an improvement but still not perfect.
Finally I settled on dark orange 1×1 round bricks which really popped next to the bright light orange of the walls.
With the stonework style changed, I tried some more ornamental options around the doorway.
This pattern of quarter circle tiles added to the unique fantasy styling of the building, and gave me a better way of incorporating that particular element in the scene.
A second story addition in the middle added more visual interest and kept the building from looking like an elongated shed.
Some placeholder posts let me decide roof line placement before the second story was completed.
At this point I was really pleased with the building exterior, but obviously the landscape needed work.
Adding the border kept the rainbow plate base from being distracting as I decided how to approach the landscape.
Just dirt and cobblestone looked pretty ugly and didn’t fit the bright, cheerful atmosphere already established.
So I took a cue from John’s Alyna builds, and added patches of lime green grass with olive stalks.
At which point only the interior of the apothecary needed to be built. So I table scrapped a bunch of furniture options. Several of which will be broken down in future furniture guides.
A simple pattern of alternating 2×2 tiles with 1×1 round circle tiles worked nicely for the floor.
And here’s the finished model!
Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more posts coming soon.