A MODELMAKER’S LIFE: SKIPS, TIPS AND A GRANDSON’S KITCHEN…

I guess that the lesson here is that we are all capable of learning and must never be afraid to do so…

9th March 2025

As I mentioned on Friday, the Centurion was at a point where I could in the main consider it finished. That being so, I left it alone to let the dust settle so that I could take a look at it today, to deal with any issues and touch up any paintwork that I felt worthy of further attention. That’s now been done, so the model is finally, fully complete, ready to be photographed in the morning.

Leaving a model alone like this is definitely something that I would recommend. Others may have different opinions on this matter, but personally I become so model-blind, I simply cannot see errors even when they stare me in the face. Sitting a model in a dark corner of my studio and then finding something better to do with my time, clears my mind and allows the work to be seen afresh. Mistakes become more apparent, more interesting finishing ideas present themselves and details that I’ve almost inevitably missed, make their presence felt.

And that my dear friends, is what today has in the main, been about. But first, my wife and I popped out for the first of our two daily walks…

The great thing about these walks is that we track them with our phones and having a phone in your pocket means that you can snap pictures of interesting objects, should the chance arise. This morning, whilst passing through one of the estates, we happened upon a small skip ladened with rubbish. Though the contents were interesting enough, I was taken by the paint chips and delicate rust streaks, both of which I mused, could be added to my Centurion to further liven up its finish and bolster the already applied weathering.

Walk over, I set to work dealing with the final steps in the painting of my Centurion, before turning my attention to construction of a rather larger object: a wooden kitchen for my two-year old grandson. 

Much of the work on the model involved the application of more dirt. Though the model looked pleasing as-was, I was concerned that it looked a little too monochromatic so chose to add more layered areas of darker, wet mud. This, I concluded would not only accentuate the detail, but also create a deeper, more interesting finish. It would also enable me to try and replicate those dirty streaks that so enamoured me on the side of that little skip and replicate at least in part, some of the models that I had admired on the Interwebz over the last few months.

Adding the remaining weathering was fun. Oil paints and thinners were used to create both washes and/or blend in neat oil paints, where softer stains were a desired outcome.

All of this took little more than a few hours during which time, I felt as if a bell had gone off in my brain, the model and the work that I’d carried out, feeling like a real progression in terms of my skills and the results. This may sound odd, but I’ve felt recently that my armour has rather plateaued, the models looking pleasing, but not exactly how I want them to be intyerms of finish and weathering. Today, after a few weeks on this little Centurion, I felt as though I’d broken through that wall and that I’m now developing and moving forward once more, rather than standing still. I guess that the lesson here is that we are all capable of learning and must never be afraid to do so…

See you tomorrow.