Introduction

Sven-Åke Grufstedt, a well-known Swedish master of braille scale recently created his first educational booklet where he shares his secrets of making attractive vignettes. The book is available as a digital download (PDF) for 1.99 Euro (2.51 USD) and features 90 pages. This is the most convenient format and can be viewed on PC, MAC, touch pads and other devices that have Adobe Reader software. Those who like to hold a real paper in hand, can print the booklet themselves at home or using websites providing single copy book and booklets printing.

Content

The content page is clickable, so if you read the booklet in Acrobat Reader you can easily select the part you are interested in. Overall it contains 24 sections dedicated to painting and weathering of military vehicles, making the groundwork and working with figures. As a result you get a complete guide, sufficient to make a vignette on your own.
The text is clearly written and everything is explained in a simple way so you can apply author’s tips straight after reading. The narration is supported by illustrations of excellent quality.

Even though the booklet is called “braille scale modeling” I feel that it is useful for modelers of any scale, since Sven-Åke explains how to work with forced contrast, hairspray and salt chipping, pigments, artistic oils and white glue. When giving us the example of vignette making, the author shows the complete process on the Revell Le Clerc tank. And it is a great example of how a simple model built out of the box can turn into a real miracle. The techniques mentioned above are applied to that model and I was especially astonished by the use of artistic oils for the replication of mud splatter.

Next, the materials required to make the base are shown, and Sven-Åke explains how to create and paint groundwork. Furthermore, he shows how to scratch build a building from Styrofoam, and paint it too. Finally, the conversion of figures and their subsequent painting is explained in detail. As you can see on the images he created a very atmospheric scene!

In addition to the full guide on vignette making there are images of other works by the author, where he used similar techniques and materials. Many of these have been published by Military Modelcraft International and some of us had a chance to see them at the competitions.

Conclusion

I believe that many people would find this booklet informative and useful. If you are in doubt – feel free to download a free sample here:

Free Sample

but be aware that in a final version of the booklet there is much more information and the images are much bigger and of better quality (should I mention that the sample was downloaded more than 8000 times?)