On October 25, 2021 the monument to Anita Baldwin, titled “A Legacy of Charity” was unveiling in Arcadia, Ca. at the newly built Le Meridien Hotel Pasadena Arcadia. From its inception almost two years earlier (October 2019), to the unveiling, this project was a labor of love. It began just before the world changed and shut down. The lockdowns made fundraising more challenging, but due to the hard work and diligent efforts of a few, the funding was able to be raised and the project proceeded to the sculpt phase in December of 2020. I finished the 1/4 scale maquette after about 4 months of work and then it got scanned and outputted in foam for the full scale sculpture. The full scale sculpture took about 4 months to complete, going through a few changes and requiring hundreds of hours of work. It was a real pleasure to get to do my second monument and I learned even more than I did the first time. Hopefully I get a chance to do a third monument and apply all that I’ve learned from the last two. If you would like to see the progress of this project from start to finish, go follow me on Instagram and look through my feed. I documented the entire process.
A monumental accomplishment
Almost two years ago, I was contacted to create another monument for the city of Arcadia, Ca.. The last time it was a monument to Elias “Lucky” Baldwin, and this time it would be his daughter, Anita Baldwin. Little did we know that the world was about to change just a short while after starting this process. So now, 22 months later, we are reaching the finish line. It’s been a real labor of love and determination to get this project done. I never stopped working my day job, so there were quite a few months where I was working 7 days a week, 80 hours a week, to get this accomplished. Exhausting to say the least. Today, I saw her fully assembled in bronze for the first time. She’s so close to being done that it’s getting exciting again. I was also at the installation site to go over final details for the base and installation as well as lighting and of course the unveiling ceremony. It’s been a busy morning. After the unveiling is complete, I’ll have more thoughts and I’ll do a proper write up about the whole process. But for now, if you’re interested, you can check out my Instagram page (@apsculpturestudio) where I have been documenting the entire process.
The Times, They Are A Changing
I know, I know, before you even start, I haven’t written anything in over a year. Shame on me. I have no excuses outside of the one’s that apply to everyone, “I’m really busy.” But all that shaming aside, I do want to take a moment and share with what few of you still linger around these dusty and cobweb filled halls of my blog, all that is new in my world. So with that said, let us dust off the leather chair, light a fire in the fire place, pour ourselves a drink and sit back for a little bit of “What HAS he been up to?”
I guess the biggest news is actually one of the more recent bits of change in my life. I have officially been moved over to the digital side of work, at Sideshow. I no longer have my little traditional office where the smell of clay and wax abounded. Now I have taken residence in Bay 5 of the Nostromo. Our themed out new digs at work are pretty darn cool. If you haven’t seen pictures of it yet, check out my Instagram or go follow @sideshow_sculpt to get more specific posts about our room. The question I’ve been asked by dozens of friends and fans alike is “Are you done with traditional sculpting?” And of course the answer is NO. In fact, I’ve already scheduled time with my favorite model in just a few weeks to do some more traditional sculpting. But as far as Sideshow goes, I’m afraid that I will not be doing any more traditional sculpts there (outside of some smaller stuff - have you guys seen the court apple?). The other question I get is “Do you like digital?” That’s a much tougher question for me to answer. If I’m honest, I can’t say I’ve really enjoyed much of it so far. It’s a crazy interface that is not at all intuitive. However, I don’t have to like something to be good at it. I was a great handyman and builder and I never really liked doing that work. But I also see its benefits and have, in fact, already started to create some of my personal work using Zbrush. At this year’s Monsterpalooza (just two weeks ago), I debuted 3 pieces that had been sculpted digitally. And I’m proud to say that people still saw my style in my work. Nothing had been lost to the digital process. So moving forward, I’m going to try and find the balance between traditional and digital sculpting in my life. When I feel like sculpting something by hand, I’m going to do that, and where it makes sense to do it digitally, I’ll try and embrace that too.
The next bit of news is that the long awaited return of the Rotten Food Series is here!! I’ve introduced two new pieces to the line (which you can find in the all new and re-designed Store - but more on that in sec). The Mad Muffin and the Crazy Cupcake are the pieces that are bringing back this line with more unpleasant pastries to follow. I’ve also given you guys loads of choices when it comes to variations. Head to the Store to see them all.
And speaking of the store… it should look different to all of you. I’ve been putting in a lot of work to get this new store set up with better flow and payment integration for all my customers. International orders will still need to contact me for pricing info, as I just can’t get all the regions and shipping costs loaded into the interface. But for all you who don’t have Paypal, no worries!! Credit cards are now even easier to use through the store which is powered by Stripe, making it even more safe and secure. I will ask you guys to let me know if you run into any issues using the store (I’ve tested it and so far it’s all working well), because as we all know, getting new technologies integrated and seamless is never quite as smooth as the companies would like us to believe it is. So please, check it out. Explore. Share. BUY!!! I appreciate all the years of support you guys have given me so that I can continue to create my silly little things.
Lastly, on a more personal note, I’m really taking my health into account this year. I’m almost a year and half without soda, and it feels good. I still crave an ice cold coke every now again, but my will power is stronger than my cravings. I’ve also been making healthier food choices. The only missing part of my health puzzle is exercise, which I plan on remedying soon. I just turned 43 on the weekend of monsterpalooza, and while I feel very young at heart, the man that looks back at me in the mirror is more wrinkled and worn. My body is also trying to remind me of my age with aching knees and bursitis in my right shoulder. But I say “Damn the torpedos!! Full steam ahead!!” It’s never too late to improve on where we are and my goal is that when I’m 45, I’ll be in the best shape of my life. Not an easy thing as I’ve been in pretty good shape all along, but I know I can do better. And with better health comes more energy, and with more energy come more ability to spend time creating. Which I think you guys would like to see. At least that’s what I like to tell myself.
So cheers for now, and hopefully not another year. But let’s face it… I’ve made that promise before.
-Alfred
Another year, another post.
So it comes to pass that another year of our lives has wained away into the ether of time forgotten. So much has happened and yet so much remains the same. In my personal life, it has continued to be a struggle dealing with the passing of my brother, but light has shined through my grey skies and I'm better now that I was a year ago. I don't think it's ever easy to loose a loved one, but it certainly wasn't easy to loose my brother the way I did. However, I really tried to live my life according to the principles that I have laid out for myself. I have chosen happiness and in so doing have been able to deal with things in a much healthier way. I may be a bit more grey and bit more wrinkled, but my smile has not been worn away. Perspective, Insignificance and Gratitude have helped keep me in check, and I've avoided the trap of victimhood.
In my professional life things continue to keep moving forward. The Vampirella piece I sculpted for Sideshow was released and now the Spiderman figure I sculpted has been teased. I'm curious to see what people's reaction will be when they see the full reveal of this piece. Other than that, I continue to do my typical job around here which is the McGuyver role. I fix and tweak and add a bit here and there and I assist in building our prototypes. I've also started to get back into Zbrush as a refresher and to expand my skillset. On top of all that, I started teaching at Gnomon last year. I'm about to start my second term today. It's fun to teach and I get a lot from it. Helping others and passing along what I've learned makes me feel good. Plus I think I'm a pretty good teacher.
I wish there was more news to share, but life has just been chugging along this year. Which for me, was the way I needed it go. But I'll leave you with this: No matter what life may dish out for you, it's how you deal with it that determines your future. Never giving up on your dreams is a good start for most, but there is also the times before your dreams come true and the times when life just wants to keep you down. In those moments, remember that Happiness is a choice. I'm not saying to never feel sad or angry; I'm saying that once those feelings have stopped serving their purpose, it's up to you to let them go and choose something different. It's the simplest choice that is also one of the hardest to make. But when you can do it over and over again, you'll find it gets easier and life becomes a much better place. Relationships become better. Those around you are elevated by your energy. So write a sign and post it above your door or put it on your dashboard, put it on the lock screen on your phone, write it on the mirror in your bathroom. "CHOOSE HAPPINESS". Because when you realize that you are in control of how you feel, why would you want to feel any other way.
Until next time,
Alfred
2017 - The challenge of my ever changing world
I know it's been far too long since I've updated this blog. I got a lot of very nice personal messages from my last posts about Perspective, Insignificance and Gratitude, which has been very humbling and heart warming to know it's made a difference. In the last two years, so much has changed and I've really been trying to live according to my own principles. But the tests of life can be difficult and deeply affect who you are at the core. I don't want to get into everything that has happened, but it has been a tragedy on the grandest of scales for myself and my family. Still, we persevere and look to the future. In the last two years, I've been officially hired on at Sideshow as full time, in house sculptor. I've also relocated to Thousand Oaks to be closer to work and be able to spend more time with my family (I was driving 4-5 hours a day before). I've worked on some pretty cool projects at work that will see the light of day soon. I'll be sharing what I can when I can.
Overall, life has been pretty good to me. But in looking at the challenges that we all face in our lives, I wanted to continue to share my philosophies with you, in the hopes that it helps you live a more content and fulfilled life. I know I can get busy and I haven't been the best blog poster as of late, so I won't make any promises as to how often I'll be posting. But I will definitely be adding posts about Happiness and a discussion on the Power of Words (two separate subjects).
I can imagine what you might be thinking... "I thought this was a sculpting web site?" Well, it is. And I've done plenty of posts about that and you can go through the archives and read all those posts. They're great. But these days, I really feel like sharing more than just my thoughts on sculpting and toys and the industry at large. If you don't feel like reading the stuff I'll be posting, that's okay, I get it. It's not for everybody. But if you're looking to maybe change the way you look at life and maybe take back some control, then I say give them a try. And if you like them, send me a message telling me so. Hell, if you don't like them, send me a message telling me so. Let's have a conversation about it. And if you really enjoy it, then maybe you'll share it with some people in your life. But more importantly, if you really enjoy, put it into practice.
I'll write again soon(ish). Til then.... Cheers!!
Alfred
Perspective, Insignificance & Gratitude - Part 3
For the last two posts, I've been talking about perspective and insignificance. In this post I'll be wrapping it up with the payoff - Gratitude. Before we get into gratitude, I want to go back to the beginning so that we can see how the whole thing comes together.
When I talked about my moment of perspective (the big picture universe stuff), I said how it all led me to a moment of picturing the sun exploding and how in the grand scheme of the universe it would pretty much be an insignificant event. And in that moment, I was left with a sense of "Why am I worrying about anything?" In the big picture, the small stuff doesn't matter much and because of that you are in a fortunate position and that leads to a sense of gratitude. And that's what's it's all about.
So why is Gratitude important? The way I see it, it's gratitude that leads to a more content life. When you can look at your life and have a sense of gratitude about where you are, then you are naturally going to be happier. It doesn't take lots of money and a big house to feel good about where you are in life. You don't need a great job either. I am lucky enough to have a great job now, but it doesn't mean that the job doesn't have its difficulties. There are times when the job is tedious and tiring. There are days when my brain hurts from problem solving certain issues. I have a two hour commute (each way!!), in L.A. traffic and that's enough to break any spirit. But here's the thing, at the end of the day, I love my job. My perspective for this is the fact that I used to work in construction and I wasn't very happy doing that job and it was physically grueling on my body. So no matter what difficulties my new job may throw at me, it's all better than the type of work I was doing before (for me). For many of you, it's probably going to be a little difficult to be grateful about your jobs, but remember that even having a job is an extremely fortunate position to be in. Perspective is the key to start this process.
So let's bring gratitude away from work and money and let's talk about the other stuff in our lives. I'll keep using myself as an example as it's the simplest way for me to explain this stuff and it shows that I'm not just saying this stuff, but also practicing this stuff. Last year, my father passed away after a very difficult end. If that wasn't enough, he died 6 days before my birthday and we buried him exactly a year after one of my greatest artistic accomplishments (the unveiling of the Lucky Baldwin monument). Financially it was difficult because my father didn't exactly prepare well and there were a lot of things that needed to be covered in a short period of time. As usual, I put my feelings aside in order to keep everything straight and handle what I needed to for the rest of my family. Probably not the best way to go through life but I'm a very pragmatic person and crying about my dad at that moment wasn't going to get things accomplished. After a few days had passed, I started to spend time thinking about all that had passed. The difficult moments and the difficult calls that I had to make. I looked around at the world and on a drive to pick up some food (hmmm... Apparently I have a lot of these epiphanies in the car), I noticed how all the people around me were just carrying on with their lives. Even I was on my way to pick up food. Such a mundane task, but there I was, moving on with my life. It was the genesis of my views on perspective. When I saw how my father's passing was pretty insignificant to the world as a whole, I was oddly comforted. Life moved on. Sadness went away. I, and the rest of my family, were still here to marvel at the world around us. To enjoy the beauty of this life. I knew that my dad wanted us to move on with our lives after his passing, as quickly as possible and not dwell on the fact that he wasn't around anymore. Feeling all this left me with a great sense of gratitude for life itself. Being alive, at this moment, is the most fortunate thing we can experience. I know that it all sounds really hippie and feel good-y, but it's true. And when you take the time to delve into the idea of perspective, insignificance and gratitude, I believe you'll start to feel the same way.
The last thing I want to leave you with is along the same lines of all this, but it's something I've used in my life for almost twenty years. It's a simple phrase, but it's as true as anything I have ever known. "Happiness is a choice". We choose to be angry at things. We choose to be upset by what people say and do. We choose the meaning that we give to events in our lives. And so, we can also choose to be happy. It's a simple thing, that's very difficult to do. It takes work and practice. But that simple phrase can change your life. When you find yourself feeling mad or sad or depressed, remember that the way we feel is up to us, and if it's up to us, then why would we choose to be angry or sad? Choose Happiness!!
I hope that this whole journey was good for you guys. If you got anything from it or if you have any questions or comments about all this stuff, please leave a comment or send me an email. Next month, I'll be back to art posts, so thanks for coming along.
-Alfred
Perspective, INsignificance & Gratitude - Part 2
In the last post I talked about perspective and how it seems to be a catalyst for positive change in our lives. This week, the conversation is all about Insignificance. However, before we go any further, I want to clear up some definitions. I think a lot of people hear “meaningless” when they hear insignificant, but there is a very clear distinction between the two. In order to talk about meaningless, we need to talk about meaning. Meaning is something we apply to an event or action in our lives. It’s completely subjective. It’s different for all of us. Whereas insignificance is really more of a pragmatic or even mathematical look at things. When we talk about insignificance, we are talking about the measurable level of importance a thing has on our lives, and specifically what little effect that thing really has.
So let us now talk about insignificance in relation to my last post. The big moment of Perspective for me came in the view of the universe as a whole. I’ll use this example as it can be very clear to see, but perspective will come in many different ways for all of us, and at different times, different forms of perspective are needed. I gave the example of our sun exploding and that moment having little significance to the universe as a whole. There are so many greater things happening in the universe at this very moment that we can’t even really comprehend most of it. Black holes, colliding galaxies, supernovas… it’s enough to warp our brain. And yet, all the things we know and have ever experienced are here on this tiny planet, third from our sun, in a distant arm of the Milky Way. On this planet we have seen destruction on a massive scale. Extinctions. Ice ages. War. All of these things, that in the grand picture of space and time, have only taken a tiny fraction to occur. But for those of us experiencing these things, it’s all that matters. And there in lies the difficulty. How do we use insignificance to have a better outlook on life and our troubles, when our troubles seem to be the biggest thing that’s ever happened? This is where perspective comes into play. Seeing the big picture of what’s happening in our lives and measuring the level of importance of the thing that’s happening now.
You must see that I like using examples, so here’s another. This probably happens to most of you (and if you live here in Southern California, this happens to all of you). You’re getting onto the freeway and it’s jammed. You know you’re in for a long drive at a snail’s pace. You’ve been here before, no big deal, right? Well, it would all work well if it wasn’t for the person in front of you who is leaving a football field’s length between him and the next car. You keep seeing other cars merging into the large gap. You start to get upset at the person, inching closer to their bumper. Sensing your presence, they slow down even more (as if such a thing was even possible). Well now you’re mad. You lay on the horn, flash your lights and scream from inside your car. Eventually, the car merges over or you find an opening to pass them and at most, you’ve lost 10 or 12 spaces in a slow crawling convoy of commuters. In a moment like this, perspective and insignificance can save you from some very unnecessary anger. The perspective comes in assessing your situation. You’re sitting in a car (which you own), heading to a job (whether you like it or not, it’s a rare thing across the world), to earn money, to buy food, to put into the refrigerator that is in your house or apartment (where you have clean water and a roof over your head). You, my friend, are a very lucky person at this moment. Instead of being angry, this is a moment to be whistling on your way to work. Life is good.
Insignificance. We can apply this to the problems we’re having or the things that are making us angry. It just requires a little perspective first. But let’s not fool ourselves. There are moments that are significant. Even if worlds and galaxies are colliding in other parts of the universe, at those times, those moments are the most significant things in our lives. And I’m not talking about the good stuff. We all love the good stuff. I’m talking about the bad stuff. The stuff we’d like to not have to think about. The things that happen in life that can crush our spirits and break our hearts. It’s important to acknowledge the feelings we have. Anger isn’t a bad thing; it’s necessary at times. Sadness and sorrow are not bad things; they help us get through difficult times. But it’s allowing these feelings to take over us, where we are no longer in control, where things can go wrong. Go ahead and be angry at the guy on the freeway; but only for a second. Then take a breath and seek some perspective and you’ll see there’s no reason to be upset. But it’s good to get it out. Don’t bottle up your feelings or push them down into some dark recess of your mind. Feel them. Let them do their thing. But only for as long as it’s serving you in a positive way. Then after that, let it go, and realize it’s Insignificant.
Next time you find yourself upset over some thing. Seek out some perspective (feel free to use my grand picture of the universe, or that clip from Contact). In that moment of perspective, ask yourself, on a level from 1-10, how important is the thing you’re upset about, in comparison to the perspective you have just found? I’ll bet you you never get above a 5. I’d say most of the time, you’ll come in at a 3 and under. No reason to be upset over a 3. From there, it’s a simple hop over to “Gratitude”, and the next part of our discussion.
Cheers for now.
-A
Perspective, Gratitude & Insignificance - Part 1
Perspective. What do I mean by that? Well, I believe perspective is a necessary part of any kind of positive change. Being able to see the bigger picture allows us to asses any situation and make changes for the better.
Let’s start with a couple examples. When someone is lost in the wilderness, they seek higher ground to get a better perspective on where they are in relation to their surroundings. Being able to see the bigger picture helps to create a plan of action and remain calm.
Here’s another example. When a person is struggling with addiction issues, many times it’s the moment of rock bottom that finally gives them the perspective they need. When they can see what they’ve done to themselves and to the people around them, it creates a moment for positive change.
And finally, one last example (this is more of a visualization exercise). Imagine you’ve dropped something on the floor of a dark room. You have a flashlight. You wouldn’t hold the flashlight a few inches above the ground and search the whole room, would you? No. I imagine you would raise the flashlight higher in order to see more of the room. This is also a perspective that we tend to apply to our lives. We focus so closely on things, that it seems as though our “flashlight” is just an inch or two off the ground. I want to help raise that light.
So perspective comes in many forms and the form that causes us to create positive change will be different for most of us. But let me tell you how I arrived at my moment of perspective in relation to this discussion.
As I was driving in my car (I have a very long commute), I decided to turn off the radio and drive in silence for a while. I let my mind wander. Soon I found myself picturing the outside of my truck, moving down the highway. Then I moved higher and was able to see the city and hills around me. This outward travel continued and got faster and faster and soon I was looking at the Earth in it’s totality and continuing to travel farther out. Have you seen the opening sequence to the movie “Contact”? If you haven’t, here’s a clip (sorry, I couldn't find one without an add).
It was a lot like that, just without the sound. And as I got to the end of my travels, I saw that all the galaxies were part of a super structure that made up our universe. In that moment, this thought popped into my head. “What if our sun exploded right now? Would it even register in the larger picture of the universe?” My answer came back as “No.” And I snapped back into my truck, driving down the road. In an instant, I had been changed. I started talking out loud to myself, working out what had just happened. If the Earth and everything we have ever known got swallowed up by the sun, and it made no significant difference to the universe, then why was I concerned about sitting in traffic, or having a very long commute? Why on earth are people fighting all over the globe? Why? That’s what I kept coming back to. And it dawned on me that a lack of perspective is what’s really going on here. I think I’ve known this since I was a child, but it had never become so clear as it did in that moment. The questions and discussion continued in my truck and I found myself thinking about the extraordinary odds it takes for any of us to be here, at this moment. We are such an anomaly, when you get down to the actual math of things, that it’s an unbelievable fact that we are here at this moment in time. Imagine if you could see far back into the past. If only one of your many grandparents chose to do something different one day, you would not exist. The chain of events that has transpired in order for us (you and I specifically), is so long and so delicate that a single change would result in a different person reading this right now (if there was even someone to write it). There are cave men and women who we owe our lives to. Isn’t that strange? Yet another glance at the bigger picture and all I can see is wonder.
Do you have any idea how lucky we are, not only to be able to think and be aware, but to know our place in time and space. That kind of perspective is mind boggling!! And we are lucky enough to experience that on a daily basis. So why do we worry so much? Why is it that we can’t pull ourselves away from our problems or petty grievances, or our “first world problems”? Perspective is a big part of it, but with it comes the idea of Insignificance. In the greater picture, our worries and issues are insignificant. We’ll discuss that more in the next part, but it’s important to touch on it a little here, so that we know where we’re headed. Because ultimately, insignificance leads to gratitude, and that is our ultimate destination. That is where we want to be in order to live a more content life.
But back to perspective for one last bit. I know that picturing the universe and stars exploding isn’t going to work for all of you. Some of you may not care that at this moment, stars are exploding and galaxies are colliding and yet here we sit in front of our computers or our phones and we worry about the things in our lives. So let’s get something straight. Perspective doesn’t wipe away our issues. Perspective doesn’t pay our bills or drive us to work. Life, no matter what we’ve made it here on Earth, still has problems and most likely, always will. So don’t think I’m talking about forgetting our responsibilities. Quite the opposite in fact. Perspective can help to deal with the mundane. Perspective will keep you calm as you face the problems and issues of your day. Perspective is a tool that is at our disposal and we can use it to great advantage in dealing with our lives. So yes, you’ll still have issues. Yes, I have to get dressed and get on the road soon. Yes, people are dying (too many of them needlessly) at this very moment. But if we can gain a little perspective, then perhaps we can be of better service to ourselves and to the world. Perhaps we can turn a tragedy into a triumph. Maybe we can turn a frown upside-down.
Next week I’ll talk about insignificance and define some terms for us. And we’ll move one step closer to gratitude and the end of our discussion.
Cheers for now. Go seek some perspective and bring that with you next week.
Alfred
2015 and things to come
Hello out there, it's me again. I know it's been a couple of months. I'm going to work on posting more often, starting with new blog posts each month this year (minus January which has already passed... But starting now, it's on!!).
So there's actually something really big I'd like to share with all of you, I just don't know the best format to share it. It's not about any special project I'm working on or recent creaturey stuff, or my new job at Sideshow (which is going really well). It's about the way we look at life. It's about changing the way we think and behave. It's about happiness. The only thing is that to discuss it fully I either have to make a VERY long post, or I have to share it one post at a time. But it's kind of important to get the whole picture. I don't want to leave you with just the first part and then wait a month before you get the next part. So I'm kind of in a pickle about the way to share this with you. Perhaps I'll have to up my game and write a new post each week just for this month. (if you haven't noticed, I'm just typing stream of conscience here...) Okay, so maybe I'll try that. One post each week. I'll start with a new post this Sunday night (Monday for most of you).
To give you a taste of what I'm talking about, I'll tell you the three main parts of this discussion and you can feel free to tune in or tune out for the month. Or you can wait until the end of the month and read the whole thing in one sitting.
"Perspective, Insignificance & Gratitude" Three keys to a more content life.
I'll work on breaking down the three parts into separate discussions (although they are really part of a singular discussion and tend to weave back and forth). There is a little something you can do before the first post. Think on those three words. Think about what each word means to you. Open your mind and be willing to come along for this journey. Finally, you can also leave a comment and let me know if you're interested in even having this discussion.
Cheers for now,
Alfred
New things at the end of another year
Well, I don't know if anybody is still reading this blog or if I'm typing away just for my own amusement. Either way, I do have some news to share, so maybe if there's still a few of you out there, you might enjoy what I've got to say.
For the last 3 months I've been working in house over at Sideshow Collectibles. It's been a great opportunity and I'm feeling pretty at home there. Everybody has been very nice to me and I seem to be doing well. So this might work out to be quite a long gig. I'm not officially an employee over there, but from what I hear, that's where this is heading. I've already been encouraged to decorate my space if I want to. That's got to be a good sign. Seeing as working at Sideshow was the big goal from when I first left construction, it feels really good to have reached it (even if it did take 5 years). I know that being there will only make me a better artist, so I look forward to seeing how my abilities and design sense grow over the next few... however long I'm there.
The next bit of news is that I'm definitely not going to stop making my own stuff. I already have a really cool looking door knocker that will go up for sale soon. And I have some new things in store for Monsterpalooza 2015. The new job definitely takes up a lot of time, and I don't have much free time to work on my stuff, but I've made a promise to myself that I'm not going to let that fall away just because I have a regular job now.
So I hope that some of you still read this and that your excited to see the new stuff that'll will be coming very soon. If you have suggestions for what you'd like to see me make, drop me a line or leave a comment. If you want me to know that you're still out there, leave a comment below.
Cheers for now, and thanks to whoever is reading this.
Alfred
Tim Bruckner Workshop
Hello fine people of the interwebs. I know it's been a while since I've written an all new blog post, but here's a good reason for me to write something. A chance to learn form one of the best, Tim Bruckner!! Check out the workshop. Like and Share the post to help get the word out. Tim is a great sculptor and has forgotten more about sculpture than most of us will learn in a lifetime. This is a great opportunity for amateur and professionals alike.
http://www.tlcworkshops.com/p/expressive-sculpture-and-maquettes-with.html
Cheers!!
Alfred
ps. I promise I will have more to share from my own work and some cool news about recent happenings. So come back and check out the blog from time to time.
Ruben Procopio Interview
It's a new year and the AP Sculpture Studio Blog is starting off strong. We're starting this year with a fantastic interview, with the very talented Mr. Ruben Procopio. I'm sure many of you guys know his name, but for the few who don't, you'll recognize his work. Ruben has worked for all the big companies out there, designing and creating amazing collectibles. In this interview we talk about childhood, influences, early career stories and lots more. So, grab your pad of paper and a pen, cuz you're gonna want to take notes. Enjoy!!
AP: Were you always interested in art? At what age did you realize that this is what you wanted to do for a living?
RP: First off, thank you, Alfred, for the invitation to do this interview.
Yes, I was fortunate and lucky because I grew up in a very artistic family. My Dad is a sculptor and my Mom was a fashion designer/seamstress. Both worked with their hands so I grew up with an artistic influence at home. My Dad's Disney work plus his freelance work were a constant source of inspiration. I'd say I was about six years old when I knew I wanted to be an artist. My Dad saw this inclination and started teaching me. Perspective, Anatomy, Art History... he even left me assignments to do during summer vacation. They also sent me to art school for kids, Samsels' art school in North Hollywood, run by Mr. & Mrs. Samsel, both amazing painters. On Saturday mornings I learned how to draw and paint in pastels, watercolor, acrylic and oils. Later in High School I got scholarships to Art Center College of Design, where I got my introduction to life drawing. This was a great program for High School students to learn from live clothed models.
My Dad worked with sculptor Blaine Gibson. Blaine was an animator/sculptor, well known for sculpting many of the Disney parks audio-animatronic figures such as Mr. Lincoln. Blaine would go over my drawings and teach me what to look out for, especially in terms of animation. Although I had initially wanted to go to New York and get into the comic book business, I eventually got a scholarship to Cal Arts in the Animation Program. I was not there very long, three months, then started the animation trainee program at the Disney Studios, training with animator Eric Larson, one of the legendary nine old men. I passed, and got put onto production at age 18. This opportunity was too good to pass up, so I put aside my desire to go into comics. That led to a 20+ year career in Feature Animation.
AP: What or who were some of your early inspirations?
RP: When my family came to America in the early 60's I was 4 yrs. old. One of the first things I saw on TV was the Batman show staring Adam West, which made a huge impression on me. When my Mom used to pick me up from kindergarten, the bus stop was at a corner drug store that carried comics. Those who grew up in those years will probably remember the round comic racks. I quickly became a fan of Neal Adams, in fact every other word that came out of my mouth was Neal Adams! I was also influenced by Saturday morning cartoons like Space Ghost, The Herculoids, Mightor and Birdman.
I later learned that Alex Toth was the character designer of these shows. I became a huge Toth aficionado. Eventually we met years later and became very good friends. There were others, Jim Aparo, John Buscema, Carmine Infantino and many from the Silver Age of Comics. In comic strips it was Milton Caniff, Noel Sickles (which Alex introduced me to), Alex Raymond and Hal Foster. On the sculpting side, aside from my Dad there were sculptors he would introduce me to, from the classics such as Michealangelo and Bernini, to Burne Hogarth, illustrator of Tarzan and author of the incredible series of books on Anatomy. I like animalier Barye and the sculptors that made the models at Disney Animation during the earlier years of the studio, like Charles Cristodoro.
AP: What or who do you draw inspiration from these days?
RP: Frankly with the advent of computers, a search will bring inspiration from countless artists and sculptors around the world. One link leads to another, every day is a fresh dose. I'm also inspired by my colleagues in the animation, film, comic and the collectible worlds.
AP: What was your experience like, working for Disney?
RP: The early years at Disney were terrific, it was like going to school. Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, another two legendary nine old men were doing their famous book on the process of animation called "The Illusion of Life." I was fortunate to be there during the renaissance years and work on some great movies like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King.
I had the best of both worlds, able to draw and sculpt as well as wear many hats, including as a storyboard artist, character designer and even supervise a department. I applied the golden rule, treat them like I'd like to be treated, it was very rewarding. I was part of the team that saw it grow from a sleeping giant to a big success and then saw it go downhill until the ultimate demise of hand drawn animation. The last five years or so that I was there were tough. But the departure from Disney opened up many doors and I started Masked Avenger Studios.
AP: Did you find animation more rewarding than sculpting?
RP: Actually for me they complement each other, since you are essentially drawing on a 2D surface, but thinking 3D. When sculpting I think of animation elements like silhouettes, line of action, follow through, overlapping action, etc. I like both drawing and sculpting equally. When I draw I feel it in the round, when sculpting I look at it as a design. I've always said that an artist who draws should sculpt something, even if they don't show it to anyone. They will draw differently after that. Although not a prerequisite for sculpting, I equally encourage sculptors that don't draw, to draw, especially what they are going to sculpt before they sculpt it. There is so much you can figure out and analyze before you put clay on an armature or pencil to paper.
AP: So Tony Cipriano tells me that your dad was a big sculptor for the theme parks. Why didn’t you go into that line of work, or working for the Imagineering team over at Disney?
RP: My interests were in comics and animation, I really never thought of going into theme park design. That didn't diminish my interest and admiration for what my Dad or the Imagineers did. Interestingly enough, I actually have more of an interest in that type of work today, it seems like a perfect fit. My career took a path in film making instead, something I grew to like. Many Imagineers were actually ex-animators that Walt Disney steered into designing and building the parks when he started his theme park division. Blaine Gibson, whom I mentioned earlier, head of the sculpting department, was an incredible animator in his own right. There was also Herb Ryman, Marc Davis, Claude Coats, Al Bertino, X Atencio, Bill Justice and many more who came from animation that made the switch.
AP: Speaking of Tony, what were some of your early impressions of the young Tony Cipriano?
RP: His focus shift from animation to sculpting. I remember his fascination with the maquettes I had in my office and the sculpting process. He questioned me as to why I wasn't still sculpting at the time we met, why would I head up a department instead? My drive during my years at Disney was to play different instruments in the band and actually I kinda let go to see where they needed me most. Some artists just do one thing, I like to move around across many areas. I remember Tony working hard at learning how to sculpt, outside of work he would sculpt anything and everything. It was great to see his enthusiasm. It's great to see how far he's come and his stick-to-itiveness made his dream come true. He's a great example of the type of artist I described earlier, proficient in both mediums, drawing and sculpting.
AP: So the new (and frankly Amazing looking) Pop Sculpture Book has recently been released, how did the Pop Sculpture book come about? Who’s idea was it to make a book?
RP: Actually it was the idea of publishers Watson and Guptill. I had just finished a sculpting panel at the San Diego Comic Con, moderated by Daniel Pickett (www.actionfigureinsider.com). I was thanking him for the invitation to participate and he happened to be talking to two representatives of the publishing company. He introduced us saying that they were interested in doing a book on the process of collectible action figures and statues. I said I'd be interested, they asked for a proposal and an outline, I did one and they said okay. Later I asked Tim Bruckner to participate and he suggested including then-Toy Fare editor Zach Oat.
AP: What are some of your favorite subject matters to work on?
RP: Anyone who knows me knows of my passion for the heroes of yesteryear, hence the name of my studio, Masked Avenger Studios. Characters such as The Lone Ranger, Flash Gordon, The Phantom, The Green Hornet, Zorro and the like made such an impression when I was a kid. Something about the dual identity, no super powers, yet a noble code of ethics and wanting to fight for justice and what's right always appealed to me. And they just looked so cool too. Tracy Lee, a good friend and founder/owner of Electric Tiki, indulged me on a suggestion to do a Classic Heroes line where we pay tribute to these heroes.
AP: In your long career, has there been any character you’ve wanted to sculpt, but never had the opportunity?
RP: Good question, I think I've been lucky to do most of the ones I've wanted. That said, I probably would like to re-sculpt half of them over again. I'd be interested in tackling sidekicks, like Tonto. I also have a bust line I'm producing at Masked Avenger Studios called Really Retro(TM). The idea behind this line is to pay tribute to the actors and actresses that played our heroes and villains of the past on both TV and movie screens. The first in line was Adam West, that production run sold out. Others we hope to include are Burt Ward, Clayton Moore, George Reeves, Van Williams, Yvonne Craig, Guy Williams, Buster Crabbe, Julie Newmar, etc. So that's something I look forward to. Also I'd like to do gallery type pieces. All these years I've done so much licensed work, I'd like to dedicate some time to work on some of my own visions.
AP: What are some of the ways you’ve seen the industry change over the years, good or bad?
RP: More and more collectors, artists and sculptors are in the industry than say, 20 years ago. People like to collect mementos of their favorite characters, and it's become a big business. The more obvious change is in recent years, doing sculpts digitally. I've even embraced that process. Mind you, I have not thrown the clay or my tools out the window. On the contrary, there is still room for both and I like both, but like anything else, the technology is there and growing, and it's yet another way of sculpting in my arsenal of tools.
I got interested because I'd hire out freelance digital artist to do accessories, like guns, bases, etc. and when I get them back I'd say to myself, I should be doing this. I took a class and next thing you know I've adapted. Change is hard, learning a new language is hard... but if one takes up the challenge and sticks to it there's a benefit in the end. Among the several reasons I like digital sculpting is symmetry, how it mimics on the opposite side of the sculpt what you're doing on one side, hence you just sculpt one eye, one ear, one hand, etc. Also, the amount of detail you can put in is tremendous. You can literally zoom into the pupil if one wanted. Then there's the cleanliness! In my studio I have clay, wire, wood, silicone, epoxy, tools, plaster, so on and so on... but when I walk to my computer, literally it's just the tablet, stylus, keyboard, computer screen, reference and what's in my head. So, that appeals to me. Also I'm eager to bring 30 years of experience to this new technology.
AP: With so many talented young sculptors out there, just trying to get a foot in the door in this industry, what kind of advice do you have to keep them motivated?
RP: I suggest they not only learn traditional sculpting, but also how to sculpt digitally as well. It's like knowing several languages, you become more valuable and versatile, a plus in the workforce. With the internet, everything is at your fingertips, no more going to the library or clip-files, not that going isn't still valuable, but with the world available at the touch you can easily search out a wealth of inspiration to motivate you. I usually like going through the recommended links of artists that I admire and respect. I get motivated when I see others' work. Good old fashioned discipline is the best. Freelancing out of your own home requires discipline, you don't want to fall into a trap of procrastination or distraction.
I know when I've completed anything be it a drawing or sculpt, it gives me a great sense of accomplishment... that motivates me to do more. Sculpting takes a great deal of time and patience. When people ask me how do I do this or that, I say I go to the hardware store and buy a bucket o' patience. So, don't give up when you're starting. Get past that first hour, where you think you're no good. Get past the nine rejections, the tenth time you knock on the door, someone will open it. I've found that self discipline and belief in yourself are the best motivators.
AP: What are some common mistakes you see in rookie work and what are some ways to avoid those?
RP: Learn anatomy, both human and animal. Learn to draw. Don't get caught up in details, don't do the perfect eye without looking at the whole head. Observe, learn. I remember reading Alex Toth's tips, one was don't draw it until you see it clearly and know what you're about to draw. The same skills apply to sculpting. Draw out your sculpt from all different views before sculpting. Avoid stiffness, keep rhythm in your sculpt. Keep looking, turning, from all different views. Don't get caught up in the minutia, look at the whole. Be persistent and don't give up.
You have a voice, learn from others, but bring what you have to say to the table. Don't say I did this in an hour, standing on my head while watching TV -- I know that turns me off. Let the piece speak for itself. It matters that you hit your deadlines but no need to brag how fast or slow you are. Give your talent some worth, don't cheapen it by saying you can do it in five minutes. A gentleman's agreement goes a long way in my book. Keep your word, keep a deadline, contract or no contract. Remember, you're part of a team. Someone designed it before you and someone will have to produce it after you, so keep it all in perspective. Have a good attitude. People like to work with artists that are a pleasure to work with, that's how you'll get more work.
AP: What are some suggestions for the type of work a young sculptor should include in their portfolio when looking for work in this industry?
RP: Pieces that show your knowledge of anatomy, proportion, interpretation and style. Add some variety by including realistic, cartoony, collectible and commercial sculpts. The more variety the better. Show pieces from several views, including some close ups. Update your portfolio as often as you can. Above all, nurture your talent, so a good art director will see potential. Don't give up!
AP: Thanks for taking the time to do this interview. I really appreciate it. Is there anything else you’d like to say to all your fans out there?
RP: Thanks again, Alfred, for asking and for putting together such a great website and blog together. My hat's off to you for your incredible talent and for giving back so much to the sculpting community with this blog. To all the fans, thanks for all your support and kind words throughout the years. I've always said, hearing the collectors' feedback makes all the hard work worthwhile. One of the neatest things I can ever hear is that a sculpt that I've done has gone to the home of a fan who appreciates that character. I do sculpts with two things in mind, one is I do them for my own personal pleasure and the other is I do them for the fans. I hope to achieve this every time. Thanks!
All images are copyright Rubén Procopio. Characters are copyrights and trademarks of their respective intellectual property owners.
Interview with Greg Baldwin
It's Baaaack!!! That's right, the A.P. Sculpture Studio Blog is back from hiatus. Thanks for being patient while I was getting past a very crazy month. Things are still going a hundred miles an hour around here, but I wanted to bring you guys more interviews, articles and discussions about art.
I'm very pleased that for this first interview, I'll be sharing the work of a long time friend, Mr Greg Baldwin. An amazing character designer, working for Insomniac games, Greg has been a source of inspiration for hundreds (if not thousands) of people. His style and creativity are the kind that we all dream of. So settle in, strap your jaw to your face (cuz it will be dropping otherwise), and enjoy yet another great interview.
AP: Although I know your history, why don’t you give the readers a brief description of your history and where you are now.
GB: Well, I grew up south of Boston, MA and moved out to CA to go to college at the Laguna College of Art and Design. I dropped out of the program a semester early to start working freelance, which isn’t something I recommend, but at the time it seemed like the right idea. I really wanted to get out and start working. I took on any and all commercial art projects I could get my hands on. I had some really strange gigs around that time. At the tail end of one project working as a sculptor on one stop-motion animated short, I realized I needed to get something more reliable and I ended up through a chance series of events getting a position as a concept artist and modeler at a small gaming studio that was local. After a couple of tough production years, I applied at Insomniac Games in Burbank, CA. I was hired on by Dave Guertin to do modeling and texture work. After a smidge over 8 years, I am now a Principle Artist for the studio. Dave and I have worked together on designing and building the characters at Insomniac together since that day and so in the Spring of 2007, we started CreatureBox.com together as a joint venture to explore character design, comics and other random ideas. Between that, Insomniac and my young family, I’m happily very busy and have just enough time to eat most days!
AP: As long as I’ve known you, you’ve always loved Robots and Creatures, but where did that all start for you?
GB: I was a child of the 80’s in a relatively small working class town. I grew up watching Transformers, Thunder Cats, G.I.Joe and the entire animated lineup with my brother after school each day. We spent a lot of time running around in the woods with sticks imagining we were various characters battling for some unknown reason. Slowly, our inventiveness became more and more elaborate. My father had an extensive workshop in our basement and was always very willing to let us have free reign over it. Unfortunately for him, I was also the kid who took everything apart to try to figure them out or appropriate them into some necessary accoutrement for that day’s battle.
I was never intentionally someone who wanted to draw, it just came with the territory as someone whose imagination had gotten a tad out of hand and required multiple outlets to explore. Drawing quickly became a way of translating the most elaborate ideas into something more tangible. After years of battling imaginary creatures and robots in the woods with my brother and our friends, I very quickly began developing them in my drawings as well.
AP: How has it been, designing characters for Insomniac over the years? Is it still fun?
GB: Insomniac is a blast. It’s also the toughest job I’ve ever had; and that’s coming from a guy who worked 6 years on a fishing boat. There are days where I don’t want to do it anymore, but those days quickly diminish whenever I walk around the office and see what the other team members are creating. Being an artist is usually a solo journey, and I felt that way for a long time. But when I started collaborating with other talented artists, animators and designers, the results were so much more fulfilling. Every day I go to work, I am surrounded by talent and inspiration. It’s a really rewarding position and I am very lucky to be a part of it all.
AP: Is it tough to design really imaginative characters and have them read well in 3 Dimensions inside a video game?
GB: It’s ridiculously hard. Some of the best designs I’ve created work horribly in a 3D space, and some of the worst designs I’ve made work great in that space. Over time, as I’ve gotten more accustomed to the problem, it has certainly become easier. Having a long running franchise like Ratchet and Clank to work on has allowed us to have a long list of successes and failures to use as lessons on any future design we might work on. Often, the failures are our best friends in those situations. But it’s also really hard to look back on them and know that millions of people have seen them…ugh.
AP: I’m sure that part of your job description has included working in different departments. Have you ever had to create a 3D model of one of your own characters? And has that affected the way you design them now?
GB: I’m fortunate to do a lot of modeling of the characters too for our games. Seeing what translates well in 3D is really helpful when going back to create a new character in 2D. A lot of what we learn in life drawing and sculpture classes has become imperative to a good design. It’s not always about understanding anatomy, but being confident with proportions, how forms turn in space and functionality. We are essentially trying to sell our fans something that doesn’t exist in reality. Inventing new characters and forms always has to have a sense of believability to it, or people won’t buy it.
AP: Being a very busy designer for the game industry, do you ever indulge in video games? If so, which have been some of your favorites (past or present)?
GB: Haha…uh oh. No not really. I play funny little games on my Iphone like Plants VS Zombies and Cut the Rope. But I see games all day long and don’t really have the extra time to indulge in them. I play demos if I can. I still think back on games like Ico and the games from Oddworld as great game experiences. Much like comics, I tend to enjoy games for their visuals more than the game itself. There are some really talented teams out there!
AP: How do you approach a new character design? And how many variations will you typically go through before getting to the final design?
GB: The approach is usually the same every time. Again, I work with a lot of talented people, and working with Dave Guertin on the characters, it’s a very collaborative verbal process at the beginning. We “toss” ideas around, and the rule is usually to try to get all the initial ideas out so we can get past them. We find that our early ideas tend to be derivative of ideas from other things we’ve seen or heard. So the sooner we can get those ideas out, the better.
As far as the number of variations when I actually put pen to paper (or pen to Cintiq as it is now), is really different with every new design. Sometimes I hit it first try. Sometimes I draw a number of designs, or have Dave draw all over my design to try to fix whatever monstrosity I came up with. You just never know, but it’s important to not stop until you know that the design is as good as it can be. That said, we are also under tight deadlines always, so we have to be timely with our work or the rest of the team will suffer for it.
AP: In your opinion, what are some of the most important parts of character design?
GB: Clarity and believability. If a character can tell you 90% of what it is about just by looking at it, you’ve done a good design. No matter if a character is a very terrestrial being or something nobody has ever seen before, we are making characters for people who live in the same world we do. People naturally understand emotion, demeanor, posture and any number of historical and modern references. If you can play to their inherent knowledge and deliver them a character that they understand and can relate to, then you won’t have to spend all kinds of time developing the history behind them.
Often just understanding the goal of a character can lead to a lot of the answers a design might have to encompass. A classic underdog is only and underdog if what that character is up against is apparently superior to them in some way. And that formula can be applied to any scenario a character might find themselves in.
AP: What comes first for you when designing a new character? The story, the character, or does it develop at the same time?
GB: I would say that typically that is a reciprocating aspect to a design. The story develops the character and the character develops the story. Certainly one comes first, but I don’t think it really matters which one so long as they become married to each other in the end.
AP: Do you ever draw a character that doesn’t have a story behind it (be it simple or complex)? Just something cool for cool’s sake? Or do they always end up with a little story?
GB: I certainly like to come up with characters just out of the blue. CreatureBox was founded around simply exploring the concept of character design. Very often a story will develop as I draw a new character. But hearing a great story or making one up can really help guide a good design just as easily. It tends to be a pretty organic process in that respect.
AP: Do you have a plethora of characters floating around in your head, waiting for their turn to end up on the page (or screen)? Or do they just show up when the pencil hits the paper?
GB: Both again. I have a number of characters that I can’t wait to spend time drawing and tuning. I also very much enjoy just winging it and seeing what will come out of the ether. I think it’s fair to say that every character evolves on the page though. Even the clearest ideas I’ve had always show their ugly little problems once they show up on a piece of paper or on a monitor. That’s the funnest part! Fixing the problem, that’s what character design really is, a great big problem in need of a really clean solution.
AP: You and your friend (and creative partner) Dave started CreatureBox as a way to get out all the other crazy creations you guys have floating around your brain. It’s been a big hit and has gained quite a following. How does it feel to have so many people following what you do? And what’s in store for the future of CreatureBox?
GB: CreatureBox is the best! Most days, Dave and I feel like we’re just going along for the ride. It’s really been a great experience all around. We learn something new every day. When we started it up, we had no idea how it would be received and weren’t sure what we were even going to do. As the site grew and people started stopping in to check it out, we started meeting all kinds of talented people with similar interests. Being an artist can feel very lonesome at times, especially when you are in sort of a niche part of the art world like we are. But seeing all the great feedback and knowing now that there are thousands of people out there who like a good creature or spaceman just as much as we do makes CreatureBox a vital and rewarding part of growing as a character designer.
The future for CreatureBox is going to be organic. Dave and I want to always use it to pursue what we are interested in at any given time. That tends to change on an hourly basis. So we like to refer to it as a playground, and we’ll continue to use it to learn, grow and talk about ideas with each other and whoever else feels like stopping by.
AP: I know that you’re both a traditional media artist as well as a digital artist. How do you feel the digital has helped your design work, and have there been any negatives?
GB: Digital is a tricky media. Working in games, we both understood that being able to quickly iterate on an idea was imperative to making good designs that worked well for the game. Digital has allowed us to explore new ideas much faster even in our own work. It’s really valuable as a tool. But that’s all it is, another tool. We still draw from life and draw in sketchbooks as often as humanly possible. I think it’s safe to say that tangible media will always feel better than digital, but it’s just too hard to make adjustments quickly. It all comes down to what’s best for the design.
AP: You wrote and illustrated your own Comic Book, which was very well received (I know it’s one of my favorites for sure). I also know it was a labor of love for you that spanned many years. So do you have any other comics in the works?
GB: When I finished Path, I knew I would do more comics, I just had no interest in standing at the starting line of a project like that again. Lately, on CreatureBox, we’ve started some web-comics to help get back into it. Much like the characters I haven’t gotten to yet, there are a slew of ideas floating around for comics, but geez do they take a long time to make!
AP: You’re a father to 2 very beautiful kids, a husband to a super talented and renowned artist, you work as a lead character designer for a major video game company and you run your own site (with the help of Dave) and update it quite regularly with amazing new creations. How do you manage to schedule your time across so many things and still be creative and interested in what you’re doing? What advice would you give to other artists that might be struggling with juggling life, career and creativity?
GB: Family and friends come first. My wife Alia and I have always made it a point to never let our art take away from our family. We both like similar things and our kids put up with us, so we tend to have a lot of art in our lives. She is also my harshest critic. HA! Dave and I always make sure our work is divided 50/50 and we work very hard to help each other through the inevitable battles of whatever work load is looming over us. Not everyone is comfortable working with other people or has someone they can bounce ideas off of, but I believe having someone you can trust to help you is the most important part of growing as an artist.
AP: For other artists (myself included) who wish to design and create their own characters, but are maybe stuck; Do you have any advice or exercises to uncork that bottle of creativity juice?
GB: Here is my exercise; think of an idea you are toying around with or just absolutely fed up with. Now think of something that has absolutely nothing to do with it. I mean like “a space explorer crash landed on a desolate planet and peanut butter and jelly”. Jam (pun intended) those two things together. I bet not a lot of people have done that one before! But seriously, take two or three different things and see how you can incorporate them together. It is not a guaranteed success, that’s the point. You need to see what isn’t working to see what will work, and you need to get as far away from your normal train of thought as possible so you can see a new idea with fresh eyes. I like to jam 3 things together, makes for some wild ideas.
AP: We all have our lists of artists who we admire, respect or are simply in awe of. What’s your short list of artists who make you stop and stare at their work and neglect your own for a couple hours?
GB: The list is possibly endless, but if you want to look at some great work check out anything any of these artists did: Claire Wendling, Sergio Toppi, Enrique Fernandez, Chuck Jones, Ollie Johnston, Frank Thomas, Milt Kahl, Alphonse Mucha, Egon Schiele, Brad Bird, Adam Hughes, Bill Watterson, Jamie Hewlett, Mike Mignola, Chris Sanders, Nico Marlet, argh…I could go on forever.
AP: Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. I hope that we can get you back here again sometime (maybe even collaborate on something). I wish you continued success and creativity, and I look forward to the next time we can see each other face-to-face.
Tim Miller Interview
This week, it's back to interviews with one of this industries top names. You've seen his work, now we get a chance to meet the man. Tim Miller is my guest this week. If that names sounds familiar to you regular readers, it's because Tim was the first industry professional to stretch out his hand and give me some solid advice and help in figuring out this whole commercial sculpture thing. And this year at Comic-Con, he was instrumental in helping me meet one of the owners of Sideshow and get my foot just a little further in that door. I owe Tim a great deal of appreciation and thanks and I hope you guys will appreciate his work and this little interview as well.
AP: We finally got a chance to meet face-to-face at this year’s SDCC. How did you enjoy your time in San Diego? Can you talk a little about conventions like SDCC and their importance for this industry?
TM: SDCC is always a great time. It’s fantastic catching up, face to face, with the guys from Sideshow, the fans are wonderful, the show is incredible.
I think the cross-pollination that goes on at conventions really helps drive the industry forward. People come because they might be into gaming, movies, whatever, and suddenly have their eyes opened to a collectibles. Sometimes they might see a level of work in collectibles that they didn’t know was available to them at a reasonable price-point.
AP: All the work you’ve done for Sideshow Collectibles in the Adam Hughes line of Comiqutte Statues has been exquisite. How did you end up doing so many of the sculpts in that series and how much fun did you have doing them?
TM: Thanks for the kind words.
I think the original plan for the line was to have each piece done by a different sculptor, sort of like each artists take on Adam’s work. Previous to my involvement in the line, I was seen predominantly as a portrait guy, so when I was given the chance to do an Adam Hughes’ piece I was thrilled. I really wanted to show people I can sculpt more than a pretty face. Adam’s great to work with, and the process on his pieces feels more collaborative. I suppose Sideshow saw that keeping just one sculptor on the line might benefit from a long term rapport between that sculptor and Adam. Right place at the right time I guess.
As far as fun? Well, it’s still work. It’s very rewarding to see a piece move along in the right direction, and it’s probably more so when you’ve been given the task of sculpting hot, flossy babes. Of course, the big payoff is when the fans’ chatter begins. I can’t wait to hear what people will say about the pieces currently on my desk!
AP: You’ve been one of McFarlane Toys’ top portrait guys for years. How long ago did you start there, and do they still hire you for portrait work?
TM: I began sculpting portraits for McFarlane Design in September of 2002. And yeah, I still get work from them. They’ve been fantastic for me, and I hope that we continue to have a long working relationship together.
AP: Aside from being a great portrait sculptor, you’re also one of the top female figure sculptors. I’d ask why you’re so good at it, but I imagine it’s because women are so much more fun to look at than big muscled guys… but seriously, how have you become so good at capturing dynamic and sexy female anatomy? What are some of the biggest challenges when it comes to sculpting sexy females?
TM: Again, thanks so much for the very kind words. You know, most of the time I still feel like I’m fumbling through any given project, like a child learning to ride a bicycle. I’d say there are a few reasons each piece comes out looking the way they do. First of all, I work with some amazing people, I’ve got great designs and designers, like Adam, then there are some incredible art directors, that can gently push me in the right direction when I’ve gotten too close to a project to see what might be looking odd. As far as what I bring to the table? I guess you could say that I’ve studied women, a lot, but that’s only part of it. I use life models on everything I do now, and that’s a tremendous help. I’m also relentless in getting things right. I persistently pursue excellence in my work, and while I appreciate others appreciating my work, I feel as though I’ve still got a lot to improve upon.
My biggest challenge with sculpting a ‘hot flossy babe’ is actually knees. They kill me! There are certain subtleties with a finely shaped knee that I just really struggle with. Of course, breasts and butts are also a little stressful because if you don’t get those right, well, you don’t have a hot flossy babe.
AP: Let’s talk a little bit about portrait sculpting. How do you typically start a new portrait sculpting project?
TM: The first is always the reference and establishing a good expression. I’ll get into researching the individual a bit, pull up as much good photo reference as I can. It always amazes me when I hear people trying to get into sculpting (or illustrating for that matter) that think it’s somehow not important to use reference material. My desk is always surrounded by photos and illustrations. I’ll also have a straight-on photo of the person scaled to the exact size the sculpture needs to be. This way I can measure certain specific dimensions, such as eye width. As I begin sculpting a portrait, I’ll start with a ‘buck’ or generic head, that’s about the size I need the finished piece to be. Not always, and I do get a kick out of starting with just a lump of clay sometimes. Then it’s a matter of just sitting in THAT chair and making it happen.
AP: Is there any particular part of doing a portrait that you regularly have trouble with? If so, how do keep that in check?
TM: I wouldn’t say there’s any one thing that’s consistently an issue. Each face is different, so each brings its own challenges. Symmetry is often a problem for some sculptors, and if I think it’s a problem on a given piece, I’ll hold the head upside down or look at it in a mirror. These techniques help you see past a face and see the sculpture.
AP: What are some common mistakes you see in a beginner’s work? And what are some ways to avoid those mistakes?
TM: Well, we’ve covered the reference issue as well as symmetry. These both end up being the biggest issues I think. Having a scaled photo or illustration is also good for maintaining proper proportions. Keep calipers handy and use them frequently. I’d say I’m exceptionally good at eyeballing things now, and I still rely on measuring things regularly. I also see people wanting to jump right into wax. Take your time in regular clays first. Train your eyes and your hands before you get into a very unforgiving, time-consuming, and expensive material to work with.
AP: On average (if you can figure out such a thing), how long does it take you to complete a portrait?
TM: Again, because each face brings its own challenges, a portrait may take me five hours, or two days.
AP: Have you ever sculpted a self-portrait? If so, how did it turn out? If you haven’t sculpted one, why not?
TM: I’ve not. I’m probably too narcissistic, you know, not wanting to confront the reality.
AP: Is there a likeness you’ve wanted to sculpt but haven’t gotten around to it? If so, who is it?
TM: Oh, there’s a bunch of people I’d like to sculpt! Eastwood from the Man with No Name series, Bill the Butcher from Gangs of New York, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. There’s the short list.
AP: How many portraits do you think you’ve sculpted in your time as a professional sculptor?
TM: I’ve sculpted on something like eight hundred and fifty some-odd portraits.
AP: It must be cool to have fans of what you do. I know there’s always the darker side of that equation (and we’ve spoken about that before), but what about all the positive feedback and genuine love for what you do; it has to feel pretty good to have fans come up to you and say hi at conventions.
TM: It’s always fantastic!
AP: Aside from all the portrait work at McFarlane, and the really cool stuff you’ve done for Sideshow, you’ve also recently finished a few pieces for Bowen Designs. Have you done stuff for Randy in the past? How do you enjoy working for him?
TM: Last year I began doing a few projects here and there for him, as my schedule with Sideshow and McFarlane allowed, and yeah, Randy’s great to work with! We’ve also got some exciting things coming soon!
AP: I typically start these interviews with these questions, but I think this time we’ll end with them. Were you always interested in art, or did you have a different career in mind when you were growing up?
TM: I was always drawing, but never thought I’d end up in a career as an artist. In fact, I didn’t take an art class beyond seventh grade. I have a B.S. in Biology and thought I was going to pursue a career in medicine. Perhaps one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever had to make was not applying to medical school.
AP: When did you start sculpting? What were some of your early inspirations?
TM: I picked up a piece of clay my senior year of college. The rest is kind of a long story, so I’ll save it for another time. Early inspirations were Brian Froud and Jim Henson, the talented group of individuals at ILM, Rick Baker, mostly FX guys.
AP: What was your first big break in this industry?
TM: About a year after college, I got a part-time job at an FX and sculpting company in Sonoma. It was a small company, so everybody had to know how to do everything, molding, casting, illustration, design, animatronics design. They brought me on full time after six months, and I absorbed any information they gave. It was an amazing place to grow.
AP: What advice would you give to young sculptors trying to get into this industry?
TM: Work harder than you ever thought possible, and learn to take direction and criticism.
AP: Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, I hope you enjoyed yourself. Is there anything else you’d like to say to your fans?
TM: Thanks to those with the very kind words, and special thanks to those with the very harsh words.
Interview with Adam Ross
My guest this week is an amazing artist who's work I've seen for some time, but hadn't put a name to. Adam Ross is a digital sculptor and creates some of the best looking stuff out there (digital or otherwise). This week Adam and I talk about Comic-Con, traditional vs digital sculpting, the tech side of digital sculpting programs and more. It's a great read, so pull up a chair and stay a while.
AP: It was really great seeing a lot of your work at SDCC this year. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to meet you. Did you enjoy this years Con? What were some of your favorite things this year?
AR: Thanks so much for the admiration of my work! There were a lot more pieces at SDCC from Idol Workshop than I even imagined. It seemed like everywhere you turned at the Sideshow booth, there was one of our pieces. Hopefully we can meet up at next year's con, or even at NYCC, if you're going :)
This year's con was either very different from the past 6-7 years, or I crossed over into SDCC veteran territory, LOL. Last year, I believe the big film release was Star Trek if I'm not mistaken. There's always a BIG movie dropped in the lap of con goers. This year, I'm figuring that was supposed to be Tron: Legacy....which I'm hyped about...but didn't seem like it had the energy around it like other movies in previous years.
Some of my favorite things were smaller in nature, Weta Workshop had some KILLER Wind in the Willows product, District 9 pieces, and MORE from Dr. Grordbort's. It was good reconnecting with those guys from back in my Gentle Giant days. Greg Broadmore and I had met previously back then, but we haven't made the connection in the past 3 years of con going because we've both grown beards!!! LOL. We had that "AHA!" moment this year, which was pretty damn funny.
There's ALWAYS the Sideshow Collectibles booth, it *never* ceases to blow me away even though I'm one of their sculpting vendors. Since I work digitally, I rarely get to see my work until it's a finished piece. SDCC is the place to be to see how your work is received, and in my case, I usually see it for the first time the same as the fans do.
I'm looking forward to Sucker Punch from Zack Snyder, that film could either be one of the greatest films of all time, OR it could be and uber flop. I'm hoping for the former, because it would be a bigger disappointment than Final Fantasy if it's the latter case :(
AP: Did you always have an interest in art? What were some of your early inspirations?
AR: I always have had in interest in art. As a child I was a cardboard Picasso, at least in my 6 year old mind I was. I was always making vehicles out of cardboard and whatever I could find in our family woodshop. That progressed into clay as I got older, Sculpey and Super Sculpey, and grew into figurative pieces. Some of my earliest inspirations were movies like Jason and the Argonauts, Clash of the Titans, and Jurassic Park. The first two galvanized my interest in sculpture, the third solidified it as being in the digital medium, long term.
AP: I heard you started out as a model maker and fabricator. Is this true and if so, how is it you got so good so fast at mastering the complexity of the human figure?
AR: In some ways that's true, but only in my first professional gig. Prior to that I had classical training using earthenware clays that I mixed myself in college. We used kilns, studied the masters, the usual art school shabang. Once I transferred to SCAD (The Savannah College of Art and Design), I quickly changed gears and went digital. Back then we just had Maya, Max, or Lightwave....there was no ZBrush or Mudbox. That really limited how detailed you could go on your work, from a physical detail perspective. You could always fake the funk with texture maps, but true geometric detail was a long way off. This meant that in my first gig out of college, at Gentle Giant, we were pretty much relegated to modeling the hard surface components of a sculpt (e.g. armor, guns, and bases). ZBrush didn't get widespread attention until around version 2.0-2.5 as far as I was concerned. I picked up a copy when I was charged with building the digital department at McFarlane Toys. We teeter-tottered between Z and Mudbox, eventually settling on Z once 3.0 and 3.1 were released. Prior to that, I had picked up sculpting in wax like the rest of the sculptors at McFarlane, and found that while I didn't particularly enjoy the medium, I was still able to work on my organic sculpting skills, and at least keep them from becoming *too* rusty. After ZBrush 3.0, I was able to go back to the medium I preferred, and actually get much of the same detail out of my work that I was previously only able to achieve traditionally. Since then it's gotten back into a rhythm, each release allowing me to push that envelope even farther. I still have tons of problems with my figure sculpture, and look at a number of other guys like Tim Miller and Mark Newman and say to myself "Damn, I've got a looooong way to go." I never really feel on par and never ahead of the game, just enough to get through today....and yesterday's work is garbage, to put it nicely ;) LOL
AP: How long ago did you start using digital sculpting software? Did you learn it on your own or did you take a class?
AR: I started back in 1999 when I first transferred to SCAD. I first learned Lightwave, then Maya. ZBrush, Mudbox, Freeform, etc didn't come until years later. Even though I took classes, I have to say that I pretty much taught myself everything. They only offered classes in Maya back then, so everything after that I taught myself. I'm usually so busy that I end up learning out of necessity instead of leisure. There are so many guys out there who know almost every facet of programs like Z, and I feel like I'm far behind the times when it comes to that.....but somehow I get it done!
AP: What were some of your early challenges with digital sculpting programs?
AR: Wrapping my mind around precision modeling, when I need parts to fit together seamlessly. In sculpting, it's a very straightforward process. In digital, you can't just shove two pieces together and have it work, there's such a thing as tolerance between pieces, even when you're sculpting/separating organic sculptures. Now we have programs specifically dedicated to cutting up pieces and allowing for tolerance, but not back then. HOWEVER, it's still a skill that should be mastered and is necessary when creating pieces like the bike for the recent WWII Logan show piece I did with Morpheus Prototypes, for their SDCC booth. You can never overlook things like that. So many art students want to skip classic training and anatomy to go straight to abstraction....and it shows. Picasso (which I am not!) mastered classic skills before treading down his own path...he knew the importance of foundations. This is no different.
AP: People tend to associate craftsmanship with something made by hand but it's obviously a big part of your digital workflow, too. Can you give aspiring digital sculptors any advice for achieving the type of high quality that typifies your work?
AR: Play with clay, study classic art books. Study the masters. Bernini is one of my favorites, FYI. Don't refer to others' work to correct your own....it's like a bad photocopy of a bad photocopy. In this business, in order to get dynamic looking pieces, we often have to break bones on purpose or stretch the human body beyond it's natural tolerances to "make it work" as Tim Gunn would say. You need to know the foundations in order to break those bones and stretch that body so that it still looks legit. Like a magician, you're using the art of distraction through foundational knowledge, if that makes sense.
Learn the *basics* of rapid prototyping. Learn how to make your models water tight, learn what you can and cannot get away with on each type of printer, as they all vary to some degree. It's a whole other skill set you must acquire in order to be able to successfully bring your digital pieces into physical reality. Don't depend on RP bureaus to get it right for you.....if you don't, your employer doesn't like having to spring for another $2k bill to print out another!
If you think you've pushed the piece far enough, go another 15%. You'll be surprised at how often it'll take a piece from cool to awe inspiring. I rarely like my work beyond 15 minutes after finishing it, so if I like it for 30 minutes, or a day, or even a week, I know I did something right.
AP: Does an artist hoping to break into the statue and toy world need to develop the same skill set needed to make models for games and film or is sculpting for prototyping and manufacturing a different animal altogether?
AR: Yes and no. Sadly, I think that because of time constraints or company requirements, skill sets are divided up into "you're the figure modeler", "you're the armor guy", "you're the boot guy", etc etc. Guys easily get pigeon holed into a certain type of modeling. There are a number of guys who kick MAJOR ass when modeling a body, but always need someone else to model the hard surface pieces. While the same is almost ALWAYS true in traditional sculpting, the ability to do both and do them well is a VERY powerful draw to get work. Otherwise, you have to be fast as hell and accurate to boot, if you're just able to do one aspect of a piece.
One aspect that I look for in digital sculptors is what I call the "MacGyver Factor".....lame? Well, it simply means that I can show someone a basic set of ideas or techniques, then they're able to grow those into a much more robust toolset and even mix them together to solve future problems without my intervention. This doesn't just apply to sculpting in a digital medium, I think it applies to life as a whole. We don't teach it anymore in schools....it's what got us to the moon, but the lack of it is now what keeps our feet cemented here on Earth.
AP: It seems as though (from what I've read and seen online) that you need more than just Zbrush to complete any sculpture for production. What are some of the other programs that you use and what are the benefits and drawbacks of those programs?
AR: Most people think that because it's digital, then it's always precise, always right....it's most definitely not. Programs have unforeseen problems just like a traditional sculptor might find a bad batch of clay or wax, a malfunctioning wax pen, or a broken tool they have to fix. It's also just like traditional sculpting in the way that each piece of software isn't and end-all-be-all tool. You have a toolbox and each tool serves ONE function the best, and several other tertiary functions adequately.
I use Maya for roughing out a base mesh and for all of my hard surface modeling like armor, weapons, or vehicles. I use ZBrush for all of my organic sculpting. I use Magics to cut up all of my parts for print and put in fittings. I have a 2nd tier of programs that I call in to fix mesh problems that I run into, such as MeshLab (FREE) or AccuTrans (for batch file conversion so I can get a client what they need). Each has it's drawback, some cannot handle large files (like AccuTrans), but they can batch convert 90% of what I throw at them. I tend to look at them not as drawbacks, but having limited purpose. A lot of software companies are trying to be the one-stop modeling software, but they sacrifice the innovation that made them the best at their one major area. It's unfortunate, but a reality. That's why I'm *constantly* up on what's new and what's coming down the pike. What's perfect today may fall apart tomorrow, you need to be in on these changes when they happen, to stay competitive.
AP: How have you seen attitudes towards digital sculpting change over the years? Do you think digital will overtake traditional sculpting as the preferred method for companies?
AR: At first, traditional artists believed that digital would put them out of work. Only the short-sighted companies acted on this and let traditional guys go. Smart ones saw that it's only another tool to add to the box, not replace ones already in there. Commercial product is about how quickly and cheaply you can provide the absolute best possible product to the fan base. Digital pushed that forward exponentially when used by the right hands. There have been fewer of the right hands than the wrong hands, unfortunately, and this has tainted the view of sculpting in the digital medium for years. Only since the advent of software like ZBrush and Mudbox has this begun to be debunked. We're actually pushing polys into REAL details, fine ones, and we're achieving comparable results that are more often times not discernible from their traditionally created counterparts.
A number of companies and digital artists have also preyed upon these fears held by traditional artists, and put up a veil of secrecy around how they do what they do, and even pushed out other aspiring digital artists. That's been a goal of mine for some time, which is why I try to be as open of a book as possible to anyone honestly seeking knowledge on this medium. I want digital art to be judged on the merits of result, not technique, and I think that wall has really started to come down in the past 2 years to a large extent.
I believe that digital will continue to grow in the coming years, but our hang up at the moment remains 3d print quality. RP technology is always just behind what the digital sculpting software is able to achieve, but they're rapidly catching up as this medium gains a larger foothold in the industry. I don't think that this medium will become the preferred method for *all* companies, but it sure does help those with a smaller, more tight knit business model. All that being said, I think it's just as worthwhile for those sculpting digitally to know how to sculpt traditionally and vice versa.
AP: With the new advances in 3D printing, the doors for bolder digital designs seem to be wide open. Is there still something you'd like to create digitally that just can't quite be outputted yet, or are we to the point that if you can think it, we can make it?
AR: I think we're pretty damn close. From my perspective on the battleground, here in the middle of the fray, the biggest problem to perception of what printers can achieve is lack of knowledge about the tech on the bureau side of the equation, and lack of ability to clean these pieces correctly on the other. It takes the right people on all sides to achieve a great result. It takes the knowledge of the sculptor to know what he or she can get out of a printer based on scale of the piece, it takes the skill of the bureau to know how to orient pieces on the machine to get maximum layers on a part and where to place and omit support structures to not frak up details, and, possibly the most important part of the digital-to-reality equation, having the right guys clean up your pieces. You need someone whose passion lies in finishing work, not reworking. Think of them like the make-up artist to a supermodel. The supermodel may just look like an attractive girl next door with no warpaint on, but the moment the make-up artist goes to work, their job is to bring out the best in the piece and smooth over any minor abnormalities. Granted, you can't put lipstick on a pig, but the good guys in the biz know what your original intent was and take the time to bring all that out.
AP: I know this is usually a loaded question, but I'm sure people would like to know - Are there artists (digital or otherwise) in this industry that you look to for inspiration? Do you still get excited about meeting other artists at conventions and stuff?
AR: Oddly enough, I look to 2d artists for more inspiration than anyone else, as they are usually the ones I work with to create some of these pieces based on iconic covers or drawings they've done over the years. Travis Charest is a BIG one....the WWII Logan piece was based off of his style (and ironically Adi Granov did a cover not too long ago which sort of mirrored what I wanted to do with the piece going back 2 years, so I borrowed some elements from that). I would absolutely shiz my britches for a chance to do some pieces, one-off or otherwise, with Travis....SPACEGIRL?!?! Another guy, which I know a lot of others look to, is Adam Hughes. He has captured the mantle of the foremost "modern" pin-up artist of our time. I'm lucky enough to run in some of the same circles as he does, and we run into each other from time to time, but I'm sure he just knows me as Mark Brooks' friend, or "that guy that I see with Tim Miller at SDCC" ;P
AP: Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. Is there anything you'd like to say to your fans or young artists trying to follow in your footsteps?
AR: One other thing relating to "who do I draw inspiration from?" Sculpting-wise, I don't really look to any other modern sculptors for inspiration per se. There are other guys that I have a lot of respect for and respect for what they do, but I try not to compare too often. You just end up putting a governor on your throttle and get chained to the ground. It's good to look around quickly and see where you stand so you have some targets in mind. If you look around and find folks running in front of you, make them your short term target, but the goal is to leave them in your wake wondering "WTF just happened?" You'll inevitably be at every place in the race during your life, so just remember, it's the broad brush strokes that matter, you'll be blown away one day, then back to blowing away everyone else the next. Always learn, always question, and trust but verify. You'll find those who take umbrage to it, you'll find those who will inevitably "circle jerk" around whoever is top dog for the day, those people aren't your targets, they're not even in the race.....they ride coat tails. You're better than that, and people are always watching, so let your work do the talking, NOT the message boards.
Thanks *so* much for the interest in the interview, it never ceases to amaze me that people actually have any interest in what bounces around inside my head, and being a Southerner, it's a miracle that I didn't write a volume or compendium for each answer! ;) Thanks for the great opportunity, and if you or anyone else reading this has any questions or comments, relating to sharing of knowledge or just to say hello, please feel free to give out my email address! :)
BEST!!!
Adam
Interview with Jean St. Jean
This week it's my pleasure to bring you an interview with the very talented Jean St. Jean. I ran into Jean at the DC booth down at SDCC this year, and it was very cool to meet the man behind so many cool creations. Jean has a long history in this industry and has worked for and with some of the best. This week, we talk about Comic Con, music, the state of the industry and more. I hope you enjoy the read.
AP: It was a real pleasure to finally put a face to the name behind all those great sculpts I've seen over the years. I hope that you enjoyed this years San Diego Comic Con.
JSJ: Comic Con’s always a blast.
AP: Talking about Comic Con, what do you think about venues like SDCC in regards to the industry, as a collector and as a sculptor working in the industry?
JSJ: I started going out to SDCC for McFarlane years ago and was hooked. The opportunity to see all the things being done in toys, comics and all entertainment areas is very energizing. I also enjoy socializing with people I work with all year but never get to hang out with otherwise. In relation to the industry itself, I think its great to see all the various companies show all their stuff in a huge venue that’s geared towards the collector rather than wholesalers. It really has begun to take the place of NY Toyfair in importance.
AP: So, I know you and I share a lot of the same interests, including music and collectibles, but you're actually quite an accomplished musician and clearly a very talented sculptor. How did your interest in these fields start and which came first?
JSJ: I started playing piano at 7 or 8 years old, but I really didn’t get all that into it until I started listening to Rock music in like 3rd grade. My first love was Kiss. They tied together my interest in comics, monsters and added music to the mix. From that point I started drawing Kiss on everything I fucking owned instead of Batman. I played in bands in High school and after high school tried to go somewhere with it, playing out at as many crappy clubs as possible. I went to Western Connecticut U initially for engineering and fucking hated it so I transferred to music. I was basically a rock and roll jerk so I had to really bust my ass to try to even hang with people who had studied seriously for years. I came out of it with a Bachelor of Music in piano with a minor in percussion and I spent quit a bit of time focusing on notation and composition. After college I spent most of my time composing predominantly in a progressive vein. Other than teaching, it was pretty hard to make a living as a musician because all the primary options were just detestable to me and original music is hard to showcase in clubs that tend toward dance music and cover bands. So I taught private piano lessons and played organ at mass in a few different churches, which wasn’t bad. I couldn’t bring myself to do the wedding band thing because I hated the music.
In the early nineties I fell into the toy field through an apprenticeship I found in the NY Times. I started working at a studio that did mostly dolls and pre-school toys and worked there for 5 years. I got a pretty solid foundation in traditional toy sculpting and a strong work ethic, which have given me an edge in my career.
AP: Having been in this industry for a while, and having worked with different companies with different aesthetics, how have you seen the industry change over the years?
JSJ: When I started, production concerns dictated the aesthetic. But this was the way in all the mass market co’s like Mattel, Hasbro Tyco, etc. Now the aesthetic forces production to adapt and progress. Todd McFarlane really brought this about with his company, by bringing in sculptors who had the style he wanted, but who were not necessarily toy guys. Consequently a whole new niche opened up in the collectible market, a lot of it as a reaction to his innovative ideas.
AP: Toys and collectibles have gone from simple, not heavily detailed sculpts, to amazingly intricate and very realistically detailed creations. Where do you think the industry will go from here?
JSJ: The industry seems to ebb and flow in and out of high detail work into more stylized things like urban vinyl and back. The biggest challenge at least for the action figure manufacturer is the predominance of video games. I think as far as kids, product action figures are on their way out, as they’d rather play the games than screw with a plastic toy of a character. Action figures seem to have become an adult collectible, even some of the kid oriented properties, probably because like guys my age, we grew up on GI Joe and megos etc. and video games didn’t exist.
AP: As a collector, what excites you about new action figures and statues? Which companies (in your opinion) are really pushing the boundaries of cool?
JSJ: I personally collect mostly anime statues at this point but I still collect a shit-load of Batman stuff. Things like Queen’s Blade, Dark Stalkers and the live action show Garo, have some great looking figures out there. I have also been on kind of an Iron man bender since the first movie though. I love this shit.
As far as pushing the boundaries of cool? There’s a lot of great stuff but nothing that knocks me out. It’s all been done and re-done and then done again, and with the economy in the shitter and the wage and price increases in China all the companies are in protect our asses mode. Right now everyone just wants to survive so no one is really taking chances.
AP: What do you think of the growing interest (especially among the garage kit industry) in original character sculpts? Have you considered putting out a line of your own characters or monsters?
JSJ: I certainly have a lot of my own stuff I’d like to do. The vast majority of people don’t respond to things they don’t know even if they’re monumentally cool. If you’ve got 200 bucks burning a hole in your pocket you’re going to drop it on your primary colleting obsession, probably not on a no name character. Consequently, you’d need to gear any original production to small runs, which cost much more per unit to produce. And the things that seem to do the best mostly just look like other properties people collect already. That’s why there are never enough companies making Spidey products and Freddy Kreuger and Batman.
AP: It seems as though you've really built a reputation for being a "go to" guy for a lot of companies. So how much of the work you're doing now is stuff you've designed, your own concepts and series? or do the companies bring the projects and designs to you?
JSJ: I was pretty lucky at the outset when I first left McF. Diamond came to me and basically said they’d work with me in just about any capacity I wanted. You can’t put a price on that kind of faith. After handling their BSG, SG-1 and SG Atlantis lines I’ve established a pretty good rep for producing quality sculpture and prototypes. Their faith also extended to allowing me to really bring everything I have to offer as an artist and an art director/project manager to the table. The Marvel Milestones I did for them are some of my finest work and they are all my designs except for the Frank Miller Daredevil cover.
Other than Diamond all the other companies provide art work and drive the bus themselves, I fill in the blanks where needed.
AP: Stylistically, your work is very diverse. Everything from comic style, to anime, to realistic figures and portraits. Is there any one style that you prefer to work in? Is one style harder than another?
JSJ: I like a variety. What I like most is high detail stuff that has a realistic edge but it’s sort of out of kilter to actually be real. Monsters and whatever that have reasonable anatomy as though they could exist but don’t.
AP: Most of the work I've seen from you is 1:6 scale and smaller. Have you worked on larger stuff? Do you have any interest in larger scale work?
JSJ: The Pumpkinhead for SOTA was the biggest project so far. I’ve toyed with the idea of bigger pieces but I have so much 7” figure work over the last couple of years that it has mostly become my concentration, at least professionally. Life size busts would be cool, there’s some great looking stuff going on with that in the industry esp. at Sideshow.
AP: After having created hundreds of figures, are there still some characters or subjects you'd like to work on, that perhaps you haven't had a chance to do yet?
JSJ: Too many to name, but I’d like to do my spin on the Batman universe. Also Asian horror characters. I did a figure of Samara from the ring that was never released. I would love to sculpt Asami from Audition and the girl and cat and kid from Juon.
AP: Now that you're running your own company, do you have a team of sculptors you go to, to help finish your projects, do you do it all yourself, or do you hire new guys? If you do hire new guys, what do you look for when hiring a sculptor?
JSJ: I have a pool of vendors who are all ex McF guys that either worked for or with me, some of whom trained under me for a while there. I put together teams based on the project description and the abilities I need. I do look for new guys to keep things fresh, but I really haven’t had much time to properly check out and train guys to my specs.
I’ve started doing most of my own fabrication and molding work just for the convenience of keeping it all in house and to vary my own responsibilities a bit.
AP: You had a different start (with your apprenticeship) than what is generally available for sculptors today. So what advice would you give to artists trying to get their break in this industry?
JSJ: Now there are many schools with toy programs, so there are lots of people flooding the industry. I’d say go old school and look for an apprenticeship. The industry is changing and a lot of the traditional knowledge is disappearing and people are very specialized.
Of course the old stand by is to bust your ass, study all the elements that are your weaknesses. Talk to people in the industry and learn about it. Cultivate good work habits. You have to enjoy what you do, if you want to pursue this than kick its ass 6 ways to Sunday. Have fun and bring that to your projects and be the guy that everyone wants to work with.
AP: Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. I'm looking forward to seeing all the new projects coming from JSJ Studios.
Randy Bowen!!
That's right, you read the heading correctly. This week I bring you an awesome interview with the one and only Randy Bowen. Randy talks about the past, present and future of Bowen Designs, digital sculpting, and shares some honest advice for those of us still trying to get into this industry. Pull up a chair (although I can't imagine you're reading this standing up), grab a snack and enjoy this read. I think you'll want to read it twice!! Oh, and in case you don't know who Randy Bowen is (although if you're reading this blog I'm sure you're quite familiar), take a look to the left... That's right!! The Superman you see in all the Seinfeld episodes is one of Randy's. So I guess it's safe to say that most of the world has seen Randy's work, whether they know it or not.
AP: I recently saw, in the current issue of Amazing Figure Modeler, some pieces that were credited to you. I imagine that, like many of us, you started as a garage kit guy or a freelance guy. How long ago did you start sculpting collectibles and what was your first official gig?
RB: Well, I began really sculpting in high school, about 32 years ago. My first experience was in a shop class where I was lucky enough to have a bronze sculpture program. I had always done drawing and painting, but sculpting was something that I always seemed to gravitate towards.
I'm not sure what year it was, maybe around 1987? I began experimenting with Super Sculpey as a sculpture medium. A friend of mine in special effects suggested I give it a try. I was also becoming aware of the first resin kits coming out of Japan. Dental students from Japan who were adept at creating molds and casting their own creations were just starting to create sculpture based on movie monsters etc.
It was soon after, that I began making my own creatures, as well as making molds in my garage. It was a short time later, that I became aware of a few other guys doing the same thing in the United States: Thomas Kuntz, Jack Dennett, and Jeff Yaeger were a few of the other guys doing this type of stuff. My first piece (that I was actually paid for) was from a company called Lunar Models. It was the Morlock, from the George Pal film: The Time Machine.
AP: Did you always have an interest in art? Can you remember the first time you tried sculpting something?
RB: Yes of course! I think most kids love to draw and color etc. I was really good at coloring books, and that led to experimentation in drawing and painting. I was also fortunate enough to have a grandmother who kept a large box of plasticene clay in the toy box. I used to spend endless hours sculpting dinosaurs inspired by movies like One Million BC.
AP: What were some of your early inspirations and interests? Are they still the same today?
RB: I was really big into Ray Harryhausen movies, Japanese monster movies, comic books, Hanna Barbera cartoons, Universal Monsters etc. etc.
And yes- I still love all of the aforementioned influences. That's why I love the work that I do.
AP: Starting your own business has to be one of the scariest and exciting things a person can do. How did Bowen Designs get its start?
RB: Believe it or not Bowen Designs has existed since I was in High School (est. in 1978!). I used to make my “date money” by drawing designs for a local t-shirt company, painting signs, designing logos, doing comics strips for advertisements etc. (Bowen Designs) That's always been my business name. I've always been somewhat of an entrepreneur. I was the kid who sold lemonade on the street corner. I also made watchbands, and bracelets that I attempted to sell out of my dad's saddle and boot shop.
Bowen Designs as it exists today, was an outgrowth of the garage kits I was creating in the late 1980's. I was working for the top 3 comics companies creating collectible products (Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse Comics- where I worked on staff as their product development director).
I decided that because I had all the elements in place for my own company that it was time to strike forth on my own (around 1990).
AP: There have been quite a number of people (many of them in this blog) who credit their success in this industry to you, and the fact that you were willing to give them a try. Clearly you have a good eye for talent as most of these guys have gone on to be some of the top names in this industry. Is it a source of pride to have helped start these guys' careers?
RB: Oh Sure. I'm just glad that there now exists an industry to support these talented folks. It’s an honor to have worked with the best. I look forward to meeting and working with new artists in the future as well.
AP: You're a really good sculptor and clearly you don't need to bring in more people to do work for you, but what is it about you that is willing to take a chance on new guys when so many other companies don't even try?
RB: Thanks but this is where you're a bit off base, in that: I do need other people to work for me. There's no way that I would be able to meet my licensing commitments unless I hire more people. It's a delicate balance. If I were a really smart business person, I would do nothing but hire everyone to do the work.
But I am in this because I like to sculpt. I get a kick out of taking a box of clay and giving it a life unto itself, and share it with people who like the same sorts of things that I do.
When I see a sculptor who is coming up in the world of collectibles, I see a little bit of myself.
AP: What kind of advice would you give to new guys trying to get their break in this industry?
RB: Hmm…There's many things- (In no particular order)
If you ask for someone's opinion on your work, don't expect to get your ego stroked. Being sensitive about your work will only weaken you as an artist.
Don't expect to become a superstar overnight. Improvement takes time. Don't listen to your buddies who tell you “you're awesome”. Listen to the people who can make you better.
Realize that there's always something new to learn. I learn something new every time I do a sculpture. I am still a struggling student of sculpture myself. The moment you start to think you're great- you've already lost the battle.
Observe nature. This is more important than copying someone else's style.
Always do your best work! And only show a few of your best pieces in your portfolio. No need to show every little thing you've done since kindergarten.
AP: Bowen Designs is known for it's amazing Marvel busts, but have you considered going after other licenses? It would be cool to see a DC line of figures coming from BD. Especially all the great (yet obscure) characters.
RB: Yes- I have considered doing other licenses. But the Marvel stuff keeps me very busy as it is. To commit to another license would mean that I would have even less time to sculpt for myself. We've done things other than Marvel over the years; in fact I got my first comics sculpting gigs through DC. I think the first five DC statues were ones that I did long ago.
For now, the Marvel items are what pay the bills, and I'm satisfied with that.
AP: One of my recent blog discussions was on the digital revolution happening in this industry. You've welcomed the new technology, with several artists creating work digitally. What are your thoughts on the future of this industry and digital sculpting?
Avinash Hegde (digital sculpture)RB: Digital sculpting IS sculpting. I art direct digital artists in the exact same way that I work with traditional sculptors. I will say that I think that traditional sculptors have an advantage over strictly digital artists.- in that they know how to make things look correct from all angles, and don't rely simply on digital tricks to make the figure work. Joe Menna is a good example of this.
Digital sculpting is already the future of sculpting. It's the tool that all the major toy companies are moving towards. I intend on learning it my self one day. I can't wait to give it a try. Or I should say; ANOTHER try. Nike allowed me to play around with the technology when it was in its infancy. They had one of the first working CG facilities doing this type of work. This was over ten years ago.
AP: Does being a boss and art director come easily for you, or has it been a challenge to switch between artist and boss?
RB: No it doesn't come easily. And it's something that I don't enjoy doing (being a boss/art director). I would rather sit in a room and get lost in sculptural details.
AP: With the complexities that come with running your own business, do you still enjoy the work?
RB: Of course! As I said- the sculpture is the FUN part! It's all the other stuff that sucks- big time.
AP: With so many pieces under the BD belt, is there enough material in the Marvel line of characters to keep BD going indefinitely? What does the future of BD look like?
Sculpted by: Keith KopinskiRB: Marvel has (at this point) probably over 7000 individual characters(?). The problem is not in having enough characters.
Bowen Designs will continue to produce sculpture in one form or another until it no longer makes financial sense to do so, or if I get tired of doing it. My daughter is growing up fast, and I wouldn't mind taking some time off to spend as much time as I can with her, before she grows up.
AP: Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer my questions; I hope it's been fun. Do you have any final thoughts for your fans out there?
RB: No not really (laughs). Thanks for the insightful questions! Cheers-
Randy
Sculpting Digitally Part 3 - With Scott Spencer
My guest this week is a gentleman I met while taking an anatomy course with Andrew Cawrse. Scott Spencer is a very talented digital artist who has worked for Gentle Giant and is now in New Zealand working for Weta. He's worked on such movies as: The DaVinci Code, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and X-men 3. This week Scott talks about Zbrush and the world of digital sculpting.
AP: When did you start using digital sculpting programs?
SS: In about 2003. I started seeing work from ZBrush and I felt this was the tool I had been waiting for to bridge the gap between clay and the computer.
AP: What are some of the advantages of digital sculpting? Conversely, what are some of it's disadvantages?
SS: You have the huge advantage of the undo button. You can make mistakes and then simply remove them. I feel this cuts the learning curve in half at least for new artists. You can create so much more work so much faster you gain experience quickly.
The disadvantage is that it becomes very easy to indulge in bad habits on the computer. Using symmetry is a big one. It helps to start a sculpture with it mirrored, but you can really kill the life in a sculpt by having it too symmetrical. 3D also suffers from not actually being 3D... What I mean is you are looking at the world in the computer through a software camera not your human eye so some programs can distort this view. You need to develop a feel for what software cameras distort and how much. This is especially important if your work will be milled or printed on a 3d printer. As time goes on the cameras are getting better and ultimately I believe we will see stereoscopic displays that render actual 3D objects in space at your desk.
AP: When we first met, you were working for Gentle Giant and now you're down in New Zealand working for Weta. That's gotta be some ride you've had. How are you enjoying your time down there and what kind of work are you doing now (if you can talk about it)?
SS: Oh its incredible. New Zealand and Weta are truly amazing places. I work with so many intensely talented people who are all some of the kindest and most humble people I have ever met. I learn from them every day and its impossible not to love being here. I am thankful to Richard (Taylor) for bringing me down and to Karl Meyer and Brian Sunderlin for their mentorship and guidance. Gentle Giant Studios was an incredible place to work and I still send artists their way.
AP: What kind of advice would you give to someone wanting to start sculpting digitally? Some Do's and Don'ts, hardware and software recommendations?
SS: The biggest most important do is take figure drawing classes and sculpt in real clay. You need to really experience the form in real life before you start working in 3D. I know absolutely incredible digital sculptors who have never touched clay but every digital sculptor I know who does work in clay gets better faster, I feel your hands learn form much faster by touching it and making it in the real world. This experience translates seamlessly into your ZBrush work. The same is true for the observation skills you gain from life drawing. Consider it yoga for artists. It can only help elevate you and your work! I try and work from a model every week for at least 3 hours. It keeps me grounded in reality and I hope helps me continue to grow.
As for hardware and software get the best computer you can afford but don't break the bank. RAM is the most important part, get as much RAM as yuo can within your budget.
AP: I've never sculpted with Z-brush, but one of the things that has intimidated me the most is the use of a lot of technical jargon. For someone like myself, is it as complicated to understand or does it get simpler once you start up?
SS: The learning curve is so steep at the very start but once you get on it you realize it looks far far worse than it is. When I first started out I was a makeup effects guy that worked in a garage slinging clay and plaster. I knew 3D was the future but I went and looked at the books and I was completely lost. So much jargon it terrified me. I simply got some intro books and started surfing forums and quickly the pieces fell into place. You will start to understand what everyone is talking about pretty quickly! It seems far more complex than it really is.
AP: In traditional sculpting, you get what some artists call "Happy Accidents", but with Z-brush you have short cuts like templates and symmetry tools. Do you think that the look of digital sculpture will have more of that spontaneous feel to it in the future?
SS: I think ZBrush has already introduced tools like the claytubes and rake brushes that help give your work that gestural spontaneous feeling. The important thing is to allow people to create at the speed of thought. Once you get that, the accidents will happen. I already find I have created ways to invite happy accidents with the ZBrush tools. The problem is a blessing though. That undo button is so easy to press sometimes you need to just experiment with not using it. I will often do sketches where I wont use control Z just to let my mind wander over a design and not get caught in the loop of rethinking myself.
AP: In the film industry, we saw a big push for more digital FX a number of years ago, and in the last few years some directors have started to return to a mix of practical and digital FX. Do you think digital sculpting will have a similar ebb and flow or is it poised to take over completely?
SS: I think it will overtake manufacturing- it already has in many companies. You still need solid sculptors working the software and you need to be able to work in wax to finish the piece that comes off the printer, but the vast majority of the process is accomplished in 3D. I think as printers improve the wax phase may be removed completely. We did some pieces back at Gentle Giant that went from 3D print to mold.
In the entertainment industry it will all depend on what a director wants to see. Some directors can appreciate the imagery you create with ZBrush and they like the rapidity and immediacy of the ZBrush design process... Others like the physical presence of a maquette on the table. Its all about being able to fulfill whatever medium is appropriate for the client and the project. Clay will never ever die.
AP: Should traditional sculptors start picking up digital sculpting as soon as possible?
SS: Yes, if anything use it as a tool to help sketch out ideas in the middle of the night. Ever wake up at 4 am and want to sketch a maquette? Don't you hate waking up with WED clay all over your sheets after a middle of the night impulsive sculpting session? I do! Well roll out of the sack and do a quick maquette in Zbrush!
AP: As a digital artist, how important do you think it is to have a traditional background?
SS: Extremely important, but that is my personal take. There are sculptors and painters who are amazing who have only ever worked in digital media. I will repeat though, every artist I know who takes up working in traditional media gets better faster.
AP: I've been applying to a number of places and one of the questions I get asked a lot is "Do you sculpt digitally?" I've taken this as a sign that I need to get started. How difficult do you think the transition is for someone who has never sculpted digitally? Will my experience as a traditional sculptor be helpful or will it hinder me?
Your traditional experience will help you. I did two training classes for Weta sculptors before I started working here. After a year, just about all the traditional sculptors were working in both ZBrush and clay. That was with a one week class and a lot of personal work at home. It's not hard to learn, you just need to take the time and use the best tools. I have two books on ZBrush that may be helpful as well as an online class at gnomononline. I also have an intro to ZBrush 4 DVD in the works to release with the new version of ZBrush.
My books are:
ZBrush Character Creation ( second edition is in the works for ZBrush 4)
and
ZBrush Digital Sculpting Human Anatomy
Erik Keller also has a great book called Intro to Zbrush
I want to thank Scott for taking the time out of his busy schedule to do this interview, it was most enlightening. I hope you guys reading it enjoyed it as much as I did.
Sculpting Digitally Part 2 - With Joe Menna
This week we continue our conversation on Digital Sculpting. It's my pleasure to share with you, an interview with the multi-talented and very skilled Joseph Menna. Joe is in many ways like me. He is classically trained as an artist. He put in his time doing it in the old tradition and we both share educational histories that trace back to Rodin. However, there is one major difference between us, and that is that besides being a very talented traditional artist, Joe is one of the industries top digital artists as well. He's done work for Bowen Designs, DC Direct, Hasbro Toys, and more. And now he talks with me a little about the digital revolution and the future of this industry. Strap in tight, this is gonna be an awesome ride!!
AP: When did you start using digital sculpting programs?
JM: I started getting involved in digital sculpture production around 2001. I was working as a classical sculptor doing life sized figures, portraits, and enlargements in clay at a once famous and now defunct East coast fine art foundry. The modeling department was run by an Eastern European academic sculptor and our shop was totally old school. I had just come off of 10 years of straight up hardcore academic training at home and abroadso I was totally at home working monumentally, even if the pay wasn't so hot. All I did was sculpt life sized and over figures and portraits in clay as a ghost sculptor for “famous” artists who couldn’t draw a straight line to save their lives. I also did monumental enlargements when they came in (for those reading this in the NYC area, one of the last ones I did was the giant hand sticking out of that building on Union Square). One day the front office guys came in and said we had to abandon all of our traditional enlarging techniques since the foundry was going to go digital in short order and we would be reduced to becoming simple finishing techs. They brought in a scanner and a large 5 axis milling machine (the kind they used in Detroit to do full scale car body prototypes) and wouldn't let the traditional guys learn the technology. I responded in protest against this transition by sculpting by hand, a 30 foot tall monument of folk hero John Henry, Steel Driving man for a private commission opportunity that came my way. The digital crew and foundry couldn't get the work out fast enough at this point for this particular gig so I was given a shot to do it myself. I chose the theme of John Henry to show I could out do the digital crew with my eyes closed.Needless to say, I was dead set against using computers to make sculpture. The project worked out and I was committed to continuing my career as a maker of public art with my own two hands.
As the years passed by, the foundry gave me the early opportunity to see various big name artists exploiting the new technology for high profile shows and commissions. I took this as a personal challenge and figured I'd try and learn this digital thing since it was becoming increasingly evident that it was going to take over the monument business (which it did). I had a family to feed and taking care of them was my primary concern. I started teaching myself and was able to get after hours access to the software at work and in a few weeks was rolling a long with it. I don't know if it was my experience growing up with video games or what, but I actually picked it up very quickly and found it totally compatible with my sculptural sensibility. I started looking for work with my new skills in the sculpture arena as I had no interest making models for movies or video games like one of my sculpture buddies from Russia had begun doing. At the time, I saw digital sculpting as a way for me to better take care of my family, but only if I could find the right opportunity. Unfortunately, back then the printing technology for small stuff really wasn't up to speed so I didn't yet see toys or comic statue work as a viable opportunity for me. It took a few years for the rapid prototyping technology to match the kind of output I could generate for large scale pieces. Once the RP tech began to produce quality outputs at an affordable price, it all began to fall into place.
AP: What are some of the advantages of digital sculpting?
JM: The first thing to remember is that digital sculpting is just another tool. I think the main advantage lies in the front end design and composition phase of making commercial sculpture. In my experience I have yet to work for a company that said speed first, quality second, but at the same time I know bottom lines need to be met or these same companies will be out of business. When engaged intelligently, digital sculpting can accelerate any company's time to market cycle and that is always key. It speeds up all phases of production from design, to revisions, to prototyping, and manufacturing. If completed successfully, the final product should be indistinguishable from something made completely by hand. More importantly it should be worthy of being called a work of art. If not, you hired the wrong guy or gal to do the job.
Generally speaking, digital sculpture lets one to literally give form to any shape or sculptural idea imaginable, allowing for enormous creative exploration and flexibility. I am a big Renaissance and classical drawing guy so the ability to immediately express any idea or shape that I can imagine "in my head" is essential to my process. Returning to a practical perspective, working digitally permits me to turn revisions around for art directors very quickly...although they might not always agree! Further, it allows me to enjoy an active freelance career at night and still maintain a full time sculpting job during the day while still managing to make time for my wife and three kids (My wife is the best artist I know, by the way and check out www.juliannamennaart.com to see what I mean!) So with my schedule the things that I like most about digital are no set up, no clean up, just sculpting and drawing 24/7. Other sculptors use every technological short cut in the book to make their lives easier: silicone, resin, polymer clay, and a whole bunch of other stuff Michelangelo never heard of. Working digitally is my Santa's little helper. I've already spent 10 years in school and almost another 10 in the foundry making plaster piece molds, giant rubber molds on multi figure monuments, etc. At this point in my life, my time is very precious so I need to spend as much of it as I can just creating.
AP: Conversely, what are some of it's disadvantages?
JM: Unless one is a compete technophobe, I honestly don't see any disadvantages. Is electric guitar less able to make music than acoustic? Ask Zakk Wylde that question and see what it gets ya!
I do see dangers of its misuse, though, especially by those with little or no actual sculpture experience (i.e. most of the people out there using it!). There are a ton of people who are a whiz with the software yet never made any “real” sculptures. Further, I can't count the number of times I've seen fantastic drapery or skin texture wrapped around a structurally vacuous piece lacking any semblance of sculptural integrity. To quote one of my early figure sculpture teachers, “You can’t polish a turd”. To be fair, I’ve seen many people working in traditional media at all levels guilty of the same sins. I'm a product of the Russian academy and for us it was always about form and expression first. Details were something to come later and only then to be added more or less according to one’s taste or the needs of a project..but if the "bones" aint there...the rest is worthless.
AP: You've done some incredible work for Bowen and DC Direct. Did you start as a digital sculptor for those companies or did you transition from a traditional to a digital guy?
JM: Thanks, man. I’m really lucky to work with the amazing companies I have so far. I feel especially proud to be working for DC Direct right now and working with them is the thrill of my career as a toy and collectible sculptor. I have to say though the unsung heroes of this biz are the art directors behind the scenes who's names you'll never see on the boxes. It's their vision as much as anyone else's that drives these projects so we sculptors can't take all of the credit! I've been a traditional sculptor for over 20 years and still am. I simply choose to use digital tools for the execution of my commercial work. It's still my traditional training and experience that drives every nanosecond of what I do. That being said, I started trying to get into this biz by showing my traditional sculpts on boards like the Shiflett Brothers’ forum and ConceptArt.org. I really didn’t think the statue companies were doing anything digitally yet, save places like Gentle Giant who weren’t answering my unsolicited emails! At that time the RP technology was still a bit rough and it wasn't as cost efficient to do small scale work digitally. I got some connections with an in at Hasbro and got a shot to digitally sculpt the Iron Monger toy for the first Iron Man movie line. Next I proposed what I believe is the first digital sculpt produced by Bowen Designs, a Mephisto statue based on the work of Big John Buscema. Randy was fantastic to work with and like so many others, I owe my real start in this game to the break he gave me. Once I had a few more pro gigs that were digital, it just seemed the right way to market my skills to get professional work since it was really beginning to pay off. As an aside, 15 years ago I actually interviewed to be a penciller with DC and Valiant and even though the latter showed promise, I gave it up to continue my sculpture studies abroad. To finally return to the world of comics is a dream come true.
AP:What kind of advice would you give to someone wanting to start sculpting digitally? Some Do's and Don'ts, hardware and software recommendations?
JM: My first bit of advice for a lot of the newer sculptors I see on the forums is to learn everything possible about traditional sculpture and drawing. There is no substitute for a strong classical foundation. For me this path was realized by my studies here with Russian academy masters followed by a few years of post-graduate studies in St. Petersburg, where I finished my education at one of Russia's greatest art schools, the Stieglitz State Academy of Art, formerly known as the Mukhina Institute. I had previously gone to some of the best schools for figurative art in this country but nothing compared to my experience in Russia where it seemed like every teacher's teacher had studied directly with either Bourdelle or Rodin ;) (For more info on studying in Russia, check out www.academicart.com. It's a link to a school in Long Island City, Queens and they have amazing teachers there plus offer programs in Russia). This is just my experience, though. Most of the best guys I know of in the "biz" are self taught. Their drive and talent took them to the top. No school is going to give you that. Beyond waxing nostalgic here about my school days, hands on experience in the trenches is essential. Learn how to make molds, make castings, and produce finished sculptures IN A PRODUCTION ENVIRONMENT. Whether this means at a model shop, foundry, toy company, or in your own studio, you have to know the ins and outs of making manufacture-able (I think I made that word up!) product at a professional pace. The problem with most digital modelers trying to become sculptors is that most of them know nothing about how to do basic things like splits and address draft issues, let make articulated figures, etc let alone make things look and feel solid. Sculpture is not about making an image. It is a tactile art that is essentially about creating a poem comprised of shapes, weight, movement, and mass. You can't get this by just pushing light around on a screen.
For those who've already mastered their craft, getting into the digital stuff is just a question of trying out different sculpting programs and finding which one or combination of them is right for you. Get the best computer you can afford, the software you've settled on, and go from there. Like anything else, it’s just a matter of dedication and practice. I really think the tutorials on Adam Ross' blog are an amazing resource for newbies and vets alike and he is amazingly generous with the time he puts into sharing with the community.
AP: What do you think the future of this industry is going to look like - a mix of digital and traditional sculpting, Mostly digital with a few traditional guys filling some needed role, or all digital?
JM: At the risk of sounding glib I have no idea what's down the road here. I'm more concerned that there is even an industry at all in years to come for ALL of us to work in. I'd like to think that as creative artists, we are all in this together so it shouldn't be an either or scenario but rather a how do we best make sure that we have a playground to enjoy for now and many years to come. The traditional vs. digital thing is an artificial dichotomy and really doesn't benefit anyone IMO.
AP: I've seen some amazing stuff online, from a huge number of people. Do you think there's enough room (for jobs specifically) for a person who's just getting started?
JM: I think there's always room for good work. Good work sells itself but you gotta pay your dues. Schelp your stuff around to the cons, hit the forums, send the unsolicited emails...something will eventually give!
AP: Should traditional sculptors start picking up digital sculpting as soon as possible?
JM: No, not at all…in fact they should never pick it up. No future in it, trust me. By the way if any exclusively traditional folks are getting offered nasty, offensive digital gigs, ignore them and just pass them on to me...I'll take care of them for you ;)
Seriously though, it's a question of personal choice...and preferred business model. This IS commercial sculpture we are talking about here and there are undeniable advantages to adopting this stuff into one's workflow. Personal work is a whole 'nother can of beans that's not for bums like me to open!
AP: As a digital artist, how important do you think it is to have a traditional background?
JM: As a traditional artist who can work digitally, I think having a traditional background is the only way to fly.
AP: I've been applying to a number of places and one of the questions I get asked a lot is "Do you sculpt digitally?" I've taken this as a sign that I need to get started. How difficult do you think the transition is for someone who has never sculpted digitally? Will my experience as a traditional sculptor be helpful or will it hinder me?
JM: Your traditional skills will definitely help you. I wouldn't recommend trying to sculpt digitally without them ;) The ease of transition depends on if you honestly want to learn this stuff. If you feel you HAVE to learn it but deep down aren't open minded about it, don't even bother trying. I've seen some amazing talent get forced to take the plunge against their will and the results are never good. If you really do want to give it a go, then believe me, it's no where near as difficult as knowing by heart all of the shapes and forms of the human figure in all of their symphonic complexity plus the million other things you need to know to be a sculptor !!!! If you've got the chops and drive to be a great traditional artist, you should be able to handle anything. As long as you are making great work, it doesn't matter if use paint, pixels, or polymer clay to get there. In the end, all that matters is if you can call it art.
Thanks for having me, Al. I appreciate the soap box!
Well, I think that was a really great read, what about you guys. Wanna continue the discussion? Leave comments and questions below and we'll keep this conversation going. Come back next week for part 3 of Sculpting Digitally, when I talk with my friend Scott Spencer.
Portrait Sculpting - With Trevor Grove
This week I have the pleasure of bringing you an interview with one of the great portrait sculptors in our industry - Trevor Grove. I first saw Trevor's work on DeviantArt, and I've been a fan ever since. This year I had the pleasure of meeting him face to face at Monsterpalooza - and for those of you who don't know, Trevor is a very young man. So young in fact, it makes me a little jealous of his amazing skill. But it's that skill that has made Trevor a well known name among those of us who are fans of sculpting. Talented yet very humble, Trevor amazes us with every new sculpture he shares. And now, he's sharing a little about his process, his history, and some advice for those of us trying to do what he does so well. So without further ado, here's the interview.
AP: How do you typically start a new portrait sculpting project?
TG: Well, my work tends to be on the smaller side so I like to work in hard wax. Depending on the scale of the piece I’m working on I like to pour a wax ‘buck’ as a basis for each portrait. Sometimes I’ll take a mold of a previous portrait that’s in the same scale and I’ll make a wax casting from it to begin sculpting with. I tend to just need something that’s got the right volume, it’s not important which head you’re starting off with.
I also do a lot of research into my subject before I start. That’s just to say I dig deep for LOTS of photo reference. I’m typically only doing likenesses when I’m hired to do a portrait and in order to do a really good likeness, I feel like you need tons of reference. It’s not good, in my opinion, to guess too much if you don’t have to. I try to find great profile shots, great front on shots, and every angle and every lighting condition you can find. I’ll typically have hundreds upon hundreds of photos that I refer to when doing portraits. It’s an arduous task to seek out that volume of reference, but it’s necessary for me. Along with searching the internet and books I’ll always take screen captures from DVD’s if it’s a movie character I’m sculpting.
From that point I just start carving into the wax. I have some simple loop tools, some basic dental spatulas, and some other metal tools that I heat over an alcohol torch and use for carving. As far as where I start within the face, it really varies. I just follow my gut while I study whatever reference I have. I just try to match what I’m seeing, really. I think it’s important to be extremely patient when it comes to portrait sculpting, though. There are usually about 2-3 points throughout the process where I feel like, “Oh, I’m getting close now!”, when in reality it’s quite off. You just have to be willing to stick it out and put in many many hours searching for the right features.
AP: Do your clients provide reference or do you need to gather all that material yourself?
TG: Well I guess some of that’s answered in the last question, but I am provided with reference for some of my professional work. Depending on the license holder, sometimes the reference provided is pretty nice (more so for outfits than portraits, though). For the most part I have to search out the most useful reference myself. I tend to be the only one who can really determine what it is I’ll need.
AP: What are some common mistakes you see in a beginner’s work? And what are some ways to avoid those mistakes?
TG: Well, it’s tough for me to feel like anything other than a fellow beginner! Even after doing this for about five years, I feel very green. It’s a constant learning process and you’ll definitely make lots of mistakes. The real trick, it seems to me, is to just turn those mistakes into some kind of success. Never walk away from what you’re working on because you feel like it’s going bad. For me, absolutely every sculpture I’ve made feels like it’s going to look like total shit for the first 50% of the project. But, eventually, things start to click and you start to gain confidence.
As far as mistakes I see in portrait work: I think the main thing I see is a lack of understanding in the understructure of the face/head. It’s usually pretty obvious when someone isn’t too versed in facial anatomy. When you know the basic structure of a skull, and the musculature, it gives your work a more confident look.
AP: Have you studied the anatomy of the head? Do you feel it’s important to study anatomy, or rely more on observation?
TG: Yep, I definitely like to study anatomy. I find myself needing to re-read anatomy books just to keep up with how complex the figure and head are. It’s just good to know what it is you’re observing. It helps you sculpt a little more confidently.
AP: Is there any particular part of doing a portrait that you regularly have trouble with? If so, how do you keep that in check?
TG: Oh boy is there ever! :) I always make eyes too small. It’s usually not noticeable in the raw sculpt, but once it’s painted it comes out. My bigger problem is keeping my scaled portraits...in scale! I’ve made quite a lot of 1/6 scale headsculpts that are too big for 1/6 scale figures. Most professional sculptors sculpt slightly large because through the process of production, things shrink a bit (everything gets molded multiple times, and through each molding process, things shrink just a bit.) For my larger scaled work, I usually don’t have a problem, it’s only 1/6 scale...where you have to try and make a likeness fit onto a fairly generic body and neck. If you get things off just a bit, it makes the final figure look ridiculous.
As for keeping that issue in check, I tend to just try to compare my work to other headsculpts that I know are in good scale; That helps some. I still have trouble with it though, and I still make eyes too small in the beginning. Just by screwing up a few times, you’ll start to remember to take special care to consider the things that keep recurring.
AP: Is there any likeness you’ve ever worked on which you felt you didn’t capture well?
TG: Ha! Well, the better question might be whether or not I think I ever got one RIGHT! :) I’m notoriously hard on myself and my work. That self deprecating behavior can be kind of beneficial, since I’m always looking at my work critically.
There are some likenesses that no matter how many times you do them,you just can’t get them looking right. Young Mark Hamill and Viggo Mortensen come to mind as ones I never felt like I got right. I also AGONIZED over Paul McCartney...I kept changing him over and over and over and never got it. Sometimes it just doesn’t seem to work out. :) You never know which one will be tough, either.
AP: Is there any likeness you enjoyed or still enjoy sculpting?
TG: I enjoy seeing the larger Indiana Jones sculpts come together. I’ve sculpted three of the 1/4 scale Indy’s, and surprisingly enough, I’m excited to do it each time. It helps that I’m a big fan of the character, I also really genuinely enjoyed sculpting everything for the 1/4 scale Gandalf statue. I love sculpting women too, but it’s not often I get hired to do girl likenesses. I’ve got a couple going for a line of “Firefly” headsculpts I’m doing in my personal time, and it’s great to get to work with more simple delicate features.
AP: Do you remember who your first likeness was of? Looking back, how do you feel you did?
TG: Yeah, I remember it clearly. It was a Heather Graham as Mary Kelly from “From Hell”. It was done for my brother as a gift. It was the first likeness I did, and it was sculpted in super sculpey...I probably spent a good month on it, and it was a real struggle. Looking back at it, I think it looks terrible! haha! It looked better before I painted it, I really shouldn’t have bothered with trying to paint it. Leave the paint to the professionals. ;)
AP: Now that you’ve been doing this for a while, how often does a client ask for changes to portraits you’re working on?
TG: I’ve been lucky to get very few changes with my portrait work. The biggest changes I get are regarding hair. Either give them more hair, or trim up the hair. Most of my professional work has gotten through without many changes. I tend to find whenever you are asked to make changes, they’re almost always beneficial to the portrait. I’ve never been asked to do something that hurts the likeness.
AP: Do you like to jump from one portrait to another, or do you prefer to finish it all in one shot?
TG: I like to jump around a bit. Sometimes it’s just good to do to keep your eyes fresh. Sculpt a couple of different faces and the problems in each sculpt become more apparent. I don’t usually do anything more than a few at a time and I’m usually only able to really concentrate heavily on one.
AP: On average (if you can figure out such a thing), how long does it take you to complete a portrait?
TG: Man, that’s a question I always find tough to answer. I’m not good at keeping track of the hours I spend on each portrait. If I’m sculpting a full statue, the portrait gets stretched out over the course of the entire project. I’ll gradually build the likeness while I’m building the rest of the figure. When I’m only sculpting a portrait, I tend to find the 1/6 scale ones can be done in a week. My days are usually very long and I sculpt from morning to night, so in order to do a likeness in a week, I have to really put in the time.
Sometimes though, a likeness will give you a lot of grief. I think it took me a month to do my first 1/4 scale Harrison Ford for the Indiana Jones statue. It really varies depending on how difficult a piece is. I haven’t been able to streamline it into a dependable timetable yet.
AP: Personally I find generic portraits just as challenging as capturing a likeness. Do you find them to be easier, harder or about the same?
TG: Yeah, I’m with you, I find it tough too. Some sculptors do non likenesses EXTREMELY well and creatively...I’m not good at that. I did a pirate that wasn’t likeness oriented, and I found it very difficult. I suppose they are slightly easier, just because nobody comes in with any preconceived idea of what the character looks like, but I sort of get lost in all of the potential options.
AP: Have you ever sculpted a self-portrait? Is so, how did it turn out? If you haven’t sculpted one, why not?
TG: Nope! Never have. Never even thought about doing that! haha! I guess I just don’t much like my face. ;) In seriousness though, I think I’m just much more interested in sculpting characters or things I like, and I’ve never been much into self portraits. If I ever do it, I’ll do it in rough clay in a larger scale. I think that would be kind of fun!
AP: Have you ever given up on trying to capture a likeness? If so, who was it of, and how long did it take before you called it quits?
TG: I don’t think I ever have. I’ve had excruciatingly difficult ones, but I’ve never thrown the towel in all together. It took me three times to get a decent Nathan Fillion, though. For the most part I’m just rarely in a position where I can say, “to hell with this!”. :) When I’m hired to do something, I’m terrified at the idea of failing to do it.
AP: Is there a likeness you’ve wanted to sculpt but haven’t gotten around to it? If so, who is it?
TG: Oh yes. Tom Waits. I’m a massive fan of the man’s music, and I’d love to sculpt multiple Tom Waits statues.
AP: How many portraits do you think you’ve sculpted in your time as a professional sculptor?
TG: That’s a good question, man....I haven’t ever stopped to think about it. It’s probably not a whole heck of a lot. lol! I’d guess it’s around 30 in the 4 years I’ve been sculpting professionally. It might not even be that many. Some of those are multiple sculpts of the same character/actor. I’ve probably done nearly 10 Harrison Ford pieces with varying success/failure. :)
AP: What are some basic principles or advice you have for portrait sculptors?
TG: Hmmm, Sculpting likeness portraits is usually pretty arduous, so you gotta be patient and tenacious. It’s also a really good idea to hold your work up next to the work of portrait sculptures you admire or hold in high regard. Be sure to study some basic facial anatomy. I love human anatomy, so I like to learn everything down to the bone, and I think that has helped me quite a bit in my portrait sculpting. When you know that every face has the same basic structure, you start to look for certain shadows in your reference that indicate those forms and planes you know are beneath the surface. Every face is different, but fundamentally the same.
Another simple piece of advice is to put a small vanity mirror on your desk so that you can constantly look at your portraits in the mirror. It’ll make all of the problems jump out to your eye. By that same logic, it’s good to look at your reference in a mirror if you’re doing likenesses. Nobody is symmetrical, and sometimes the things that make a likeness look great are the imperfections.
I'd like to thank Trevor for taking time out of his very busy schedule to do this interview. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. In fact, I think I'm going to read it again. Cheers!! See you next week.