The main reason for this project is to understand the scale of a given area and to be able to imagine the uses and design of the given space. The area had to be no more than 3mx3m. I chose to measure my local pub, The Brecon Tap, where I also work.
It has a relatively small, compact bar area, so the use of space is important. The bar area has 6 pumps at the front of the bar, 9 at the back and a wine and spirits area to the side. The under-counter area has shelves for glasses and a fridge.
There are many small details of the bar (detailed above) that needed measuring accurately, this was difficult in a confined space.
Having measured the area and all of its details accurately and produced scale drawings of every wall, surface and fixtures and fittings, I decided to make a practise model at the scale of 1:1250. This gave me a better idea of how precise the final model would need to be and how time consuming making the scaled props could potentially be.
Having produced the practise model, I re scaled the drawings and re measured the model to a scale of 1:2500. I was surprised at how small it actually would be. Mainly using mount board, I measured and cut the individual pieces.
I used water colour and gouache for the floor and promarkers for the bar, black paint for the walls.
I used UHU glue to carefully build the pieces, making sure that the shelves were the correct distance apart. The shelves were the most difficult as the scale made accuracy difficult and fiddly.
For texture and details, I peeled off the top layer of the mount board and used promarkers for the wooden effect. The feature brick wall made by peeling off the top layer of foam board, painting the base layer before taping off sections to highlight the bricks. The sectioned off areas were then painted brick red and then the remaining tape peeled to reveal the featured brick wall. The fridge doors were built using layers of mountboard with acetate in between to demonstrate the double-glazed display fridge cabinet.
Final details were added to bring the model to life. The pumps, wine bottles and clips on the ‘Coming soon’ wall were made with Fimo Clay and painted for the finer details so that I could accurately represent the different sections of the Brecon Tap. The back bar was painted with gouache and details added by painting the bar clips on the side wall and the pumps on the back wall.
The bar stool is usually taken by a regular that is happy to chat to the staff, other customers and tourists the Brecon Beacons National Park. As a nod to one of these regulars, I have added one of his usual phrases as a quote underneath the model – “I’m going after this one!” – (he never does!)
I have really enjoyed bringing this bar to life in model form and the owners have expressed an interest in displaying the model in the future. When I take on future modelling projects, I will take into consideration the thickness of the mounting board. Laying up the board made measurements too big in certain areas. This is true of building full sets too and therefore I will need to consider quantity surveying as part of my future projects.