(Note: What follows is a copy of my December newsletter) The above image (taken in 2024) showing a quiet back street in Mankato, MN is about as unremarkable as they come. And….therein lies the point. It’s ordinary, it’s typical, it’s everyday. It’s what the eye is used to seeing when we’re out and about. The […]
Category: Realism
Slow Your Role Dude!
Slow your role Dude….visually (sheen and saturation) I mean. In the November 15th blog I discussed the importance of understanding how atmosphere and distance de-saturate subjects and also remove any gloss. Vehicles are an important element of our scenes. However, out of the box they over the top in terms of gloss and saturation. We […]
The Elements of Skill
Decisions related to color strategy and composition make a far greater contribution to visual impact than manual dexterity, rivet counting, or “detail dumping”. The culture of our hobby would lead you to believe the opposite. There are two components of skill, manual execution and decision making. Decision making entails knowing “what to do” and, as […]
Color Saturation & Hue
Looking at the image above, note how quickly the colors lose saturation with distance. Note the high percentage of subdued colors such as gray, pale beige, and burnt umber. Awareness of this reality can go a long way towards improving the realism of our layouts. Two of the driving elements of visual impact are color […]
The Importance of Neatness
Master modeler SebSG’s Smallwood County layout is among the best of the best. One of his hallmark skills is clean, tight, and neat workmanship. It makes an enormous contribution to the visual impact of his scenes. You can’t achieve exceptional modeling results without being crystal clear on the elements that drive those results. At the […]