"An Interesting Phenomenon" Topic

Generally when I make a figure, even a subject with which I'm pretty familiar I spend some time putting together source material. It's unfortunate the economic constraints of making small figures will not permit time lavished on more meticulous research. Anyway, a thing I've noticed which seems counter-intuitive (at least to me) is on the occasions when I don't have time to do anything at all but grab some putty and start smearing it on something, the result can be more appealing than that of a lot of study. I just hope I don't end up turning into Jackson Pollock.

This is an, ahem, odalisque for Jim Ludwig at Dark Sword. I had to make it in a great hurry as a premium piece for his Kickstarter which has so greatly exceeded his expectations he was caught unprepared. I think it's rather nice, even if I did start imagining her leaning on a piano and crooning "Cry Me a River" towards the end.

Oh, she's 33mm overall height but I'd expect some of that is heels.

Wow! very nice!

Indeed!

your usual excellent work .

Well sometimes thinking too much gets in the way of just doing something……….if there is talent the results can like this ……..amazing :o)
L

Beautiful work..well done
Pete.

Lovely work Tom.

I wonder if you could answer a couple of questions about your work.

Do you make a figure nude as it were and then cloth it or do you sculpt the figures clothes along with the body?

The other question is did you have a background in art before you started sculpting figures or did you learn your art as you progressed as a commercial mini-maker?

All the best

I am reminded of Jessica Rabbit. "I'm not bad. I was just sculpted that way."

YouTube link

…a couple of questions…

No to both. There just isn't time to make layers so elaborately. if you can't make a figure quickly you will starve to death sculpting figures, like eating celery. I throw together a rough shape of the figure first then coat it with putty because otherwise the elasticity of the putty is too much to hold sharp details but nothing so recognizable as a figure underneath.

I was studying biology in college and I wasn't even practiced at drawing. I made lots of model airplanes as a kid but that's about as close as I came to art.

I got started making figure in a chain going from chess to Avalon Hill games to miniature wargames. I made some very elaborate conversions which Stan Glanzer of Heritage saw at a convention in Cincinnati and he jokingly asked me if I wanted a job sculpting figures. I hadn't considered that figures were sculpted up to that point, I suppose I just assumed they were extruded by the same giant machine which made everything else in the world around me. I was 14 at the time.

Thanks Tom,

I think I understand what you're saying. You make a rough shape of the figure and then "chip away"/sculpt until you have what you want. So you reduce the putty/greenstuff rather than build it up from a nude/dolly?

Must say I reckon that you have a good eye for biology looking at the stuff you have made.

Thanks for the info.

You make a rough shape of the figure and then "chip away"/sculpt until you have what you want.

No, I make a rough shape then apply a relatively thin coating of epoxy. I wouldn't characterize the armature as a "nude" because it's only a very vague shape, except for the face where I apply the epoxy in a very thin layer indeed so the armature there does rather resemble a skull.

Lovely work!

Fantastic as usual.