Hello, I'm Megan,in Wollongong,NSW - on the East coast of Australia.
I'd like to share some of my scenes with you and contribute to your "how to do" files.
I've posted a few pics, but it is just a random selection from my thousands of photos, and of course those posted are not always my best.
I belong to several miniature groups and I am always amazed at people's creativity.
My interest in miniatures began when I was a young child, my parents were always making things, and my mother was an excellent dressmaker.
My father built one, which I remember being a heavy floor model. I felt it should have been able to have the walls moved and a roof on. As I played with it, I wanted real windows and doors on hinges, so architectually it wasn't what I imagined. It was so heavy I couldn't move it, and when someone did, everything fell over. Whether I ever voiced these opinions, I don't know, I doubt it. Many years later (at least 40) I saw this same house in a local charity shop, still painted the light grey colour, but I didn't buy it because of its weight and the need of floor space of at least one square metre. I was not willing to be down on the ground anymore, but I was happy that other people had used it, and that another child might get to play with it. My ideas on dolls houses have now been expressed in two storey houses with the BACK REMOVED SO YOU ARE ACTUALLY LIKE THE DOLLS INSIDE, THAT IS, LOOKING OUT through the windows, instead of opening the windowed front and looking into 3 plain walls. I like to have an attic, garage, chookhouse, fern house,ponds and gardens. I like a couple of horses to look at, and a few doll dogs and birds to make the scenes realistic!
Eventually after marriage, children, work and university etc, I started an antique shop and purchased a Dolls house called Wiltshire Manor, with the pattern, and resold it with furniture etc. I had purchased another smaller house, and a double storey shop. When I closed the business these items were packed in the garage, and they moved house with me in 2002. Then I had a small sunroom added to this house and showed the Wiltshire manor house pattern to the carpenter. Next thing I know he was "making it for me" (cost about $1700.00), so my new room had to house a huge dollshouse. Then began the new era of making things, and photographing them, as well as filming them. Next came the new phase of sharing, blogging and teaching.
About 2 years ago, I was at a miniature "salesday" and noticed a complete set of dollshouse pieces which had been purchased weekly via a newsagents.
There were over 100 packs of precut sections and furniture. I was offered the entire box for $25.00, and was relunctant due to my restriced space.
I bought it anyway, and put it together. It sits beside the Wiltshire manor, on a table, and is easily accessible. So no I'm building a city!
I tried to make the rooms the same as in my videos, and the attic area is a source of inspiration for new stories. I have also made several roomboxes and inserted windows in them. They can be as simple as a decorated shoe box, or a box attached at the back of a picture frame.
I also use a 3 cornered open top setting, which is great for photography. It lets light in and can give the illusion of external space.
If you add a second interior halfwall to your shoebox or stage setting, you can create the illusion of a hallway or another room, just off stage. The shorter wall gives the illusion of being in a bigger house, or being near an outside area.
I find what I use most is a little stage room. Open topped, with 3 sides. This was the stage for the DollTate art gallery movie. I also used large plastic Corinthian Columns at the entrance to give a sense of solidity and drama.
I have a blog at http://dollshousedolls.blogspot.com where you can see some of my pieces. You can also follow the link to the Dolltate gallery short film on webshots, where the dolls visit the art gallery, see their own sculptures and paintings and then watch a "Fimo Blob" performance to the tune of under 'an orange sky'.
I have a few short films on youtube under the channel name megamummy.- ridiculous name I know, but it was not planned to be any more than a storage place.
If you're interested in miniatures and dolls houses, there are many books available to scrutinise. Of course, the "Queen Mary's dolls house" is the best house of all. You can google it and marvel at the perfection of the miniature pieces. I'm sure I read about it, as a child, in magazines and books. No wonder a heavy open top house on the floor wasn't my idea of a dolls house but I did play with it, and probably had many happy hours of enjoyment.
"Do what you enjoy, and enjoy what you do!"
regards Megan
