Tin roof: I have used two methods to make a tin roof. First, I use corrugated cardboard, painted it with roof paint and used instant rust on it.

Second time I used a few sheets of the thicker aluminum foil (oven liner) and put pieces through one of those crimper tools you can buy to make your own corrugated cardboard. Some small beads (painted) glued at regular intervals will look like the fasteners.

Dorothee

Tin Roof: I've been lucky enough to attend two classes where a tin roof was included in the project. In both cases, the class used corrugated cardboard ... you can buy it, or sometimes Pizza Hut restaurants use it in delivery boxes (good excuse to order pizza!). Anyway, depending on the look you want (shiny, aged gray, rusty,) use different washes and paints. A solid color was not recommended, unless you want a "brand new" roof. Glue the roof in place first, as cardboard can warp.

Paula

Tin Roof: I'm making a flat tin roof for my town house using heavy household aluminum foil (the kind you use in the oven.) I lay lengths of straight copper wire - not that the material matters - about two inches apart on the plywood base for the roof, to make up the joints between the 'sheets'. Then carefully I tear off a piece of aluminum foil to cover that piece of the roof and glue it down. I have found that it takes paint rather well, but if you just paint one thin coat it will look old and worn. The wire under the foil looks like lengthwise joints, and then you can either score the foil for the crosswise joints, or use wire for those too. I recommend studying either real roofs or pictures to see the directions of the joints, especially if you have a complex shaped roof.

Asa in Fairfax, VA

Tin Roof: For a tin roof you could use fine corrugated cardboard (the stuff light bulbs come packaged in) and spray paint it sliver.

Parisa

Tin Roof: Have you looked at a tin roof? What does she remember about it? Ridges? Use strips of wood for the ridges, cover them with TORN newspaper and Mod Podge/wallpaper paste to round the hard edges, let dry. Paint with metallic paint and weather with water and India ink or greyed paint. What she really remembers is the sound of the rain on the roof so, she needs the visual reminder of metal in the correct shape.

Laurie Sisson

Tin Roof: You could save the large paper thingies in which 4 light bulbs are packaged and use the inner, corrugated side for your tin roof. It can be painted with draft paints, then when dry sprayed with clear acrylic spray to give it a slight sheen. If you want it to look old, splotches of brown or reddish brown here and there will "age" it. Just an easy, inexpensive alternative to real tin roofing.

Mary in MS

Tin Roof: For the tin roof, you might try gluing half rounds (1/16 or 1/8) to your roof boards, spaced approx 1-1/2" apart and then lay tin foil over the roof area, pressing in and around the dowels. I think it would make a fair looking roof. You would need to dull it somewhat to be more realistic by giving it a wash with acrylics or spraying it with a sealer (I got some from a ceramic dealer once called "Porcelain" finish and when sprayed on everything I have tried it on, it dulls the sheen.)

Marjorie in CA

Tin Roof: Do you have a Starbucks near you? Now don't laugh, their cup holders are corrugated like a tin roof is. Now I haven't tried this but always thought I would if I needed to improvise a tin roof. Spray with a gloss silver spray and see if it works. If you want it to look aged, I KNOW there are some people on here who can tell you how to do that.

Jean Lierman

Painting Lines with Shaky Hands:    Easier said than  done. In one of my past lifetimes i was a sign painter and pen striper.  I painted advertisements on trucks and race cars, I also pinstriped cars.  In 1956 I could run a 1/16" pen stripe the full length of a car from the head light to tail light with out a bobble.  Now-  no way. it is possible but it takes lots of practice. I don't' practice now and I  pay for it. had a heck of a time striping the pedal car. Lucky it is aged.

    For full size striping a pen 9 long tapered bristle brush with a little short handle) is used. For miniatures long fine brushes work best.

    For a palette I used a piece of glass glued to a square of plywood with a handle sticking down. I held this like a mason's hod.  I applied a puddle of paint, a puddle of turpentine and a puddle of thinner. i worked the paint till it would form a small drop hanging from my pen  with out falling off.

    Once the desired consistency is reached i loaded up the brush (pen) then wiped it back and forth on the glass until it formed the correct point. I made a couple test stripes on the glass before starting the line on the car.

    This works fine for miniatures but you need a much smaller brush.     Hold (pinch) the brush between for finger and thumb. Use the other fingers for guides and glides.  The real  secret is to use you whole arm as if your wrist was fused to your arm. If you try to move your wrist you will not get the flow of a straight line.

     You can use templates by attaching a guide on your brush. I can tell anyone who wants to know more about using templates, more on the subject by private e-mail.

Bill Hudson,  Eugene, Oregon

Painting Lines: Bill Hudson's description of line painting is pretty accurate and is very similar to the line painting that a porcelain doll artist has to do when china painting brows and lashes.  Any porcelain doll studio will have the brushes needed to do the fine lines on any miniature.

      One of the things I was taught is that you can never practice enough and to NOT use the brush like a pencil.  One of the best teachers I had, whose dolls were fantastic, sat during the workshop painting eyebrows on a spare head while we struggled to get a set that we could live with on our own dolls.  On went the eyebrows, OFF went the eyebrows....over and over...on...then off...  I think you get the picture. I figured, if she would do that then I would too. So if you feel unhappy with the lines you are painting, get a practice sheet of wood, or what-have-you and just practice and practice.  I can remember when I first started, working for a whole day doing what she did and then having to wipe the whole thing off to start again the next day.  Don't get discouraged -it's all part of the process.

Ana

Shaky Hands: It's been normal for me all of my life to have shaky hands. (My resting heartbeat is in the 90's, no matter how good of condition I'm in.) Maybe I have Chihuahua blood in me... Anyhoo, here's are a few tricks: (and this goes for painting, sculpting with tools, and even carving with a Dremel!) Primarily, _RELAX!_ If you're tense, you shake. Take a couple of comfortably deep breaths. Next, _both hands should remain in contact with each other_, and one hand should be holding the workpiece. The working hand, let's say the one with the paintbrush, is in steady contact with the hand holding the piece, by way of a thumb tip, a fingertip, or whatever. On some pieces, for instance, my little finger is held straight out and is pressed against the lower part of my other  hand. Therefore, both hands vibrate at the same time and everything is smooth. If I can't hold onto the workpiece, then my left hand lays over the right to steady the shaking.

And one more tip: sometimes, like when drawing a thin line on a piece, it's more effective and neater to move the workpiece under the stationery brush, with a smooth movement of the wrist (not the fingers) instead of moving the brush over the stationery workpiece. Try it!

When I work with the Dremel, I hold the workpiece in my left hand, with my thumb on top. The thumb of my right hand, which holds the Dremel, is sticking out slightly (while I hold the Dremel mostly with my fingers) and laying comfortably pressed on the knuckle of  my left thumb. Voila! No shakes.

And primarily, RELAX! Anyone familiar with Zen or Taoism knows that Zen artists and calligraphers often put much thought and meditation into the act of drawing a circle. In Zen, the circle is never closed. The practitioners believe that the circle, when finished, is a reflection of the mental, emotional, and/or spiritual state of the artist. It is "the hand of the artist". The more perfect the circle, the more relaxed and centered is the circle. (But striving for perfect circles isn't the idea...the imperfections are integral to the art.)

Dave Pierce

Shaky Hands: It's been normal for me all of my life to have shaky hands. (My resting heartbeat is in the 90's, no matter how good of condition I'm in.) Maybe I have Chihuahua blood in me... Anyhoo, here's are a few tricks: (and this goes for painting, sculpting with tools, and even carving with a Dremel!) Primarily, _RELAX!_ If you're tense, you shake. Take a couple of comfortably deep breaths. Next, _both hands should remain in contact with each other_, and one hand should be holding the workpiece. The working hand, let's say the one with the paintbrush, is in steady contact with the hand holding the piece, by way of a thumb tip, a fingertip, or whatever. On some pieces, for instance, my little finger is held straight out and is pressed against the lower part of my other  hand. Therefore, both hands vibrate at the same time and everything is smooth. If I can't hold onto the workpiece, then my left hand lays over the right to steady the shaking.

And one more tip: sometimes, like when drawing a thin line on a piece, it's more effective and neater to move the workpiece under the stationery brush, with a smooth movement of the wrist (not the fingers) instead of moving the brush over the stationery workpiece. Try it!

When I work with the Dremel, I hold the workpiece in my left hand, with my thumb on top. The thumb of my right hand, which holds the Dremel, is sticking out slightly (while I hold the Dremel mostly with my fingers) and laying comfortably pressed on the knuckle of  my left thumb. Voila! No shakes.

And primarily, RELAX! Anyone familiar with Zen or Taoism knows that Zen artists and calligraphers often put much thought and meditation into the act of drawing a circle. In Zen, the circle is never closed. The practitioners believe that the circle, when finished, is a reflection of the mental, emotional, and/or spiritual state of the artist. It is "the hand of the artist". The more perfect the circle, the more relaxed and centered is the circle. (But striving for perfect circles isn't the idea...the imperfections are integral to the art.)

Dave Pierce

Shaky Hands:  Every once in a while when I'm detailing some of my flowers my hand will shake a little too. I place the outside "edge" of my hand down flat on the table and by applying a little downward pressure I can control the shaking. It should work just as good on furniture.

Helen David

Painting     First, the paint should be thinned to the consistency of ink, not too runny and not too firm.   I find that usually means almost half water, but it can be less.  You need a  very fine good brush, called a "liner."  Some of them are very fine.  I am addicted to getting just the right brush, so I have five or six. There is also a "scrolling" brush. I use that to make vines and such on large pieces, but I don't seem to use it much for small lines on mini things. Practice on a ceramic tile for a while before you hit the piece to be painted.

    Probably the hardest part to explain is the angle of your hand and brush.  You can find pictures of this in most basic decorative painting books or magazines.   Just start with the concept that you don't want to do it like writing with a pencil.  You want the brush to be more perpendicular to the surface.  This gives more control.  Don't be stuck on holding the brush the way you hold a pencil...try moving your middle finger toward the top or side of the brush instead of underneath.  It only feels strange for a short time.  It is a natural way to hold when the brush is perpendicular. I find that I need to brace my arm, not wiggle my fingers but make the movement at the wrist (roll or slide the arm for long lines).

    I brace at the elbow for big things.  For a very small item, I like to rest on the outside wrist bone and pivot the hand from left to right.  The main thing for me is to keep the hand and fingers solid. Sometimes I do use something to brace if the piece is high, but I often put it in my lap and brace right on it for lines if it is something tall.

    Every once in a while when I'm detailing some of my flowers my hand will shake a little too. I place the outside "edge" of my hand down flat on the table and by applying a little downward pressure I can control the shaking. Another thought is brace the little finger of the hand you are holding the brush with against the work surface - table or whatever.

 Use a magnifying glass to see what you're painting this way, it does keep your hand from shaking. - just holding the brush closer to the bristles will help steady it, too..

    You can get a support that artists use - it's basically a strip of wood on two small blocks of wood.  You rest your hand on the strip. You could probably make a small one with a popsicle stick and a couple of pieces of wood.  The idea is for the object you are painting to fit UNDER the strip you rest your hand on.  It's called a bridge. Mine is 16" X 2" with a brace on each end that is 1/2" in front and slopes to 1" at the back edge. Mine is clear acrylic so that I can see what I am working on.  You can rest you palm or wrist on this bridge and you work without touching your painting.

    Another way of holding your hand steady is use the old manicurist's trick of pinky-to-pinky.  Brace your hand by placing the pad of the pinky of one hand on the pad of the pinky of the other.

     I do a lot of detail painting with the point of a toothpick, I can chose ones from the box that have the proper size point for the pupil of an eye, or to touch up a small spot I missed on something I painted previously. You can even sand or cut them to a configuration you need!

    Another way to get a steadier hand when painting detail lines....take a piece of glass and acrylic paint and practice writing in cursive...Write your name or anything over and over till the brush starts to feel like your writing with a pen....Once you get this you will become a much more controlled painter for fine lines...  It was one of my most valuable lessons learned.

    Before I got into miniatures,  I was a painter of large canvas. I did a bit of teaching as well. There are several parts to painting: The Brain that sends the message, the body, and the brush.  Is the brush the correct size for the job and is your medium mixed to the proper consistency? No lumps, smooth but not drippy?  Is the body relaxed? If your shoulders are hunched with effort you have just cut off the message from the brain. Drop your painting arm straight down and move it in gentle circles to release tension. Roll your shoulders. If your arm is held tightly, you also cut the electrical impulse from the brain and you will be getting jogs and bumps. Make a practice line before doing the actual piece. Relax, this is fun.

Bette in NJ

Painting with shaky hands: I loved reading the tips for painting straight lines all compiled together. I have used most of them at one time or another.  However, haven't seen 2 of my favorite tips for painting straight lines posted...

      The first one is never drink caffienated beverages such as tea, colas and of course coffee on the morning you are going to be painting.  I do lots of painting and whenever I would forget and have a cup of tea I was shot for the rest of the day painting-wise.  It is amazing how a slight tremble that is not even noticed in normal living will show up as soon as you want to paint something tiny.

      The second idea is to use some painters masking tape - lay the tape down where you need a long straight (or curved can be done too depending on how you stretch the tape.) I like the painters masking tape over the regular as the tacky stuff releases from your work easier.  Use your thumbnail or the end of a brush handle to rub the edge smooth along where you want to paint. This will help keep the paint from bleeding under the edge. (*In full size painting, I paint the background color over the edge first and let dry. This way if some bleeds under it will be the matching background color and not the color of your line.)  Paint your line using the tape edge as your guide.  When you remove the tape, pull the edge of the tape back against itself and at an angle away from the painted edge.  (If you pull it straight off it may lift your paint)   I don't use this technique for very tiny things, but if you are painting wainscoting on a wall or something like that, it can save a lot of time and frustration.

Bonnie Gibson - Tucson, Arizona

Faux Marble: First you need to paint the thing you want to make marble with a matte base coat.  Leave to dry. Next lightly dab with a crushed Kleenex, natural sponge, whatever, small misshapen darker marks all over.  Make them vary in size.  It should NOT look uniform.  Carry straight on through to the end stage now, you don't need to leave long drying times.  The dampness of the paints makes for a blurred look which is what you want. Then paint with a one part cream paint, 2 or 3 parts water mix. Paint it so the cover is better in some places than others, Then in a different color with a fine paintbrush draw veins on your piece. Do NOT paint little lines; all lines should be joined somewhere like a vein or a river. Finally coat with something like Mod Podge.  You want the surface of the piece to look deep, and polished. I used acrylics for the decorative painting.  This is a personal thing, I like to do my marble painting quickly, I need to feel loose and limber when I do it, and I am constantly using my hands to rub and direct the paint, because it's quicker to use one's hands then keep picking up a cloth, or an old feather (used for blurring the veins by proper faux marblers). LESS IS MORE.  Do not overdo it. Is this the greatest marble painting ever? Good grief, no, but so far everyone who has ever seen my mini painted marble says things like, 'I like your marble/Great marble!/How do you do this?/Can you do this for me?', and that's good enough for me!

Helen from York, England

Delicate Sanding: I learned a good tip from a woodworker a few years ago in a class regarding sanding of any wood project. Use a piece of brown paper from a grocery bag for delicate sanding. It won't take the paint off, and gives a wonderfully smooth surface.

Marilyn - Wisconsin

Wooden Coffee Stirrer Flooring: I once bought a whole box of them from a donut shop and used them to glue on the floor of my dollhouse.  You have to do that before the walls are up because the stir sticks need to be sanded since they are not uniform in  thickness (although very close).  Also need to weigh them down with canned food or books or they may curl up before they dry.

I think I paid about $3 for a full box (many years ago) and it was enough to floor a whole dollhouse with lots left over.  Because they are a bit thicker than usual mini flooring, you may need to shave a bit off the bottom of your dollhouse's doors so they can open/close. The stir sticks can be stained and/or varnished.

Viola Williams

Stucco -  Joint Compound - Gesso: I had a similar experience with Joint Compound. It is too thin and too smooth for stucco, in my opinion. I prefer spackle. You can get it pre-mixed in small tubs. I like the "light" spackle. It is like air was pumped into it when they mixed it - a very easy to work with texture for stuccoing. You can make it smooth or textured, depending what you apply it with. I used it on my Mossy Manor fairy house. Pictures here: http://gerdesdesign.com/mossy.htm. To make really smooth walls, I recommend Gesso. It is available at artists supply stores. They use it to make a canvas smooth before painting. You can apply a few coats (fully drying between applications) - first one direction, then perpendicular. Then you sand it.

Anne Gerdes

When to wallpaper:   By all means, do your wallpapering before you install the stairs, fireplaces, moldings or any other structure.  It would be very difficult to paper around those structures.  Whether or not to install fireplaces as you finish a room or wait and do them all at once depends on if you like to see the results of your labors as you go along.  Take care to measure where you plan to install the fireplace and leave an opening in your baseboards, so the fireplace can fit into the opening thus allowing the fireplace to be flush to the wall, rather than having air space behind it because of  the baseboard.

      I forgot one important thing which you may not know about since you are a "newbie".  Never apply wallpaper to an untreated, raw wood surface or your paper will buckle.  You can paint the walls with white flat latex paint or use sizing that is used in "real" life which is less expensive.  Trust me, I found out the hard way and had to remove two floors of hallway mini paper - not a fun job and worse yet, I knew better than to do that.

Jeanette in Wauwatosa, Wi