Sculpting is Re-sculpting

     Cold Wars has come and gone. February has come and gone. And still I haven't been able to take a month off to focus solely on new Highlander Studios projects. And with the new commissions from the show, I may not be able to until May. My apologies to folks who are waiting for specific Space: 1889 or Gideon's Dust or ZD3 items, but in the current economic climate, I'm ecstatic to have more work coming in steadily. I'll get to the personal stuff as I can.

     I mentioned in an earlier post that I've been working on a project for Rastlworld Minis. I want to take some time and show a bit of what's going on with that. It has been one of those projects that I love and hate at the same time. Actually, hate is far too strong. But there are a lot of challenges with this set of figures that do vex me. I'm slowly working them out and the end product should make the frustration along the way worth the time and effort.

    These are a set of Napoleonic Pin-up girls dresses (partially) in British Horse Artillery uniforms. I'll start with the completed piece and move to the unfinished ones.

     The first design challenge was how to make these one part castings. Sculpting the sabre for each one has it's own set of problems and to allow for a single piece cast I'd have to fill in areas between the saber and the body on each figure. So the saber is a separate part that can be attached to all of the girls with a little bending of the hanger straps. The saber still needs some work on the visible side of the handle and a bit of shaping all around.

     This figure is the template for the other four. Not all women are built the same, but this one will be  a general guide for proportions and bulk throughout the project. Getting to this point required a whole lot of adding putty, shaving areas off, adding more putty, Slimfast diets all around for the girls as they got a bit Rubenesque... You get the picture.

     This girl is in the final stages. I need to go in and clean up a few areas, finish the detailing of the helmet, and add a spyglass, hands and sleeves. These parts are usually sculpted last when I work because they get in the way of other details. And oh the details...

     The second major challenge was the details. I've not done a lot of scrolly, lacy bits with any previous sculpting. I have no need of it in 15mm and I tend to get assigned projects that don't have any. One needs to walk a fine line between adding enough putty to stick to the current surface and making the detail fine enough that it doesn't look ridiculous. There is also mold compression and ease of painting to consider. Did I get the right combination of factors? All I can say is I'm learning.

    The next three have the basics roughed in and are less complete. I still need to define a few body areas before I add the rest, but with two almost completely under my belt, things will go more quickly.

     Check out Rastlworld Minis to see what other cool things they have going on.

Rastleworld Minis

   
     So... no rest for the wicked. My schedule for the next several weeks in order of priority is:

               1) Rastlworld Minis girls
               2) Tekumel Project priests and priestesses
               3) Splintered Light projects
               4) Rebel Minis projects
               5) Goblin Factory ashigaru sword and bow

     I also get to work in three painting commissions and my own projects as time allows.