Coloring a Laser-Art Structure Using Eye Makeup by Margaret Ullrich

If you've been thinking of starting a hobby, but don't want to go to much expense 

(who knows, you may end up hating the hobby), this might give you some ideas.

The following article was recently published both in the United States in The Thousand Lakes Region of the National Model Railroad Association's publication, 'The Fusee', and in Canada in The Winnipeg Model Railroad Club's publication, 'The Lantern'.

As you can see, I started doing a hobby on the cheap - and you can, too.

My husband is a model railroader.  He is a member of the TLR and the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club.  They both have banquets.  Wives are invited.  There are door prizes.  After the WMRC's banquet I found myself with a kit for a #889 N Grain Elevator Laser-Art Structure.

It was too small for my husband's layout.  My first thought was to return it for the next banquet.  But then they announced the theme for the next Spring's contest: a Laser-Art model.  There would be prizes.  Oh…

As we drove home I wondered if I could actually make the model.

A few months later I watched Suzanne, the WMRC's president, paint a laser-art kit.  Watching Suzanne reminded me of Art History where our teacher explained Pointillism.  Georges-Pierre Seurat, a Pointillism biggie, had spent over two years painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.  Suzanne barely touched the paint with her brush.  Then she wiped the paint off before she tapped the brush's tip on the model.  Suzanne explained that the thin wood warps when it is wet, but the walls should straighten as they dried, so that they could be glued together.

It was slow, painstaking work. 

Nobody could ever, ever accuse me of having that kind of patience.  I was having my doubts about making the elevator for the contest.      

I'm not patient, but I am cheap.  There's cheap and then there's stupid.  I know eye makeup shouldn't be used after six months.  But I couldn't just toss the germ infested containers.  I keep things, just in case.  A couple of days after watching Suzanne I was sorting through some makeup.  It hit me.  Eye shadow and blusher are powders in a variety of colors.

Since I had nothing to lose, I decided to use my old makeup to color the kit.

As I was new to the hobby, I thought it was important to read the instructions.

Yeah, well, that shows how clueless I was.

If you're about to make your first laser-art model, just glance at the instructions.

Trust me.  Especially if you're planning to use some old makeup.

The instruction writer had first made the grain elevator, then the shed and finally the office building.  Suzanne had worked on one building at a time, carefully dry painting each structure, like a jeweller polishing a diamond.  

Applying eye shadow with a cotton Q-tip to a model is not as exact.  The makeup smears over and some of the powder falls onto the table.  A few swipes with the Q-tip and the wall is covered.  We're not talking eye liner here.  It's easier to color all of the walls at the same time.  What's the sense of creating one mess, cleaning up, and then trying to remember what was used to create the same effect on a second building? 

I created a faded look for the walls with various shades of grey, white, blue and purple makeup.  On the outer beams, doors and trims I used the blusher, with a few touches of grey and white for a bit of interest.  The powders held to the wood and didn't rub off.  On the interiors and on the under side of the roof panels I used a #2 pencil to give the appearance of warped wood planks.  I separated the pieces and kept the leftover wood, just in case.

The instructions had said to attach all of the grain elevator walls together before inserting the assembled windows, and that the peel-and-stick frames would hold the windows without any glue.  Forget that.  It's easier to work while the wall is flat on the table.  The peel-and-stick frames don't stick well or hold anything.  I put a dab of white glue on the edges of the walls, installed the windows and then put the walls together.       

A few of the beams and a thin front wall had broken when I was separating and trimming them.  At first I panicked.  Then I realized I was making old buildings.  The broken bits would just add to the effect.

Because of all the glue, the thin fronts by the doors of the shed and the office building had warped. I re-enforced them with tooth picks.  That saved a bit of time cutting the scrap wood to fit.

The instructions were useless when it came to attaching the unloading shed.  The elevator is not flat, the foundation is recessed and the elevator doesn't extend to meet the front of the shed.  The leftover scraps of wood were perfect for making a frame on the elevator to provide a flat surface for attaching the shed.  The kit didn't have trim to cover where the structures joined.  So I made a beam, notched it to fit around the elevator's two outer beams, and angled the top to fit the shed's roof. 

Don't even bother reading the instructions for the roofing. They said the wooden roofs for the elevator and the office would easily bend and fit, and all you had to do was attach and color the shingles.  Right.  First I measured (allowing for overlapping) and marked guides on each roof for placing the shingles.  Then I gently scored the roof panels with an exacto knife before bending to attach them to the buildings.  I colored and cut the shingles to fit before overlapping and gluing them.  Then I used a bit of red where the shingles meet the beams, and also under the outer beams and the windows, to look like rust stains.

I used a marker to darken the white plastic tube supplied for the elevator's loading chute.  As the pre-cut hole was larger than needed, I taped the tube to the inside.  I had used the picture on the box as a model.  It had a light blue foundation, which just didn't look right for an old building.  So I darkened my foundation with brown shadow and used a #2 pencil to add details.  

The buildings were basically done.  By then I was getting more confident.  I decided to add a few more touches.  To create the effect of a water stain under the roof of the office building, I smeared a drop of white glue, then rubbed some dark grey eye shadow over that.  I also added a few patches on the roofs and colored the exposed edges with a black marker.  I also scratched the shingles, shaved their edges with an exacto knife, and flipped a few of their edges.  

I didn't have much confidence when I entered my grain elevator in The WMRC's Spring Show's laser-art contest.  But, I figured, it's done, why not enter?  I was awarded first place and received the Goodall Trophy. 

I also entered my grain elevator in the National Model Railroad Association Thousand Lakes Region's 2013 Regional 'Twin Rails to the Twin Cities' Convention's model contest.  There it was awarded third place, Structure On-line.

What can I say?

Use what you have and keep things, just in case!

Christmas Eve Thoughts

This has been a very different December for us. Enjoying a few get togethers with friends and a party for volunteers at church, as well as having to sort out financial and legal papers. Tonight we'll be Lectors for a Christmas Eve Mass.


I met with my investment advisor to go over the papers from Ma's two annuities. They had sent the forms for an American resident. Also the applications were different. Lisa helped me find the W-8 form I need from the half dozen the U.S. government have on their site and printed 2 copies. She read over the papers and they're a little clearer now.

I had e mailed one company and asked if they wanted both my social security and social insurance numbers. I was told they do not give tax advice. I called the other company and the woman there explained they want the social security number so they know where to credit the witholding tax. Why the other company couldn't have said that...


We also went to a 'celebration of life' for a friend who passed away. Phil was 69. We had first met him in 1978 when Paul started working at the Free Press. There was a video of some of the highlights of Phil's life and a few funny stories from family members and friends. It was good seeing everybody and reminiscing. Some are still working at the paper and others, like Paul, are retired. We hadn't seen some of the Free Press folks for quite a while. It was like being in our 30s again. Where did the time go?


We're pretty much set for Christmas... Last Christmas Aunt Betty said to enjoy life. Aunt Betty passed away in January, a week before Pop.

Yes, it will seem odd tomorrow - not talking on the phone with my parents and Aunt Betty, or sharing a bit of turkey with BoBo. But, we still have much to be thankful for.

Paul's cartoon 'The Bicycle Lesson' has had some success. It screened in Miami (Florida), Danville (California), Fredericton (New Brunswick), Guelph and Toronto (Ontario), as well as 4 screenings here in Winnipeg.

I've enjoyed working on my book and blogs and serving as public relations person for the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club.

The volunteer party was fun. There was plenty of food, games and kareoke. Paul and I joined a fellow parishioner Brenda in singing Tom Jones' Delilah. Lots of silliness. The evening flew.


Like Aunt Betty said - enjoy life.


Merry Christmas, Everyone.

Busy, Busy, Busy by Margaret Ullrich

On the evening of October 16 Paul went to the Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute to set up his trains. His exhibit of larger scale trains was usually very popular with the younger children. He came home shortly before 10:00 pm.

Bobo was his old self, rushing to see him and barking his head off. I gave Paul a marrow bone to give to BoBo.

"Why'd you give me this?" Paul asked.
"Just for the hell of it."


It was the last thing BoBo ever ate.


Saturday, October 17, was the first day of the Train Club's Open House. I went to the Safeway at 7:00 am to pick up some fruit for Paul to eat at the show.

BoBo seemed comfortable but wasn't interested in eating or going for a walk. We just thought he was tired. Paul went to the Open House while I did some chores. BoBo moved around the main floor quite a bit.

First he was on his chair in the kitchen. He pulled his old trick on me. He was the only dog we ever had that liked to lie on his back. I always wanted to get a picture of him doing that. But, whenever he heard a camera focusing he would roll onto his stomach. So, I took a picture of him at 10 am just laying on his stomach on the chair.

BoBo also napped behind the chair, by the sink, in the powder room, by the front closet and, finally, by the desk (another favourite for him - he liked to lay by the desk with his head between the desk and the chair). He had his little quirks.


When I checked BoBo around 4:00 pm he was breathing steadily. Paul got home a little after 5:00 pm. Bobo didn't greet him. I thought he was sleeping. I asked Paul about the number of people attending. Paul answered, while keeping an eye on Bobo. Paul went over to the desk and put his hand on our dog. BoBo wasn't breathing, and his body was already getting cold.


BoBo had gone in his sleep.


Another roller coaster... The Winnipeg Model Railroad Club's Great Canadian Train Show and Flea Market had 600 people. Last year it was 400. I was the new public relations person for the train club. Success.


Big Deal.


BoBo was gone.