My Little Eiffel Tower Project
So, the other day, I was just rummaging through some old boxes in the attic, you know, the kind of stuff you forget you even own. And bam! I found this old kit, a model of the Eiffel Tower. Been sitting there for ages, probably a gift from someone I don't even remember. And I thought, why not? Got nothing better to do, really. It said "painter of the eiffel tower" right on the box, like it was some grand title. Chuckled a bit at that.
First thing, I laid out all the pieces. Man, there were a ton of tiny bits. The instructions looked like they were written by someone who'd only seen a picture of the tower once, from really far away. Super helpful, not. So, I mostly just winged it with the assembly part. Snapped a few pieces, not gonna lie. Had to get the super glue out pretty early on. My fingers were already getting sticky.
Then came the painting part. The kit came with these tiny pots of paint. One was supposed to be "Eiffel Tower Brown," but it looked more like mud. Seriously, mud. I stirred it for like ten minutes, hoping it would magically transform. It didn't. So, I just went with it. Grabbed the tiny brush they gave me – felt like I was trying to paint with a single strand of hair.
- Started with the main legs. Tried to get an even coat, but that paint was either too thick or too watery. No in-between.
- Then I moved onto all those criss-crossy bits. That was a nightmare. My hand started to cramp up.
- I kept telling myself, "I'm the painter of the Eiffel Tower, I can do this!" Mostly to stop myself from throwing the whole thing in the bin.
I got paint on my fingers, on the table, pretty sure a bit ended up on the cat, though she's not talking. I tried to do those fancy shading things you see in pictures, make it look all metallic and old. Yeah, that didn't happen. Mine looked more like it had been through a very dirty rainstorm. A very, very dirty one.
Took me a good few hours, spread over a couple of days, actually. There were moments I just wanted to give up. Like when I smudged a big section I’d just finished. Had to repaint that bit, and it never quite matched. But I kept at it, bit by bit. Small sections. Focused on not messing up the next tiny strut.
Finally, I put the last dab of muddy brown paint on it. Stepped back. Looked at it. You know what? It wasn't great. Definitely not something you'd see in a museum. But it was my Eiffel Tower. All wobbly and unevenly painted. And honestly, I kinda liked it. Felt good to finish something, even if it was just a silly model. Kept me from doomscrolling for a while, so that's a win, right?
So yeah, that was my adventure as the "painter of the Eiffel Tower." Not sure I'll be taking commissions anytime soon, but it was a decent way to spend some time. Maybe I'll find another old kit next week. Or maybe I'll just stick to watching TV. We'll see.
