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Engineer, Artist or Both?

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  • Member since
    September 2016
  • From: Albany, New York
Engineer, Artist or Both?
Posted by ManCityFan on Thursday, May 4, 2017 12:56 PM

Since getting back into the hobby after a long hiatus, I am finding that I am more curious/excited by the painting aspect of model building than the construction. 

So, are you more of an engineer?  You like kits with lots of parts.  You especially like scratch building and kit bashing.  Your painting and decal skills may be good, but what you really look forward to is building the kit.

Or are you an artist?  Your skills in building may be good, but you would rather get a kit with fewer parts, rarely scratch build, and really look forward to the painting and weathering aspect of the kit.

Or are you both?  You really like the whole process.

 

Just wondering if people have a preference. 

I am currently more of an artist, although my skills are in the learning phase.  Maybe the engineer will come out later when I feel I have mastered some of the artist skills.  I do have to admit that I have a fondness for tools, and eagerly thumb through every MicroMark catalog I get.

Dwayne or Dman or just D.  All comments are welcome on my builds. 

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: NYC, USA
Posted by waikong on Thursday, May 4, 2017 2:31 PM
Both! Sometimes, I want to super detail and super scratch build. After a few of those I get burnt out, so I get a really simple kit, try not to add any PE, extra details, etc... Just OOB. But pick a unique paint scheme or after market decals.
  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Western North Carolina
Posted by Tojo72 on Thursday, May 4, 2017 2:33 PM
I'm just a model builder.

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • From: AandF in the Badger State
Posted by checkmateking02 on Thursday, May 4, 2017 2:44 PM

Markings and colors interest me the most.

 

 

 

 

  • Member since
    May 2009
  • From: Poland
Posted by Pawel on Thursday, May 4, 2017 3:15 PM

Hello!

I don't think this question you asked is so good. Buildup is a bit like sculpture and then there's painting. So maybe it would be better to rephrase the question like this: are you more a sculptor or more a painter? The engineereing aspect of model building is there, but I'd say not as prominent as the art aspect, because engineereing is all about efficiency - I'm an engineer by trade, so you can take my word for it here!

I for myself am more of a sculptor, although painting is very important, too, but I like building up more.

Good luck with your modelling projects and have a nice day

Paweł

All comments and critique welcomed. Thanks for your honest opinions!

www.vietnam.net.pl

  • Member since
    August 2005
  • From: Mansfield, TX
Posted by EdGrune on Thursday, May 4, 2017 3:45 PM

Are you a modeler or are you an assembler?

fox
  • Member since
    January 2007
  • From: Narvon, Pa.
Posted by fox on Thursday, May 4, 2017 4:25 PM

I gues I try to be a little of all of the above. Once in a while I succeed and the result is pretty good. The rest of the time I slip up in one, or maybe two, of them and the result is a so-so build that still pleases me but could be better.

Jim  Captain

 

 Main WIP: 

   On the Bench: Artesania Latina  (aka) Artists in the Latrine 1/75 Bluenose II

I keep hitting "escape", but I'm still here.

  • Member since
    March 2015
  • From: Streetsboro, Ohio
Posted by Toshi on Thursday, May 4, 2017 5:33 PM

I am both.  I really really enjoy kits with hundreds and hundreds of parts.  The more parts the more fun it is for me.  Add some PE in there and I'm in heaven.  Especially a Big Ed Set!

As for the painting aspect, I love AB, I love detailed brush painting, and the overall painting aspect as a whole.  Another aspect not mentioned is the art of decaling.  

I feel decal placement is a whole aspect in itself.  And of course the final scenario of weathering.  Something you mentioned ManCityfan is tools!  I can never have enough paraphenilia!  LOL!

I wish I had the money but I would like to purchase one to two more air brushes.  An Iwata Eclipse and a Iwata Custom Micron.  The later is very expensive yet I've always wanted to own one.  

Toshi

On The Bench: Revell 1/48 B-25 Mitchell

 

Married to the most caring, loving, understanding, and beautiful wife in the world.  Mrs. Toshi

 

 

  • Member since
    May 2012
  • From: Pennsylvania
Posted by pilotjohn on Thursday, May 4, 2017 5:47 PM

I guess I have no set preference, but I find myself becoming more of an artist when the complexity of the build gets too high.  If the parts go together fairly easily and the fit is good, it is just as much fun to build the "thing" as it is to paint and weather it.  On the other hand, if I find myself spending hours on sanding seams and filling gaps and laboring to get things to fit together, I just prefer to cut my losses and go right to trying a new color scheme or weathering technique.

So I guess it is probably kit dependent for me.

John

  • Member since
    March 2013
Posted by patrick206 on Thursday, May 4, 2017 7:02 PM

I'm with Tojo and Pilot John, the majority of my builds I give away to kids or friends that have a history with them, few go to aviation museums that display them in cases. Either way they don't have to be super detailed, usually just the "three foot rule applies."

For me the fun is just staying busy at the bench or the spray booth, if I didn't have that I'd be doomed to The Bachelor or Dancing with the stars, cooking shows, etc.

Model on.

Patrick

  • Member since
    January 2015
Posted by PFJN on Thursday, May 4, 2017 8:56 PM

Hi,i

I'm not really sure how to answer this question myself.  I know that I'm not particularly good at painting, but I also don't particularly like over complex kits or feeling like I need to do alot of work on details (and to be honest I'm kind of intimidated by PE right now). 

What I do enjoy though is sometimes experimenting with a build either trying different techniques or doing conversions etc.  And most of my most recent kits have either ended up being kitbashes, conversions and/or partial scratchbuilds.

In addition though I also have bought several kits out of curiosity just to get a better understanding of what the full scale prototype looked liked.  This includes several WWII dive bombers or torpedo bombers, some early jets, and several modern amphibious vehicles.

In fact one of my current favorite builds is a mock up I once did for work of the USMCs AAV7 where I incorporated some proposed mods into it for demonstration purposes.  (It was that task that got me buying models of other amphibious vehicles to see how they approached different design issues).

So in the end I don't know what I would consider myself other than maybe someone who is curious and likes to use model building to incestigate and explore different ideas.

Pat

1st Group BuildSP

  • Member since
    January 2013
Posted by BlackSheepTwoOneFour on Friday, May 5, 2017 8:28 AM

Tojo72
I'm just a model builder.
 

 

That... ^^^^

Engineer? Artist? Nope. A better term is Scale Model Hobbyist.

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: Twin Cities of Minnesota
Posted by Don Stauffer on Friday, May 5, 2017 9:00 AM

My professional work  (aerospace R&D) was on the borderline between science and engineering.  However, I consider my modeling work as art.

My local art museum has a beautiful, large model of the USS Constitution. If the art museum considers models as art, who am I to argue :-)  I consider models a branch of scupture.

I have liberal friends who believe no engineer can be an artist.  They believe all technical people are mindless drones with no creativity.  However, my second hobby is photography.  I often enter salons, and have done well.  The judges have no idea what my training or job was, so I think a person can indeed be both an engineer and artist.

 

Don Stauffer in Minnesota

  • Member since
    December 2003
  • From: 37deg 40.13' N 95deg 29.10'W
Posted by scottrc on Friday, May 5, 2017 9:16 AM

Don Stauffer

My professional work  (aerospace R&D) was on the borderline between science and engineering.  However, I consider my modeling work as art.

My local art museum has a beautiful, large model of the USS Constitution. If the art museum considers models as art, who am I to argue :-)  I consider models a branch of scupture.

I have liberal friends who believe no engineer can be an artist.  They believe all technical people are mindless drones with no creativity.  However, my second hobby is photography.  I often enter salons, and have done well.  The judges have no idea what my training or job was, so I think a person can indeed be both an engineer and artist.

 

 

I know what you mean Don,

I'm an engineer by trade (mechanical and industrial design).  I always wanted to be an artist, but when I went to art school, all the teachers said my drawings and composition was too technical.  They draw the line (pun) between "artist" and technical illustrator.

I always admired technical illustrations and rederings, which was why I chose my profession. I got to be technical, yet express my love and talent by drawing out my ideas.  In a way, I miss the days of actually drawing my concepts and then building a model.  Now, I do it all on a computer and let the 3D printer build the model.  

With many of the new kits, I find myself being an engineer in having to find a way around a fit problem, or how to make a specific detail.  I also look at myself as an artist in finding ways to make color enhance a detail or to give the subject emotion. Airbrushing techniques and the uses of pigments and oils have really allowed us to be more creative and expressive in painting and finishing our models.   

  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Rain USA, Vancouver WA
Posted by tigerman on Saturday, May 6, 2017 2:10 AM

I'm a model builder, but love the artistic freedom we have. Camo and weathering is perfect example in armor building.

Here's my Semovente for the Rommel vs Monty GB

   http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y269/wing_nut_5o/PANZERJAGERGB.jpg

 Eric 

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: Twin Cities of Minnesota
Posted by Don Stauffer on Saturday, May 6, 2017 8:46 AM

scottrc

 

 
Don Stauffer

My professional work  (aerospace R&D) was on the borderline between science and engineering.  However, I consider my modeling work as art.

My local art museum has a beautiful, large model of the USS Constitution. If the art museum considers models as art, who am I to argue :-)  I consider models a branch of scupture.

I have liberal friends who believe no engineer can be an artist.  They believe all technical people are mindless drones with no creativity.  However, my second hobby is photography.  I often enter salons, and have done well.  The judges have no idea what my training or job was, so I think a person can indeed be both an engineer and artist.

 

 

 

   In a way, I miss the days of actually drawing my concepts and then building a model.  Now, I do it all on a computer and let the 3D printer build the model.  

 

I have never given up working with wood.  I do use CAD to draw plans, but for scratch building my favorite material is wood.  My first non-flying model kits were before plastic, and were so-called solid models, carved from wood.  The fuselage was sawn to profile in the kits- the better kits also sawed the planform, but the modeler was left to carve the cross-section.  Wings and tail surfaces were sawn only to planform- you had to carve the airfoil.

When I carve wood, my central nervous system just takes over- I don't even think about what I am doing, my hands just do the work.  This leaves my mind free to just wander.  Very theraputic.  Sometimes my mind wanders creatively, creating the design for a new model, or solving a problem I am having with a current project.

 

Don Stauffer in Minnesota

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