Share a part of the life of our collaborators by discovering their hobbies! This month, let's talk about Romain Bentolila, Office Manager (d²X Paris) and his passion for hand painted modeling.

What is your double life?

I do hand painted modeling in my spare time. That is to say that I assemble and paint plastic characters using various tools (to keep away from children, of course). Then once the assembling is done, I paint them to bring them to life.

When and how did you start?

I started very young, I was about 10 years old. My parents were very passionate about art, in its various forms: painting, model making, collecting, etc.

Then, I started with some friends to collect figurines and learn how to paint them for more than 8 years. After a long break, and the time brought by the lockdown, I decided to do it again this past year.I have to say that after having found my first figurines not long ago, in the cellar of my parents, the result was much better in my memories... ! 

What do you like about this passion?

I like several aspects of hand painted modeling:

• The first one is the creative aspect of building a figure. Any object, a piece of cardboard or plastic, can help you to create a story and let your imagination run free. Moreover, it is a rather manual activity, it changes from the increasing presence of computers in our lives.
• The second one is painting, because it requires a lot of patience and concentration over several hours to obtain a satisfactory result. It is also the part that I find the most relaxing.
• The third part, which I had not mentioned until now, is the board game aspect, because the figurines can be either decorative or used during board game sessions. This part is the most fun because we meet with friends (when the virus is not there!) to play games around a drink and it gives a social aspect that I really appreciate.

And in your daily life, how does your passion fit in?

I often paint in the evening, listening to music, and play games on weekends when I have time. I am also part of an internet group where many discussions take place on all aspects of model making.

Have you acquired skills that you use in your professional life?

Currently working as an Office Manager (which combines both recruitment and administrative tasks), I think that using my creativity is a good thing for recruitment. Concentration and tenacity are more useful in the administrative part of my actions at d²X.

(photo: Romain Bentolila)

Thank you Romain for answering our questions!