I've talked about my favourite sculptors on here recently but there's another, related, topic that I thought I might bring up: influences. I started sculpting in 1999 and, as we all do, I tended to look at other artists' work to work out how I should do things.
I kind of churned through my first few sculpts with no real thought as to the style as I was preoccupied with actually managing to finish the figs. Brian Ansell remarked that there was a similarity to early Jes Goodwin in them. Quite a compliment to the work and curiously there doesn't seem to be much of that left in my current style...
It was when I went to work at Foundry that I started to look at other sculptor's ways of doing things and applying them to my own figures. In those early days I often looked at the works of Chris Fitzpatrick whose sculpting I greatly admired for it's paintability. Chris's work is very, very clean and rewards clean painting without needing to resort to drybrushing. I'd also often look at Kev White's work from Void which was in it's early stages at the time. I liked the clean simplicity of the troopers again yet without any compromise in character. Obviously, working at Foundry, Mark Copplestone was an influence as his stuff was everywhere though less so with the Perry Twins' work as their sculpting style is rather different to my approach.
I turned a few corners after looking a lot at Mike Owen's work on the Foundry Old West range. Mike was doing a lot of work with sweeping coats and I really liked the style of drapery. It was a nicely dramatic look on the figures and it's one of the things that I feel has always stuck in my work. I do like those sweeping lines on a figure. And I forever looked at Brian Nelson's work as probably the greatest example of the style I'd like to sculpt in. I'm a huge fan of Brian's earlier work. I loved how unrestrained it was.
My own style really started coming out with the launch of Spyglass Miniatures in 2003. I saw the style as a fusion of Mark Copplestone and Kev White, and generally trying to be Brian Nelson. I kept the figures on a tight scale rather than scale creeping to huge sizes.
Really, I've kept in this kind of style area for most of the rest of my career to present. In recent times I've experimented a bit with other styles though. My recent 28mm zombies have a more more reality-based look with proper proportions and a lot more texture after looking at the works of sculptors like Paul Muller and Raul Garcia Latorre.
Currently I'm playing with secret projects that are me playing in a different style sandpit again. Lots of fun stuff... but that's a tale for another day...
kind of links to the current post on spiky rat pack blog - interesting and perceptive comments again steve i wish more sculptors would have a blog - perhaps they do .......
ReplyDeleteThis is possibly veering off on something you blogged about a while back, but bear with me...I think it goes back to something I know we've spoken about, but you've also talked about in your blog - that 'fear' of a sculpt. The ones which are so devastatingly wonderful in their detail and form that you feel rather intimidated by painting. I find it very interesting that your list of top sculptors is fairly similar to the ones I would have chosen, but I base this on their skills *only* on this basis. Are their figures for painters and hobbyists, or are they actually for fans of the figure itself? I've spent a long time looking at some of their figures I have in my collection, and I never quite bring myself to paint them up because I admire them so much for their beauty in the resin/metal form!
ReplyDeleteHowever, whatever anyone might want to say about GW, the fact remains that it's always been their figures I'll go to and paint up because almost without exception these a keen balance between detail and 'space' (for want of a better word) that makes them fairly easy for new folk, but a fantastic empty slate for more experienced folk too. Whilst I really don't want to inflate your ego Steve (:p), your figures fall absolutely into that category (as do Kev's) - they are fantastic sculpts quite obviously, but absolutely given to have paint splashed all on them with wild abandon...
...more and more I start to think that this ability is fundamentally more important as a sculptor than anything else. Although - and it's a scary thought for me at least - it would be interesting to see just how far figures are now being bought purely for the figure itself, never to see a brush! Hopefully not too much yet!
theres far to many minis about that do lack space or a pace between detail and blank - people seem to enjoy thick layers of detail - it reminds me of Harley enthusiasts - you get those who love splashing the brand about wether on bikes mugs or t-shirts - then theres those that get rid of all that stuff and go for the esthetic of shape and design or performance - fluid movement or a tension in a miniature pose with detail confined to faces and hands or confined to where detail is appropriate occupies one end of the miniature esthetic - its one where the top end of sculptors always grab mi attention .....
ReplyDeleteFrom minis to motorbikes in one fell and elegant swoop. Not bad going...
ReplyDeleteRegarding the minis I think we've already reached a point where a great deal of minis are bought with no real intent to paint. Be interesting to see where this trend goes. I'm keeping a close eye on it...
this is a new trend to me although it just might be the same thing as having brilliant miniatures and working colour schemes out in your head but actually never finding time to make that first move by which time youre buying yet some more - also there are so many stunning painters out there it can be quite intimidating to make that first move - ive seen plenty of undercoated armies about because people want to get gaming and painting an army is such a huge investment in time ......
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to say , even though your not posting any more , I am really enjoying reading your back catalogue , loads of great posts informative and characterful.
ReplyDeleteI especially like your three best sculptors article. Its often quite difficult for folks new to the hobby or returning to know where to start , and these posts are a brilliant example of a helpful guide.
I am waiting with baited breath for the return of your hobby related insights.