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BUILDING THE BLACK GATE
Supplement: The Land of Shadow
© Lotrscenerybuilder 2009
Step 25:
The colours of shadow ...
Next, both tower units and the central board were linked together in our garage; the hinge-towers and the Gateway doors were put in place in between; both pinnacles were placed upon the towers. All elements were still only 'basecoated' with anthracite-grey paint. Now, at last, time had come to show our colours.
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Subtle accents were applied with small spurts from our spray cans. We didn't bother too much about specific areas: every spot on the model was likely to get hit by the puffs. But we sprayed with discretion, with the "less is more" adage controlling our hand: rusty-brown traces on brick & metal; spots of green on rock & stone; black shadows and white ashes everywhere ...
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... and because we didn't have the patience to wait for each coating to dry, they all blended into this indefinable achromatic finish which plainly isn't brought forth by artistic craftsmanship but by an ordinary urge to be through with it!
BTW there's the MoM Fellowship gawking at the Morannon board.
What d'ye think of that now, Pip?
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The ridges of the Ephel Dúath and the Ered Lithui were cut out from a newspaper. We kept all parts: both 'mountain-sheets' and the negative 'sky-sheet'. The first ones were laid down upon the backdrop panel and loaded with bits of MDF to hold them in place. We used our spray cans to produce a menacing Mordor sky. Next, we removed both mountain-sheets and put the sky-sheet in place, carefully covering our heavenly paintwork. With black and green paint, the dark silhouettes of the Mordor ranges were projected on the panel. Nacht und Nebel were added with a few spurts of white ...
... and all remaining imperfections were washed away with a bottle of champagne!
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"Well, here we are!" said Sam.
"Here's the Gate, and it looks to me as if that's about as far
as we are ever going to get!"
(TTT, page 303)
So now we have told you everything about the lotrscenerybuilder-way of constructing this Black Gate. We'd love to think that there's a copy of it standing right now in front of you, its mighty doors ajar and the Mouth of Sauron grinning invitingly: "My master, Sauron the Great, bids thee welcome!" If this is indeed the case, we kindly ask you to send us a photograph of your model - if possible, with loads of mini's & muma's lined up in battle formation! Also, feel free to show (y)our model around. But we would appreciate your initiative to inform people about its origins:
"I suppose it's no good asking 'what way do we go now?'
We can't go no further ..."
"No, no!" said Gollum. "No use. We can't go further.
Sméagol said so!"
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