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How do you improve?


claireliontamer

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When I look at posts on here from you experienced people I am in awe.  I'm such a beginner, my background really is science so I'm not even particularly creative naturally.  I do have a fairly steady hand and am good at following instructions but everything I make at the moment just never fits quite right nor quite looks how I want it to.

So, all you amazing talented people.....how do I improve my skills?  Is it a case of practising lots, experimenting and accepting sometimes things will go wrong?  Or do you think you do need some degree of ability to begin with?  I watch youtube / read tutorials and everything looks straight forward but then when I try I just don't seem to be able to measure/cut things accurately enough for the miniature scale.  Or things are wonky!  I'm not seeking perfection and I'm having a lot of fun trying new things, that is part of the appeal for me to try new skills and techniques.  I know I could go and buy ready made things which would look more finished but I want to learn and am happy to have a few disasters on the way as long as I can follow some kind of improvement path.

Any general tips/advice/stories are appreciated :)

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12 minutes ago, claireliontamer said:

So, all you amazing talented people.....how do I improve my skills?  Is it a case of practising lots, experimenting and accepting sometimes things will go wrong?  

I think you answered most of your own question there. Not many can produce really artistic or museum quality miniatures, I know I can't, but anyone with some basic skills willing to practice can produce some really fine work. Don't be afraid to try new things and don't be afraid to make mistakes. Experiment. Ask questions. And remember you are probably your own worst critic many others might think your work is a lot better than you do. I tend to think my own pieces are horrible I see every flaw and glaring mistake

PS: I don't include myself as "amazing talented" at all but figured I would answer anyway

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27 minutes ago, claireliontamer said:

When I look at posts on here from you experienced people I am in awe.  I'm such a beginner, my background really is science so I'm not even particularly creative naturally.  I do have a fairly steady hand and am good at following instructions but everything I make at the moment just never fits quite right nor quite looks how I want it to.

So, all you amazing talented people.....how do I improve my skills?  Is it a case of practising lots, experimenting and accepting sometimes things will go wrong?  Or do you think you do need some degree of ability to begin with?  I watch youtube / read tutorials and everything looks straight forward but then when I try I just don't seem to be able to measure/cut things accurately enough for the miniature scale.  Or things are wonky!  I'm not seeking perfection and I'm having a lot of fun trying new things, that is part of the appeal for me to try new skills and techniques.  I know I could go and buy ready made things which would look more finished but I want to learn and am happy to have a few disasters on the way as long as I can follow some kind of improvement path.

Any general tips/advice/stories are appreciated :)

You've pretty much summed it all up in your post. Most of us don't have a lot of fancy tools to work with, so we can't do the precision things that the masters do. We just do the best we can with what we have. As we do more of it, we acquire more tools, and get better at things with practice.

One of the reasons you will get better is because you are trying to DIY, and learn as you go. If you only bought ready made stuff, you would never learn new skills, and you would miss the satisfaction of looking at your beautiful new creations, and watching how they improve as you go along!

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Agree with what the other posters said.  Not that I'm an artisan, but I have seen my skills improve over time.  Think of anything else you've learned in your life.  You probably didn't start out doing amazingly well at that, either.  :-)  In addition to miniatures, I knit.  I guarantee you that I am a much,  much better knitter now than when I started.  You also may find that you naturally do better at some things than others.  I have a real problem with polymer clay.  I follow the tutorials and end up with something out of a Dali painting.  But (not surprisingly), I'm pretty good at miniature soft furnishings, and I've found that I can build simple furniture from mat board and wood strips and do a decent job.  Play around, try different things, and practice.  See if there is a local miniature store or miniature club that hosts classes or workshops.  And most of all, enjoy what you're doing, and don't let the "less than perfect" experiments get you down.

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Trial and error. I'm a copycat. Not creative enough to come up with my own designs so I copy real life houses and room features.  I'm pretty good at guessing real life measurements from a picture and then bringing them down to 1/12 scale. 

It wasn't until I built my third kit until I felt comfortable with venturing into customizing. 

I also took a wood shop class at the local high school night program. This really improved my cutting skills.

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I'm not a master at this either, and honestly expect to always be a student with enthusiasm to learn more. Like anything you do, practice will increase your skills. I know my mini work has improved over time. Part of it is just learning what to do and not to do, but I make mistakes on every single house I've built so far. Something doesn't go exactly to plan. But again, it's a learning experience, and the one thing practice gives you is the confidence and know-how to correct mistakes.

It's been said here before, it's the journey...not the destination. Enjoy the journey and practice, practice, practice! :) 

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Claire I feel like I am in the same boat as you - I finally joined this site and I'm amazed at the work others are doing, and I don't feel like I can do anything even half as good as what I'm seeing here.  However, I have seen that patience and practice are starting to pay off in some of my own skills.  Read everything you can,especially these forums.   I also really like the blog http://dollhouseescapes.blogspot.com/ , I have gotten a lot of advice and inspiration from that blog.  Don't be afraid to try new things and mess up while you are learning.  I taught myself to use wood filler, and next up is using a scroll saw.  We can all learn together, especially us newbies.

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1 hour ago, claireliontamer said:

When I look at posts on here from you experienced people I am in awe.  I'm such a beginner, my background really is science so I'm not even particularly creative naturally.  I do have a fairly steady hand and am good at following instructions but everything I make at the moment just never fits quite right nor quite looks how I want it to.

So, all you amazing talented people.....how do I improve my skills?  Is it a case of practising lots, experimenting and accepting sometimes things will go wrong?  Or do you think you do need some degree of ability to begin with?  I watch youtube / read tutorials and everything looks straight forward but then when I try I just don't seem to be able to measure/cut things accurately enough for the miniature scale.  Or things are wonky!  I'm not seeking perfection and I'm having a lot of fun trying new things, that is part of the appeal for me to try new skills and techniques.  I know I could go and buy ready made things which would look more finished but I want to learn and am happy to have a few disasters on the way as long as I can follow some kind of improvement path.

Any general tips/advice/stories are appreciated :)

I've been doing this now for almost two years. Initially I worked on the exterior only and purchased much of what went inside and it was those purchases that inspired my to try my own.

Once you have an item to hand you are able to see just what work has been done, perhaps even replicate some of that work......a bit like a 'life model' at an art class!

I make most items of furniture in both wood and card and I don't fool myself but what I make pleases me.....I can look and admire the work of other and as you say there is some amazing talent to be seen but that should inspire rather than inhibit.

I have a Tudor building modelled after an actual shop that stands in Exeter. I wanted to turn it into an art materials shop. I made everything in it and I'm fairly pleased with it but you can't imagine just how much stuff hit the waste bin during the build!

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Claire, everyone here, including you, has  expressed it perfectly.  I shall never be an artisan, but, by golly, I'm having lots of fun, and as each try turns out a little bit better than before I must be making progress.

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Thank you all :)

As I say I'm having so much fun at the moment, even if things aren't going right first time.  I'm also taking lots of photos so I can look back and compare.

Someone mentioned a mini-club - yes, I have found a local one and am going along on the 15th February.  They are making a 1:24 bed in the session apparently, even though 1:24 isn't the scale I'm currently working on I expect I'll pick up lots of advice anyway.

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Ditto to all the above. One benefit of venturing into this hobby/obsession is that it opens up the creative part of your brain (or soul). I have found that spilling into other areas of my life, too, like at work. Have fun and the learning will be subconscious.

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I agree with everything said here and might add that you will learn what your own leanings and specialties are over time. You will find your stride in time. I know personally for example I enjoy designing structures, I love interior design, but not so great at making 1:12 scale furniture, so I make more progress if I can find pieces I like. I used to be consumed with my projects and very impatient, staying up until 3 AM to see a staircase come together etc.

But I learned a lot along the way. So now I am more patient, and hopefully skillful. I went after my dreams and found my stride.

I started with absolutely no miniature skills and a fear of power tools.

 

 

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A half century or so ago, back when I was an art teacher, one of the schools in my district had a motto: We learn to do by doing. While that is a very sound principle, I tend to believe that we learn more by asking as well as doing. I use "asking" in a broad sense that includes research as well as eliciting advice from individuals. I see no point in re-inventing the wheel. I think that approach also expands creativity. When I was a book publisher (I'm a serial careerist), it boggled my mind to meet would-be authors who didn't use a thesaurus to improve their work because they thought it was cheating. "F'goodness' sake," I'd tell them. "The only people you're cheating is your audience!"

Our forum members have the best of both worlds. We're doing and asking, and the shared photos are undeniable proof of success. 

Thank you, Greenleaf, for providing this wonderful resource for us! :clap:

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On ‎7‎/‎02‎/‎2016‎ ‎5‎:‎02‎:‎25‎, KathieB said:

Thank you, Greenleaf, for providing this wonderful resource for us! :clap:

Totally agree!!!  I've been doing this about a year and a half now.  I started out with 1:24th scale kits which had all the ingredients but you had to put them all together.  So while there were beads and bits of wire, you had to bend the wire and glue the beads.  Shortly after I went into a huge Greenleaf Pierce which I am still working on - although I've inserted a couple of other little projects in as well!  :)  I started out intending to make most of what I use - both in decoration terms and in interior.  Through this I've gained skills I never knew I had!  I love wood working and I appear to be reasonable at it!  Still can't work with material though - lol.  Most of all I love experimenting and using new techniques and ideas to come up with different things.  I am really proud of the work I'm producing and I think I'm doing well.  But therein lies the biggest thing to remember - number 1 - you are doing this primarily for yourself and therefore you need to enjoy the process as well as the product!  Don't be afraid to try and fail - it's through our failures that we learn what not to do!  Which of course is to say that we never fail - as we're always learning!  :cucumber:

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56 minutes ago, Shareb said:

...enjoy the process as well as the product!  Don't be afraid to try and fail - it's through our failures that we learn what not to do!  Which of course is to say that we never fail - as we're always learning!  :cucumber:

Couldn't have said it better myself!

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Taking classes helps a lot. And lots of research, I bet I have over 50 books about dollhouses and minis ( suggestions are in the thread for book recommends). But there probably isn't a substitute for good old trial and error and practice. I'm obsessed over a new hobby (oil painting) that kind of replaced my dollhousing temporarily, one day I hope to join the two in some way. Really miss dollhousing. But isn't it fun to always be learning new things :) 

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I have been doing minis for over 30 years.  I still mess things up sometimes, but I just pick myself up, laugh about it and start over.

At the last part of this month, I will have been writing about my mini adventures, every day for eight years.  That combines my two favorite things.  Minis and writing about whatever I am doing on any given day.  This 'hobby' is adictive.  It doesn't matter how short or long a time you have been doing it.  All that matters is you are enjoying it.  It's a learn as you go experience. I am still learning.  Being on this forum helps!

Some days go better than others. Even if I mess something up, it makes no difference. A day with mini making is much better than one without mini making!  Just enjoy!

 

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Most people here have posted the answers - and I'll agree that I'm one who learns by doing. And sometimes doing 3x because sometimes I don't learn from my first or 2nd attempt at something! I think its also very subjective - what each of us likes and we find our own groove. What may seem like a satisfactory way of me doing wood floors may not be the same for the next person....some want perfection, shine, fancy patterned wood floors, some may want realistic warn floors for the time period. Copying is the most sincere form of flattery, its been said. Thats fine as long as it doesn't infringe on another's work - like an artisan's who makes a living off of their own style. 

You all probably go through what I go through - as your current project warrants a style, feel, era, technique - you begin researching what others have done, in both the mini and the real world. Then you experiment and hone it to what you like. 

I found a couple of great tutorials and links for inspiration recently - random:

  • Bed curtains (or regular curtains) where they were soaked and coffee stained, then a round of glue gel was applied, and the pretty pleater with some 'adjustments' - I want to try this - got a bottle of glue gel just the other day to try it. 
  • Using the 'beneath the stairs'' spot for a bathroom - love it! 
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Oooh, I'm in trouble now. I didn't know we were supposed to improve. And I have to admit, after 30 years, I don't think my skills have improved one iota. I mean, I still can't saw a straight line with the jigsaw.

And after this weekend, I'm not so sure about the fun aspect of this hobby either.

Oh, well, on the bright side, I'm enthusiastic. Does that count?

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On 2/9/2016, 10:12:21, Caseymini said:

I have been doing minis for over 30 years.  I still mess things up sometimes, but I just pick myself up, laugh about it and start over.

At the last part of this month, I will have been writing about my mini adventures, every day for eight years.  That combines my two favorite things.  Minis and writing about whatever I am doing on any given day.  This 'hobby' is adictive.  It doesn't matter how short or long a time you have been doing it.  All that matters is you are enjoying it.  It's a learn as you go experience. I am still learning.  Being on this forum helps!

Some days go better than others. Even if I mess something up, it makes no difference. A day with mini making is much better than one without mini making!  Just enjoy!

 

I LOVE this!! Enjoying it is the most important part for me. I am NEVER going to be perfect or even that great probably, but I love working with minis and love looking at what other people are doing. It's so much fun. 

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Aw, I can sense the enjoyment and enthusiasm here :)

I will keep continuing as I am having so much fun.  I love the fact that there are so many different skills to have a go at.  I do enjoy painting but I get bored easily and so it's nice to do a bit of painting, then a bit of sawing, then a bit of designing etc.  I am also really really enjoying the research part.  I never in a million years thought I'd be spending my spare time googling front doors or chimney stack constructions.  I even find myself walking around looking up at roofs and ridge tiles as I'm out and about!

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