Matte Board City.. a 2nd .. errr 3rd Chance at Life

[a2area]

Here are some pictures of a city I made of matte-board in it's previous life (grayscale ca. 1990 - yes pre digital camera) and in the first phase of its second life (color ca. 1996). When I moved to Arizona I stored it at my parent's and let's just say that the poor inhabitants of that first city were terrorized by a giant black feline. He used it for his bed and as a scratching post but I was able to salvage some of the cooler buildings on a trip home and eventually build that new island for them (right).

Its current state is actually more developed and the buildings less tattered than this color picture but i've stripped a lot of the surrounding area for papier mache make-over... and something better for the water but i havent' decided on what yet. I'll get around to it sometime this year. I'll take an updated pic when i get that part finished.

[Ascension]

Cool stuff, man. Makes me want to try that.

[Immolate]

Well done! I love it when someone goes where nobody thought to go before. Rep!

[rdanhenry]

Reminds me of some of the models done for old TV or movies of lost cities in the jungle or alien cities on other worlds. I guess the god of destruction in that city looks like cat. Have some rep, this is cool.

[mearrin69]

Have some rep from me for doing this. Awesome stuff.

My one critique is with regard to the water area: Looks like you've just painted over "chip board" there to create your water. If you're not already planning it I'd suggest figuring out a way of making some nice smooth water...maybe by painting it with smooth coat of plaster of paris tinted blue. I point this out because the wood is distracting (to me anyway) and your city is going to be so super-cool-awesome-sauce that I'd hate to see anyone distracted from looking at it.

Also, since you're doing scenery I'll make my usual pitch for Mod Podge. Look for it at craft stores like Michael's. I use it for simply everything scenery-related.

I am definitely looking forward to seeing this progress.
M

[Daelin]

Whaaat... Can cartography be done other than digitally or by drawing!? I had no idea...

As I have zero experience with this sort of thing, I cannot possibly critique it.

All I can say is, this is C-O-O-L.

[a2area]

Thanks all! Actually that water looks worse in a picture than in real life.. it must have been a flash picture that set off the gloss, but it's still pretty tattered and I am definitely going to do a total revamp on the foundation.. water and land .. the second and current base was made at a time when i was a starving student and it was never really meant as a piece of art per se.. .. at least not to exhibit. At that point it only had to be good enough to keep my imagination engaged and was something for me to "do" when i was bored. My aesthetic standards are higher these days so it should reflect that when it is done. There will be the introduction of a lot of nice new buildings too which should minimize the worn look of some of the old ones. The simple little buildings that make up the pattern of the surrounding neighborhoods is what really brings it all together like in the b&w picture..