Dario: I just can't hear you!

Markus: Thanks. Next time, I'll try to do a Viking.

Alan: there's nothing wrong about having influences. Quite the contrary, it's what makes one's cultural background. The more influences, the richer the background.

The issue is not the influences but how to use them in an interesting way.

Take your Highlander illustration for example.

Some will turn out a fine figure by just reproducing the drawing per se. If it was me, I would have backdated the subject, replaced the bag pipes with a sheepdog, moved the left hand like he was stroking the dog, added some wind in the hair and voilà!

Mike: Sorry for my bad english. I'll try to use my dictionary more often.

Quang

Great pose Quang!

To me, he looks a little less intense in the new pose, but certainly more purposefull. Now, if you can get hint of what is attracting his attention in the final figure, then you really have a story going on!

I have no clue what the subject will be, but it is certainly good to follow a sbs by you again!
Best wishes,

Marijn

I think your command of the english language is fine.

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Alan,

I cannot speak for others but it's a rule I set up for myself.

If you find that pompous, so be it.


Marijn,

It's true that the guy looks more alert in the first pose and rather contemplative in the second.

But I wouldn't worry too much as most of the subtleties we're trying to impart at this stage will simply disappear under the layers of clothing and accoutrements in the end result. Sad but oh so true! :lol:

Thanks all for your comments.

Q.

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Hi Quang

Good this progress the position and the attitude are indeed good
and can say that it appealed to to me also in the version with the high head.

Good job

MAB

Hello! I'm a little late to the discussion - I am currently very busy with job-related matters.

Mmmmh... My guess is a Creek, one of Tecumseh's warriors, in an appropriate woodland setting. The Crockett clue would fit this nicely, Crockett having been involved in the 1813-14 Creek War as a battalion commander.

BTW, I prefer the new pose.

Although a Seminole, perched in one of those Everglades water trees, would be a great subject too! Maybe some day...

Dani

Dani, you're spot on!

Although the real winner is Dario966 who mentioned it first.

Now that the subject is chosen, the next step is 'Dress rehearsing', my favourite moment when we'll see for the first time how the final figure's gonna look like.

As I don't have an existing illustration or painting to start from, this step will serve as a study model, the equivalent of a rough sketch in the case of a 2D painting.

The clothing is made of modelling clay which will be removed before the actual sculpting starts.

It's also at this time that I figure out how the sculpt will be cut up for reproduction.







Quang

Hello,

I have to admit in fact I prefer the Seminole! I find this tribe an exciting subject to model.

And an unusual subject it is too - not that a Creek would be much more run-of-the-mill...

But, where does Crockett fit with the Seminoles? I have missed this facet of his early life.

Regards,

Dani

Hey
the Seminole and Crockett - well, remember the War of 1812, or the actual offshot of that war, the Creek Redstick movement and war 1813-17, and the resulting conquest of the Southern Civilized Tribes by genral Jackson .
Well, old Davy - he was not old then , he was a membeer of the Tennessee militia and took part in the Jackson army that operated in the South against the Red Sticks, Seminoles, free slaves and the British troops and their agents. Davy was discharged in March of 1815.
So especially during the first invasion (1814)and subsequent operations in the Spanish territory of Florida by the Jackson army there were skrimishes and fights with the remmnats of the Redsticks (running south from the great carnage of the Horseshoe Bend battle) and the Seminole people. At that time Seminoles lived and occupied the grasslands and wooded pasturelands of the Northern and Central Florida, traded with the Spanish, Yankees and British, and probably had never dreamed about living in the Everglades (that were most likely empty of any significant native groups at that time).
Davy Crocket, a sergeant in the Jackson army spent his 1814 enlistment time in Pensacola, runing after the Semionles and Redsticks hitting the Yankees from their hideouts in the great swamps of Alabama and Northern Florida.
Actually Seminoles represent a very interesting amalgam of the old tirbal groups of FLorida, Muskogees, run away slaves and some Scot-Irish traders (and Davy was a descendant of those Irish-Scots too)... Some say they fought the longest war in the history of the US.

More importantly Davy opposed to the Indian Removal Act of President Jackson, and becuse of that staance he lost his seat in Congress.
his own book is right here http://texashistory.unt.edu/permalink/meta-pth-14392:1
old 19th century biography here http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext03/dchla10.txt

Quang, any prizes for that 1st guess - just joking

ps
I am using Yankees as the true Americans at that time were the Seminoles and Muskogees and other native people

Indeed, Dario. Just check your email box.

Thanks for the instructive, detailed explanation. Now I know where to turn to for that instruction sheet. :lol:

Back to the bench.

Quang

Oooh this is gonna be sweet Can't wait to see the detailing of the clothing going on

Quang,

I'm loving every minute of this. I've been closely following Gary's approach to sculpting and I like how yours is a bit different. It's nice to see how your approach is somewhat more 'rough' in the early stages than what I try to do myself. I have this obsession to try to get every step neat, even if it gets covered in later stages... :lol:

I like the new pose better as well. Keep us posted!

- Marvin -

Hello Marvin,

I agree that my method is rather rough. But as I don't use an existing model (illustration, photo,...) to work from, I don't know at this stage where I'm going (I still don't, says the missus :lol, there's no point spending my time to smooth it out.

Having said that, there are times when I wish it to be all neat (like Gary's) but it usually doesn't last long. :lol:

Quang

count me as buying one of these quang looks awesome can not wait to see the final results thanks johnny

Thanks, Johnny for your support.

Now that we have a mental image of what the definitive figure should be, here comes the serious stuff.

The modelling clay is removed and the sculpt smoothed up. Now we're ready for the first surgical cut at the belt line.





Note the red lines which will act as alignment marks when the cut is done.

Ouch! There's no going back now!



The mating surfaces are cleaned up, adjusted and alignment lug added. It's a long and demanding operation which will be repeated at every join (like the arm/shoulder join). Here's what we have in the end:

Quang, Great text and pictures describing the engineering process.~Gary

Hey Quang,

So NOW is it time to start working neatly? :lol:

What's your method for making allignment plugs? Make a whole, stuff with putty and hold together until cured? Or is there a special technique involved?

- Marvin -

Not quite! The mating surfaces should be neat but the rest can wait.

About the alignment plug. In every case, there's one male and one female.

In this here case, I started with the male part, building it up with putty and giving it a nice, smooth shape. Leave it to harden.

In the mean time, use a Dremel to dig up the receiving end on the female part. Make the cavity a bit larger than the male part.

Next, roll up a thin sheet of putty, laying it in the cavity (just like a pancake in a cooking pan) and press the male part in the fresh putty.

Check that the red alignment lines are in the correct position. Put the whole assembly in the oven. Let it cook for 10 minutes. Take it out and voilà.

HTH
Q.