Yes, the colour seems very "old concrete", slightly yellowish-grey, to me. I think it's actually the contrast with the tiles, rather than the contrast with the snow, that's making them look a bit odd. I think they'd work nicely as something like pipes extending out of the snow - underground bunker entrance, say, or a sewer outfall - however.
Probably a bit too late to be helpful, but looking at images of curved old lead roofs online (what few I can find anyway - not that many, not that old...) suggests silvery-white to darker mid-grey overall, which would fit with the colouring of the much smaller amounts of lead flashing on roofs locally, and also the appearance of the lead-ore mineral galena (which is also an important source of silver in some instances). I was trying to find something closer in size to what you've drawn online, but aside from a dome or so, most lead sheet roof images seem to be flat, which isn't the most helpful in this case!
I'll go for a dark silver colour - get rid of the yellow.
One of the thousands of useless facts in my head relating to colour - if you place a grey blue next to a grey yellow, the blue will look more blue, and the yellow will look more yellow.
Since these lead dormers are identical to the original, which looked grey because there wasn't any blue worth speaking about in the style, I think making the lead grey should do it.
Churches have had lead roofs for several hundred years. I think posh houses in cities also used lead and sometimes copper in very rich places.
Yes, I've come across copper roofs before, including this evening (Google apparently can't tell the difference between the words "lead" and "copper", which doesn't seem like a safe mode of behaviour to me...), which of course often end up green quite quickly as the metal oxidises.
I've found vague references to lead roofing being used in the medieval period at the earliest - nearest to an actual date is "the Normans used it", hence "vague", though oddly not the ancient Romans (who used lead for pretty well everything else!). And yes, the famous examples tend to be churches, though that may be because lead's historically been so valuable, and so readily reusable, any other building that wasn't kept in constant use would probably have "lost" its lead at the first opportunity.
These appear only on the larger houses in the set - the richer merchant style houses. I'm just testing them on the only tiled house I've made so far, which is the smallest one.
To demonstrate the notion that you can't please everyone, those look very much like dry concrete now rather than lead, probably due to the lightness of the color. I associate lead with a dark gray, the sort that may not preserve enough detail to be useful. Lovely work on the shading, though!
I'm just agog! I really like the night time one, but I understand the limitations. But what about cloudy/dreary effects. You know those days with slate gray, low-lying clouds, the sun unable to burn through the clouds. The wind falling not up to down, but north to south in 40 mile an hour winds, with 6 inch clumps of snow hitting you in the ear when you take off your helmet, making you lose your balance and falling off your tank into the deep carpet of snow, thus avoiding injury?
Some people see fun in the snow. All I see is misery (and Missouri [a state I dislike]) and foot slogging.
@jslayton LOL! And thank you :D I think I will leave them as they are for now, because you are right - darker and they lose the arched feel ;)
@mike robel Thanks Mike :) I'm sorry to hear you really don't like snow all that much! I think you aren't alone, though. I love the beauty of a snowy scene, but I'm one of those people who get near-frostbitten fingers the moment I step outside.
Yeah, I'm with Mike on the anti-snow front! It might look OK from indoors, but when you've had to slog through it, or have spent days clearing it at times, it VERY quickly loses any appeal.
And yes, Joe's right about the concrete look now. It's very tricky. I know even looking at specimens of the mineral galena can be difficult, as it can be both shiny silver-white and black at the same time...
Things are progressing with the tiled half of the set. This is a 'Map file test', where I set up the new buildings in a circular array to check that the map files are working as expected. The buildings on the outside edge haven't been finished yet. I've tried to take on board all the useful and helpful advice from earlier in this thread - in particular the photographic evidence.
This style is closely based on the Darklands City style from last year's annual, so the bridge is a snowy version of the bridge that appeared in that style. It's a connecting symbol, so it can cross relatively wide bodies of water.
The compass and scale - well, I don't do that many of them, so I put a bit of extra work into this set ;)
I like the snowy footpaths especially (notably the single track ones).
Slightly dubious about the livestock watering-hole of the dew pond in such close proximity to the cemetery, but of course, it's close to the Darklands, so...
Comments
Yes, the colour seems very "old concrete", slightly yellowish-grey, to me. I think it's actually the contrast with the tiles, rather than the contrast with the snow, that's making them look a bit odd. I think they'd work nicely as something like pipes extending out of the snow - underground bunker entrance, say, or a sewer outfall - however.
I can make them look more 'leady' if that's a word, by taking that yellowness out :)
Probably a bit too late to be helpful, but looking at images of curved old lead roofs online (what few I can find anyway - not that many, not that old...) suggests silvery-white to darker mid-grey overall, which would fit with the colouring of the much smaller amounts of lead flashing on roofs locally, and also the appearance of the lead-ore mineral galena (which is also an important source of silver in some instances). I was trying to find something closer in size to what you've drawn online, but aside from a dome or so, most lead sheet roof images seem to be flat, which isn't the most helpful in this case!
I'll go for a dark silver colour - get rid of the yellow.
One of the thousands of useless facts in my head relating to colour - if you place a grey blue next to a grey yellow, the blue will look more blue, and the yellow will look more yellow.
Since these lead dormers are identical to the original, which looked grey because there wasn't any blue worth speaking about in the style, I think making the lead grey should do it.
Churches have had lead roofs for several hundred years. I think posh houses in cities also used lead and sometimes copper in very rich places.
Yes, I've come across copper roofs before, including this evening (Google apparently can't tell the difference between the words "lead" and "copper", which doesn't seem like a safe mode of behaviour to me...), which of course often end up green quite quickly as the metal oxidises.
I've found vague references to lead roofing being used in the medieval period at the earliest - nearest to an actual date is "the Normans used it", hence "vague", though oddly not the ancient Romans (who used lead for pretty well everything else!). And yes, the famous examples tend to be churches, though that may be because lead's historically been so valuable, and so readily reusable, any other building that wasn't kept in constant use would probably have "lost" its lead at the first opportunity.
I think people were more afraid of what the church would do to them back then ;)
I've changed the dormers for you, Wyvern :)
These appear only on the larger houses in the set - the richer merchant style houses. I'm just testing them on the only tiled house I've made so far, which is the smallest one.
To demonstrate the notion that you can't please everyone, those look very much like dry concrete now rather than lead, probably due to the lightness of the color. I associate lead with a dark gray, the sort that may not preserve enough detail to be useful. Lovely work on the shading, though!
Sue,
I'm just agog! I really like the night time one, but I understand the limitations. But what about cloudy/dreary effects. You know those days with slate gray, low-lying clouds, the sun unable to burn through the clouds. The wind falling not up to down, but north to south in 40 mile an hour winds, with 6 inch clumps of snow hitting you in the ear when you take off your helmet, making you lose your balance and falling off your tank into the deep carpet of snow, thus avoiding injury?
Some people see fun in the snow. All I see is misery (and Missouri [a state I dislike]) and foot slogging.
@jslayton LOL! And thank you :D I think I will leave them as they are for now, because you are right - darker and they lose the arched feel ;)
@mike robel Thanks Mike :) I'm sorry to hear you really don't like snow all that much! I think you aren't alone, though. I love the beauty of a snowy scene, but I'm one of those people who get near-frostbitten fingers the moment I step outside.
Yeah, I'm with Mike on the anti-snow front! It might look OK from indoors, but when you've had to slog through it, or have spent days clearing it at times, it VERY quickly loses any appeal.
And yes, Joe's right about the concrete look now. It's very tricky. I know even looking at specimens of the mineral galena can be difficult, as it can be both shiny silver-white and black at the same time...
I could always make them like barrels - with wood...
Have to see about how much time is left.
If this is an extension of Darklands should the building not match what is already in the set just with snow covering?
That was the general idea, but it's not a hard and fast rule.
Things are progressing with the tiled half of the set. This is a 'Map file test', where I set up the new buildings in a circular array to check that the map files are working as expected. The buildings on the outside edge haven't been finished yet. I've tried to take on board all the useful and helpful advice from earlier in this thread - in particular the photographic evidence.
It's because it's a snowflake design really, Sue - we can tell! 😉❄️
I've pulled the basic style together for March. This is the example map.
Larger version in my album https://forum.profantasy.com/profile/gallery/4615/Loopysue/125
I like the bridge and compass symbols
Thank you, Julian :)
This style is closely based on the Darklands City style from last year's annual, so the bridge is a snowy version of the bridge that appeared in that style. It's a connecting symbol, so it can cross relatively wide bodies of water.
The compass and scale - well, I don't do that many of them, so I put a bit of extra work into this set ;)
I like the snowy footpaths especially (notably the single track ones).
Slightly dubious about the livestock watering-hole of the dew pond in such close proximity to the cemetery, but of course, it's close to the Darklands, so...
Thank you :)
Would you believe me that I never even thought of that! LOL!
Nah - it's just a pond named after somebody called "Dew" 😁
Yes! Yes!
That's what it is - without a question 😁
And now released into the wild! Wrap up warm and go exploring folks!⛷️❄️☃️
Thank you, Wyvern :D
And now I see Mike Schley has been inspired to chip-in with some new snowy overland features in the latest free monthly content update!
Oh yes, they're lovely aren't they :)
Though I think the time and care required to draw such gems probably means that he started before me ;)