AoM: Archery Phase I

[Slegengr]

My father earns his title: Vitr Traust

In the days before I was born, my father, Frode Vitr, became a well-known man in our community. A white wolf had presented itself a threat to Falkidalr when it attacked anyone found outside the walls. Elusive as a ghost, the wolf evaded all attempts on its life. Hunter after hunter failed to find and kill the wolf, until my father went hunting. He had found brush marks by a rocky outcropping near a river, so he waited nearby. He suspected that the wolf was using its own tail to wipe out its footprints. It did not take long before he heard thrashing in the underbrush. As he headed toward the sound, the wolf suddenly burst out and headed right for my father. Without hesitation, my father drew back his bow and released an arrow straight into the open mouth of the wolf. Upon returning with the wolf skin, my father was hailed a hero. Erland Blar himself awarded my father the title Vitr Traust, Drepa Vitr Ulfa (White Protection, Killer of White Wolf).

AoM-ArcheryPhase1-1 by Slegengr, on Flickr

AoM-ArcheryPhase1-2 by Slegengr, on Flickr

AoM-ArcheryPhase1-3 by Slegengr, on Flickr

AoM-ArcheryPhase1-4 by Slegengr, on Flickr

AoM-ArcheryPhase1-5 by Slegengr, on Flickr

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for looking. Constructive criticism is most welcome. I am still awaiting photo-editing software and still need to improve my lighting, so I again apologize for the amateur photography.

[Alfadas]

Nice trees! the ground work is cool too!

[TheRedViper]

Nice vig!

[Gunman]

That big tree is very well done, good job there mate. One out of topic question, what is that blue flag there?

Just read. Its Erlnad Blar flag

Edited October 7, 2014 by Gunman

[IenjoyLego89]

Looks awesome! That tree is class and the posing is well done :) can't wait for phase 2 :)

[Slegengr]

Nice trees! the ground work is cool too!

Thanks! The trees are the main aspect of this build, as that is where I spent the most time.

Nice vig!

Thanks!

That big tree is very well done, good job there mate. One out of topic question, what is that blue flag there?

Just read. Its Erlnad Blar flag

Thanks! Yes, it is Erland Blar(Blue in Norse)'s flag. The large tree definitely took me the most time. I did not add enough substructure to hold the branches together and the trunk did not have a technic axle running through the round 2x2 bricks originally, so I was constantly bumping off completed branches or dropping the entire thing on the floor as it toppled over at the trunk. I was pretty frustrated at times, but I knew I would like the results, so I stuck it out.

Looks awesome! That tree is class and the posing is well done :) can't wait for phase 2 :)

Thanks! Phase II may still be a ways off. I plan to complete all of AoM, completing it one phase at a time for each category. But, you can expect new builds soon!

[IenjoyLego89]

Thanks! Phase II may still be a ways off. I plan to complete all of AoM, completing it one phase at a time for each category. But, you can expect new builds soon!

That's a smart way to do it :)

[mccoyed]

Cool build. Always love a good hunting scene. Your larger tree is definitely very good. The smaller one, due to its thinner leafing, is a bit less good mostly because the tapering of the trunk thickness is a bit chunky and that last bit of leaf at the top would look better if more of the lower ones were attached at a similar rising angle.

[HammerBro]

Nice work on that tree! Cool landscaping too.

[Slegengr]

Cool build. Always love a good hunting scene. Your larger tree is definitely very good. The smaller one, due to its thinner leafing, is a bit less good mostly because the tapering of the trunk thickness is a bit chunky and that last bit of leaf at the top would look better if more of the lower ones were attached at a similar rising angle.

Thanks! I agree on the smaller tree. I wanted a layered fir look. I was in a bit of a hurry with this tree, as I spent so much time on the deciduous tree, so I did not realize that I mad the trunk transition directly from 2x2 to 1x1 with only one leaf layer in between. I have seen firs that were windblown with leaves out to one side that are most noticeable near the top, but I think you are right that more leaves lower down should reflect the offset.

Nice work on that tree! Cool landscaping too.

Thanks! The tree is definitely where I spent the most time. I am glad my work paid off.

[Jonsi]

Very nice work and great story line! The trees look really great...

[Lord Vladivus]

Nice larger tree, and great build overall!

[Slegengr]

Very nice work and great story line! The trees look really great...

Thanks, Jonsi!

Nice larger tree, and great build overall!

Thanks, Vladivus! This is a nice compliment from an excellent MOCer like yourself!

[Sir Gareth]

The large tree looks great, as does the landscaping. Nice build!

[Scaevola]

Nice build, that three looks great

[Slegengr]

The large tree looks great, as does the landscaping. Nice build!

Nice build, that three looks great

Thanks, Sir Gareth and Scaevola! The tree proved to be much more of a challenge than I thought it would. I was continually bumping off leaves already assembled and dropped the entire tree on the floor several times due to weakness in the trunk. The end result was worth the frustration, though. I am glad you like it!

[Gideon]

Very nice trees, especially the big one!

Regarding post-processing of the pics I've managed to cut that time by changing my backdrop to a curved fabric (I use a roller blind)...works great instead of the tedious process of cutting away the background

(of the pics in my signature, only the rightmost 3 have edited backgrounds)

Edited October 9, 2014 by Gideon

[Slegengr]

Very nice trees, especially the big one!

Regarding post-processing of the pics I've managed to cut that time by changing my backdrop to a curved fabric (I use a roller blind)...works great instead of the tedious process of cutting away the background

(of the pics in my signature, only the rightmost 3 have edited backgrounds)

Thanks, Gideon! I appreciate compliments coming from an accomplished MOC expert!

I have, since this photography session, realized the same thing that you commented on. I have plans to use a curved backdrop to avoid needing to edit out the edges (like in my other builds) or leave them there (like this build). Thanks for the tip!

[Garmadon]

Cool trees and foliage, Slegengr, excellent hunting scene

When posting pics you might want to get rid of this though (AoM-ArcheryPhase1-3 by Slegengr, on Flickr), as it is a little distracting (it is the last part of the BBCode: [ url=https://flic.kr/p/pyzwmG]AoM-ArcheryPhase1-3[/url] by [ url=https://www.flickr.com/people/127522359@N04/]Slegengr[/url], on Flickr)

You can also make the size a little bigger, I used 640 x 621 for this one:

Edited October 10, 2014 by Garmadon

[Jakorin Swiftsword]

Nice scene! That tree is fantastic! :)

[MKJoshA]

That large tree is amazing! Any way to get a "how-to-build" pic?

[Slegengr]

Cool trees and foliage, Slegengr, excellent hunting scene

When posting pics you might want to get rid of this though (AoM-ArcheryPhase1-3 by Slegengr, on Flickr), as it is a little distracting (it is the last part of the BBCode: [ url=https://flic.kr/p/pyzwmG]AoM-ArcheryPhase1-3[/url] by [ url=https://www.flickr.com/people/127522359@N04/]Slegengr[/url], on Flickr)

You can also make the size a little bigger, I used 640 x 621 for this one:

Thanks for the compliment and the tips, Garmadon! I do agree that the name and creator are not necessary. I will remove them from future posts. I did know that images can be resized. I limited my sizes to prevent long topics with multiple large pictures, since the pictures are links to my Flickr account that will show the images larger. I will use a slightly larger size in the future, as (I must admit) I limited my sizes mostly to avoid violating EB rules.

Nice scene! That tree is fantastic! :)

Thanks, Jakorin! The tree proved to be much more difficult than I thought, but I am happy with the results and am glad you like it.

That large tree is amazing! Any way to get a "how-to-build" pic?

Thanks, MKJoshA! I could post pics without the foliage, probably on Saturday. The method I used is very fragile, but I have some ideas for improvement. It is an incredibly simple concept, but it proved tedious to execute. I am glad my efforts on the tree payed off.

[Slegengr]

For anyone interested, here is a photo inside the larger tree to show how it is done.

Parts and inspiration came from the spider leg joints from multiple LOTR Mirkwood spiders sets.

I tried to incorporate as many angles vertically and horizontally as possible to achieve a somewhat-spherical appearance.

Edited October 13, 2014 by Slegengr

[soccerkid6]

Excellent trees, especially the larger one Thanks for sharing how you built it.

The ground looks very fitting for a forest scene

[Slegengr]

Excellent trees, especially the larger one Thanks for sharing how you built it.

The ground looks very fitting for a forest scene

Thanks, SK! I am glad you like it. I will be incorporating the tree technique in future builds.