Valholl Slums

[soccerkid6]

Here is my entry It was a lot of fun making the small run down houses, though tricky when it came to including interiors.

There is an inn, a carpenter's, a potter's, and a shack. Also some market stands and lots of activity!

Here are some pics:

Lots more pictures (including interiors) here: My link

Thanks for looking and any comments or criticism welcome

[ZCerberus]

Good work man! Your skills are improving quickly! The MOC feels very busy like a packed slum would be and the buildings do feel a little run down. I almost think they could be MORE run down though. Overall

[glenpinpat]

very nice! Alot of action going!really like the pheasant getting robbed.

[Darkdragon]

Excellent work. I think you really pulled off the slums feel with this moc. Your little houses are just wonderful and I think not as simple as they look at first glance

[soccerkid6]

@zcerberus: Thank you I actually agree that they could be more run down, especially the inn. I purposely made it perfect, yet looking back I have no idea why

@glenpinpat: Thanks I had fun posing all the figs, and what would the slums be without some armed robbery

@darkdragon: Thanks, I like them too

off topic: over a 1000 views on my website

Edited May 3, 2012 by soccerkid6

[Sirens-of-Titan]

Looking good soccerkid!

The designs and layout are excellent, and I like that you angled the houses instead of simply plopping them down; it really adds to the run-down feel of the scene. Your photography is improving as well, some natural colors and good focus really let you experience the scene.

Now that you're getting to be a regular busy MOC'er I'll pass one piece of advice your way; watch the colors you use carefully. The scene is very very colorful in an almost carnival-like way,which is OK since it's your take on the build. My one criticism is that there are too many colors in use here; green, red, blue, tan, brown, black and white in huge quantities and close proximity really start to clash and challenge the realism of a scene. (I know it's sometimes a matter of having the right parts, but had you left 2 of those colors out this would have appeared even more excellent.) Just a thought, good seeing you building and improving, keep it up!

[soccerkid6]

@Sirens-Of-Titan: Thanks for the advice

I haven't really thought about that before, definitely something to consider in the future

Edited May 3, 2012 by soccerkid6

[ZCerberus]

My one criticism is that there are too many colors in use here; green, red, blue, tan, brown, black and white in huge quantities and close proximity really start to clash and challenge the realism of a scene.

Overall, I think SoT is right. They probably don't have a lot of paint in the slums, so more brown, tan, white, black, dark brown and dark tan over the bright blue, red and green may indeed add a little more "realism". Also, mixing those realistic colors on the same buildings may have added a bit more of that run down look I was talking about on the MOC. Maybe there is one brown and one white shutter on a buiilding, or the black roof is patched with some brown wood planks etc. I do think that using less colors SHOULDN'T be confused with making the buildings "uniform". I think the colors here helped make the buildings look mismatched like they would be in a slum, but maybe a more muted color scheme with different building techniques could have been even more impactful!

Angling the buildings and your work with the figs really are advanced techniques, so thinking about the color choices is just another step to becoming a great MOCer. It's still fantasy, so I would still step out on the color scheme sometimes on a single build, but be mindful that using too many colors in a small space can make the eyes go "yuck" if the colors aren't "natural" to what your eyes would expect the world to look like.

[de Gothia]

Great moc Soccerkid! Love the minifigs and their psoung! Have to agree with the colors though

[soccerkid6]

@zcerberus: Thanks for the great suggestions!

@de Gothia: Thank you How long have you had the MOC expert badge? I haven't noticed it before

[Ecclesiastes]

Great scene. I like the angles and the styles of the houses. The colors aren't bothering me, except they indeed aren't seen that much in the slums

But I like the things that slums do have like the holes in the houses and messed up streets

[soccerkid6]

Thanks Ecclesiastes