Fill 'er up!

[Guest]

Thanks John, such lovely compliments. I do seem to be making a right royal hash of explaining my predicament though.

I'm really happy with my painting at the moment. Of course there's room for improvement, isn't there always, but I can work on that.

However, as I don't need to tell you, it takes more than a couple of reasonably well painted kits thrown onto a slab of plywood to make an interesting diorama. And that's where I struggle.

Being able to imagine or evolve a scene, knowing what to add, or what not to add to create something cohesive and engaging.

A bush here, a rusty pipe there, a guy tying his shoelace in the background. All of these things I could recreate to a point, but is that what the scene needs?

I can do a reasonable job of recreating someone else's idea, as I'd like to think I did with the Supacat / casualty scene, which was pretty much copied from the box art. Give me that vehicle, those figures and accessories, with nothing to follow, and I'd be floundering around.


I'm hoping that goes some way to explaining the situation, even though it makes absolutely no sense to me when reading it back lol. I may be very practical in a monkey see monkey do way, but I struggle with creativity.

I think a good move for the future would be to find an image or two I like and recreate them. Not as fulfilling as creating something from scratch, but probably more achievable for me

And at least you won't have to put up with me moaning about what to do next :tongue-out2: :upside:

[Tim Marlow]

Hi Andy. What you describe there is me to a T. I can copy or build almost anything, but I cannot come up with original ideas. It is one of the reasons I don’t do dioramas......Doesn’t make me a bad modeller though, and it certainly won’t make you one.. Your painting and finishing are top rate, for example, and you’ve already shown that your scratch skills are excellent as well.
I think it is the difference between an artisan and an artist. Both approaches are valid, and both generate different, but no less interesting, results.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with recreating a 2d image in 3d. You could even take a scene and recreate it with items from a different nationality or era....it is a great way to widen the scope of your modelling as well as improving your observational skills.
It is worth finding out a bit about colour use and object composition and applying them to your models. I’ve done that and found it does lift my work, especially my finished model photography. I do have to actively think about applying the concepts though. Artists just do it naturally......
In closing this ramble, just remember not to lock yourself into a mindset of “inferiority”. You may not be able to make dioramas as you want, but I bet other modellers look at your work and wish they could build and finish like you.

[Neil Merryweather]

You may not be able to make dioramas as you want, but I bet other modellers look at your work and wish they could build and finish like you.

Abso*******lutely!

[rtfoe]

Andy, there's no harm in copying when starting out 'cos that's a form of learning. As soon as you realize why each piece was composed that way you will get the hang of it. Also good compositions are most likely everyday experiences executed as detailed as possible and most of the time the poses have to be scratched or modified. You're lucky if you find a ready made pose. The hardest part is facial expressions to complete the emotion, mood and action of the scene. Don't let everyone assume what you're thinking, just show it as plain as possible.
I have always wanted to do a GI kneeling and giving a kid a piece of gum. It's obviously done before but I'd still want to do it and perhaps create a different expression and put it in a different scene.

Besides the ground crew doing the mundane of refueling and perhaps painting a mascot and the pilot admiring the work done or the crew playing a game of baseball or cards under the wing or lined up and getting a shellacking from their sergeant just for being themselves.

Cheers,
Richard

[scottie3158]

Andy,
I have exactly the same problem I sit and think for ages on how I would like to display my builds. I normally end up using someone else's idea. I look at peoples builds and think why can't I come up with that.

[Neil Merryweather]

. I normally end up using someone else's idea.

good artists borrow- great artistes STEAL!

[Guest]

Tim, thanks for that. Good to know I'm not alone. I'm sure I could easily carry on doing stand alone models but there's just something about a well made diorama that really pushes my buttons, and I'd like to eventually be able to recreate them myself.

Copying, or at least getting inspiration from another's work, as you, Richard & Paul have mentioned definitely sounds like a good path to go down to get me rolling.

Neil - I'm going to have that made into a sign and hang it above my bench! :smiling5:

On a side note, the (medically high risk) in-laws have both received their initial vaccine jab so that's one major weight off my mind, and I have a long weekend away from work coming up so will get back at it on Saturday with renewed vigour!

Thanks again for the kind words all.

[outrunner]

I suffer from the same doubts Andy, which is why I have never done a diorama as I find it hard to conjure up a suitable scene in my head and I also have a serious dread of painting figures. One of these days I will something, probably based on a picture I have seen, like others have said there is no shame in doing that as it is one way to get the hang of things.

Andy.

[Guest]

Cheers Andy, sorry I missed your reply!

Steve has kindly given me a few places to try for reference photos, plus I've found a surprising amount on Instagram, so I'm starting to get a few ideas. It'll still be fairly simple, as airfields aren't littered with debris etc, but it'll be a start :smiling3:


I'm not sure how well it comes across on camera but I've been doing a bit of oil work on the truck. Basic dot filter / streaking mostly, but some stains, shading and highlighting have been added and I've toned down the markings a bit. Will keep going back to it.

[ATTACH]410480[/ATTACH]

I got some more work done on the bird today too. There were some parts that required painting before the fuselage halves were joined, so did everything else that needed the same colour

[ATTACH]410481[/ATTACH]

The joint was pretty much spot on. I struggled with the cockpit at first but once I'd got all of the location points aligned it sat perfectly. You can maybe see how tight everything goes together by the wing spars. They also form part of the gear bay but they were so snug going in that the paint got scraped off. Easy fix though.

[ATTACH]410482[/ATTACH]

[Lee Drennen]

Andy. Looking good this build is right up my alley. Seated and watching with joy.

[Tim Marlow]

Nice progress. Got to like Tamiya fit!

[outrunner]

Coming along well Andy, never tried that oily stuff myself but one of these days perhaps.


Andy.

[Guest]

Andy that is great painting .
As for ideas try Pinterest, for example type in dioramas WW2 . Loads to look at and get ideas.
I save pins of rust, old buildings , Russian villages, tanks ete etc. All this information helps and is a good source for ideas .

[Guest]

Andy. Looking good this build is right up my alley. Seated and watching with joy.

Thanks Lee. I'm fighting my usual instinct of rushing to get finished as quickly as possible, and trying to spend a bit more time on the final stages.

Nice progress. Got to like Tamiya fit!

Thanks Tim.

I can't understand how manufacturers can get away with producing models that don't even fit together! If some can do it, surely they all can. I know costs come into it but I'd rather pay a few quid more and know it's been designed and tooled properly.

Coming along well Andy, never tried that oily stuff myself but one of these days perhaps.


Andy.

I've used them on and off, but starting out with cheap craft shop ones did me no favours. The smell of oils also turns my stomach so I've avoided them for a while but I'm determined to give them another go and see what I can learn.

Andy that is great painting .
As for ideas try Pinterest, for example type in dioramas WW2 . Loads to look at and get ideas.
I save pins of rust, old buildings , Russian villages, tanks ete etc. All this information helps and is a good source for ideas .

Thanks John.

I found pinterest useful on my camper build so I don't know why I hadn't thought of that. Will give it a go, thanks.

[Si Benson]

Lovely work so far Andy, the paintwork on the fuel truck looks superb :thumb2: