That's right, I used 'hobby' as a verb.
B. Smoove of A Gentleman's Ones fame is running a neat series this week. He's keeping track of his hobby hours and accomplishments to see just how much brush time he actually gets every week.
It's an interesting experiment, and it got me thinking about the habits that we get into as hobbyists.
I know how I (for lack of a better term) work. I know what distractions I deal with and how I handle them, I know what kind of paints and brushes I use and how I use them (cheap ones, and poorly)... But what tools do other people use?
It's probably safe to assume that most hobbyists use Citadel paints; they are right there when you pick up a model, so why not get another pot of Color X while you are at it? And I'd imagine that if you shop at a FLGS (and if there's one in your area, I would encourage you to do so) you may use one of the other hobby brands if they carry it. But how many of us go out of our way to use something else?
I have fallen in love with Plaid Folk Art craft paints, and I know that a few (much) more talented guys out there use Delta craft paints. But who uses something totally different? Ever painted a miniature with oil paints? I haven't, but I'd like to try. Have you seen the smooth transitions and perfect blends you can get with oils? Sure, it takes forever and a day to dry, but wouldn't it be worth it, just once?
And what about the simple things, like glue? I use Testors non-toxic plastic cement for permanent adhesion, and whatever gel super glue happens to be on sale if it's something that I need to stick immediately, or if I'm gluing something that I think I might need to break apart later.
But what do YOU do? What sort of simple, every-day hobbyish tasks do you do without thinking that someone else may do totally differently? What sort of tools do you use that may never even occur to someone else? What work habits have you fallen into? Can you walk by a cheapo pack of paint brushes in Wal-Mart without throwing it in your cart?
I know I can't.
But what about you?
I have a friend who does complete scratchbuilt vehicles with plasticard and uses women's fingernail glue instead of superglue. Swears by the stuff.
ReplyDeleteI treated myself to some of Vallejo's "Model Air" airbrush paints - they seem to spray a little bit easier than the GW paints and I find I have to clean the needle less frequently - still acrylic though, so not as horribly toxic as other alternatives.
ReplyDeleteI've also found I get much better results if I can stop myself from completely assembling a model before painting. It's an obvious one I guess, but it's much easier to paint a marine's chestplate without his arm getting in the way. I find it really painful though, as you have to wait until right at the end to see the finished product - tests your patience a bit. I always think it's strange when you see things like fully assembled Forgeworld titans that are not painted - I hope for their sake that the guys who do this just have some temporary way of fitting it together that they can take apart again to paint.