I’m a Tolkien’s fan and like every fan I’m trying to add something to Professor’s created world – Middle-Earth. I invented a place on the western fringe of Tolkien’s Middle-Earth and named it “Cape of Margond”. This is a rocky cliff in the region called Harlindon with an Elven settlement and a lighthouse on it. This map locates this Cape of Margond on the Tolkien’s Middle Earth map.
This is a hand drawn sketch of the Cape of Margond. It's top is divided in to 3 steps by height. The lower level stands at 60 meters above sea level and carries outer fortifications, outer court and armory. The second level is 80 meters above sea and there are the lord’s quarter and living quarters. The top level occupies a lighthouse called Earcalion.
Here are some of my sketches of the Cape Margond from different view points. Lower right is a render from modelling in Terragen 2.
The first stage of the project was to choose the right size for the model and to scale it properly. I have no workshop or garage to keep all the stuff therefore the size of the model is relatively small – 53X65 cm.
The internal frame is made of corrugated cardboard. I’ve scaled the topo map to the size of the model and cut out 3 height steps of it. 3 pictures above represent making the first height step of 60 m above sea level.
At the above 4 pictures 2 more height levels of 80 and 100 meters above sea level were added.
Adding some buildings. Buildings were made mostly of 1 mm thick or thinner cartoon, and final shape and details added with a sculpting polymer clay.
Here it goes more interesting part. Upper left – making a light sources along the paths. They are made of optic fibers embedded into the cuts in the cartoon surface. So the light source set inside the model will make those fibers a lanterns along the paths.
To sculpt the terrain I used a polyurethane montage foam. After the foam dried I used a knife to sculpt the shape of the cliff rocks.
The next stage of sculpting the terrain was coating the foam relief with the layer of gypsum (plaster). The trick was to make very small portions and manage to use them before plaster stiffens. I used a wide brush to spread plaster on the foam’s surface. After gypsum dried I covered it with a hot linseed oil. When it all soaked in I covered a model with white acrylic clearcole.
