The Defiant Tiger
A Fantasy Medieval Tavern
I’ve started a new diorama today, I wanted to make a fantasy/mystic tavern which is scaled for 6″ & 7″ figures.
Building the Scene
I’ve put together a basic structure while I decide which way to go. The walls are 11” high, the 2 side walls are 23” long and the other 2 walls measure 20”. Each wall is held together using magnetic tape and the floor is going to be made up of two pieces, making it easier to store.
I’ve started printing barrels and crates as accessories.
Next steps to start shaping the internal walls, while carrying on printing more accessories.
I decided to turn this into a fantasy tavern. I have carved the bottom of each wall in four rows of bricks and then marked up where the wood beams will be placed.
I have been busy printing off accessories for the tavern, so far I have printed 5 barrels and 4 crates of various sizes. Currently, I am printing off a double-sided door (not my usual thing, but I want to incorporate prints not just as accessories but integrated into the build), which may lead me to make this a double-sided diorama.
Currently, my LARP Turtles are modelling for me during the early stages of this build.
My next step is to mark out the floor either with floorboards or flagstones?
I’ve been busy printing off barrels and crates for the past week but tonight I’ve been able to work on the shell of the tavern. I have marked out the floorboards, and the fireplace, to get a grain effect for the wood I have used a wire brush. Cut a hole in the floor for the trapdoor.
I cut the hole in one of the walls for the door to fit in, then used a 6 mm foam board to create a stone archway which I will repeat when I start work on the exterior.
My next step will be doing all the woodwork and beams for the interior walls.
I have been adding in all the wood sections for the wall. I used a metal brush to get the wood effect and brushed up and down over the foam until I got the effect needed.
I built a stone fireplace using foam pieces, I used the wire brush to add a wooden mantlepiece running around the front of the fireplace.
While I was adding foam detail I have printed another larger table, 2 crates for the wine bottles and did a test paint of one of the tankards. I painted it with GW Leadbelchers, shaded with nuln oil and edged with Necron compound. That’s one painted, only 12 more to go and all the wine bottles.
Three windows have been added to the tavern, and I’ve started working on the exterior brickwork.
Also, I’ve started painting some of the accessories to see how they look, so far I am very pleased with the results.
My printer is busy printing off the accessories needed for the tavern, currently, it’s printing the last piece for the back wall shelving units before printing the bar.
In the meantime, I have marked up and carved in the brickwork for the outside of the Tavern.
I’ve been busy finishing of the build of the tavern. I started by building an arch for the exterior of the door and then building a step to hide the gap up to the door. I added strips of foamboard around the exterior of the tavern, taking my wire brush to the strips I created a wood effect.
The last piece to build was the bar, I was going to print one but decided instead to make one out of foam. The top of the bar I added a stop of foamboard, etched in some wooden boards and used the wire brush to get a wood effect.
My next step is to undercoat this and start painting.
All walls and floor have been undercoated with chalkboard spray paint, this spray is gentle on foamboard and doesn’t eat the foam as acrylic spray does. The three large barrels and the four small ones I’ve painted, shaded and highlighted. I’ve painted four of the open bottles (four down and plenty more to paint!). To finish I have painted both sides of the door except for the base until I paint the walls.
My next step is to paint more of the accessories before I start painting the actual tavern.
Three more barrels and the back of the bar shelves are now painted.
Painting the Scene
I’ve been working through painting the number of accessories I’ve printed for this build. I’ve recently finished off the last three barrels, the shelving units, the wine rack and the crates.
I have now turned to the main building and started painting the exterior bricks of the tavern, using a roller I painted the wood floor and the chimney.
Work on my tavern is progressing well, I have completed painting the wooden floorboards and I have almost finished the stone floor for the fireplace. I have painted a second coat onto the exterior stonework and the fireplace. Before I add a black wash to the walls I painted random bricks with a lighter grey.
I have finished the exterior brickwork, I applied a black wash over the bricks and then dry brushed a light grey over them once they had dried. I made up a mid-brown and used that for the wooden beam around the exterior.
I did the same for the chimney and on the stone floor. I printed off a couple of small tiger decorations, to give the tavern a reference to it’s name The Defiant Tiger.
While all of this was happening, I have also printed off a wall-mounted dragon’s head which will nicely display.
I’ve finished the woodwork for the exterior beams. I applied the shading yesterday morning and left it out in the sun to dry and then the typical British weather changed and started to rain. I dragged in 4 very wet walls and had to leave them to dry, which took most of the day and luckily for me none of the paint was ruined.
I finished it off by dry brushing a light brown over it and then set to work on painting the mounted dragon’s head and the final bottle crate.
The interior stone has been painted, again I have painted random bricks with a lighter grey. I have applied to beige coats to the upper parts of the walls but I still need to add a third coat.
While I was painting my printer was busy creating a pair of shields to be wall mounted, a pair of coin purses, a pair of tiger faces, and a pair of tapped beer barrels. I have added magnets to the mounted dragon’s head, attached the painted tigers and one of the tiger heads to the fireplace and the other to the centre of the bar. I have started painting the tapped barrels and decided to paint the last of the corked bottles blue.
The walls are almost finished. I have shaded both the lower and upper parts of the walls, a black wash for the bricks and a brown wash for the upper parts. Once they had dried, I dry brushed a light grey over the bricks and then using the beige I made earlier I watered it down and applied a couple of light washes.
I painted the last three open bottles blue, I finished for the day by spray painting all the tankards metallic silver and yes I did spray a Warhammer 40K Necron Overlord as well.
I’ve painted the wooden interior beams, when they have dried I will add a brown wash to them and then dry brush a light brown over them.
I added a black wash over the tankards and then dried and brushed a light silver over the top. With a handful of tankards, I added the same snow effect to them as my test tankard to give the effect of a foam-headed beer. For the last of the corked wine bottles, I have base-coated green.
Yes, I will have 18 green bottles sitting on the wall.
I’ve spent today creating a fire, using the inside of a flickering t-light with bits of wood glued around the light and battery. The flames were made using hot glue, I then burnt the wood and applied a brown wash over them. I painted the flames with GW Cassandra Yellow, dry brushed with Troll slayer Orange, and Evil Sunz Scarlet then finished with Abaddon Black.
I then finished off the beams, by adding a brown wash.
then dry washed with two lighter shades of brown. I finished painting the many, many, many bottles. Each bottle was hand painted, shaded, and then finished off with a coat of matte varnish to give them a shine effect. Finally, to finish, I added magnets underneath the bar.
Until I take my final pictures, here is the Defiant Tiger in all of its splendour!
