Cheap Tip- Scribing For Added Realism

[Casey]

Here's something which costs nothing, but I think the small shadow line lends a bit more realism, and helps separate the seat base from the floor, making it easier to paint/texture both. A real seat base like this in't molded as one with the floor, and is never the same sheen (and sometimes a different color) as the carpet/vinyl on the floor, so why shouldn't your models be the same?

All you need to do is use your favorite scribing tool to make a small groove where the seat base and carpet meet, like so:

I have yet to scribe over the transmission tunnel in the above pic.

You can use this same technique to add definition and fool the eyes into thinking parts which are molded as one are actually separate parts, Things like consoles, seats in promo-style interiors, washer reservoirs and batteries in Monogram kit engine compartments, etc. Simply adding a little shadow line, or going even further and slightly undercutting the molded in 'part' will make a difference visually, yet costs nothing, other than a few minutes of your time.

[JunkPile]

Very good idea. Thanks

[Danno]

Good tip, Casey!

It's the little things ... and they add up quickly...

[Scuderia]

I never thought of that, but def. will keep in mind. Good stuff.

[cchapman195]

Great tip. As it turns out I am starting the interior on a new model today. Guess what I am going to do first?

[Casey]

If you're really into the details, round over the seat's bottom edge so you don't leave a sharp edge...and add seatbelt clips if you're really into details...and building a '67 Dart sedan.

[Guest G Holding]

Can you even see that when its built?...I prefer an ink line or wash....can't slip doing that!

[martinfan5]

Good tip Casey, Its on of those, oh yea why didnt I think of that

[cruz]

If you're really into the details, round over the seat's bottom edge so you don't leave a sharp edge...and add seatbelt clips if you're really into details...and building a '67 Dart sedan.

Wow man! How did you get those leaves to look so cool and in scale???

[Junkman]

Why didn't you post this 40 years ago?

Now I can never again look at my models built hitherto.

There will not be another model built by me without applying this cheap trick wherever I can.

[jdcar32]

Casey you mentioned some great modeling points. "Fooling the eye" doesnt cost anything, just a little time, and adds alot. Look closely at the top of the seat back , I added wrinkles to it to make it fool the eye and look more like real upolstery.

Edited July 21, 2012 by Casey

[Casey]

Scribing works on panel gaps, too...and it's still free. 

Straight out of the box:

 

After scribing the door gap (the backside of a slightly blunt-ended x-acto knife blade is my tool of choice):

 

Notice the shadow line under the drip rail shows no noticeable visual change, even though the gap at the top of the door was scribed to the same depth as the front and rear door edges.

Below you can see light passing through the gap at the door's rear edge, and how I've slightly rounded the lower corners of the door:

The trunk lid gap has been scribed deeper, too, though I didn't take and 'before' pics.

[Snake45]

Nice work, Casey! I always do this, too, since I learned how much realism it adds, and my "weapon of choice" is exactly the same as yours (you described it perfectly). 

[Can-Con]

28 minutes ago, Snake45 said:

Nice work, Casey! I always do this, too, since I learned how much realism it adds, and my "weapon of choice" is exactly the same as yours (you described it perfectly). 

Make that 3. 

[BigTallDad]

Excellent tip. Hopefully, the panel lines will not be done in black (way too obvious). Depending on the body color, I'll offset it with a drop or two of a contrasting color for the panel lines. That yields a subtle (but not stark) delineation.

[Snake45]

15 minutes ago, BigTallDad said:

Excellent tip. Hopefully, the panel lines will not be done in black (way too obvious). Depending on the body color, I'll offset it with a drop or two of a contrasting color for the panel lines. That yields a subtle (but not stark) delineation.

I flow black paint into the (scribed) door lines BEFORE any priming or painting, and I don't do another thing with them until I clean the final polishing residue out with toothbrush and warm running water. This has worked well for me. 

[935k3]

This a good tip. I do allot of this on various parts to enhance definition of  them.

Edited November 20, 2018 by 935k3

[StevenGuthmiller]

I've started trying to pay more attention to some scribing tasks on my builds as well.

I almost always re-scribe the panel lines & I have begun trying to remember to add panel lines like cowl and tulip panel separations as well as the rocker panel lines.

The seat separations that you have depicted above might be a little difficult to achieve with some of the old one piece annual interior tubs with both front and back seats molded in though.

There's very little working space in the rear seat area as a rule.

It can be hard enough just to get the seat masked for finishing the floor in those cases, let alone getting in there with a scribing tool.

But I like the idea.

 

Steve

Edited November 20, 2018 by StevenGuthmiller

[bbowser]

On 11/20/2018 at 2:28 AM, StevenGuthmiller said:

I've started trying to pay more attention to some scribing tasks on my builds as well.

I almost always re-scribe the panel lines & I have begun trying to remember to add panel lines like cowl and tulip panel separations as well as the rocker panel lines.

The seat separations that you have depicted above might be a little difficult to achieve with some of the old one piece annual interior tubs with both front and back seats molded in though.

There's very little working space in the rear seat area as a rule.

It can be hard enough just to get the seat masked for finishing the floor in those cases, let alone getting in there with a scribing tool.

But I like the idea.

 

Steve

I think sometimes cowl and tulip panel lines get overdone.  On a 1:1, a lot of times these are filled with seam sealer and painted over.  Yes there's a line, but not nearly as defined as a door or trunk lid.  I do like Snake's plan of a black wash before painting, especially on a lighter colored job.

[StevenGuthmiller]

1 hour ago, bbowser said:

I think sometimes cowl and tulip panel lines get overdone.  On a 1:1, a lot of times these are filled with seam sealer and painted over.  Yes there's a line, but not nearly as defined as a door or trunk lid.

This is certainly true, mostly on tulip panels.

 But the gaps between cowls & rocker panels and the front fender are generally not filled with with a sealer because the fender is mounted as a separate part from the rest of the body after paint.

 

Steve

[bbowser]

True enough.   I just wanted to get across that those lines are not nearly as prominent as doors and trunklids/hoods.

[Casey]

21 hours ago, bbowser said:

True enough.   I just wanted to get across that those lines are not nearly as prominent as doors and trunklids/hoods.

That's a good point, and many times that detail (tulip panel, Dutchman's panel) is missing entirely. Maybe that's intentional, maybe not, but there are plenty of bodies which should show some type of joint, whether deep or shallow, but have nothing present. The front valence panels on AMT's '55 Bel Air Sedan and Monogram 's 1/24 '70 Challenger T/A kits come to mind, but there are others.

[Casey]

On 7/12/2012 at 11:29 AM, Casey said:

 

 

Hmmm, I suggested scribing a line to delineate the bottom edge of the seat base from the floor riser, but never scribed a line between the seat back and bottom? Some tip that is. ? Eventually, I followed my own advice and scribed a line between the seat back and bottom, though this time on a one-piece molded bucket seat, like so:

Most of the time the outside edges of the seats (where the out hinges are located, roughly) will be all but impossible to see, due to their close proximity to the door panels, but there are additional steps which can be applied for even more realism: 'wearing' out the fabric in heavy wear areas; sanding away some material on the seat bottom to replicate butt imprints, separating bucket seat backs and bottoms, then reclining one seat back at a slightly different angle than the other; if there are separate headrests, raising one slightly higher than the other, and so on.

 

I also tried scribing a much deeper line around the windshield trim pieces' perimeter on this '69 Dart project, but time well eventually tell how well that works out:

[randyc]

I've been doing scribing around the chrome on most everything this year.  Helps sharpen up the lines for foil and such.  And scribing the panel lines.   It's tedioous to do, but rewarding on the back end.   Hasn't occured to me to do that on the interior and I have really been concentrating on the interiors in the past couple years.  

[StevenGuthmiller]

I've been doing quite a bit more scribing recently as well.

Not only body panels and a little on trim, but considerably more on interiors.

Being as I build a lot of vintage annuals, there are a lot of opportunities to bring out the details with some additional scribing.

Most notably, I've begun scribing pleats in door panel upholstery to help accentuate what is normally otherwise quite faint.

 

 

 

 

 

Steve