As a part of a bigger scheme, over the winter, I am building a house.... not just any old house, but a house for a mouse.
This is the mouse...
and here is the house.
This doll house kit has been sitting under my bed for over a year. The goal is to create an "Artists Model" of sorts. The house you see on the cover of the box will be transformed into something quite different by the time I am finished with it.
I have tiny red bricks, thatch, and wallpaper, mortar and stucco mixture to do the
transformation from "standard Tudor doll house" to a CUNNING and Wonderful Dwelling
for a mouse.
I've been collecting small household goods and furniture for some time. But it will take an awful lot to fill this cottage. Just think of all the things in YOUR house!
It's not a difficult project; the directions are straightforward, the parts are easily punched out from the perforated sheets of wood.
Things move along pretty quickly.
With glue, paint and patience, the building parts are coming together nicely.
Although, the Tudor House in the Picture is quite charming, it is not what I have in mind for it's occupant.
This house is to become a cunning brick, stone, timber and plaster cottage occupied by THIS particular mouse, who's name starts with P. She is the character in the first book from my New book series.
This will be a set of small books, in the tradition of Brambly Hedge, Beatrix Potter and Brambledown Tales. I have chosen a unique book size, something square, and in-between the size of the aforementioned books.
In all my Large Books I feature the home of the character, that is because I love houses and each domain says something about the personality and lifestyle of it's inhabitants.
Below is Mamsey Bears House
And this is the home of Hopalong Jack and his family.
and this is a partial view of the home of the
Bushybottom Squirrels
All of these dwellings come purely out of the imagination, but
for this new book, I want to draw from an actual "house", I think it will be so much fun to build it from the ground up, so to speak. Over the years, I've made so many sketches of storybook cottages, that I hoped one day to build one as my real studio.... until that day, I will work on this smaller scale; it's a lot easier on the pocketbook.
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Follow along with me, as I build the cottage, and illustrate the book...
It should be fun!
