1/35 scale auto repair shop

[Hydrostat]

That's very interesting. Stunning result! You're an artist, aren't you? Do you use a head-worn loupe for your sculpting?

Cheers,
Volker

[Malachi Constant]

That's very interesting. Stunning result! You're an artist, aren't you? Do you use a head-worn loupe for your sculpting?   Cheers, Volker

Hi Volker --

Thank you!  And, yes, I can call myself an "artist" in the sense that, like most of us here, I feel the need to "create" simply for the pleasure of it ... and I sell kits based on my original designs, which is a form of commercial art ... but allowing that there are some really, truly gifted & talented "real artists" ... I'm more inclined to call myself an "aspiring artist" ... !!! 

The photo above shows my first original 1/35 scale head sculpt ...



I wanted a cute female sidekick for the grumbling old mechanic in my garage, and saw Ginger Rogers in a 1940's movie called "The Primrose Path" -- where she was a smart, tough tomboy character who seemed just right for the job ... and even rode in a little tow truck that would fit well! 



But as an "aspiring" artist (in this case, a complete and total "hack") ... I found the task of sculpting a human head unbelievable challenging ... especially in miniature ... I ended up spending over 100 hours on the project.  As you can see from the photos above, the first and second efforts were rather miserable.  But I was VERY determined to get past that.  In addition to basic the complexities of the human head, sculpting an attractive female is perhaps even more difficult ... because the curves in the face have to be very pleasing to the eye, and the cheeks and such all have to be very smooth and ... well, pretty!



Before I even started on that, I ordered a sculpting DVD from Creager Studios:

http://www.creagers.com/A%20NEW%20DVD%20Page.html

... and found it immensely helpful.  Even though the doll artist shown here is working in a MUCH, much larger scale, the basic techniques of placing and shaping all the elements that make up the face and head were very helpful.  And it still took me over 100 hours of trying to get where I wanted to go!      But I got there eventually!   

(BTW, I was rather burned out after all that -- and Ginger remains unfinished.  However, I have finished all of the body sculpting and clothing and just need to go back and figure out how to make some cute little pigtails.  Feeling rather refreshed now with the current figure project, so she'll be getting more attention soon.) 



At the risk of patting myself on the back ... (oh, what the heck) ... I'm completely amazed at the likeness achieved on the current project ... AND ... this represents only 8-10 hours of sculpting work.  It seems that the determination and hours spent on the previous project actually paid off ... yippee!



One thing I learned while working on Ginger was to have as many reference photos as possible ... the head is, of course, a 3-dimensional object ... and the contours have to look right from a variety of viewing angles.  On the current grouchy old man project, there is only the one picture that was Mike Chambers' avatar ... and I had some initial difficulties constructing the facial contours in a way that looked good from various viewing angles.  So, I did some surfing and found that poet RS Stewart (shown above) had a similar facial structure ... and I was able to find a variety of photos showing him from different angles.  So, I made a collage of those and printed them to sit on the workbench alongside the original image of Mike's grumpy avatar.  (RS Stewart was described as a "curmudgeon" which is how he came up in my searches!)



And, yes, I definitely have to wear a headband magnifier and work very carefully!  The image above shows the head approximately actual size on a 19" monitor ...

I'm sure this is a much, much longer answer than you wanted!         But, I wanted to encourage others to try this sort of thing if they're interested ... it can be incredibly challenging for us "challenged" but aspiring artists ... but with some determination and the willingness to study the lessons offered by the "real" artists, it can be done!  (And I am extremely pleased at how much "easier" it is getting now!  "Yippee!" again ...)     

Cheers,
Dallas

[BKLN]

Good stuff! I really admire your drive to figure this out. It is a such unusual project, because you are dealing with a character here.

[Hydrostat]

Dallas,

thank you very much for your considerable answer! It'll be very exciting to watch your next steps on that. As far as I've understoos everything right you seem to have a typical artistic approach for you sculpting.

Cheers,
Volker

[Malachi Constant]

Good stuff! I really admire your drive to figure this out. It is a such unusual project, because you are dealing with a character here.

Yeah, and if it works out ... he should look "realistic" and yet have a likeness to that caricature, which ... fortunately ... isn't too abstract! 



Well, let me state the obvious first ... I haven't started on his big ears yet!

Okay ... made a little more progress ... he looks "good" from one side and front ... cheek contours need to be pulled back on the other side (far right in photo) ... AND ... I'd like to do a variety of "little things" to try to get the resemblance as close as possible: jut the jaw forward, angle the nose and mouth a bit to give that little "sneer" he's got going and so forth (not to mention the various fine-tuning once we get to whatever point will be "close enough") ...

Now, I'd LIKE to try all these things ... but it's also a bit SCARY to start into such changes once you've gotten this far, cuz one little slip of the knife can make a mess ... and one "bright idea" about cutting away and reshaping some feature or another can cause a major set back ... so whaddaya do?   



Well, I decided to STOP at that point and make a two-part mold so I can cast the head in resin ... now I'll make a few of these ... try all my "bright ideas" and attempt to get a closer likeness without worrying about having to go all the way back to the beginning! Screw up one Mitch ... toss him out ... send in the clones! 

Off to make some clones now ...

Cheers,
Dallas

[eTraxx]

Just ... wow ..

suppose that COULD be the beer .. but ... nah ..

[5thwheel]

Looks great but if you must make some change, maybe more chin out and lower lip out more.

[Malachi Constant]

... I'd like to do a variety of "little things" to try to get the resemblance as close as possible: jut the jaw forward, angle the nose and mouth a bit to give that little "sneer" he's got going and so forth (not to mention the various fine-tuning once we get to whatever point will be "close enough") ...

That's first on the list ... but maybe I shoulda said it better!    

Thanks again,
Dallas