January Progress

Sun Jan 12: Completed the painting of four figures. I began a spreadsheet to keep track of all of the figures I’m painting, including descriptions of the figures, a list of paint colors used on each one, and a name assigned to each one, since, after spending an hour or two painting a figure, I start to think of them as characters.

Sat Jan 18 Puyallup train show: Picked up a PanPastel Rust & Earth Weathering Kit, plus separate PanPastels in black, white and two shades of gray. As I was browsing the products, I told the vendor I had been using regular artist pastels that I grind off with a hobby knife, and asked if the PanPastels adhere to plastic better than regular pastels. He said he thinks they use a “proprietary” formula that helps it adhere, possibly containing CA. I spent about $40 on the kit, which contained some applicator tools, and the four grays. Later, I realized I was thinking of Bragdon weathering powders, which I had heard contain some form of CA.

Sun Jan 19: Completed painting of two figures (bald black dude and fat seated woman).

Mon Jan 20 (MLK Day): began prepping …

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Beginning my 2019/2020 Winter Modeling Season

For a month or more, I’ve felt frustrated that other priorities (holidays, a house guest, master bath remodel and tattoo graphics for Chris), plus a lack of early-season snow in the mountains* have prevented me from getting back to work on my models this season. But, as I looked through posts on this blog from last year, plus progress photos on my phone, I realized that last year’s winter modeling season didn’t really get fully underway until the day of the Great Train Show in Puyallup in mid-January. So now I don’t feel so bad, and I supposed this just goes to show how excited I was to get back into the work.

I did manage to spend about 8 hours working on the chapel car, and a few more hours working on a 1950s wood kit (boxcar) given to me by a new friend, Karl, who I met last February at the UNW train show in Monroe. Karl drives trains for Amtrak and recognized me from my daily routine of walking from my office to the Spokane Street crossing on the BNSF main line to see the 2:20 Amtrak Cascades departure from King Street Station go past. In addition …

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