A Question of Attitude?

[Richard61]

Hi everyone.
I thought I'd jot down a few words about the hobby in general, written from the perspective of a "Newbie" to figures, which may be of some small help to other "Newbies" before you give up
Whether you're new to modelling in general or have experience in other fields, figure work is usually thought to be a magical "Black Art", only open to a select few ...... and yet most models displayed on a scenic base will involve figures to some degree. A tank commander? A pilot? It doesn't have to be a full blown diorama, so why do we invest time and money in producing a first rate model and then spoil it by adding third rate figures?
The first thing to keep in mind is that there is no black magic involved, just practice, practice, practice, more practice and........ PRACTICE!
Add to that the advice and help willingly offered on sites such as this and don't be afraid to ask..... Remember, there are no "stupid questions"
One great piece of advice often seen amongst the threads is to show pictures of your work no-matter how poor you think it is. It's much easier for someone to help you when they can see what you're doing and no-one here is going to mock you for trying.
Personal attitude is also important so even if you've been modelling for years (Like Me) you have to realise that you're a figure novice, will make Rookie mistakes and don't ever think that your first attempts are going to look anything like some of the superb works of art on show from the people who have been doing this forever!
Talking of attitude, I know there are quite a few modellers who grumble about being useless at figures, complain that the skill involved is some sort of guarded secret, refuse to practice but then go back to grumbling etc, etc!
Having a willingness to learn and a willingness to practice are both vital if you want to improve but always, always keep in mind that you should enjoy it. It's a hobby for most of us, not a chore!
Sorry to ramble on, I just hope my thoughts and viewpoint can stop at least one person giving up on figures before even reaching first base.

Richard.

 

[Colin_Fraser]

Great advice and very wise as well.

Another piece of advice - try showing you work in progress in photos here so people can get a sense of your approach. You don't have to finish something to post it.

And try to take decent photos if you can so the people you want critique from will be commenting on you work and not the photos. But this site is the place to be if you want to learn.

Colin

 

[Gaudin]

I will add a quote from Ira Glass, American presenter, producer, host and radio personality. I posted it before and to me it summed up all my experiences at the time when I stumbled upon it and it helped tremendously.

“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”

 

[Richard61]

Hi Gaudin.
What excellent advice. Superb sir!

Richard.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Also there is a trend in this age of internet that if you read an article or book from one of the masters you should be able to perform to the same standard as he/she? Totally neglecting that it took several years and plenty of figures for that master to come there.

I usually say that its very easy to describe for someone to draw a perfectly straight line freehand and a tad bit harder to actually draw it?

Cheers
Janne Nilsson

 

[Richard61]

Also there is a trend in this age of internet that if you read an article or book from one of the masters you should be able to perform to the same standard as he/she? Totally neglecting that it took several years and plenty of figures for that master to come there.

I usually say that its very easy to describe for someone to draw a perfectly straight line freehand and a tad bit harder to actually draw it?

Cheers
Janne Nilsson

Which reminds me of being in my school art class back in the 60's and the teacher wanting us to draw an egg....... Sounds so simple until you try.

Richard.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

And then there is the Catch 22 of Modelling skills development.

To develop faster and easier, it is better that you have affection for the figure. But when you have a good figure, idea or paintscheme, you would like to save it til you get better to get the most out of it?

Cheers
Janne Nilsson

 

[Richard61]

Got to agree there Janne.
I've often had this argument with people (Armour modellers who say they want to improve their figure work)........ I suggest they would get better results with a quality resin figure such as Alpine, so they buy one but then say they'll use the figures from the kit to practice on.... When I try and explain that even the very top figure painters would struggle to get a good result from some of those plastic lumps, they still insist they're good to practice on.
I admit to thinking that way myself in the past, until I realised......... You can't polish a turd!

Richard.

 

[Gaudin]

You can't polish a turd!

But you can put a damn good sheen on it

Anyway - not according to Mythbusters - they have proven that perseverance is a key to success when polishing a turd.

 

[valiant]

You could roll it in glitter!!

 

[Helm]

My tuppence worth would be to find a style you like and ask whoever painted it how they go about it, I've had excellent advice off here and in person from many of the truly great artists that post their work on everything from mixes to actual technique. it's easier if you can see what they mean when they offer advice if you look at the work they have posted I think
Steve

 

[Uruk-Hai]

By the way, wasnt it you Steve that liked the Minions?

Cheers
Janne Nilsson

 

[Helm]

I already have this one mate http://www.planetfigure.com/threads/bannannna.52673/

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Ok, then I can sleep now.

Cheers
Janne Nilsson

 

[ChaosCossack]

My tuppence worth would be to find a style you like and ask whoever painted it how they go about it, I've had excellent advice off here and in person from many of the truly great artists that post their work on everything from mixes to actual technique. it's easier if you can see what they mean when they offer advice if you look at the work they have posted I think
Steve

As great as I think this site is, and the fantastic help I've recieved on here... Nothing beats face-to-face instruction. Nothingng helps more than seeing a technique demonstrated in person.
Which brings to light another great thing about PF... you just might find other painters in your area that you otherwise never would have met. This site has introduced me to some fantastic painters and sculpters in Toronto who have been invalueable sources of guidence... and become friends in the process.

Cheers
Colin

 

[Tecumsea]

On your last point Colin, I've never understood why people are so reluctant to include on their profile the Country they are domiciled in and Town or City!?

Keith

 

[D and D Fan]

I'm always last to the party. I agree with the words of Wisdom offered by everything. I'm a Newbie and proud of it. It is a question of attitude, it really is. My first sculptors suck and you are going to get to see them to. When I get the first 30 done, I'm going to post them in an album. The first are NOT how to do it, I started off using paper clips and super sculpty and just when I almost had it, the armature wiggled on me. Then wiggled some more. Sheer delight I can tell you. Any way, each one I can see how or what I should have done different. The advice here is awesome and I'm reading a book called "Pop Sculpture" which has some great instructions. I want to use up my pound of super sculpty before moving on to Chavant (2 lbs), and yes, I just got "Green stuff" and "Grey stuff". So me and the Rabbit are here to stay.

Thanks to everyone I've talked with so far and I'm looking forward to talking with the rest of you.