I liked drawing water-color paintings when I was a kid, but I haven’t drawn anything for like 25 years. Since I got back to modeling a few years ago, I’ve found painting models very satisfying and fun. Thanks to oil washes, I’ve become very interested in oil painting. I’ll start drawing some oil paintings.
The Empress at my home never understands why I spend time and money on modeling, but surprisingly she supports my interest in drawing oil paintings[:D]
I like to see what the railroad guys/gals are doing by attending a big show in my area every couple of years. They do some incredible stuff both with the running stock and the scenery. I think it would be interesting to get into a train setup but then where would I put it? And if you think modek kits, resin, aftermarket and related are pricey, the financial investment you could make for a railroad setup is very intimidating. Sort of like Florida - a very nice place to visti but I wouldn’t want to live there.
I found some nice tricks when I tried oil and acrylic painting many years ago. I did not stay with it, but the things I learned about mixing paint have stayed with me, and definitely help in my modeling.
yeah, recycling plastic.
When we had the satellite TV turned off we (re)discovered PBS. My wife is interested in painting and we started watching Bob Ross. I’d like to learn to paint the sky like he does (did) to use as backdrops for model displays.
Yeah ;
Don , when I modeled over the years I found myself doing very distinct drawings of boats and their environments . That’s when my Missus thought I should get in the sidewalk lottery system for the pier 39 artists row in San Fransisco .
In that Sidewalk art vendors area , I found myself in the perfect spot for three lotteries . Right in front of the place . Sold the dickens out of my pen and ink renderings of Monterey fishing boats etc. Inexpensive frames and great quality paper . Now I hardly draw at all .
Well, let’s see-- Model building led to model railroading, which led to woodworking, which led to blacksmithing. And somewhere along the line, oil painting got thrown in as a passing fancy.
Oh yeah. I keep a lot of stuff I used to throw out (e.g., frozen food containers). They all come in handy.
No,it was the opposite,my love of military history,wheher reading or watching documentaries is what led me into military modeling.
Modeling led to Stick & Tissue planes, to Stick & Microfilm, to R/C planes, to R/C boats, to R/C Cars. All the time still building plastic on the side. Still have some of each in the workroom and basement for a change of pace day with the grandkids.
Jim [cptn]
Maybe modelling hasn’t led me to other hobbies, but it has played a vital role in my professional life. Out of college, I spent several years working as a jeweler and a goldsmith because modelling opened the doors for me. I later went into pewter to learn mold making and mass production techniques. Modelling has given me fine motor skills, an uncommon consciousness of detail, the ability to read blueprints and scale drawings, and basic engineering skills. In the end, I have wound up as the production manager for a military aerospace electronics contractor. It is strange to consider where I may have wound up if I had never built that first model…
Only if researching build subjects in books or online counts as a hobby… Otherwise, while this hobby has expanded for me, it has not lead to new different hobbies for me…
Actualy, this hobby is the end culumation of other hobies and abilities. RC planes, model railroading, woodworking and painting.
When I started modeling back in the 1980’s I became interested in photography since I wanted to catch the realism of the kits in natural settings. Now I know that I was doing forced perspective pics. Now these were back in the film days, I was 15 to 16 years old (maybe less), had no money and was using a SLR film camera lend to me by my uncle. I think it was a Canon. Had a few decent pics. From that experiences I developed a taste for photography until these days. Im in line next to bet a Canon 7D2 (possibly next week) to complement my excellent full frame Canon 6D. It never ends, and dont get me started in lenses…
Yeah - Kit Collecting
I followed basically the same route, though the flying models came before the plastics. But I moved to Minnesota in the Eighties. Weather is not conducive to flying models, except for indoor (but then long drive to school where they flew them) so I dropped all but the plastic static scale.
It has. It led to leatherwork and woodwork. I use my AB, spray booth and acrylics for leatherwork as well. It also enforces my ability to work on things. Cars, the house, etc. When I tackle a project around the house, it almost seems easy! You mean…I don’t have to wear an optivisor when I paint ‘that’? etc…
Don, it was pretty tough riding on the bus with the big box on my lap to the Armory in North Phila. to fly. Those stick and microfilm planes didn’t take kindly to being jostled around on the bus. [;)]
Jim [cptn]
I’m like Tojo, another hobby led me to modeling.
I used to race motorcycles, then crashed. Then my wife asked me to change my hobby to something that would not cause broken bones.
I liked modeling as kid, so I got back into the hobby.
Absolutely! We had boxes, cardboard, but the guys really into it had wood cases. most of us had models that broke down into four parts, fuselage, wings, tail with boom, and prop. Each but the prop had several cardboard support pieces.
Eventually, when I was an adult, saranwrap came along and simplified our lives. As a kid my microfilm wasn’t very good, so I used split tissue. This was jap tissue that we abraded (sanded) down with our hands till it was about half thickness or less, done over a light box so we could gauge thickness by eye.
It was so easy to trim out those planes- you’d launch it, walk along side it, note what it needed for trim, grab it, make trim, release and repeat. One test flight usually did it.