Successes and failures:
In this blog, I will not be able to discuss any gaming Easter Egg due to reasons which I can not explain.
My last year in high school was a mixture of failures and successes. In this piece of writing, I will reflect on my successes in 2017 as a way to motivate myself in the upcoming challenges. It is important to understand that having Mr.Baker as my English teacher is what I consider the luckiest/successful thing that happened to me; however, it is heartbreaking to know that a departure with this inspiring man is inevitable in the coming months.
In 2017, my achievements in grades and classes are microscopic even though I managed to keep my scores above the class average. In contrary, my skills in my hobby---plastic model building have greatly improved due to the continuous increase of money and time that were put into it. I have mastered skills such as dry brush, stain wash, and hand painting. With this skills, I was able to improve my productions to a new level.
Dry brushing is a simple yet important technique to increase details on your model. It means applying a tiny amount of the paint on specific areas to mimic the paint chipping off from tanks or mud splashing on legs of foot soldiers. To achieve this effect, you just have dab the head of a dry brush into some undiluted silver/brown paints, brush most of the paints off on a piece of paper then push it on your models. Here are a few pictures of my projects which used this skill.
Stain wash is a bit more complicated but allows me to weather(Make a model look old and used) my models on a larger scale in comparison to dry brush. It also darkens the entire tone of the model to generate a much more realistic feel instead of the plain whiteness of the plastic. The best way to do this is to dilute some black/brown paints with some isopropyl rubbing alcohol and carelessly brush them all over the model. The diluted paint can easily settle in on all creaks, dots and small details on the model. The last thing you will need to do is rub off the paints on flat surfaces on the model with more alcohol hole.
The most commonly used method of making models is hand painting colours on to the model. It is hard because it is almost impossible to paint any parts without getting messy around it. I solved these problems by using masking tapes to cover up the rest of the model which I will not be painting. It is a relatively boring process to cover up the mot-painting-parts but the effects it delivers are incredible.
It is not true to say that I never messed-up on any of my projects, but both the successful and unsuccessful models taught the importance of being creative to solve problems and confronting difficulties with all my might. I believe this lessons will not only benefit my hobby but also my life.
Here are some pictures of my models:
Here are some pictures of my models:
