Job's Modelling

NO THIS IS NOT ABOUT ME! This is about figure painting. If you like some appropriate background music to this entry open the link below : For my new diorama Station Road I need some “top quality” painted figures. By top quality I mean the best I can achieve at this moment. The first step was to read chapter 5 of Sheperd Paine’s book How to build diorama’s. After reading I made a small painting guide for myself as a reference during my paint job. I used artist acrylic paints, different branches, which are diluted with an acrylic mat medium. I selected just a couple of colours for painting this figure. Figure analyzing Search for reference pictures. Analyse where indirect shadows will fall on your figure, using a light about 30 cm above it, with the light striking the top of surface of the figure at an angel of about 60 degrees. Rotate the figure. Make pictures from all four sides of your figure. Analyse for the body shadows and for clothing folds and wrinkles. If you know which side of the figure will be visible from the viewer’s side pay more attention to that side when you are painting your figure. I made pictures of my figure, in this case the pretty girl from the Monty Range, for analyzing. I made a painting handling device I saw somewhere on an American website. That worked very well for me. My painting sequence: 1. I choose a colour scheme. I want the colours to reflect the identity of the character. 2. I applied an undercoat, keeping the coat light so I didn't obscure any detail. 3. Then I painted the base coat for skin, clothing and hair. 4. Shade the details. Certain parts of your model would naturally look shaded and darker. I used a mix of three colours: a basic colour, a highlight colour and a shadow colour. 5. I added with a color pencil some color for highlighting some details. 6. I have to protect the miniature with a diluted matte varnish. To see of the pretty girl will fit in my new diorama I placed her in Nice Street. I tried to give her some personality. In my new diorama she is looking in a shopping window. I have learned again from this project. The most difficult part is the face and I’m not quit content with the result for this one. The great challenge here is not to overdo it. And of course I have to finish Northall Dock, but my barber offered me a model book for the hair and skin colour to do this one. Please your comments on this one. Regards, Job

Your pictures are beautiful. I like those diesel loco's.

I hope it will work out for you.

Thanks Mike. For how I created the Morse Teas sign have a look here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/1325/entry-12427-northall-dock-%E2%80%93-morse%E2%80%99s-teas/ I agree with you that the rule of thirds is very useful , not only for creating micro scenes, but also for small railway diorama's and railway based shadow box diorama's

Thanks, Mikkel. I use a single viewing point when I position the figures in the diorama. The viewing point is in the center of the front of the APA-box. For the picture I liked to get the whole scene in one shot. I agree with you that this way of working can be used in many other scales.

I think the cat preference 4mm mice. To catch rats I believe Mr. Belburry has to train his dog Honey. I believe it is a small terrier. But thanks for the complement.

I’m still busy with creating the solution of the L-shape design I described in my last entry. An other point of concern I mentioned in an early blog post. This has to do with the rule of thirds I use for the design of my diorama’s. The white circles are all filled in, with the right amount of details: Top left: the inside of the warehouse Below left: the visible unloading scene Top right: The name sign and the view to the alley Below right: the wooden pile at the corner of the dock. This part has a red circle because for me it isn’t filled in enough. On this place I liked to put some further details. I made use of the viewing line from the pile to the alley. After some try outs I found a convincing solution I believe. It also creates a nice little scene within the diorama. I placed a black alley cat half hidden under the door, that’s standing in front of the cottage. A somewhat older guy is placed in the viewing line toward to Canal Alley behind the wooden pile. This is Jim Belburry, who is walking with his dog Honey along the canal on his way to The Anchor, the local pub for a nice pint of ale. I hope you like the mini scene I created to fill in the red circle. You also can see I have given the warehouse behind the cottage some more height. Compare it with the first picture in this entry. I’m working on a new builders merchants warehouse. More about that in my next entry. Regards, Job

Just wonderful. An other little jewel from your hand. Your depot will be amazing when all your excellent wagons are in place. Looking forward to picture of the wagon in your depot.

Hello Mikkel, The cottage in the front will not be removed from the diorama. Lets have a look at the colors: grey - roofs, road and sky dark brown - the building behind the cottage and the building with the Morse ghost sign "red/yellow" - the warehouse and the roof of the cottage ( I think the respond to each other) yellow - the builders merchants warehouse "white" - the cottage ( but that has a beautiful red/yellow roof ) The only separate building in color is the yellow one. I will try an other color here. I'm thinking of using the same stone texture I used for the warehouse behind the cottage. And I will see if I can create a more balanced total view by adding a figure or something else. If you look at the start of this project you can see I had a black car standing beyond the window near the alley.

Thanks for the reply. I will look at all possible solution's.

Paul I agree that the light is oke. I tried to create a entry about that, but the pictures don't give the right impression. I used diffused light using a fabric (very cheap) they sold here during Christmas time. Thanks Ian. Lucky for me I can take all my buildings separately out of the diorama. So I will build a new building and I hope will give your opinion when you can see both possibilities on the pictures.

Looking really great.

Sometimes I have the feeling that I have to quit a project. I have my doubts how to get the result I like to achieve. This happens to me from time to time — I feel like I miss the possibilities that can be used in the modelling world, and I start to worry. I’ve learned to deal with it, so that while it still comes up, I now have trust that I’ll be fine. So what do I do when have my doubts and get back my motivation ? I do this: I look at the things I have made. I look at Nice Street and, I remember the problems I have solved crating this one. If this diorama is fine, the next one will probably be too. And the one after. We tend to imagine horrible future moments when it doesn’t really happen. Ironically, when I have my doubts the first thing I want to do is to start all over again. I’ve found that taking some time to sit back and look at the project helps me to see the problem and the solution. Even just for a view minutes day. I just sit and look and I try not to judge what I’m seeing. Then I realised that when I want to solve the problem I had to go back to me basic design. What did I want to build and what is the theme of the diorama. I wanted to build a dockside diorama. My basic design is a strong diagonal line as a base. That was a good choice. It gives the diorama a dynamic feeling and creates depth. The basic design for my buildings was a L- shape. Here I didn’t achieve what I had in mind. Although it is maybe difficult to see in a picture. The building behind the cottage is too low. I have to raise that that so that the wall is visible above the roof of the cottage. The same is the case with the builders merchants warehouse. The top line of the roof is too low. But there is something else I don’t like here. The eye goes to that what is brighter. So if I’m looking at the diorama my eye goes first to the cottage and then to the builders merchants warehouse. After that it goes to the warehouse of Roope and Voss. I don’t mind that the first focus is on the cottage, because it is expressing the end of the decade I’m building. But my theme was: the delivery of goods to Roope and Voss. So I have to build another builders merchants warehouse. Result will be published of coarse. Regards, Job

I like your detailed approach. Both, the outside and the inside, look very realistic.

The trick with the unions works very well for me. I will try this also after I have sealed the card buildings with the spray varnish I use. Have you any idea why I have the feeling that there is something "wrong" with the diorama?

I believe it's Floris Flaneur (=Dawdle), A Jewish Dutch Journalist which came as a refuge to England in 1939 and is now a correspondent for a Dutch Newspaper

This I had to do in the beginnig. Painting the APA box. I found this weekend finaly some time to finish the painting I started a couple of weeks ago. Now I had to take all of my models out of the box ant store them on the shelf. The black shadow is a roll of painting tape. This kind of paint jobs I don’t like because of my MCSD. I always get somekind of reaction. But on the website of Allergy UK I found some usefull tips. Now I put a cut union in the room when I have finished painting to help to absorp the smell of the paint. The other “ advantige ” this time was: I had already a new Apa box on the shelf for Station Road. The pictures will speak for them self. Grounding the APA-box Starting with the first layer of black acrylic paint. The final result. I still have to do some work on the fabric background on the right side. But remember with just an opening view in front not every thing will be visible. I test that frequently when I building my diorama. And yes the APA-box for Station Road is also painted and waiting for further developments. Although every building has it’s own charme I have some doubts of the total appareance. I will leave it this way for now and I will have look at it every time I enter my workspace to find what is bugging me. In the meanwhile I can go on with the road. That is also waiting to be finished. Regards, Job

Nice to see them in short goods train.

Just great. The only experiment I can think of is creating a more difused light using a piece of transparant plastic or working with photgraphic filters to see the color effects.

To use less loading materials I think I can use the trick I described in the answer in my blog entry Whisky boxes 2.

Although not moving pictures I think they good be of interest: http://www.britishdrivingsociety.co.uk/images/History%20gallery/pictorial_history.htm I don't know of you knew them. They are a little bit down on the page: two GWR Parcel Vans 1910 no. 68 and 287. And this one would be a great treasure in your goods station I believe: http://www.flickr.com/photos/swindonlocal/4931679775/ Happy modeling.

Hi Mikkel, A beautiful collection of pictures. As you can understand the movies of "The shunting Horse" and "Hair thatching" are my favourites. Nice to see Mr. Roye England working on the Pendon layout. The quality of modelling he achieves in 1958 is still of the highest quality and level.

The difference is the size of the boxes. The piled up boxes are very tiny. Just 2 mm high a box. With the boxes next to the barrel I just a trick that is very handy I believe. Behind the lower box (a plastic one from Preisser) I put a felt pen colored card box (just the visible sides) of the same size behind it. On top of that I placed a crate with bottles from Scale Link.