I've made 2 more models for my Woy Woy Historical Buildings collection at Sketchup this long weekend. I'm finding the whole thing quite enjoyable as I get to use my intimate knowledge of old buildings to help me in my projects.
You see I've been a painter since I was 16 and have spent countless hours working on older buildings , years of sanding and painting barge boards and finials have left their distinct shapes and colours permanently etched in the old grey memory bank.
If a detail in an old photo is a bit blurry then I can usually guess what goes where and picking the old colour schemes are a snap
![Gilans Refreshment Rooms](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_svOb_rHUhkH0KwsKhRS_EOUbX1VLRw21-WhMebOfC1sP48SgpjwwXDcBx6cLna1QA1wNBPEDjsui-fn4dMRA5jSIoXTR7j4y_QXjBn7j4_pIB0BSX30D2-jO5z3roZWvboRVchHM8rktyxMfY=s0-d)
My first project for this weekend was Gilan's Refreshment Rooms , located in the Boulevarde at Woy Woy , now long gone I used old photos to rebirth her , originally a big old house it seemed to have been renovated once and was replaced by a brick building at some stage , though keeping the original facade.
I gave it a nice green period paint job , it could have been a pink or beige colour as well.
![Gilans](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_s_7aPivzT2tqBQCAJebCSIPuHRochkWg6yl85C_jzFvNymYW0hWaz38RULsY1hXtOx-rJZ4lJ9ICEGpqcbcpMu9ox6TkJtZddGZF6x8qju_KI6yzk0QncLjd77hZL_ernGF6iwV8y1Om_zpbI=s0-d)
Gilans sold pastries and drinks of all kinds , as well as having a Tobacconist , Barber and Fishing Tackle store at one end of the building , noting the stripey posts on the left in the old pics.
As I finished that one fairly quickly and had spent a few hours working out the positions of the buildings in the Boulevarde , I decided to knock up the first Post Office recorded in Woy Woy.
![First Post Office](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tTz5HZSIwgWMvbWx8aMaSbYBK_ci9Jk2PDGWu-zDxQ5gNK1y89Y2WXMqgf94NfW7F8o0tpbHApkcfVw8o8ObTCMftpQI0roYJkZj9tH5Q6656Bc37_pdK_2X9DoRTfb-7ibYhFs9KczDS2RRzI=s0-d)
Handily it is located right next door to Gilan's and it was also a test to see if I can get the models to sit side by side nicely in the correct location.
Again working from old photos I managed to build it in a couple of hours , I also used bits that others have made it this one.
![Original photo P.O](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sFmfvSUDUQFvrDdGRNxku_mazkUI4AZvJOgigLYezIEi5wTR7utqiSDvQEdMWZWvYZwdByLqCLAcVfQIR2ILZYYC5bqGDr1H0wyd-0Jg5Sq58aWGYsEdUmcRmE5Blf6MrNSB0wq8omCXOVFRuH=s0-d)
The good thing about sharing with Sketchup is that others have made things that you can use in your own model.
I needed an old style gas lamp for the awning on Gilans and found one on the site , for the post office I nicked a tree and planted it in the correct spot according to the photo.
I painted the P.O a brown colour but for some reason it looks as though it could have been painted dark blue or green , both of these colours would make the model hard to view in detail so I've used a lighter period colour
I must say that painting the finished product is truly pleasurable like icing a cake , if only painting in real life was as easy as point and click !
![Google Earth placement](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vi1_SP-iDd2s-pTw8xox0drnyIYiH6BLdl396WXF88ti4AnixxeEte8QBx4s1raOS_ETXsVa7ktlZXg7vXL8eWIfLIPU2E08hoCLXbi3sGY6FARSlzC6Cd4ToskHzlYmxeYkSWYqpfeQgLbPDI=s0-d)
All my models are
here , you can download them and place them in Google Earth , all models should load into the correct location apart from the Picture Theatre and the Masonic Hall , you can locate them yourself and save the position in your copy of GE if you are handy with editing and right clicking , I may post a tutorial on this once I fully understand the process !
Interesting to note that in the 24 hours these new models have been up , they have each been downloaded by up to 10 people already
and..Happy Oz day - don't get too pissed - good to see all the aussie flags in yards along O.B road today
Why not drop in and check out
Grumpy Old Journo , another local , and
Spike is always a good read
ah I just noticed demolition fencing being erected around the
Masonic Hall , could this be the end ? I wonder if they will find any freaky shit in the long closed upper level like human leg bones ( this actually happened when they demolished another old Masonic Hall years back in Sydney , evidently it was used in ceremonies ! )
ooh and grab a copy of the
Peninsula News with my article on Rock Davis that I wrote just before Xmas , will do some more soon once the shock of returning to work subsides !