Finch & Fouracre | Designers and Modelmakers

A couple of magazine features

2012-01-09T10:42:00.003Z

Happy new year! What will 2012 have in store, we wonder....?

One of the highlights of last year was the collaboration with Another Studio for Design (the clever folk behind PostCarden) on the Plantini miniature hothouse model. This was released in November, and we're very happy to have been featured in Elle Decoration and Homes and Interiors Scotland this month.

Elle Decoration

Homes and Interiors Scotland

Christmas models

2011-12-09T11:18:00.005Z

A couple of nice christmassy models. Feel free to download, print off, and make! Why not send me a photo?? Merry Christmas!

[open the image, then ctrl click or right click to save image]

Christmas is approaching!

2011-12-01T16:02:00.002Z

Tis the first of December, and I'm preeeetty excited about digging the ol' christmas jumper out of the cupboard! Of course, there's plenty more to be looking forward to, including the Made in the Shade Holiday Hullabaloo! There's a fine list of sellers lined up, as well as some other bits and bobs of events (something to do with sewing? something to do with cinema? I can't remember exactly...). you can see a bit about who's all involved here.

Of course, while we'll have all of our lovely products available at the Hullabaloo, you can of course get in there early and buy them online. All our orders are posted next day, first class (special delivery available too!), so you'll get them pretty snappy. And there's something to fit all budgets and abilities!

Reindeer and Sleigh Model Kit

2011-11-14T12:00:00.002Z

Merry Christmas! Ok, a bit soon, but Paisley have already switched on their Christmas lights, so I can release a special Reindeer and Sleigh model kit.

It's available from the website

, and I reckon will make a pretty good stocking filler.
Like the ice cream vans, this kit simply slots together, and comes with stickers.

New news.

2011-11-04T10:56:00.003Z

So, it's only the start of November, and I hate to mention the C word, but things are definitely gearing up for Christmas! Holey moley.

First off, I'm very excited about the special Christmas themed product I've been working on. It's not actually close enough to the festive season for me to feel ready to disclose any more details just yet, but I've pencilled in a release date of the week of 14th Nov, so you'll find out real soon! In addition, since way back in March, or maybe April, ages ago anyway, I've been working in collaboration with the folk behind PostCarden to design a lovely new product, which is due to hit the shops very soon. Again, I should have more details of this to release really soon - but I can definitely say that I'm really delighted with the way the product is looking, and it's got more than a few admiring glances from visitors to the workshop.

On yet another Christmassy note, I was pleased to find out that I've got a space at the Made in the Shade Holiday Hullabaloo, Sat 10 Dec at the Lighthouse. I know that the girls will have chosen an awesome selection of designer-makers who will, no doubt, have their best wares on offer. I know where I'll be getting my xmas shopping done!

Finally, and I know I've mentioned him before, but I've been admiring the work of Alan Wolfson - this guy has been making his miniature urban sculptures since before I was born, and still going strong. Inspiring stuff.

shop models

2011-10-13T12:28:00.002+01:00

A couple of pics of a recent project to make a set of models of new shop layouts. These models were at 1:35 - much larger than what I'm used to making, and so I got to do nice wee details like furniture and plants! I was never one for dollhouses when I was wee, I guess I'm making up for it now....

CEO/Starter for 6

2011-10-05T11:39:00.004+01:00

Finch & Fouracre are pretty indebted to the Cultural Enterprise Office. Fortunately, they don't look for too much in return for their excellent advice and brilliant events. Just, I suppose, for folk to listen, consider the advice, and do what they can.

The first CEO event Beth and I went to was, in fact, a Christmas party, which, totally free of charge (like almost all of the CEO services) offered networking with other new creative professionals alongside some fun and drinks. Since then, we've attended events like Starting Out, Market Day, and taken advantage of many one-on-one advice sessions. All of these have been valuable, giving us much food for thought, and usually resulting in us digesting the advice over a pint in Blackfriars afterwards (we would purposefully get the last session of the day so we could justify the visit to the pub!).

Since Beth left in February, I arranged an advice session with Lowri Potts, who helped me gain a bit of confidence about continuing F&F on my own. Yesterday I attended an event about manufacturing and the creative industries. As usual, I met some familiar faces, as well as new people with interesting businesses and ideas - one of the best things about these events is meeting the others there. And, as usual, I came away with lots to think about, and things to get working on.

Yesterday's event was followed by another networking event (I hate that term! But I like meeting people) for those who had completed the Starter for 6 programme - a great scheme that helps businesses starting up, and offers a chance to pitch for funding to develop your business idea. Again, a great opportunity to meet people and hear about interesting and fantastic businesses and ideas.

Basically, I write all this because the CEO and the events it hosts fills me with confidence and joy about the state of Scottish creative industries, and those who choose to follow their dreams and make, design, create, build, draw, grow their ideas.

You can find out more about the CEO and starter for 6 here. I love CEO!

Lighthouse / Mac Tower model kit

2011-10-03T12:32:00.002+01:00

Many moons ago, F&F were commissioned by the Lighthouse to produce a model kit of the original Mackintosh designed building - which was once the home to the Glasgow Herald. Sadly, the Lighthouse no longer sells these kits, but I'm happy to announce I now have a limited number of the kits available for sale, and only available directly from F&F - from the website, our Etsy shop, or even straight from the workshop door.

The kit includes a timber roof for the tower - produced by my dad, no less! - intricate etched details on the facades, and of course comes with comprehensive instructions and a wee tube of glue. When built, it stands at about 20cm/8" high. While more complex than the tenement kit, it does not take any special skills or tools to complete, just a little patience!

Customising a tenement kit

2011-09-02T11:32:00.005+01:00

Well, over 3 years since launching the tenement model kit, I've finally got round to customising a model. It was partially inspired by the work of Alan Wolfson - absolutely amazing modelmaking. You can see it here.

I've added a bit more detail than comes standard with the kit, with a pub and a shop on the ground floor, chimney pots, drainpipes, satellite dishes etc etc.

Here's a little bit about how I did it.

First of all, I took my inspiration from my local area. I decided on a shop and a pub, simply named The Shop and The Pub. Usually, when tenements have bay windows above shop units, there's a stringcourse that sits beneath the bottom of the bays, and displays the shop signage. I cut the bay windows down to 3 storeys, and expanded the voids in the wall to then add the shop and pub fascias. These were painted as separate pieces that were glued onto the main wall of the kit, with hand painted signage, and the all important Tennents sign.

The chimney pots are simply thin dowel glued on top of the usual timber chimneys. The window boxes are made of very thin wire, drilled into small plastic strip, and painted appropriately. The drainpipes are plastic rod, glued onto the back wall, and the aerial on the roof made of the same material in different widths. I added the staining on the stonework with very diluted (almost just water) paint. It is quite common to see this staining on stone buildings of this type. It also adds a bit more depth to the colouring. One of my favourite details is the bin bags outside the back door - these are simply scrunched up paper painted black.

Finally, I cut a base of another sheet of card, and painted a kerb (making sure to paint the edges of the card) and paving flags. I used acrylic paints throughout.

Lots of fun, now I'm trying to decide what to do next. Why don't you give it a go?!

Recent work

2011-07-07T10:40:00.007+01:00

It's been a bit of a busy time at Finch & Fouracre in the past couple of months. Here's a little bit about what I've been up to!

The main job I've done in the past couple of months was a commission for a private client. The model was a landscape model at 1:2000 of an area of the highlands that is very special to her and her husband - the model was a present for a big birthday! What a lucky hubbie! The client provided me with OS maps, and instructions to make it as detailed an accurate as I could. I got an opportunity to visit the site, and spent an early spring day wandering round, taking plenty of notes and photos to help me out. I felt pretty lucky to have landed this job! The area the model covered included a couple of cottages, a river with a couple of waterfalls, and craggy, tree-covered hills.

The image above shows a waterfall, and the river, which was made using back-painted acrylic.

The house in the context of the model.

I was really pleased to get great feedback from the client, the present went down well! It was a lovely job to work on, as I had plenty of time, and the brief was to go into as much detail as I could, which is something hard to resist as a modelmaker. Putting all those trees in took a long time, mind....

In addition, I made a 1:20 white model of a section of a supermarket for Helen Baldwin Architect recently. This was in some respects a working model, for the team to plan out how the space was going to be used in this complicated area of the store. At the same time, it had to be of a presentation standard, as the architect's client was going to be fully involved in the process.

The model was white, with a large spiral staircase in the middle of the model. Glass was detailed in acrylic, and the stainless steel deli counters were painted to reflect that choice of material.

In between these jobs, there's been some work for students:

And, of course, we've just re-released the ice-cream van model kits!

There's also an interesting collaboration in the pipeline, more details to follow....

relaunch of website

2011-05-04T10:57:00.003+01:00

After many months, I'm relieved and proud to be able to say the new F&F website is up and running. A vast improvement, I think you'll find! There's more photos of work, downloadable models, and an opportunity to add your own customised model kits.

See it here:

www.finchandfouracre.co.uk

Feedback is welcome!

What's been happening at F&F??

2011-03-16T09:58:00.002Z

Well, gosh, it's been a while since there's been any blogging. Apologies. There has been changes afoot at Finch & Fouracre, with Beth leaving to pursue other opportunities, as they say. This was something in the pipeline for a long time, so the transition has been nice and smooth. I'm continuing the same work, the same ethos, and the same name, so from a customer's perspective, it's all the same!
So Beth kindly helped me re-fit the workshop, with a massive new workbench and better storage space, in her last task before leaving. In the works since then have been an interesting new collaboration (more details to follow), a brand spanking new website, due to be released very soon, and development of a new card model kit.

Remember, you can like us on Facebook, for up to the minute updates on F&F.

Thanks for checking in! I'll try to do so more often too!

Tartan tenements now available

2010-12-17T12:49:00.003Z

Better late than never, our limited edition tartan tenements are finally here. Screennprinted tartan pattern onto specially produced tenement kits (as ever, complete with instructions and glue), and even in a tartan printed box! Priced at £25, a perfect give for the Scot in your life....

These will be available from the pop-up shops in the CCA (run by Welcome Home) and the Hidden Lane (by Much Too Fun), as well as from our website.

What a christmas treat!

Glasgow School of Art model kit

2010-11-30T12:41:00.001Z

Quick update on the art school model kit.... expected to be available from Friday 3rd December now. Slight delay with getting it all ready, but we definitely think it'll be worth it!

Tartan Tenements!

2010-11-23T11:37:00.005Z

We're still in mad preparation for Christmas, and actually getting quite excited now!

We went to Much Too Fun's pop-up shop launch last week which was very Christmassy and quite lovely. Check out their online shop:
http://www.muchtoofun.co.uk/
or pop in to their shop at Mucky Puddle in the Hidden Lane, it's open 'til Christmas!

So we're excited to announce the imminent arrival of a new F&F model kit...
...
drumroll
...
Please welcome the Art School Model Kit!

Ta Da!!

This will be available very soon from our website, in time for Christmas.

One final, exciting thing is that we're really wanting to do a special edition of the Tenement Kits for Christmas. These will be Tartan Tenements, and as the name suggests they will be Tenements, but in a snazzy tartan livery, yippee!! We're still working on this but fingers crossed we'll be able to do it. Watch this space!!

Bonfire night.... and thinking about Christmas

2010-11-05T15:56:00.002Z

It seems that an unfortunate consequence of being crafty makers of the type we are is having to start thinking about christmas WAY TOO EARLY.
Today is 5 November, bonfire night, yet we've already been creating charts to try and make sure we're well stocked for Christmas, discussing with our pals at Much Too Fun the plans for a Hidden Lane pop-up shop, and generally thinking christmassy thoughts. Well, we do like Christmas.

No doubt more to follow on the pop-up shop news, but in essence, Mhairi of Much Too Fun has got together a great bunch of designer/makers, and the shop will be running from 18 Nov from Mucky Puddle in the Hidden Lane, including late nights on Thursdays.

In the meantime though, I'm going to enjoy some Parkin and fireworks, and cross my fingers that the rain holds off.

New stockists, old stockists....

2010-10-08T10:55:00.002+01:00

Just a wee note to say F&F are very happy to be selling model kits through the National Theatre bookshop in London - so all you Londoners, go along and check them out!

In addition, the Lighthouse Mack shop is up and running again, although it may be in a slightly depleted form at the mo. However, they still have some of the model kits of the original Mackintosh Herald building model kits that we made a couple of years ago, that some people have been asking for. The Lighthouse is the only stockist of this kit (we don't even have any!) so if you're after one, that's where to go!

In other news, things seem to be picking up again in the modelmaking world after a quiet summer, any pics that we've got of new work will be here first....

Last week for Red Door exhibition

2010-09-07T09:46:00.002+01:00

It's the last week of the excellent Half Way Home exhibition at the Red Door Gallery. As previously mentioned, we're really happy with the exhibition, and definitely recommend checking it out!

New outlet for F&F model kits

2010-09-07T09:45:00.001+01:00

We are happy to announce our model kits are now available in Dundee, at Dundee Contemporary Arts. If you're in the area, why not check it out?!

Wee mention in the Herald on Sat

2010-08-23T12:05:00.001+01:00

Demolition of Ibrox towers

2010-08-19T17:07:00.004+01:00

We are particularly impressed with the very exact way these towers in Ibrox are being demolished.. or taken apart, or something!

I had heard that Glasgow's put up more tower blocks than any other European cities. I don't have any info to back that up with, but they're undeniably a distinctive part of our city's identity. And while we do love tenements, there's space in our hearts for some of these high-rises too.

Ice-cream for sale!

2010-08-13T12:21:00.002+01:00

Here we go! The ice-cream vans are finally up for sale on the website. This is for a limited, summery period only, so don't delay!

A couple more half way home photos

2010-08-02T11:20:00.001+01:00

What a great exhibition! We're chuffed.

Half Way Home - the visit

2010-08-01T13:35:00.003+01:00

One Friday we took a wee Finch & Fouracre daytrip to Edinburgh, to see for ourselves the beautiful work done by the Half Way Home artists. It was truly beautiful! Thanks to the Red Door Gallery and all the artists involved.

Half Way Home at the Red Door Gallery

2010-07-29T12:30:00.004+01:00

We are super excited to see the results of the Half Way Home exhibition curated and hosted by the Red Door Gallery. What an amazing set of tenements! We want to keep them all! The exhibition is (we think) going to be displayed in the Red Door's window over the next month or so. They're all for sale, so you better get there quick! For more detailed images of the models, go to the Red Door blog: reddoorgallery.blogspot.com/

new model kit now available!

2010-07-16T14:53:00.003+01:00

Finally, here we are! A wee summer special model kit, a proper old school ice cream van. We're going to produce and sell these over summer - it may be rubbish weather outside, but we can still have ice-cream!

I'll get them up for sale on our website after holidays (ie. end of the month), for now they're available in the Maisonette and Red Door.

Hidden Lane festival!

2010-07-13T10:46:00.002+01:00

What a lovely day!

updates, festival, fun times

2010-06-22T10:33:00.006+01:00

Roll up, roll up. The Hidden Lane festival is nearly here! This Saturday, the 26th June, the Hidden Lane is hosting it's now annual festival, as part of the West End Festival. Expect craft stalls, including the Glasgow Craft Mafia hosted at Mucky Puddle, barbeque by the tearooms, pieces by Piece, a fashion show, music, open studios.... and sunshine...? Fingers crossed!

We're happy to be having a stall, right outside our workshop, and we'll have tenements, Tinyments, postcards, model magnets, and a limited amount of a brand new product! Here's a clue:

Aside from all that fun, we have been busy bees. As previously mentioned, we made a model of the City Art Centre in Edinburgh, which is definitely the biggest and bulkiest model we've ever made. Fortunately, it came apart in layers for each floor. As it's a working model, we used simpler materials, but we're pretty pleased with the overall result.

After that, we moved onto a job for ZM Architecture, Garden Pavilion at Bellahouston Park, and then for DTA a development in Bothwell of 10 very fancy houses.

Phew!

See you on saturday.

Hive of activity

2010-05-06T13:28:00.002+01:00

Well, well. It's a veritable hive of activity at F&F at the moment. We're currently just finishing off a model of the City Arts Centre in Edinburgh, which is going to be used to design and plan an installation. A pretty exciting project to be involved with. The lane is also beginning to get it's collective thoughts together with regards to the west end festival - our hidden lane fest is due to take place on 26th June - put it in your diaries!
We've also got a couple of other jobs lined up... photos to follow!

Gin Palace and motorway flowers

2010-04-12T11:39:00.002+01:00

First off, big congratulations to Ruth, Leah and Greg of The Gin Palace - what a great event. Friday night's opening was super super busy, and the gin was flowing! A lot of fun. I went back on Sunday to have a proper look, and have a look round Goodd's pop-up next door, and both exhibited some excellent work, really exciting. In particular, we were taken with the quality of the furniture, and some interesting jewelry and of course the Seedbom. Apparently sales have been great over the weekend, so I very much think the event can be called a success.

On our way down to the Gin Palace yesterday, we also went via the M8/Garscube Rd junction to check out 7N Architects brilliant installation. Cool.

Sunny days at the workshop

2010-04-02T11:26:00.001+01:00

An ideal day to wear sparkly shoes.

In other news... happy Easter!

The brand new Hidden Lane Tearooms

2010-03-23T14:07:00.003Z

For those who haven't had the experience of the Hidden Lane in person, well, you're missing out. For those that have been here, you'll probably at least know of the cafe, right next to our workshop. The cafe is now under new management, and is re-opening on Friday 26 March as the Hidden Lane Tearooms. We've been promised lots of lovely loose teas, and awesome sandwiches! I believe the plan is to also showcase local craft/makers. All in all, it's shaping up nicely. oh - and we really like the new wall colour!

The Gin Palace pop-up exhibition/sale

2010-03-11T11:17:00.002Z

Finch & Fouracre are pleased to be participating in the next Gin Palace pop-up event, right here in Glasgow. The event will take place on the weekend of 9-11 April, on South Frederick St, just off George Sq. It will feature a bunch (nearly 40!) designers from Glasgow and further afield, showcasing a range of different types of design - fashion, jewellry, furniture, and (of course) models. You can read more about it at their blog and hopefully come along to the event too!

new products in the pipeline..?

2010-03-04T12:50:00.002Z

Currently testing out a couple of new designs for model kits, and getting feedback on them. Hopefully they'll go down well, and we can release the new products soon. I know it's been a little while coming, but worth the wait...

In other news, it's all change here in the lane, so many people have left, but new folk are gradually coming in and taking the empty spaces. Looking forward to getting to know some new faces, and finding out what people do!

Too much stuff!

2010-02-24T13:21:00.002Z

so, the time has come to address the large amount of stuff in a small space here in this workshop. It's just been getting more and more clutter - some stuff that we want to display, but also just stuff like materials, computers, tools. Unfortunately it's one of those things that has to get worse before it gets better, but we're sure it's going to be most excellent by the time we're done! until we get more stuff....!

Finch: in charge, Fouracre: in Thailand!

2010-02-07T21:47:00.003Z

So Beth's away off to Thailand for 3 weeks, lucky lady. I get to be in charge for 3 weeks! I've been working away on a couple of bits and pieces, including a "Test Cube" for Method Furniture.

Method Furniture are friends of ours who are setting up designing and making bespoke furniture. Marisa is designing it, Callum is making it. What they've asked us to do (and a few other designers/illustrators) is to apply a pattern or design onto one of their Test Cubes. The plan is, in the future, a customer can order a piece of furniture, and also get it customised based on one of the Test Cubes. It's a really exciting idea - you can find out more about Method at www.methodfurniture.co.uk in the near future!

The BBC Review Show!

2010-01-21T10:25:00.006Z

So we had a rush job just before Christmas for the BBC, and we made a rather snazzy model of the new set for the Review Show on BBC2.

We weren't sure when the new set would be used, but Franki has just seen a trailer for this week's show and there it was.

It's on at 11pm on Friday night for anyone that's interested! Here's a wee picture of our model:

And of the actual thing:

It's always exciting to see models translated into real life, even more exciting when it's on the telly!

Happy New Year

2010-01-11T11:16:00.003Z

Here we are, 2010. The year has started with us not really being able to get into the workshop due to frozen pipes and no heat. Things have thawed out a bit now, so F&F are back on track.

We're making plans for the upcoming months, we hope to start work on some new model kit designs, so watch this space to find out first what's in the pipeline. Of course, we're still taking commissions for architectural models, and any other modelmaking jobs that come our way. In December we made a wee model of the set for the BBC's Newsnight Review, which was a nice fun job and a bit different from our usual type of model. Always willing to do something a bit different!

All the best for 2010. F&F

24!

2009-12-24T10:16:00.002Z

Merry Christmas! hohoho.

day 23... nearly there!

2009-12-23T11:51:00.002Z

I know it's the 23rd, not the 24th, but 24a in the Hidden Lane is looking super-festive today!

day 22

2009-12-22T15:44:00.001Z

Lobey Dosser on Woodlands Road. This was a few hours ago - it's well snowier now. C'mon white christmas!

Day 21

2009-12-21T11:15:00.001Z

St George's Cross at night with the lovely Christmas lights

days 19 & 20

2009-12-20T12:14:00.002Z

The work of peter callesen. Our idol.

18!

2009-12-18T10:46:00.002Z

Christmas lunch today! Very exciting.

day 17

2009-12-17T13:40:00.002Z

what a geek.

day 16 squinty bridge sunset

2009-12-16T17:03:00.004Z

I just visited Screwfix (oooo my days are filled with excitement!) and went on my bike via the Squinty Bridge. It was beautiful!

oops! days 12, 13, 14 and 15..... all in one!

2009-12-15T16:44:00.003Z

F&F forest of christmas trees.
Sorry for our absence on the blogosphere... been a little busy. Not that that's any excuse to ignore the advent calendar. Must do better. Only 10 days to go!

day 11

2009-12-11T12:12:00.002Z

the Maisonette. Run by Made in the Shade, the Maisonette is a new retail space for up and coming designer-makers, situated in De Courcy's arcade, Cresswell Lane, just off Byres Rd. It's a fantastic shop, go along for some excellent christmas pressies. Oh, and F&F model kits!

Day 10...

2009-12-10T17:13:00.004Z

Franki Finch! Concentrating and hard at work as usual

day 9 behind the calendar door....

2009-12-09T16:11:00.000Z

tenement crazy in here!

What's behind door 8??

2009-12-08T14:05:00.002Z

Beth Fouracre! At the mono Christmas market last year

Advent calendar day 7

2009-12-07T16:54:00.002Z

oops.... sorry, we missed yesterday! Today, the Hidden Lane cafe looking mighty festive.

December 5th

2009-12-05T11:27:00.002Z

Back in the summer, west end festival Super-tenement!

day 4!

2009-12-04T12:32:00.002Z

today.... UHU-tastic!

advent calendar day 3

2009-12-03T12:26:00.001Z

A nice model penguin, hanging in the corner of our workshop.

Advent calendar day 2

2009-12-02T14:18:00.002Z

Many moons ago, this was the first draft of the tenement kit we produced.

Finch & Fouracre advent calendar

2009-12-01T16:42:00.003Z

So, christmas is coming, hurray! Obviously, 1st December means only one thing. First advent calendar door. We've decided here at F&F to do our very own, very low-tech advent calendar. Tune in every day to see what we've posted for the run up to christmas. And don't forget, our tenement kits and Tinyments make just lovely wee presents.

The Hidden Lane in the snow at the start of this year.

The Lighthouse Shop

2009-11-17T16:28:00.002Z

Just a wee note to say that the Lighthouse Shop has ceased trading. The Lighthouse continues to be open for exhibitions, and I think the Doocot cafe is still open, but the shop is either temporarily or permanently closed (who knows...?)

So, y'know, don't go there to try getting one of our products. You'll be disappointed.

be careful with your Tinyment!

2009-11-11T10:22:00.003Z

The shelves in our workshop are a bit full, models stacked on boxes of screws stacked on piles of postcards.... anyway, this is what happened when we overloaded the shelf...

F&F have been pretty busy of late, which is certainly no bad thing. Yeah, tidiness in the workshop suffers, but not to worry. Had another great day with the CEO at the market day event. It's always so good to meet others working for themselves in the creative industries, and gives us even more to think about!

measure twice, cut once...

2009-10-23T13:27:00.007+01:00

We've got another wee saying that goes "measure twice, cut once". We don't have a badge for this one because it's so important that it's engraved onto the insides of our eyelids.

We've recently been asked by Reid Kerr College's Interior Design department if we'd go and talk to their students about modelmaking. We're excited about this! We hope to go there in November, and we'll give a wee talk and then run a practical modelmaking session with the students.

This should be fun and entertaining! If you're a wee bit jealous of all those lovely lads and lasses at Reid Kerr then why not get F&F along to your local place of study / workplace / pub for some educational modelmaking experiences........ drop us a line!

info@finchandfouracre.co.uk

Highland Housing Fair on tour!

2009-10-15T13:18:00.003+01:00

Finch & Fouracre had a busy morning yesterday, repairing and cleaning the Highland Housing Fair models, in preparation for the tour! The exhibition, also known as Scotland's Housing Expo, will be traveling round the country and stopping at various places, shopping centres, galleries, etc, to take the "sustainable community" message out and about.
At this stage, we're not sure where the tour is planned for, we'll let you know when we do!

Nothing says I love you like an architectural model

2009-10-08T10:53:00.001+01:00

Here at Finch & Fouracre we've got a wee saying we like:
"Nothing says I love you like an architectural model". We even had it made into a badge.

Bespoke model kit commission

2009-09-22T16:12:00.002+01:00

Here at Finch & Fouracre, one of our favourite things is getting requests for slightly unusual commissions. We don't see it being a one-off as an issue, nor are we (usually) put off if it's something we've not done before. At the moment, one of the things in the works is a bespoke model kit. It's a birthday present, so I'm going to be careful to not give the game away, but we were asked by the customer to produce the kit for her husband of their house. It's fun being able to add the smaller details that we've not felt able to do with the tenement kits. And hopefully, he's going to paint further stonework details, so it should look really good.

We're also working on getting a new product in the shops by christmas (although we're still debating what this is going to be!), as well as hopefully getting the products in a few more shops.

Also, just for interest, check out http://www.kabloom.co.uk/ - I love it!

2009-09-15T11:23:00.009+01:00

So, better late than never, we've worked out how to put PDFs into our blog!

Hopefully, with the link below, you'll be able to download and view the full Herald article of 8th August 2009. We hope you especially appreciate the photos!

download herald article page 1

download herald article page 2

2009-09-07T13:52:00.002+01:00

oops! Over a month since our last blog post.... sorreeee!

Finch & Fouracre were in the Herald magazine on Saturday 8th August - a brilliant 3 page feature written by Heather MacLeod with photos by the Herald's Mark Gibson.
You can read the article here:
http://www.heraldscotland.com/life-style/homes-interiors-gardens/small-world-1.822172#

although unfortunately the photos printed in the magazine are not featured. Anyway, we've had a great response to the feature, sold a bunch of products, and a few enquiries about commissions too. We've also had our first couple of direct orders from overseas via Etsy!

Part of the reason for our absense on the blogosphere is that we've both been away on well-earned holidays, and also both been putting in a few shifts for Gavin at Abacus Modelmakers, working on a giant model of a proposed redevelopment of the Southern general hospital site in Glasgow. It's been good fun working there, though we're both glad to be back in our wee workshop! Apparently, there's been a few folk in the Lane asking after us - we're back now, please come again!

We were both a bit sad to hear of the Lighthouse going into administration - we'd heard rumours for some time, and so not too surprised that it finally happened. However, it seems the administrators have got things back under control, and the Lighthouse is still operating pretty much like normal - the exhibitions, shop and cafe are still open, and it's still well worth a visit. In fact, our models for the Highland Housing Fair are still on display (we thought they'd be there just until the start of August!), and there's a great exhibition "Films of the Clyde", showing an archive of fascinating films about the history of the river.

So, what next for F&F? We're catching up with accounts etc (BORING!) and then maybe a bit of work on our next model kit, once we've decided what to do. Any suggestions? Apparently there's been suggestions from Edinburgh that we do a proper Edinburgh tenement. we'll see.....

updated website

2009-08-06T14:26:00.004+01:00

The all new and very exciting Finch & Fouracre website is now up and running. New things on it include the Model Me Real work, our hidden lane postcard, Briza Maxima for our pal Anna, and the most recent Highland Housing Fair model for NORD. Enjoy!

www.finchandfouracre.co.uk

Fame!!!!

2009-08-04T11:42:00.006+01:00

So yesterday we spent the morning being photographed by Mark from the Herald!! He also took lots of pictures of our models. This is because we're going to be in the paper on Saturday!

Through a convoluted series of events the Herald has come across us and decided to do a 2-page(!) article about Finch & Fouracre in the Saturday Magazine. The lovely Heather MacLeod came to interview us last week and we think it'll be out this Sat (8th August).

We don't really know what to expect, but we saw Mark's photos and they were pretty snazzy, so hopefully we won't look too daft...

Maybe you're reading this blog cos you saw the article! If that's the case, please leave us a comment!

Here are some Potato Heads

street art

2009-07-30T12:04:00.001+01:00

Doing a bit of research on street art at the mo. Particularly like these:

Etsy

2009-07-20T15:03:00.002+01:00

F&F has finally got it's act together, and got an etsy page: finchandfouracre.etsy.com. Etsy is a site specialising in handmade and vintage items, sold directly from producer to customer. There are literally thousands of beautiful products available, from clothing and accessories to homewares to plain old weird stuff. Check it out. Great for buying presents. Don't be put off that prices are in US dollars, it's just to keep it all standard, and when you go to pay, it changes it to your own currency at that day's rate.

We've only Tinyments on there just now, we'll have more products on there soon, and of course, they're always available from us direct!

Jam and things

2009-07-01T10:59:00.005+01:00

As Franki blogged earlier, the Hidden Lane Festival was brilliant. Food for Thought were selling lots of lovely conserves, and here's a picture of Franki proudly displaying her Caremelised Red Onion Chutney and Apple Chutney. I got some Bramble Jam, which is half gone already....yum yum!

We are now working on a model for Booths supermarket. It's going to be really great as it's got a clear acrylic base with the furniture laser etched into it. This is so you can look up from below and see how the light falls through the roof and windows. Snazzy! Here's a wee picture of the work in progress, although it doesn't really do it justice:

hidden lane festival was amazing!

2009-06-26T09:15:00.002+01:00

So, the hidden lane festival was a blast. It was a brilliant atmosphere, the sun came out, there was LOADS of people. A couple of photos above showing Graham and Laura having a shot at our "super-tenement kit", which survived the day remarkably well! Thanks to everyone that came, thanks to everyone that bought something....we did really well and are dead chuffed. Excited for next year already!

Hidden Lane Festival

2009-06-17T10:29:00.002+01:00

This saturday, 20 June, the hidden lane will be hosting it's very own festival (as part of the west end festival). It'll be a great opportunity to meet people in the lane - there'll be open studios, exhibitions, a fashion show, craft stalls (F&F will be selling our wares, and, all going to plan, we'll have a giant tenement kit to play with!), a barbeque, and stages with music, storytelling and poetry. Should be a brilliant day! Fingers crossed for some semi-decent weather.....unlike today....

Poppies

2009-06-05T16:06:00.004+01:00

We thought we had loads of weeds, and planned on chopping them all down. Turns out, they're loads of lovely poppies, planted by Mike Hyatt, a landscape architect here in the lane. They look beautiful, adding even more colour to the lane.

party fun and amazing books

2009-05-27T16:09:00.007+01:00

Bonjour bonjour.

Unbelievably, it's already a week since our first birthday party. What a blast we had! Thanks to everyone that came, hope everyone got a party bag. Gill's food was great (the tatties went down a treat too!), the drinks flowed, the conversation rambled.... good fun. (Once I've sorted out my photos I'll maybe post a few. Maybe.) Now it's back to doing some actual work.

We're getting started on the models for Model Me Real. Each of the artists has submitted their final pieces - we're working from 2 photos (from Lydia and Rosita) and a sculpture from David. A good range - we think they should provide a nice range of types of models and levels of difficulty too! We're just prototyping at the moment, we'll be translating them into nets and drawing them up for the PDFs, and at some stage they'll be available to the public to try out!

D, one of our lovely neighbours here in the hidden lane, just emailed us this:

pretty amazing!
Fingers crossed to get a commission like that.

A finished model and a party.

2009-05-19T12:39:00.003+01:00

We've finally finished the latest model for NORD Architecture, which we're happy with, and they seem to be too! The exhibition will be on the second floor at the Lighthouse, and from the sneak preview we got when we delivered the model yesterday, it looks like it'll be good. It opens tomorrow, the 20th May.

So now we're in full party prep mode - packing party bags and making a giant penguin, amongst other things. It's a celebration of our first proper year in business, which is something we think is worth celebrating in this "economic climate", as they like to say. We can't believe how quickly it's come round, and it's a little scary, but we're both looking forward to it!

Rainy Days in the Lane

2009-05-05T13:41:00.004+01:00

Today is a pretty miserable day, drizzling, windy, and it means the workshop door is firmly closed. When the weather's been decent, we've had the door open, which is nice cos it means we get passing visitors (visitors are always welcome - door open or not). Since F&F are commited cyclists, this weather is particularly not welcome, especially getting as drenched as we did on Friday, cycling back from the Rio cafe having met Heather for the CEO. We've been asked to be a 'case study' for the Cultural Enterprise Office, which was great, cos we got to meet Heather (who's writing it) and drink coffee and talk about ourselves! After all the CEO have done for us, it's the least we could do. Anytime.

oh - also finished the Pollokshaws hall for Margaret.

Plus, working on a Hidden Lane pop-up postcard. Can't wait, it's gonna be great.

Update!

2009-04-29T18:17:00.002+01:00

So we've been working hard on the Highland Housing Fair job and the buildings are all taking shape. In the meantime we've also been asked to build a section of the Pollokshaws Burgh Hall for an interior designer, so Franki got on with that whilst I drank lots of tea!! Ha ha...

We're very excited because the Hidden Lane (where we're based) is going to put on an event for the West End Festival. There's going to be all sorts... people will be opening their studios, there will be art for sale, there's going to be a wide variety of music on a stage at the end of the lane, the Glasgow Craft Mafia are rumoured to be turning up, dancers, performance artists, a fashion show, and of course the Finch & Fouracre fancy stall! We'll be sitting in the sun and soaking up the atmosphere. Keep your eye on this blog for more updates nearer the time.

Highland Housing Fair model no.3

2009-04-14T10:56:00.003+01:00

Happy Easter from F&F.

We start back in the workshop tomorrow, building a model for NORD - a section of the Highland Housing Fair scheme, for which we've done a couple of models before. The models are going to be at the Lighthouse in an exhibition about the HHF from the 7th May (I think!) - more on that closer to the time.

We're also getting close to ordering and making a big batch of tenement kits, finally!

Food for thought....

2009-04-08T16:43:00.005+01:00

So Franki's just spraying a postbox that we've made for Food for Thought, who are just across the Hidden Lane from us. They saw our lovely pink postbox and got jealous, so now they're getting their own!

Food for Thought are a brilliant Glasgow-based organisation who are on a mission to teach the world to cook! Claire and Audrey run cookery classes in all sorts of place across the city, from schools and colleges to clubs and community groups. You can even come along and learn a few wee recipes from them in the Hidden Lane, where they have a kitchen set up. Here's their website in case you're interested:

http://www.foodforthoughtglasgow.org/

Making models out of food

2009-03-31T10:58:00.002+01:00

Some time ago, I had a dream where I was making a model out of food. I know I was using dessicated coconut for grass, and carving cheese for something else, I can't remember what. Thinking about it more, I figured chocolate would be really useful for glue, and vegetables such as swede, potatoes, squash and celariac would definitely be useful for strong building blocks. If you need a model made of food, you know who to ask.

Whisky chimneys!

2009-03-27T15:54:00.004Z

So here's my first blog!

We recently got some old pieces of oak from Glasgow Wood Recycling project, a charity based in Drumchapel and Partick. They had lots of staves from some old oak whisky barrels, which we thought we'd try and use for tenement kit chimneys.

Over the last week we've been cutting the staves down, and today cut and sanded a LOT of chimneys. The oak sawdust smells of whisky, and we think we can tell whether the wood was on the inside or outside of the barrel by how strongly it smells! So our wee workshop smells lovely just now, although it's making me want to go to the pub...

Website changes

2009-03-25T14:30:00.002Z

Probably if you've found this, you've found it through our newly updated website. Just spent quite a long time changing it all around, and it's not perfect yet, but it's slowly getting better. Other than that, waiting for glue to dry....

Finch & Fouracre in the blogging world!

2009-03-20T16:54:00.001Z

Finch & Fouracre have decided to start blogging, because we've just so much going on, we thought we should share it.

We've been busying ourselves of late with sorting out a big production of tenement kits, upping the production so we can approach a few more buyers, probably around Glasgow and maybe beyond.

Silvie from DCP (Disability Cultural Projects) got in touch with us back in January to see if we'd be interested in being the modelmakers for the Scottish Arts Council funded Model Me Real project. We're working with 3 disabled artists to turn their artworks into paper sculptures, which you'll be able to print out and build at home. We held a training session a couple of weeks ago, which went really well....we enjoyed it anyway!

We're also working on a big promo drive (after a great meeting at the Cultural Enterprise Office), so hopefully we'll start reaping the benefits soon!