As I sit writing this having just finished my builds for the club stand at Scale Model World and having sat for what has seemed like hours over the last 3 days trying to get them over the finish line it has made me think that although I started modelling back in the early nineties my modelling technique knowledge is right at the bottom. I said in my last couple of blog posts about the many different techniques and the products available to help you create that masterpiece yet my mastering of these is way off and at times I feel more like a beginner than a veteran. I know why this is and this just adds to my frustration, yes I can do the basics yet when it comes to making my model that bit different, I come up short. Practise, practise, practise is the way forward, yet without the knowledge of how to do something I still feel stuck at first base, yes I could use social media and ask how to do this or how to do that yet I feel in a way that is self defeating, you couldn’t do that back in 1992 when I got back into modelling plus I feel that is cheating in a way, firstly I need to understand what it is I want to do, then I need to understand how to do it and then I need to apply those 2 lessons to my project and then practice practise practise to master them and gain the knowledge that I need.
We all know the numerous ways that can make our bit of plastic look like the real deal yet I don’t know about anyone else all this modelling jargon really does confuse my brain and I really wish that I could teleport myself back to those days in the early nineties when things were just that bit simpler. I have attempted a few new techniques this year on my Telford models, yes I probably shouldn’t be trying out new things as the ease that things can go wrong however if you don’t try anything new you will forever be stuck in the same old cycle however it had me struggling with stress and anxiety every time I ventured to the bench. I have tried to take one step at a time so not to mess anything up yet I have struggled to understand and master some of these techniques, some I struggle to know why they are used for example the filter, yes they are easier to apply or use than a wash, yet I’m not sure what they bring to the game. I quite like the pin wash, and I have used them for the first time this year and I think I actually prefer them to the overall wash, maybe I should be using the filter, or numerous filters then a pin wash instead of skipping those 2 and just going head on into slapping on an all over wash and then removing what you don’t need, quite a waste really.
The amount of knowledge that I feel is lacking is down to my lack of project completion, finishing a hand full of models every September October and one weekend of November is not really teaching me anything other than how to panic finish my projects, what I need to do is on my return from the Midlands is to jump straight back in with a part completed model and use it to learn from. I have been working on 5 projects since the summer and it is hard to devote the time necessary to have them finished to the standard that I want to finish them at. This last weekend before SMW I have been completing dirt and grime streaks, something that I need to find another way to do as my hand shakes far too much, and then the finishing of the wheels and tracks using pigments, I really do like the effect you can get with layering of pigments, not easy to do over 2 days and 5 models though. I have felt myself rushing as I flit from one kit to the next trying to get the desired effect that I am looking for, I can see the effect in my mind however without the skill set and the knowledge to carry it off it can be a struggle. I guess that this struggle can be seen right across my modelling, I can use an airbrush as an example however I struggle to master it and the using of it, my simple controls are a bit hit and miss and I tend to get carried away and at times have flooded the detail with paint which in turn makes me feel down hearted and ready to quit, box the kit up and move onto the next.
So as I look forward, my modelling plans for the next 12 months is to find some consistency in my hobby, I need to practice more, learn more and it is about gaining the knowledge that I need to take my modelling up a notch. What we need to remember is that we are always learning, my particular issue is that with sporadic painting and finishing off of projects that learning gets stunted and the skill set is incomplete. In all honesty the sporadic way that I model has had a detrimental effect right across my hobby, I often find something that irritates in a kit and as my skills are just above the basic the ability to rectify and sort this is quite low. There are certain things in the construction that causes me problems, I tend to go all in on the construction without a longer term plan on how I am going to paint it, this is possibly the start of my problems with painting the lack of any kind of plan. In a way it is the same with the build, I would like to use etch and other details within my builds however I lack the knowledge to integrate these within the building sequence so most projects are built straight out of the box. This word knowledge comes out and rears its head time and time again, I cannot avoid the fact that for my modelling to progress and for me to take it up a level my modelling knowledge needs to improve and grow, because at the end of the day, practice makes perfect and knowledge is very much king. Until next time.
The Average Modeller November 2024
The Average Modeller 