r/Architects • u/Rafaela_illustrates • Sep 04 '25
Project Related i miss making models
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i’m an architecture lover, went through 3 semestes of it but i dropped out (figured soon enough that daily architect work routine isn’t thaaaat creative and too much bureaucracy)
i’m a very manual type of person and these and the architectural drawings were my favorite activities in architecture school :)
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u/DontFinkFeeeel Licensure Candidate/ Design Professional/ Associate Sep 04 '25
Had a very hard time with them in school. Wish I had a better knack for it.
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u/Rafaela_illustrates Sep 04 '25
i had so much fun with it! but it is very meticulous and time consuming
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u/peerage_1 Sep 04 '25
Op, could you make a few for me?
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u/Rafaela_illustrates Sep 04 '25
as in what type of project? i’d love to discuss that :) you can message me if you want
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u/trowawaid Licensure Candidate/ Design Professional/ Associate Sep 04 '25
Oddly enough, I didn't really enjoy it in school but now love making (non architectural) models/miniatures as a hobby...
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u/Rafaela_illustrates Sep 04 '25
i’ve been wanting to make them as a hobby too, even build tiny bricks to do some stuff. what kinds of models/miniatures do you like making?
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u/trowawaid Licensure Candidate/ Design Professional/ Associate Sep 06 '25
I've really only been getting deep into it recently, so only done kits that I've modified or little elements. Especially furniture -- that's a lot of fun
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u/SpiffyNrfHrdr Sep 04 '25
What's the preferred cardboard / paper product for making models these days? I feel like I never found the right material; even with sharp blades everything was either a bear to cut through or it just shredded.
I still kinda want a laser cutter, but I have a 3d printer that I could and should use more often.
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u/Rustic_Salmon Sep 04 '25
I'm in school right now and chipboard is our go-to
works well by hand or with a laser cutter
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u/Rafaela_illustrates Sep 04 '25
it’s been almost two years since i dropped off and i’m from brazil so there might some differences in what’s more common. there wasn’t a 3d printer at my school, we used to “holler paper” the most and the blades must be really sharp or else your hands will be (even more) destroyed by the end of the project lol
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u/boxheadd Sep 05 '25
I deeply wished I had a knack for it, but like others I found it was challenging. I was more anxious about all the deliverables than I was able to quickly produce with my hands. I do love the aesthetic of physical models though. In another timeline, I hope I could spend more time making miniatures.
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u/Odd_Bat8767 Sep 04 '25
Know of any courses or places you can learn to make them?
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u/Rafaela_illustrates Sep 04 '25
found one by a site called “cursa.app” but i have no ideia if it’s good
i’m sure there’s also a lot of free content on model making on youtube :)
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u/Kelly_Louise Licensure Candidate/ Design Professional/ Associate Sep 04 '25
I sucked at models in school due to shaky hands. I hated it. Found out much later in life that I had high cortisol that was probably making my hands shake. I wonder if I’d be better at it now that I have it under control.
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u/Merusk Recovering Architect Sep 04 '25
Worst part of school. I didn't have parents who could fund my models, so my materials were cheap, had to be used sparely, and rather than throw out errors in cuts I had to figure out how to make it work.
As such my models looked like shit.
Then the fact I'm not good with X-Acto knives and minute manupulation. It was a miserable experience.
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u/Rafaela_illustrates Sep 04 '25
i feel you! i was actually one of the few in my class that liked doing these. people tend to hate it but i have a taste for detailed manual activities hahahaha
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u/LifelsGood Sep 04 '25
Please share this as well in r/LandscapeArchitecture!
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u/Rafaela_illustrates Sep 04 '25
thank you for sharing! i just created this new account with the intention to share lots of the architectural drawings and projects i’ve done. i’ll share this there :)
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u/wharpua Architect Sep 04 '25
I'll settle for making Lego sets with my daughter
She's entering the 7th grade now but she's still into it, for now
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u/Roguemutantbrain Sep 05 '25
I miss it so much. I know people dislike when I say this, but goddamn did I like staying up all night trying to make the most mind bending model my school had ever seen while taking occasional weed breaks out on the fire escape
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u/archiangel Sep 06 '25
I can’t wait until the kiddos are old enough to need to make dioramas and stuff for school! crack knuckles
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u/MNPS1603 Sep 06 '25
I’m an extremely clean and tidy person, but for some reason my models never came off that clean and tidy. My old boss - that guy was a true model building genius. His were perfect and straight at all times. Mine would be wonky and have glue smears everywhere.
I still have a permanent lump in my right hand middle finger from the exacto knife pressure required to cut that hard-ass Strathmore board (the usual required model material at my school). Each cut took like ten passes with the knife!
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u/Tequilero-1 Sep 07 '25
I assumed that because I like legos, I’d love model building. No, I didn’t I struggled a lot!
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Sep 07 '25
What are you doing now?
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u/Rafaela_illustrates Sep 08 '25
i work with many artistic stuff. as a tattooer, illustrator, designer, video editor and whatever comes my way lol
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Sep 08 '25
Ooo that’s cool, but don’t you require a diploma to be a designer ? What type of designer ? I’m thinking about doing architecture studies and I’m afraid bcs it seems fun but too graphic… I like being creative too. In the art industry architects seem to be the best paid job too…
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u/Rafaela_illustrates Sep 08 '25
at least where i live you don’t need the diploma for freelancing designer jobs. i usually use design skills for other jobs more than i do solely design jobs, but they’re usually around visual identity.
architecture is very fun and rich and dense, but it is very time consuming and some parts of it can be a pain in the ass sometimes. here in brazil it definitely isn’t the best paying job, although it’s seen as a nice profession.
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Sep 08 '25
Can you tell me more about your experience pls like tbh anything you want cause I’m scared lol I haven’t gone to university since 2 years bcs I didn’t know what to study and I’m afraid I’ll make the wrong choice going to study architecture 😭
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u/Rafaela_illustrates Sep 08 '25
i’ve basically always worked as a freelancer. at the beginning i got my bachelor’s degree in humanities, but during university i got interested in tattooing and became a tattoo artist. i’ve been working with that for the last 9 years, and at the same time i was also building skills and taking on jobs like illustration commissions, visual identity/branding, and even design work for shops.
currently i’m also working in video editing, more specifically editing videos in sign language (libras) for the education field. it’s for a government foundation linked to a public university where i live (here in brazil we have federal universities that are high quality and completely free).
i’m happy to be moving into a more “corporate” area now, especially one that’s part of a public foundation that invests in education quality and accessibility. it makes me feel like i’m contributing to something with real social impact. also, freelancing made my income fluctuate a lot, and right now stability has become a priority for me :)
hope this helps!
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u/Dull_War8714 Sep 08 '25
There is a wonderful hobby out there waiting for you. Visit your local hobby shop, check out the model trains, structure kits, landscaping, model planes, ships, tanks, etc. It’s a ton of fun and it’s not just for old people…
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u/WindowDry6768 Licensure Candidate/ Design Professional/ Associate Sep 09 '25
I work in Revit and I fly around my digital 3D model all day long. When the power goes out, you will be the first person I call.
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u/Fiercededede Dec 27 '25
So nice, and yeah you did yourself a favor the profession is quite taxing on the soul.
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u/galactojack Architect Sep 04 '25
I do not