The Artificer's Workshop-- A Doll House project. [Updated 10/5]

**Old updates are moved to the end of the thread!


[Update 10/5/09]

This is Adia, who is is going to be living in the Artificer's Workshop. This one of my favorite photos, when I got to bring him to work and set him up on display--one of my co-workers make a wonderful asian inspired arrangement, so I set Adia up to work on an arrangement of his own. Rest of the photos here.



And some more plans! This is the inner wall plan, where I attempt to make a tri-panel door. And the sliding screens that go above the door. I think this is going to be the hardest part of my entire project.



The reason the doors don't cover the entire 4ft, is because the second section that abuts the 4x4ft section is only 3ft wide. So the panels have about a foot of space to slide into to form a wall, to hide the gap. This can be seen better on the floor plans. Here are some close up shots.





And some actual construction progress! I was able to get some of my 2x4's cut to the right lenghts. I thought about sanding and staining them all before I put them together, but I think I am going to just sand them all first. Then worry about staining them when I get them all in place.

See the next post for larger scale plans -->

 

The Artificer's Workshop Facade Plans:

The main entrance to the Workshop.



The second floor, above the main entrance, this will have a balcony.



The second floor of the 3x4ft unit. This is the window to the bath and kitchen area, you can see a larger plan of just the sliding window panel.

 

The Doll Stage Project [completed and taken apart]

From day one I knew that I wanted to do pretty in depth Photostories with my Dolls, so that would require a stage where I could build sets that would be changeable. Then I went and got one of the biggest dolls out there to start with. So I had to build a "Big!" stage. What I ended up with, might as well be a second bed! It's 4x6 feet, and 8 inches off the floor--for storage. However it will be just about perfect for what I want to do.

Made from 2x4's, screws, metal decking supports, and some wooden pallets I had laying around.

I first started in my garage, cutting the 2x4's to the right size and laying things out for a 'dry run' before it got hauled up to the attic where it would stay.

I threw the tarp down to try to keep the wood as clean as possible, since it was going to end up in a carpeted area in my house.


I had forgotten I had these pallets, but they worked perfectly for the floor of my stage, providing enough suppose that I can get up onto it to take photos and set up. I had to hand saw off some of the wood, so it was flush on the end though.


Dry run, just making sure things were going to fit before I actually screwed it altogether.



The area in my attic were the stage will have it's home. Eric (Soom MA Sabik) wanted to help. However Dolls and power tools don't mix. Eric lost a pinky....

After lugging the tools and lumber up two flights of stairs, I was ready to put it all together. Normally I recommend having an extra pair of hands, but I managed by myself.



You can see the Metal Decking supports, normally used to making decks, these tri-corner pieces worked great to create my square base and three-sided walls. I used 6 of them.



This is the base frame, which will support the pallets and walls of the "sets" I plan to build.



Getting the pallets in place. So heavy, but it saved me money in the long run, since they were free from my work.



Finished Stage! You can see some pieces of the pink foam insulation that I plan to use as the bases for my sets. I will add flooring, wall paper, paint, etc to create walls and floors, all which can be removed and stored under the stage when not in use.

Next I need to get some more foam and start working on some sets!

 

Michikaru: It's big enough that in a pinch, it can become a very uncomfortable guest bed. For those guests you don't want to stay long...

Pagandollfie: I am afraid if my BF ever moves in with me, it will be banished from the attic to the basement....but for now I can spare the room. Since it's the attic, I might even open up the eaves and put in bookcases that I can turn into Doll Rooms. Or in this case, Dressing Rooms for my Resin Actors.

Gabbie in wonderlandx3: Having the space and powertools is a plus, but even a large refrigerator box can be turned into a doll room or set.

Kalani: That is going to be the hard part, so much so, that I think I may end up making alot of my own stuff. But what I really want to figure out how to make, is a water cooler. For my "Behind the Scenes" omakes.

Zagzagael: I will keep updating as I continue to make my sets.

Right now I can't make up my mind, it I want to make Eric's apartment first, or if I want to make my currently un-named Latidoll Aida's fashion studio.

 

Oh Irony....

The main reason why I made the stage so big, is because I had pretty much give up on finding a roommate, so I moved into the spare bedroom, and let the dolls take over my attic room.

And it would figure as soon as I get the stage built...I get an e-mail from someone looking for a place to stay. I can't say no to the money--I have dolls to pay off after all--so it looks like I am going to have to move the stage to the basement. Which sucks because I carried the damn thing up two flights of stairs from the basement!

SystemRose: I'm afraid he did lose a finger, is surprised and horrified me to see it pop right off and fly accross the room.

BloodRedRoses1: If I can find a cheap, sturdy material that is easy to cut, then I can start working on Eric's place. He should have a one bedroom apartment. But I need to make a kitchen and lots of bookcases.

 

Added an update! I am starting on a new project. Much, much bigger than my doll stage.

 

[update 9/12/2009]

New project! Well, I got a room mate and the doll stage had to be taken apart. (see second post for doll stage info)

So now I have decided to create a proper doll house for Adia-my Latidoll boy. I still have all the materials from the doll stage, so I am going to repurpose it and create a two story 'shop'. The bottom floor will be the store where Adia can sell Kimono. The second story will be his room, and where he works on the kimono.

Right now I am still in the planning stages, but I have found some great sketches of Japanese shops that have inspired this project.







More images are here

 

I actually planed to try my hand at making them from sculpty--using a TP roll as a form, then paint them before gluing them in place. However, since I need a lot of them, I may try to find something cheaper than sculpty. I suppose I could try making them from paper mache too.

I have so much to do in the mean time. Right now I am still working out my plans on how I want to put it all together, and waiting for my saw to arrive.

 

Thanks! I was glad for the excuse to buy myself a decent table saw too. And I am hoping I can do some interesting work with the router.

[Update 9/16/09]

I've been continuing my research for my doll house project. I've learned that the proper term for the style I want to copy is a Machiya, which is a traditional Japanese building which were designed to house the residences and workplaces of merchants and artisans. (this has helped my google image search, a lot)

Current design points:

The Artificer's Machiya will be 4x6 feet, consisiting of two 4x3 foot pallets on wheels. It will have two stories, and be close to 8 feet tall. Later on I will add a third 4x3 foot pallet, which will be the back porch and garden. The two pallets will be constructed separately then joined together. This will allow for the units to come apart for taking different angle pictures. I also plan to have the front and back be on hindges so that I can open them for access and taking pictures.

Rooms I am going to include:

The shop on the first floor.
A back room/ work area also on the first floor.
Bedroom/living area on the second floor.
Bath on the second floor.
Kitchen area on the second floor.

And a ladder-staircase with a trapdoor to the second floor.


Currently I am still working on detailed drawings of what the outside of the Machiya will look like, but I do plan on having three sides be 'visible' while the fourth wall will be up against my basement wall, so I will leave it raw--most likely using plywood to cover it.

I also plan to make the special curved tile for the half roofs and main roof. I don't have enough ceiling height to do a full pitched roof on top, but I plan to fake it as much as I can. (I have a few ideas how to do this, but I plan to work it out later once most of the construction is done.)



And one other fun detail I want to include in the bedroom/living area is a sunken kotatsu table.



Hopefully next update I will have some scanned images of my drawings and plans.

 

[Update 9/18/09] **thanks for the comments! I am pretty excited about this project and am happy to answer questions.

I've been doing more research, but I am getting closer to feeling comfortable with my plans to start building soon. Most of the past week I have been drafting out my blueprint on graph paper. Progressively getting bigger and bigger, and some parts I did almost in scale. I wanted to figure out my excate measurements for some of the finer work. Especially the shoji screens which are part of both the inside and outside of the Machiya.

I particularly like this design, and will be using it on the outside walls and windows.


I also found some great references for the sort of tracks that were used for the sliding screens. As you can see here. Now I won't be using any three panel screens, but I may try to use this sort of track for my two panel screens and windows. But first to get a decent router and a table.



This weekend I am hoping to make a start on my base frame. I need to remember to pick up some more sand paper. I plan to finish the inside so that the exposed 2x4's will act as beams. (and still working on getting some of my blue prints scanned or photographed.

 

Thanks! I am getting anxious to start myself.

Some days I think it's a bit too massive project, but I am looking forward to it.

Thank you!

Thanks for the great tool resource. I did already invest in some tools that I could use for this project, as well as around my house, so full sized tools worked better for me in the long run.

Thanks! I love looking at doll houses that people have made for there dolls, but it's harder to find stuff in 1/3 scale. So I hope lots of people get inspired to make more.

 

Well, if everything comes out the way I want it, it should be. Thankfully Japanese homes are rather simple--in that they don't have alot of furniture.

Thank you!

 

***These plans were the first versions I did and were scrapped, and I started from scratch again.

[Update 9/26/09]

I finally managed to take some pictures of my plans. You can see how my first (awful) sketches turned into to scale plans on graph paper.



Here is a shot of my floor plans for the Workshop. [extra pictures in 2nd post]



Once I had my plans in small scale, I started to work out the smaller details on graph paper closer to the actual size. Here is a shot of the front window in actual size.



This helps me work out placement, as you can see here, where I've laid out the plans and laid the wood pieces over it. These are test pieces--I've been practicing using my new saws and getting the settings right.



I will be making the screen doors and windows first, since I plan on putting them right into the frame as I put it together. And it was impossible to get a decent cut smaller than 1 inch on my table saw. So balsa wood becomes a quick option. It comes precut in the small sizes that I need, and while sort of flimsy, I don't plan on tossing stunt dolls thru the screens, so it will be fine.



The other smaller project that will become part of the Workshop is the bed alcove. I plan on making it removable so it's easier to take pictures with it. If it comes out well, I might make a version to sell.



Bonus shot! More of my plans. I like to work everything out on paper first, to I save myself a great deal of frustration and waste when I work with the final materials.



These plans are work's in progress, but I hope that the finished product will be close.

This is the front of the Workshop, this will be a hinged panel that will open to the inside. You can see a top down sketch on the side, which shows the front and back panel and how they will open.



This is the side of the Workshop. This will be fixed, however it will not be connected in the middle, so the two 4x3ft units will be able to separated.



The first floor plan, this is a pretty rough sketch, but it shows the shop in the front and the work area in the back. I may try to put in a tri-door screen to separate the two rooms. I also need to figure out where to put the ladder to the second floor.



And here is the second floor plan. You can see the 4 1/2 tatami mat room in the back. I moved the bed/living room to the back, so that I could have a balcony over looking the back garden. This makes placement of the ladder stair more difficult, but I'll figure it out.

 

Thanks! I certainly hope it comes out as nice as I want it too.

Good luck with your bakery, I hope when you do make it you also have a in-progress thread.

[Mini update 10/03/09]

After deciding to move the Workshop into my dining room--which I suppose became the doll room. I had to redo all my plans, due to the smaller amount of room and ceiling height. In the end I will end up doing less detail, since now the back and one side will be fixed, and only the front will open on hinges. Here are shots of the new floor plans, you can see that now the two units are different sizes, one is 4x4ft and the other is 3x4ft.



Here is a rough of the front of the Workshop:



This is a shot of the inner sliding door wall--which will be on the 1st and 2nd floor, and a rough of a storage/display unit in the store.

 

Thanks, I've had a bunch of stuff come up as of late, so I am behind schedule working on the workshop. But I hope I can get back to putting in an hour here and there.

I wish I had a finished basement, so I could put it down there, but the dining room...er doll room will have to do. And good luck with your own project.

I wish I could find more 1/3 scale doll houses, but they just don't seem to exisit. So I don't have much choice but to build my own. Now if I only had the time to really work on it.

 

Just a quick update, I've had to put this project on the back burner for now. In the mean time I have been working on smaller projects, right now I have a 1/3 scale bar and matching hutch almost done. When that is finished, I am hoping I can get back to work on the Workshop.