Modelling is often a test of patience where our desire to complete something in a hurry can sometimes result in less than optimal results, as we rush headlong towards the finish line.
22nd May 2025
Modelmaking is by its very nature a varied and interesting pursuit. Much of what we do is enjoyable and often, it’s a far from repetitive hobby where many of the stops are offered in bitesized chunks that we can tick off on the way to a completed model. Sure, there are exceptions, but in the main, we get to enjoy a project without any one step becoming too tedious.
However, there are exceptions to that rule and when they arise as they sometimes do, I allocate a set period of time to these jobs, put my head down and get on with it…
Today, was one of those days when the time was pretty much mapped out from the moment I got up, until, well, about ten minutes ago or 8pm if my clock is correct!
I’m completing a commission at the moment, one that replicates an old and rather ornate building. As I’ve discussed previously, most of the detail needed to be drawn out in Fusion 360 and then printed out by my good friend Drewe Manton. Though this was a real game changer in terms of time saved and detail created, I still had the job of recreating the stone walls and the steps that lead up to the door all of which have to be created in Styrofoam, with all detail sculpted by hand.
Today, I had to do the stonework. The building that I’m replicating is built from what looks like sandstone blocks, all of which are different sizes. Imagine the look of a dry-stone wall and you are somewhere close to its appearance, if that wall was held together with mortar. Each of these stones has had to be marked into the Styrofoam one by one and then carefully shaped to match the feel, pattern and texture of the source material that I’m using to create my model.
This has been a long and at times, tedious job.
Despite that, I have had to focus on the work and at no point let myself rush to get it finished. Modelling is often a test of patience where our desire to complete something in a hurry can sometimes result in less than optimal results, as we rush headlong towards the finish line. As this is an important commission I couldn’t afford to do that, so had to keep reminding myself to slow down. The slight downside to that was that it took a lot longer than I wanted it to and still it isn’t finished, but that is offset by it looking pretty close to the way I need it to look, even if I will need another few hours in the morning to complete the sculpting.
Days like today are an important part of the way I work. I try as much as possible to have a set plan for each day I’m in the studio. From the moment I set foot in there I know what I have to do, so stick to that as much as possible. Mostly, it involves small jobs that I can do over an hour or so and sometimes like today, I know that a single job will take hours before it’s finished. When that’s the case, I do as I did today: settle in, put my head down and work until I’ve done what I need to do…
See you tomorrow.
TODAY’S PLAYLIST…
Shinedown: Planet Zero
Volbeat: Servant Of The Mind
Volbeat: Outlaw Gentlemen and Shady Ladies
Volbeat: Seal The Deal & Let’s Boogie
Three Days Grace: Human
Three Days Grace: Explosions
SPENCER POLLARD'S KIT BOX 
0 comments on “A MODELMAKER’S LIFE: SOMETIMES YOU JUST HAVE TO KNUCKLE DOWN AND GET ON WITH IT…”