Interview to Check Out

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to share an interview that Leon Mallet from Pulp Citizen.  Leon has been a fan for many years and I did a private commission for him a few years ago for his favorite superhero RPG character.

It was a great interview and a lot of information in it so go and check it out.  Here

During the interview, I was asked if there was pieces that I was particularly proud of.  It was hard during the interview to think of the answer but after the interview, there were a number of pieces that I thought of.  Here is a top ten list of figures that I loved making and loved the end result, complete with photos.  For other figures that I enjoyed, check out the interview.

Number Ten:  Green Goblin for WizKids

Number Nine:  Ronin for Wyrd
 

 

Number Eight: Doc Oc for WizKids

Number Seven:  WWII US Sergeant for Reaper

Number Six:  Mikey TMNT for WizKids but never released :(

Number Five:  Raph TMNT for WizKids. Again, he was never released :(.

Number Four:  Virgin Mary for a Fundraiser

Number Three:  Kreacher 3 inch Action Figure for Harry Potter

Number Two: Sergeant Rock Inspired WWII soldier for Reaper

And Number one...

Grifter for WizKids.  Just because...he's Grifter!  If you didn't catch that, he is one of my favourite superheroes tied with Wolverine.

These lists are pretty hard to do and they change frequently.  Now that you know some of my favourites, post in the comments section and tell me what your all time favourite figure is.  It doesn't have to be one of mine by the way, just the figure that you have liked the most, whether you painted it, sculpted it or played with it.

Occupied Movement Has a New Face...

...And it is rotten.


First, I should start this post with an audible gasp since anyone who has stuck with this blog from the beginning knows that I don't post that frequently!

Second, this is a plug but it is a worthwhile plug and it is not for any product or company that I am doing or working for.  Someone who has done a few interviews with me, and someone who is known in the heroclix industry as The LE, and a longtime fan has a kickstarter campaign going on right now and needs a few more pledges to see this awesome product out there.

And what is that awesome product...Zombie T-Shirts!

Here is The LE's write-up just to let you know what it is about, but use the link below (after the kickstarter ad) to go to his kickstarter page to find out more about this great product and the massive deals he is offering if you get on board!

"Show off your love of zombies with a Zombie T-Shirt!

• Launched: Aug 22, 2012
• Funding ends: Sep 21, 2012
• Remind Me

Zombies. Are they really evil? No, they're just misunderstood. If you think about it, they're just looking for something to eat. So what better way to celebrate this misunderstood creature than with a T-Shirt?

Our goal for this Kickstarter is simple: Produce a Zombie T-Shirt! Let's get straight to the point. Below is an image of the T-Shirts we want to make. By backing this Kickstarter at the $20 or $25 level, you get a free 100% Cotton T-shirt! Best of all, we'll provide free shipping anywhere in the USA!

Note: T-shirt images shown are prototypes. Final design and color will vary, but we'll make sure it looks good on any rotting corpse!

100% Cotton
All Zombie Shirts are made of 100% Cotton: the fabric of our undead lives."

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/877092046/zombies-we-will-be-the-99-shirt


Please note for full disclosure, this is not an entirely altruistic endorsement, I get a free T-Shirt if it gets funded! :)

Glorian Underhill WIP-1

Hi Everyone,

Finally got started on this after the busy summer season.   I made a video of the first part for you guys.  It is setting up the armature, getting the proportions correct and preparing it for posing.   Hope you like it.

If you have any questions, post in the comments.  I have also created my own youtube channel for tutorials and what not so you can also post questions or view the video there.  Just click on video to get to the channel, http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeFkH7wbyXi1of8Gy7rtSoQ?feature=results_main.

In addition, check back soon for an exciting event that I am planning. I will fill you in on it in a little while after I have everything lined up for it.

And without further delay, the video.

Oh, and as a side, proof that the heavy breathing, grunting and snoring in the video was not from me, here is a picture of my office companions. The bulldog is Rascal, and I have a fun video of her I will share in the future, and the 11 month old English Mastiff is Daisy.

Glorian Underhill-Scale

Hi Everyone,

After choosing the pose for Glorian the final step in the commission phase of a miniature is determining the scale of a figure.


When talking about scale you need to know not only the height of a figure but also the proportions of a figure. Many sculptors use differerent measuring points for scale and while there are many differnt ways, no one way is better than the other. However, you should know the measuring point of the scale you want to fit into before you start.
The two measuring points are to the eyes or the top of the head. So to define that, a figure is 30mm either to the eyes, or the top of the head.  Normally I use the second measuring point, top of the head. This would be the height of the figure from the tip of the toes to the top of the head. It is important to note that "top of the head" means to the scalp, not the hair, standing straight. 

The reason I like the second method is simply that it is more exact to place where the top of the head is going to be on a armature than to determine where the eyes might be, this way you get exact scale and height. Scale is something that can`t really be fixed after the fact so you have to be sure that it is right.

The other consideration with scale is the proportions and style of a figure. Florian wants to be able to use his figure with his existing blood bowl minis so he sent me a sample so that I can make sure when I am sculpting his figure that is meshes with his other figures. Here is the blitzer he sent me:

So I will keep this figure handy when sculpting to refer to so I can "match" into it``s proportions. This is quite common in commercial sculpting, often clients will require a sculptor to match scale to existing lines or figures.

Glorian Underhill-The Pose

Hi Everyone,

The next part of a miniature commission is setting up the pose. This is very important information that you need to get from the client before starting.

 So one of the first things I asked Florian was "What pose do you want?"  and here is his answer:

The pose of the mini: Actually I thought it to be like Picture Nr.1. A hunched pose, the upper body up front as running forward. So the mini looks like it is actually a screenshot taking while the person is running, or in the beginning to run. 

Left arm ist held strong and angeld as on the picture to block someone who is in the way and the right arm held back to hit someone with the fist in front.

The vicoious sneer is all part of that motion, like the mini is actually not very impressed by his opponent or he is asure that he will crush him a moment later, or he is just having good blood bowl violence fun.

I have put here a link of "Travellers" Blood Bowl site with all Blood Bowl minis ever produced.

http://www.blood-bowl-miniatures.de/bb/bb5_humans.html

You can click on the pictures to make them bigger. The four blitzers are something I have in mind. Blitzer Nr. 10 especially but with a different arm position like I described earlier.

. 

 Here are the photos Florian is refering to:

Again Florian has provided excellent photo reference for me so it makes my job a lot easier as the pose is self explanatory and there are no real concerns with production on the pose either.

In the next post I will go over scale, which is the other important factor to consider before starting.

Glorian Underhill-Phase 1:The Commission-Reference

Hi Everyone,

So the very first part of sculpting a figure is the commission phase. This usually includes any negotiations on prices and terms and all the financial arrangements between the clients. Since Florian won the contest this part of the process was skipped. Besides, terms and payment are thier own beast altogether and could warrent thier own article series :).

The commission phase involves getting all the particulars of the proposed sculpt from the client. This is all the information I would need to actually begin sculpting and need to get beforehand. Things like art reference, photo reference, scale, pose, and production concerns all need to be determined before the miniature is started. Florian and I have already been talking via email so I will include excerpts from our discussions where applicable to give you a inside look at the process.

So to break down each of those categories I will start with reference. Florian wanted a miniature named Glorian Underhill, which is his Blood Bowl and internet identity and he had a ton of photos for me to work from. Here are the photos Florian sent:

So as you can see I have pretty good reference from Florian, almost all sides are covered and I am only missing the back view. So naturally my first request from him was if he could get me a photo of the back of the armour. I only really need the torso part, as the back of the arms and legs are pretty self-explanatory and I can extrapolate what they would look like without further reference.

Once I have this all together I would print the reference out so I have if available and readily at hand to use in the sculpting process. At this point I will also closely go over the reference and take a look at all the details, just to familiarize myself with them and also to spot any problem areas.

So in the next post I will cover the pose and look at how that is determined.

Thanks

I`m Back!

Hi Everyone,

After a long hiatus and many years I am finally able to return to the knife`s Edge and continue my blog! For those of you who have been faithfully checking for new updates I would like to say thanks and to everyone else thanks for coming back.

It has been a busy couple of years, I have sculpted for many different companies, the bulk of my work has been for Wyrd miniatures, and recently I have picked up many new clients, including Maelstrom Games and their exciting Banelords miniature range and many others that you will see in the coming months. I also had the opportunity to travel to Games Workshop for a job interview, which was a great experience for me. As I go, I will be showcasing a lot of the work I have been doing and talking about some of the exciting things that will be happening in the near future.

I have had a lot of ideas over my absence about what to post up here and one of the biggest things I regretted is not being able to finish the figure I was going to do for Florian Schulz, the winner of my "get yourself sculpted contest" I did on here before life got hectic and I had to put the blog on hold.

Another long time desire was to post a running WIP view of a miniature from commission to completion, complete with commentaries at each stage for you to get an insider’s view on what actually goes into sculpting a miniature. So to get things going again I decided it would be a good idea to combine both of these goals into one. Sculpt the figure for Florian and document the process and post the work in progress up for you as I go. I will be getting the figure molded after so we will also get a look at the production process.

So over the next month or so stay tuned as I sculpt Florian's blood Bowl figure, I will go through the design process from start to finish and you will get to see the work in progress shots throughout.

Here is a sneak peek at Florian in all his glory, dressed as his favorite blood bowl champion, Florian won the contest by popular vote and his costume was great, this is what the figure will look like in the end.