This book is intended for those modellers, the individualists, who want to go out and sketch or photograph their own buildings, and yet are not quite sure which would be the best way to start building them.
G. Iliffe Stokes opens his classic book with a few classic words.
After two years of searching I finally found a copy of G. Iliffe Stokes' Buildings in Miniature - $20 from an online bookseller here in Ontario. It's more like an extra thick pamphlet than a paperback book, but it's beautifully designed and put together. I think it was published in 1958. About 1/3 of it is photos and charming line drawings. The work is excellent. I'm looking forward to reading it.
It is a little confusing on techniques as he rather rushes through his "peeling" method, but anything from the great master is worth having. What a shame he never wrote a book on trees, although he did write some articles, which I have. In my opinion nobody has come close since, to his sheer atmosphere.
ReplyDeleteI agree that he got atmosphere right. Even though the buildings themselves are rather simple, they come across as being real without appearing to over do detailing or weathering.
DeleteIsn't that the way, though, with many of the early masters - Allen, Ellison, etc. who somehow managed to get right the feel of a place and time. Simplified construction, perhaps, but highly evocative. Why is that? How did they do that, then, and how have we drifted so far away from that today?
DeleteI don’t know for sure, but I can speculate on some possible contributing factors. One might be that there’s been lots of emphasis on electronics and train control technologies over the last few decades. Now, don't get me wrong, I’ve got DCC on my HO streetcars, and it’s great, and I’m looking forward to seeing battery powered stuff, but a streetcar system is a place, not just nicely operating cars. But, the focus on electronics follows the broader trend in society and that doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon, so I assume it will continue to gain in importance in the model railroad world too. Much improved train control makes simulating railroad operations easier, and there’s been a lot of emphasis on operability in the mainstream press over the years, maybe with the result of less emphasis on the simulated world the trains are operating in. Another one might be envy of the super-detailed wonders produced by airplane and military gear modelers – not to mention other modeling fields. That stuff is amazing, but high fidelity detailing across the board in model railroading might be leading to de-emphasizing a holistic few. In Mr. Stokes book he devotes a chapter to ‘Grouping’, and another to ‘The Importance of Colour’ which discuss setting the whole scene so it holds together visually and makes sense. The book’s cover photo is a decently arranged group shot and in a way sends the reader a message about what’s important. Maybe it’s “making sense” or making a holistic statement to the eye instead of control, operations or super-detail that’s the missing thing. As I browse through photos of model railroads from the ‘30s, ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s in magazines and books, although some were crude, many were sophisticated, and if they could be magically re-photographed using today’s technology, we might be surprised at how good much of it was – like Mr. Stokes’ work (although, there’s nothing wrong with his photos). This is just my 2 cents and 2 cents doesn’t buy much these days – Canada doesn’t circulate pennies any more :-)
DeleteI was first inspired to make models by reading this book and by seeing the great man's articles in the Railway Modeller magazine. I agree with your thoughts above, it is important to capture the gestalt, where meaning cannot be found from breaking things down into parts, but comes from an appreciation of the whole. I remember a famous series of articles in the Brit modelling press by another master, David Jenkinson, about atmosphere. He reckoned that if you modelled to a certain standard of competence, all would be well if everything in that scene was hearing everything else and was equally well-observed. It didn't have to all be at Pendon standard, and I think that still stands today. I hope you enjoy the book!
ReplyDeleteThanks Iain. It's on the top of my stack for reading this weekend - although I'm sure it'll take more than a few hours for me to properly understand. And thanks for the tip about David Jenkinson.
DeleteOddly enough that book is currently sitting on my bedside table at the moment. My copy cost 50 pence, about half the price of a cup of tea, the best bargain that I've ever had. I recently bought an old October 1960 of the Railway Modeller (for 20p) for an article of his which prompted me to dig out the book. The photos in that article are superb, full of atmosphere and highly inspirational. Perhaps because the railway and surroundings blend together rather than the railway being the main focus of his layout.
ReplyDeleteThat price sounds great - I think that works out to around $1! I agree, the blending is probably the key. I guess since we like rail stuff, we make that the focus, but 'out there', it's just another part of the wider world.
Delete