Hi to all in resin land ,

.....a company that has some really interesting releases and modelling items including brushes, pigments etc on their website , the latest to join them is a bust which is the subject of this review.

The subject depicts a 18th century lady with her hand out holding a skull ( there is a choice of 2 , one clear the other gray resin)

Lets have a bit of information on the hairstyles and the make up at this time

In the mid- to late-1770s, huge hair became all the rage. The height of these styles was generally about 1 to 1 1/2 times the length of the face, and was styled in what was considered a pyramid shape (it also looks very much like a hot air balloon).

French actress Mlle de Luzy wearing a high hairstyle, 1776. Note the back of her hair in the mirror.

This high hairstyle was created using toques (or “cushions”) which were made of fabric or cork and shaped like a heart or spear. It was attached to the top of the head, and then natural and false hair was curled, waved, or frizzed and piled over and around the cushion. Such elaborate hairstyles could be worn for days or weeks at time.
It was later said by a

“At that time [1780] everybody wore powder and pomatum; a large triangular thing called a cushion, to which the hair was frizzed up with three or four enormous curls on each side; the higher the pyramid of hair, gauze, feathers, and other ornaments was carried the more fashionable it was thought, and such was the labour employed to rear the fabric that night-caps were made in proportion to it and covered over the hair, immensely long black pins, double and single, powder, pomatum and all ready for the next day. I think I remember hearing that twenty-four large pins were by no means an unusual number to go to bed with on your head” (1780).

Two high hairstyles, the right à la candor or the charm of innocence, in French fashion plates, 1778. Collection Maciet

The high hairstyle was often styled into allegories of current events, such as à l’inoculation (vaccine), ballon(Montgolfier balloon experiments); or concepts, such as à la Zodiaque, à la frivolité, des migraines, etc. Ornaments included lots of ribbons, pearls, jewels, flowers, feathers, as well as ships, birdcages, and other items that evoked the theme. In 1774, the Duchess of Devonshire created a sensation when she introduced ostrich feathers into her hair.
Side curls angled up towards the top back of the hair. The back hair was generally styled in a looped-up ponytail or braid. Long curls were often left hanging at the nape of the neck. French styles often had an extra “bump” in the front of the hair, right above the forehead. In this period, both French and Englishwomen usually powdered their hair.
an original wig made from Yak and human hair!!

Make up was also important in obtaining that look .. a complexion somewhere between white and pale, red cheeks in a large circular shape (particularly for French court wear) or upside down triangle, and red lips. There were two main cosmetics worn by most women and men: blanc and rouge.
Shiny white face paint was applied across the entire face and shoulders. The most popular white makeups used on the face were made of lead, which was popular for its opacity despite knowledge of lead poisoning. Kitty Fisher, a famous English beauty, died at age 23 (in 1767) from lead poisoning. Blanc could also be made from bismuth or vinegar. Veins could be traced with blue pencil to highlight the whiteness of the skin.
Red makeups were made of vermilion (ground from cinnabar and including mercury) or creuse (made by exposing lead plates to the vapor of vinegar); both are toxic. Vegetable sources for rouge included safflower, wood resin, sandalwood, and brazilwood. These would be mixed with greases, creams, or vinegars to create a paste. Court ladies wore rouge on the cheeks in wide swaths from the corner of the eye to the corner of the lips. Bourgeois and provincial nobility wore neater, circular dabs at the center of the cheek to highlight the eyes and whiteness of the skin.
Lips could be reddened with distilled alcohol or vinegar. By mid-century, red pomades (some in stick forms) for lips were being sold. The shades of red seen on lips varied between pink and coral, occasionally veering into burgundy.
Eyes sometimes had a bit of reddish color around them, probably caused by contrast with the white makeup or a reaction to the lead in blanc, but were otherwise left bare. Eyebrows were half moon shaped with tapered ends, and could be darkened with kohl, elderberries, burnt cork, or lampblack (soot from oil lamps).

There is even a book you can look at and of course there are costume ones as well


The model is a beauty in all her finery , perhaps she is in her dressing rooms , hair all ready , still in her bedroom attire , ribboned and delicate , full of lace , holding the skull ...maybe she has a fascination with it ....
......perhaps its her late husband

.....or maybe the crystal one is a treasure from a long lost civilisation ...being the latest in all fashion to own .


Details are :

Title...Alas

Reference: BT-MB005

Scale...1/10th

No of pieces...5 (1 x clear)

Material... Gray and clear Resin

Sculptor... Ali Jalali using 3D techniques

Box Art...N/A


The review item was received quickly with the resin being held in clear bags with a foam layer surrounding it , the box is a lighter cardboard with no box art on it .

The casting was carried out by pressure cast, with Ali using 3D sculpting , parts consist of the main torso , the back of the hair , the right arm , 2 skulls.



Prep

Torso...Sanding both at the edge together with a fine casting line to remove
Arm..Remove casting remnant and fit
Hair back... Slight sanding inside and fit
Skull...Choose which one !!

A small amount of filler is needed when fitting the hairpiece but nothing major , the arm sits well with it blending into the folds nicely.

Continued in next post

Nap

Now to the Resin

Torso

The largest of the resin pieces , she has been sculpted looking very demure and slightly downwards to the right in line with her open hand .
Hair is worn fully up and yes I know this is 3D but the textures are really very good , love the curls hanging down on her neck the hair is twirling in a loose style as well at the back and sides , a curl of hair sits seductively on her right shoulder .

The face is one of a high society woman , beautiful features are seen , the eyes well formed , as are the lips , the neck muscles are evident leading down to her well formed cleavage , all adding to her undeniable charm .

The clothing really has the look of the bedroom IMO ( perhaps she is waiting for her lover!!) full of ruffles and , these are 2 side pieces with a great folds all sitting well on the body form , this continues on the bodice front where ribbons and ruffles abound .

The right upper arm has soft and natural looking folds again there is a cutout ready for the lower arm, the left arm consists just of the very top and cut off.

The Right arm

This is the is the lower half the sleeve hanging open and down towards the elbow , fit is easy and very clean when in place , folds sit well again ruffles on the edge , peeking out from the material is the actual arm , thin and delicately female , the hand outstretched , fingers splayed open , the details are really good with the palm and lines all there.

The Hair Back

Its more than enough to expect the same level of details on this and YES we do see it , this time the hair is a mass of swirls and folds , rounds of hair ..all with the same textures as on the torso hair .



Fit will need a bit of filler ( I used blu tack to keep in place for pictures) , actual gap is less than 1mm so a smidgeon of filler only .

Suggestion from Kris at Broken Toad :

When assembling the hair if you heat the inside with a hair dryer and press it onto the main body it should fit perfectly....Cheers for that Kris

In place it looks really good .



The Skulls

A choice of 2 one more sinister the other crystal clear ..the choice is yours , the shape of both is good , eye sockets are deep, nasl details also , the upper teeth are all there , on the underside we have the area where the spinal column sits into .

The choice is yours which to use if at all , a good option by Broken Toad , I am glad the skull was not cast into the hand ..well thought out by the team.



Final Thoughts

This has been interesting to review a true beauty in the female form , well sculpted , it shows that Broken Toad are happy to release different subjects , the painting will be delicate , a chance to get that look and IMO would be a delight in the hands of Pepa Saavedra.

also do a great range of brushes which I reviewed here

http://www.planetfigure.com/threads/brushes-mk2-from-broken-toad.77770/

with a review done by Massive Voodoo here also

http://www.planetfigure.com/threads/mu81-broken-toad-mk2-brush-set.78919/

Not satisfied with that they also do pigments as well as brush care materials.

Thanks to for the review items

For more info go to the at

www.brokentoad.co.uk

and of course there is the FB page

Happy modelling

Nap

Here are some pictures from BROKEN TOAD





ENJOY

Nap

Cheers Guys for the comments

No idea what the "spots" are the casting is really clean might have been something from packaging or on the lens ..will stand in corner annoyed!!

Andrew ..thats a good thought ...her lost child ...very scary !!

Thanks for looking in

Nap

Hi Keith ,

Thanks for popping in hope all is well , it's amazing what these ladies went through .....often using lard to keep things in place at night......no wonder rats were reported in the bedroom !

Happy Modellng

Nap

Hi Melanie ,

No problem ..make sure you share the painting here !

Looking forward to it

Nap