First up, an infantry man. Legs are finished, torso is mostly finished and the arms are just being posed. The uniform is based on the picture of de Saxes' Legion as shown earlier in this blog. So we have a very high gaiter, long waistcoat under a shorter,sleeveless waistcoat and a lovely helmet!
The Front
The Rear
Head with Helmet
I can't wait to try making te funny wing decorations for the front of the helmet - Iv'e no idea where to start!Comparison with RSM
Although the RSM figure looks much larger than mine, the completion of the torso will give the body the same height although it will still be narrower. The heads are almost identical in size. Adding a base will also make them look closer.I still do not know which pose to go with. Currently it is posed so that the right arm is in pretty much the same position as that of the RSM figure. The left arm will be holding the musket with the hand supporting the end of the stock rather than the lock resting in the crook of the elbow. However that RSM pose is one that I really like, does anyone else prefer one pose over another?
Leave a note, let meknow what you think.
8 comments:
thank you for your best wishes as to the new princess of our small but beautifully formed kingdom, you mentioned in a blog response many moons ago a uniform color permutation to my Grassin would you be so kind ?
OK, you asked for it ;-) - there are some things I still struggle with myself so these are some things I try to keep in mind (but don't always follow):
First, I would highly recommend the 1-list sculpting group on Yahoo Groups. They have an extensive FAQ, really a great guide to sculpting minis.
Now on to specifics:
smoothing; it helps if you don't let things get too lumpy to start with - then keep a very light touch when smoothing - I like to use lip balm as lubricant when sculpting; just need to make sure it's all washed off before adding more putty
sharp edges; very tricky to do with greenstuff - you have to keep "re-sharpening" the edges while the putty cures - the alternative is to use other putties (such as brownstuff) where you really want sharp edges
Have a picture of what you want the finished mini to look like close at hand when you sculpt. I also like to have another mini close at hand to compare sizes and even shapes. Look at actual minis to see how other sculptors achieve textures and such. Practice, practice, practice. Finish each sculpt, but also don't be afraid to remove bits that aren't working and start fresh. Don't try to do too much at once. Once you get to the details it's usually better to do small sections and build up. Maybe work on a few minis at a time so you can do a little on more than one. Don't get discouraged. And remember why you're sculpting these guys (for tabletop battles en masse, right? So don't sweat it if they don't measure up to some of the fancy professional minis). And most of all have fun and enjoy the fruits of your efforts!
I'm not a sculptor so I can't help you on techniques or technical stuff.
What I can help you with is with the RSMs. They are marketed as 25mm , , , but they are really closer to 30mm.
Most of mine are 28-29mm from ground to eye -- although much slimmer than the modern 28mm figures.
So it looks like your figure might be closer to true 25mm . . . in other words, don't sweat it if it is a tad shorter than the RSM.
-- Jeff
A great try! I coulnt attempt to sculpt at all.I'm with Fitz badger about having fun and figs being made for en masse. Keep on trying - it will be well worth it in the end!
best wishes
Alan
Steve,
your sculpting project fills me with respectful admiration.
From a purely visual pov (I'm totally incompetent for more!) this one looks quite promising, both as for the general look as for the pose.
I wonder how you'll manage the "funny wing decorations for the front of the helmet" - so tiny and convolvuted! Perhaps you'll have to sculpt and mould them apart, then to glue / weld them individually on each mini... Reminds me worryingly of the helmet wings of the old 'Valley of 4 Winds Good People' Minifigs - so terribly brittle!
Looking eagerly for discovering the next step,
cheers,
Jean-Louis
(Steve: sorry to ‘invade’ our blog with this reply, feel fre to delete this ‘parasitic’ comment in a few days!
Btw, the alternate pose you describe looks promising -something like the Mindens? These look less 'dynamic' than your own model)
Betts-Davittovich,
here’s the LINK to the image I built from conversions of your Grassin (you can also download it from my last Monte-Cristan post – click on the image for the large version). If one of the variants suits you, I guess that with any graphic / drawing software you can select & copy it (or cut & paste in a blank document), then record it under JPEG of gif (with ‘Appleworks’ – I’m on Mac- the selection has to be done in bitmap at first, but I’m sure there are numerous other utilitaries, such as ‘Capture’). Alternatively you can tell me what variant you wish, I’ll select it and send it to you e.g. by e-mail. Then you always can modify / edit the previous messages on your blog (I abuse of the possibility !), delete the previous image and load the new instead.
I *toyed* with the GraphicConverter shareware, which allows (among other utilities) to change the colors of an image (chromatic rotation, green/red symmetry, &c …) -you can do several modifications in sequence but the quality decreases at each accumulated step. The drawback is that afaik you cannot select a contorted part of the image to be modified. Thus all part neither pure black nor pure white is modified, with very odd results on the faces, leathers, buttons, wooden stock of musket… I tried to correct some later with Appleworks, but at the cost of loss in resolution and details. Thus the images are not very good but, I repeat, I was just *toying* with GraphicConverter.
Better results would be obtained with ‘re-coloring’ pixel after pixel your original image, or ‘painting’ David’s Grassin template template - normally done on a computer, but Steve of Strackenz and Uber Gruntshuffen –our (unwilling?) ‘host’ here- printed a template, colored it ‘old way’ with paint and pencils, and numerized the reult to post it on his blog. Anyway be warned: playing with David’s uniforms templates is *addictive*! Soon you’ll design the uniforms of your whole army!
To become a father is always ‘heavy’ – good to see that both for Steve and yourself this marvelous event promotes a blogging revival, rather than making you silent for months as our fellow the Grand Duke of Kitschberg – I take it as a very positive and cheering sign!
Best regards,
Jean-Louis
"the alternate pose you describe looks promising -something like the Mindens?"
Yes that was the pose for the musket and left arm.
Then I feel the RSM pose more dynamic; more 'field' and less 'parade' - a purely subjective distinction and perhaps not corresponding to the 18th C. regulations and practice, but...
Jean-Louis
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