Working on the chimney wall with its timbering and plaster walls and stone chimney.
(FYI--click on the photo to see a larger picture.)
The chimney wall has been painted with gesso, an acrylic primer that is used to prepare a substrate for painting in oils or acrylics. It dries to a matte finish and helps to seal the wood so the naturally occurring oils will not leach out to stain the surface treatment.
The timber templates have been traced and removed. The areas between the timbers will be painted to resemble the normal discoloration of aging.
Watercolors work well on the gesso base. All of the openings have been aged, although the bottom row may still be rendered in brick instead of plaster.
The next step will be to dig out the cardboard egg cartons and start creating the field stones for the chimney.
The timbers are still in dry fit. They can be easily removed to add in the bricks or if it is necessary to touch up the background.
