Something Fishy Going On
Greetings escapees and welcome to our second blog post.
I thought it was about time to let you all in on what’s happening behind the scenes at Housetrap.
First, the boring part; I am working hard trying to implement all of the government’s Covid Secure guidelines at our different venues. This involves some structural changes at our Bodmin venue and the creation of a new puzzle in Dormant. At Tumbleweed and DASH you’ll find hand sanitiser stations and clear signage. Risk Assessments are being carried out, cleaning products are being purchased, ventilation is being implemented and staff will be re-trained (if they can pay attention for long enough!). Your safety is as important as ours.
Okay, so now onto something more interesting!
In between the Covid stuff, we have started work on our new game AQUARIUM which will replace our Christmas room. Rogue Elf has been retired and the elves themselves locked away for good!
So the one thing you’d expect to find in a large aquarium is fish. And making fish from scratch is a time consuming process! First of all, sketch a fish! Actually, sketch several different fish.
Google helped with tracking down some images to copy and with various fish outlines and silhouettes to work with. But it still takes a degree of artistic flair to draw them yourself on paper (not really, but it sounds good).
Next comes the task of transferring the sketches onto wood. I’ve used MDF and Plywood so far, with the MDF proving to be the easiest to work with as it’s smoother and less likely to splinter.
We used carbon paper stuck to the back of the drawings to get the outlines onto the wood.
Then out came the trusty jigsaw to cut the shapes with a very steady hand (not forgetting to wear safety goggles, or reading glasses as I call them).
After some sanding, a white primer is applied and then the fish shapes are handed over to our in-house artist, Maggie, who spends countless hours creating beautifully coloured fish!
Most of the artwork is done with a mini spray gun. Using one of these is an art in itself, believe me!
Hopefully, work on AQUARIUM will continue providing we get a few bookings when we re-open in August, as we need the funds to create our next masterpiece!
Thanks for tuning in and for following Housetrap Escape Rooms. Check out our current Facebook page for a competition we are currently running to win a free game at Tumbleweed or DASH this month.
Stay safe.
Trev
