New to replica's Help please!

Well making my first prop, A hylian shield for cos playing link,
Its 100% wood
its all been up and down but now i went ahead and rushed it and its looking rough not the finish i wanted at all.
Any advice at all on how to keep projects under control and how to get things right first time and avoid messy errors?
Any horror stories about first time replicas?
Many thanks

 

Don't rush it.

 

When i get progress, It makes me happy (as it does to all)
So i keep going to try and finish say a 3 week project in a few hours
I guess it is just measure twice cut once
Working on link now, Going to try a legolas one day (that will be amazingly hard)

 

I know the feeling. I guess all you can do is realize when you need to take a break. It sucks when you are trying to do too much, take a break and come back to it with fresh eyes and realize that what you have been doing for the last few hours is messing it up.

Maybe time yourself. Give yourself an hour or two and STOP whereever you are in the progress no matter what.

 

I agree with Jedifyfe, sometimes it can be too easy to focus on the end result rather than the details. Along with his advice, try breaking the project down into smaller goals. Stop what you are doing occasionally and see how the part you are working on fits into the big picture.

 

The only way to "get it right the first time and avoid messy errors" is patience and experience. I have had to restart my first prop three times now because something happens to ruin the work I have done. But, I get farther and better each time.

Sent from my Apple Newton

 

In my experience it's not so much that I didn't get it right the first time, more that my skill level and expectations have moved on since I started it.

First prop I ever made, I was really happy with my first result, then a few months later I re did it and was amazed how much better it / I had gotten.

If I made another (on my to do list) I know I would do it totally differently and it would be another step up.

Nothing is ever perfect, just good enough at the time.

 

Having recently finished my first prop/replica, I totally know how you feel about wanting to work on it and charge through to the end. What I learned by successfully completing it was that patience is critical. If you rush it, it might turn out OK, but if you really take your time, it'll turn out much better than you expected. That being said, it's HARD to be put a limit on your ramped-up motivation - it's never bad to be motivated, so try and tell yourself that it's OK to go slower.

Like I said, I'm totally new at this, but learned A LOT about project process recently!! You'll appreciate the better results if you can reel yourself back in a little and give it a little extra time.

Good luck!

 

I also find that if I start making mistakes during a working session, I need to put it down and come back to it. Repairing the mistake and trying to get make on the self-mandated schedule makes me more tense and I make more mistakes, leading to a downward spiral.

Lynn