Breaking into the Industry - Part 3 with Walter O'Neal

I know that I normally post new stuff on Mondays, but seeing as I'm leaving for a week to go compete in the Young Sculptors Competition, I figured I'd post a few days early rather than a week late. Enjoy!!

My final guest blogger for this topic is a man I've actually had the pleasure of meeting face to face. A man with a great deal of talent in a great number of disciplines. A man whose drive and determination for success is only matched by his desire to see others, who dream to make art, also succeed. A man who has shared of great deal of advice with me and who pointed me towards the right people at DC Direct, where I quickly shoved my foot in a door. A man who I'm proud to call my friend, Mr Walter O'Neal.

Of course, before I let you get on reading this fantastic post, let me give you a little advice. Go make some pop corn, grab a drink and find a comfy chair, because Walter has really come through for you guys, and you're gonna love this read. And now... Mr. Walter O'Neal

First off, many thanks to Alfred for asking me to chime in and contribute to this discussion about breaking into the industry. While being far from a seasoned veteran, I did manage to get my foot in the door fairly recently, and am still very much in the process of working my way up the pro sculpting ladder. Hopefully I can paint a clear picture of what it was like for me to get that first break and also give a couple of tips on what worked and how I would go about doing it again now a few years later.

Speaking of painting, that’s where I was initially headed with my big hopes for an illustration career after getting out of art school back in ’97. Though, after a series of strange events, I ended up as a production accountant doing payroll on TV shows. Not quite where I envisioned my life going but it was a decent gig that paid big money. Now while the money was great, in the back of my head I still held onto the belief that one day I was going to really make a stab at having a professional art career. So in May of 2005, two months after my 30th birthday, I quit my accounting gig and set out to develop a fresh portfolio of new work and break into the comics industry as a cover painter. I worked for about a year making new art and living off the big wad of cash I saved up from working in TV. 

So, Industry Tip #1 – The sooner you decide to break in the better. One of the major reasons I was able to quit my job and give a professional art career a try was that I had no major obligations. No car payments, No mortgage, no children to support, nothing. Even more so I had a very supportive and loving wife who had a good job so the fact that I wasn’t bringing in any money for well over a year wasn’t an issue. I could focus 100% on making art and getting better. The younger you are the less likely you are to have any permanent demands on your time and attention or a specific lifestyle that needs to be supported financially. If you’re 18 years old making $8,000 a year in your budding art career - no big deal. If you’re a 30 year old who used to make $75,000 a year who is now making $8,000 a year in your budding art career – it’s a much tougher pill to swallow.

After I made my portfolio of new art, I went to the San Diego Comic-Con and, in hugely delusional fashion, thought I would immediately get snatched up by Marvel or DC as a cover painter. Didn’t happen and still hasn’t happened. But while at the con I met Mark Brooks (super talented comic book artist) and he told me that I should join deviantArt and start posting my work there and just about any other place else I could. That way I’d start gathering a following for my work and start meeting other folks out there with the same goals both as amateurs and professionals.

So, Industry Tip #2 – Get your work out there and seen! Although I haven’t updated my page in forever, joining online forums and specifically deviantArt has been one of the biggest boosts for me in breaking into the comics and collectible industry. Over the years I’ve met a ton of pro sculptors and comic book artists and those relationships have been invaluable in not only helping me get better as an artist, but also with building a support structure of professional friends who can answer technical or business questions and also throw your name into the mix when companies are looking for new talent. In addition to that plenty of art directors for various companies browse thru deviantArt looking for new talent and I‘ve found that a few art directors I met at conventions were already familiar with my art before I ever handed them my portfolio. While having your own website is always an asset, you’ll probably never get the kind of traffic and visibility as a new artist that you’ll get by posting good work to a community site like deviantArt. It’s a slow burn in the beginning but the time and energy you invest there will pay off in spades not only in building a following and opening doors, but also meeting and building friendships with wonderfully talented people with many different skill sets.

Initially deviantArt led me to befriending some very talented amateur sculptors which then led me to the Shiflett Brothers sculpting forum which led me to becoming friends with Brandon and Jarrod Shiflett. I was blown away by the intensity of their work and while I had sculpted one or two crude pieces on my own for fun ages ago, they encouraged me to give sculpting another go and post more stuff on their forums. So with a kick in the butt from them and a wealth of new information from their online tutorials, I started sculpting new pieces and building a sculpture portfolio. A year later I had a new sculpture portfolio with about 6 decent pieces and a some fresh castings of a pair of Batman Beyond busts I designed and sculpted  and I was off to the San Diego Comic-con again. 

Industry Tip #3 – Keep going to the same conventions every year! If you live far away from any of the major conventions this is going to be a major hit to your pocket book but it’s the repeat visits to the same art directors at the same companies that will inevitably lead to them eventually giving you a job. Art directors meet dozens upon dozens of artists looking for work each year and making yourself stand out among them is difficult, even if your work is top notch. But if you show up again next year with more great work (have small packets of sample photos to give away also), they will remember you and eventually they’ll ask themselves why they haven’t given you some work and seek to remedy that. 

So I made the comic-con rounds again with my Batman Beyond busts in hand billing myself as a 2D painter and a sculptor. The Batman busts were a big hit and got me much more attention than my 2D portfolio ever did by itself. In fact it was the double whammy of having both a 2D portfolio and sculpture portfolio that really seamed to get people excited about my work. The people who hire 2D artists loved my sculpture work and the people who hire sculptors were really impressed with my 2D work. Go figure? ;) But this convention experience leads to my next 2 discoveries…

Industry Tip #4 – If you’re trying to get work as a sculptor always have some castings of your work on hand in addition to your portfolio. It’s one thing to see photos of sculptures but those pictures will never sell your strengths as a sculptor like seeing examples of your work first hand.

Industry Tip #5 – Don’t be discouraged when an art director says they love your work and then doesn’t offer you a job. They aren’t just blowing smoke up your ass if they tell you that you do good work. If they don’t like your work more often then not they’ll find a nice way of telling you as much. But don’t think that when someone gushes over your work and hands you a business card that it’s a done deal either. Many times while that art director absolutely loves the work you do, they may not have a project available to hand out that suits your particular strengths. But it’s the repeat visits to conventions to meet that same art director that will remind him to continue to keep an eye out for that perfect fit project for you.

So while my trip to comic-con didn’t lead to any direct work this time, I was able to plant the seeds that would eventually lead to work with those people I met about 6-8 months later.

Those Batman Beyond busts did get me some attention from Randy Bowen of Bowen Designs, after a good friend of mine sent some photos his way. I met Randy and he believed in me enough to give me my first 3 official assignments in the industry sculpting busts of Marvel characters, Cloak & Dagger, Firelord, and Batroc the Leaper. Working with Randy was such a great experience (I learned so much!) and I was following in the footsteps of many pro sculptors who were able to get their first assignments in the industry working for Bowen Designs, if for no other reason than Randy is the head honcho of that company and if he wants to give you a shot that all it takes. There’s not a meeting room full of people that all have to be convinced that giving you, an untested sculptor, his first assignment isn’t a big mistake.

Now I don’t mean for everyone to rush out and send tons of photos to Randy begging him for work, because that leads me to my next tip…

Industry Tip #6 - Don’t go looking for work if you’re not ready. Be brutally honest with yourself and your abilities and how the work you produce compares to the work that your target company releases. Put yourself in the shoes of Randy or anyone else that might hire you and think about whether or not giving you an assignment is going to yield work that is just as good if not better than handing that assignment to an established sculptor who has already successfully delivered countless times in the past. How does your work stack up against that of Ray Villafane? What about Andy Bergholtz? Tim Miller? Mark Newman? William Paquet? Erick Sosa? Etc. Because if your work can’t stand on it’s own right on a shelf next to the beautiful pieces that those guys produce then don’t waste Randy’s or any other potential employer’s time looking at your work until it can. Now that may sound overly harsh but everyone’s time is valuable and in an industry where people spend hundreds of hours working on a single piece, even ten minutes spent looking at and replying to sub-par work could be ten extra minutes spent playing with kids, helping with homework, conversing with spouses, catching up on much needed sleep, or anything else infinitely more productive in their eyes. So do yourself and all your potential employers a favor and don’t attempt to throw your hat in the ring until you are truly ready to put your best foot forward.

Once I had those Bowen Designs pieces under my belt, I immediately became a much more attractive hire because just like in any other industry, someone with proven job experience is always more attractive than someone with no job experience. So while I got a few small painting jobs from various companies my next big break came when I got my first concept art gig from DC Direct. Now here‘s where some of those seeds planted at conventions start paying off. DC was looking for some concept art for an upcoming statue and the comic book artist who was initially slated to design the piece wasn’t able to do it. My name was brought up and since I had already met with art directors at DC a couple years before, they decided to give me a shot. That job then lead to me providing concept art for 3 more statues and doing some drawing and painting work for DC Licensing. Sweet!

So now, while I had started doing some 2D work for DC Direct, I hadn’t had a chance to do any sculpting for them yet. So I took some time to develop a  project on my own and put together a pitch for a line of collectibles using some of DC characters. I designed the line and made concept art for it. I sculpted, molded & casted, and painted a prototype for it, and sent all that stuff to DC in the hopes that maybe they would produce it, but more so just to impress them with my sculpting ability and to encourage them to throw some sculpting work my way.

In the meantime another one of the comic-con seeds paid off in that DC picked up the Batman head from those Batman Beyond busts I previously brought to comic-con. The head was used for a Batman Beyond figure for their 1:6 scale action figure line. Now this happened well over a year after I showed that piece to the art director who picked it up, and it illustrates the importance of making those relationships and continually showing up year after year to reintroduce yourself and say hi.

Industry Tip #7 – Take the initiative and come up with your own projects. Why wait for someone to offer you a job, when you can give them a job to offer you? Come up with your own ideas and make projects that you think could be the start of a whole new line. Maybe come up with a treatment for a line of characters that just hasn’t been sculpted yet. Or possibly come up with a new direction or reinterpretation of well known characters showing them in a different light. What would the kids from the Marvel comic “Power Pack” look like as 30 year olds? What would the A-Team be like if set in the Old West circa 1870? You have to fill out your portfolio with projects anyway, so might as well aim high and think big. Worse case scenario you end up with a solid cohesive portfolio that demonstrates your ability to think creatively and design pieces as well as sculpt them. Best case scenario, a company sees what you’ve done and wants to run with your concept. Plus, working with established characters is an immediate way for people to connect with your work and give it a basis for validation. Everyone knows what Harry Potter looks like, so it immediately shows what you added to the equation when you break out your future geriatric version of him in his eighties. This is exactly what I did with my Batman Beyond busts by taking something that only existed in animated form and making a real-world live-action versions of the main characters.

Industry Tip #8 - It takes money to make money. Be prepared to spend a fair amount of cash either molding and casting your own stuff or paying someone else to do it for you. Silicone and resin aren’t cheap (about $225 combined for a gallon of each), but working with them is a necessary evil if you want to have a career as a commercial sculptor. You need to prove to potential employers, not only that you can sculpt but also that you know how to engineer your sculptures in such a way that they can easily be broken down into separate components and reproduced. What better way to do that then showing reproductions of your actual sculptures to art directors at conventions?

Now that Batman Beyond head, combined with the product pitch I made to DC, ended up getting me plenty of work sculpting more heads for DC’s 1:6 scale action figure line. I’ve been lucky enough to work on quite a few of those figures doing heads and various accessories over the last year and I feel very fortunate to have met and worked with some really great people over at DC Direct.

Earlier this year I did another bust for Bowen Designs, and right now I’m well underway with my first project for the fine folks at Sideshow Collectibles. So while I’m far from being a fixture in the industry, I have crossed that initial threshold and I continue to get steady work. While I don’t think anyone ever breaks into the industry the same way twice, since we all have different strengths, and assets to offer, hopefully there are enough general hints here to make getting that first foot wedged into the door easier.

Also if I was hitting the convention circuit hardcore for the first time now, what I would do in addition to everything mentioned previously is make key chains. Key chains? Yes, key chains. I would sculpt a 1:6 scale head of someone, anyone, Batman, Superman, a well known actor, even your own head, render the hell out of it and mold and cast copies of them. Once I had a few dozen copies I would go to the Oriental trading company’s site and order a few dozen of their cheapest key chains of any type. Once they arrived, I’d strip the keychain hardware from whatever random crap they came with and attach them to my 1:6 scale heads. I’d print out my contact info on adhesive stickers and mount those stickers to a sheet of thin styrene. I’d cut up the styrene with my stickers on it and drill or hole-punch the corners of them. I’d loop my newly made plastic contact info sheets onto the key chains and viola!

Viola?! What the hell did I just make?! Well let me break it down…

Heads and hands are the two hardest things to get right when sculpting, so if you show that you can nail either one of those it’s definitely a feather in your cap. So you’ve proven that not only can you sculpt a killer portrait of a recognizable character (even if you sculpted yourself, the art director will see that it looks like you when you hand it to him/her), but you can also mold it and cast it. Plus you’ve made a small example of your work that you can freely give away that will require very little silicone or resin to produce and very little clean-up to get ready to hand out – all in the form of a nifty little trinket that art directors would be hard pressed to throw away (nobody throws away well done sculpture) or lose because they can attach it to their keys, convention lanyards, or belt loops if they don’t have any pockets.

A 1:6 scale head keychain with your contact info attached - It’s a perfect project that covers all the bases without breaking the bank. ;) 

Okay well I hope that helps anyone and everyone trying to break in. Good luck, work hard, and have fun!

I want to thank Walter again for being so generous with his very limited time. I owe you buddy. I hope you guys enjoyed that read as much as I did. I'm sure we'll see Walter in here again sometime talking with us about yet another topic. But before I leave you, let me just take this opportunity to put this out to you handful of readers... Is there something that you would like to see covered in this blog? Is there an interview or a series of interviews you'd like to read? Send me an e-mail with your suggestions and help make this blog "The place to be" for great interviews and discussions on the world of sculpture. Thanks, and I'll see you later.

Breaking into the Industry - Part 2 with Troy McDevitt

I've been thinking about how to introduce my next guest for a couple of days now, and I can't seem to get it right in my head, so I'm just going to wing it here on the keyboard. Troy McDevitt (Troyboy for all you forum goers) has been on my radar for some time now. I first saw his work when I was lurking around on the ConceptArt forum. Eventually, I joined the Clubhouse forum and I finally had a chance to chat with him online. Troy is not only very talented, but he is very generous with his time and honest critique. Over the last year or so, Troy and I have built an online friendship that consists mostly of sharing work online and both of us complementing the other on a job well done (ahhh, the perfect friendship). But more than that, Troy has been a great source of inspiration, information and just plain 'ol coolness. Although we haven't met face to face (Troy, you still owe me that talent sharing handshake - lol), I'm glad to say that Troy is my friend. And now, for a real treat, Troy is going to share with us his adventures in "Breaking into the industry".

I just want to start off by thanking Alfred for the opportunity to contribute to this great blog he started and express how honored I am to be included with these titans of the collectible sculpting community. It just reinforces the fact that i must be doing something right.

Alfred basically told me to ramble on about anything that I thought could be helpful or mildly interesting, so I'll do my best to keep things on point and hopefully keep from boring you, the reader, to death.

I don't think there's one single path to being successful as a sculptor in this field, so I'm just going to relate how I came into it, what my experiences have been and how I've managed to stay busy and self-employed.

My background is graphic design, which I made my living at from about 1990-2003. I had played around with clay and Super Sculpey for a few years prior to that, but nothing that would lead me to believe I had any special talent for it. It wasn't until 2003, when I decided that I'd had enough of graphic design that I considered sculpting as something other than just an occasional hobby. I rented a booth at a large bridal show in Baltimore, MD, printed up a banner and a few flyers from Kinko's, and took the wedding cake topper I made for my own wedding, in the hopes that it might generate some interest. 

Well, needless to say, the interest was beyond my wildest expectations and from that point on, I basically did nothing but custom wedding cake toppers (which looked like the bride and groom) from late 2003 until late 2007. In that time, I made over 120 toppers that shipped all over the world and I didn't miss a single deadline. That time period was some of the most valuable of my life, and my career, as I truly learned how to be fast, interact with customers, and always hit the deadline.

Now this is as good a time as any to mention that I've always been a comic book, sci-fi and fantasy geek and while I enjoyed the actual sculpting I was doing, after four years, the subject matter began to get really stale and the siren call of my nerdy passions were singing out to me. While browsing online, I stumbled upon The Clubhouse, and it was all over from that point on. A new world opened up to me that I had no idea even existed, despite the fact that I was well aware, and in awe, of the misc. statues in my LCS (local comic shop). Soon I was ordering Amazing Figure Modeler, KitBuilder's Magazine, visiting other forums, and most importantly, communicating with like-minded individuals and professionals who were helpful, insanely talented, and above all super, super nice people.

I stopped taking cake top orders and began focusing on building up my own portfolio with the type of subject matter that I loved and grew up on. Early on, I had little else besides some average sculpting abilities and an absolute determination to succeed.

It began very slowly, but gradually, I began to improve and the work soon followed. I knew, from my previous cake topper experience, that I would initially have to charge very little in order to build up my portfolio as quickly as possible. It's much easier to get work when you can actually show real-life examples. Talk is cheap and results speak for themselves. An online portfolio of finished work should be your number one priority!

The one way that I knew I had an advantage though, was in the fact that I knew how to be professional and hit my deadlines. A major part of "being professional" meant, keeping in contact with your clients and always returning their e-mails or phone calls in a timely manner, making sure all the details of a sculpt are defined in the beginning to avoid any misunderstandings, and never letting your ego get in the way, which essentially means being able to take criticism or make changes, even when you don't agree with it.

In the short time I've been involved in this community, I can't begin to tell you how many stories I've heard of incredibly talented sculptors doing serious harm to their reputation by not being able to follow some, or all, of those simple guidelines. Talent doesn't mean a thing if, at the end of the day, the client isn't happy. Along the way, you may come up against a customer that cannot be pleased, no matter what, but as long as you handle yourself in a professional manner, and stick to your agreements, you should be able to keep your public image intact, and in my opinion, there's nothing more crucial in this business than a good reputation.

Most of my work up to this point has been garage kits, or one-of-a-kind pieces for small kit producers, or individual collectors, but over time, my skill-level has improved and larger opportunities have begun to present themselves. If there was one individual that I needed to thank for helping me get to the point that I currently am, it would have to be Randy Bowen. 

Back in Feb./March of 2008, I sent Randy an e-mail, out of the blue, introducing myself and submitting rough busts of two pretty obscure villains (Ringmaster and Man-Ape). Randy decided to take a chance on me, and I officially became part of the Bowen Designs sculptor club! Since then I've done several more busts for Randy, and a good many assignments involving modifications of some sort. The ability to show potential clients the work that I have done for a company such as Bowen Designs has been absolutely invaluable to me and I don't think I'll ever be able to thank Randy enough!

In addition to Randy, I've also made some real, solid friendships with many of my fellow sculptors on the forums, and several of my clients, which has been one of the most enjoyable and satisfying end results of this particular career path. A happy client can keep you busy for years to come, and a good friend will offer you a trusted, second pair of eyes and honest critiques, which we all need from time to time.

I work seven days a week, approximately twelve hours a day, and I absolutely love it. I go to bed thinking about sculpts, and I wake up thinking about those same sculpts. It takes quite a bit of discipline to stay on target and not get distracted throughout the day, but if you're serious about making a living at this, you'll put aside everything, but friends and family, to stay focused and continue working every single day. I miss quite a few events because I have a deadline to hit, but that's the price you have to pay sometimes to make a name for yourself.

Don't be afraid to ask professionals for help, but don't become an annoyance, and don't ask silly questions. You'll improve by observing, studying and practicing. Don't ask an established artist, "How do you sculpt hands?". He (or she) sculpts them by practice over the course of many years. There isn't a magic "hand" tool.

If you don't get a response, don't be offended. Many professional sculptors receive a ton of e-mails or pms each and every week, and it's extremely difficult to respond to them all. Remember, nine times out of ten, they're under extremely tight deadlines, and unfortunately, questions from new, or up-and-coming, sculptors has to be delegated to "low priority". Follow up later with a reminder e-mail, but again, don't become an annoyance. Most pro sculptors I know will eventually try and get back with you.

Make sure you're open to criticism, but don't let it crush you. The point is to improve yourself, and, after working on a piece for days, or weeks, it's often easy to overlook minor and major flaws. Once again, a good group of respected friends in the same field is crutial. If you strongly disagree with someone's opinion of your work, especially someone you don't know, don't engage them in a ten-page online battle. It's ridiculous.

Well, if any of you have managed to work your way to the end of this "War and Peace"-length article, I apologize for that time in your life you can never get back. I hope, at least, you were able to take any of the info I've provided and use it to help advance your own career goals in this weird little underground hobby of ours. Thanks for all the support and encouragement so many of you have generously provided me with in the short time I've been doing this. I've got some big, exciting projects that will be unveiled over the course of the rest of the year, and I look forward to seeing more amazing work from you all for many, many years to come!

Well, I don't know about you, but I think that was a fantastic read. Thanks again Troy for doing this. For the rest of you guys, you're definitely going to want to come back for Part 3 of Breaking into the industry... Trust me, it's a great read as well. So come back next week (or most likely this Friday since I'm going to be gone for a week), for Part 3 with Walter O'Neal.

Breaking into the Industry - Part 1

I was going to bring you the last of the Inspiration Interviews with the fantastic Mr. Mark Newman, but Mark is very busy at the moment with some very cool projects, and unfortunately did not have time to get to the interview. However, we will try to share that with you at a future date. For now, we'll be starting a new discussion. Enjoy.

As like many of my sculptor friends, I get asked a lot of questions by young and aspiring sculptors. "How do you make that?", "What material do you use?", "What kind of tools do you use?" And while all of those questions are valid, it would be hard to talk about those in this blog. However, there is one question I think we can discuss. “How do I break into this industry?” The funny thing about that question is that (unlike the other questions) I don’t have an answer. I’ve only managed to have one legitimate job in this industry and that was sculpting 1:6 scale portraits of characters from the 1980’s T.V. show “Buck Rogers”, for a new toy company. Outside of that, I’ve been trying to “break into” this industry for a couple of years. (The middle head -Buck Rogers - is not the head I sculpted. At some point, the license holder must have decided they wanted a different look. Too bad, because I think my sculpt looked more like Gil Gerard. But that's the commercial industry for you).

In that time, I’ve managed to make some good friends who happen to be both big names and new comers to the world of commercial sculpting. They’ve offered guidance and support, critique and constructive criticism. I’ve learned a lot in the past few years and I feel that I’ve grown as a sculptor. However, that goal of becoming a professional commercial sculptor continues to elude me. That being said, I still feel that I’ve learned a little something about this industry that might be helpful. So, what advice do I have to offer?

Well, I’m sure many young sculptors have heard the typical responses (I know I have) like: “Never give up”, “Keep practicing”, “Go to conventions and introduce yourself to art directors” etc, etc. Now, although these suggestions are typical (or cliché), it doesn’t make them any less helpful. I’ve used these suggestions time and time again. Some of these have actually led to getting a foot in the door at several places, so I know that they can lead to future jobs.

Other things I’ve learned along the way are more practical and basic. Anatomy, surface finish, clean and consistent work, speed, and the ability to take criticism are all very important. You can focus on any specific style (animated, comic book, realistic) that suits you – or you can practice at all of them and make yourself more versatile. The idea is that you want your work to be good enough that your clients see you as a commodity (something of strong value). These abilities come through repetition and practice. Build a portfolio of well-rounded figures (and I don’t mean a bunch of fat guys, although one or two wouldn’t hurt). Make some full figures and busts. Sculpt both male and female figures. Try sculpting at different scales. Make sure your pieces are finished and not WIP’s. Sculpt different materials and details (leather, spandex, boots, t-shirts, armor, short and long hair, utility belts, etc), in order to show some variety and versatility. The actual material you sculpt the pieces in (sculpey, wax, oil clay) doesn’t matter at this point. Just get the practice in and try out a whole bunch of materials. Don’t be afraid to experiment and combine different materials on the same piece (if one material might help render something better). You’ll eventually find the material that suits you.

This whole process can take some time, since most of you don’t have the luxury of being able to sculpt full time. Most of you guys have jobs and families, all of which require time. So be patient, work hard, practice and get as much critique and criticism as you can (yes I know those are the typical responses - but they do work). Join online forums where you can make like-minded friendships, and maybe even a connection or two that might get you a job.

Now for some more specific advice, and more importantly, advice from people in the industry, I’ve asked a couple of friends to write about their experiences in getting into this industry. So, tune in next week when I bring you part 2 of “Breaking into the Industry”.

Interview #1 Tim Bruckner

So, in my last blog post I spoke about inspiration. Particularly the things and people who inspire me. That led me to thinking about what inspires those who inspire. I sent out some messages to several people in my list of sculptors who inspire me, asking if they'd be willing to answer some questions on inspiration and other things. They all responded - YES. I can't tell you how excited I was. I sent off the questions right away. So I've decided to do a new blog post each week with a new interview (similar questions - different artists).

First up is the very talented Mr. Tim Bruckner. Tim has been in the commercial sculpting business for a long time, and in that time has created some amazing and inspiring works of art. His client list is very impressive and the work more impressive still. These days, Tim has been working on his newest project: Pop Sculpture - How to sculpt Action Figures & Collectible Statues. A book in which he, along with some of his very talented colleagues, lay out the step by step process of making these amazing figures. Look for the book this October, and follow along with the blog to read some really great interviews with other amazing talents.

And now, for the questions:

AP: When you were a kid, did you already have a sense that you would be an artist some day? If so what were some early sources of inspiration for you? If not, what kind of things did inspire you?

TB: When I was seven, maybe eight, my parents gave me a set of booklets about various artists from the Byzantine to Baroque. You had to paste in oversized stamps of art reproductions next to the appropriate text. I don’t think I bothered with the text, but the images grabbed me in places I’d not been grabbed before. Those miniature pictures of art by Michelangelo, DaVinci, Rubens, lifted my spirit and imbued me with a kind of curiosity that drives me today. Through the years, what inspires me has changed as I have changed. If you have eyes to see, you are surrounded by the possibilities for creation. When I was younger, I think I was more closed off to those possibilities. These days, the inspiration to create is everywhere, in everything. The problem for me isn’t what to do, the problem is finding the time to do it.

AP: When did you discover sculpting? Who were some of your first "Sculpting Heroes"?

TB: The clearest recollection I have of actually trying to sculpt something was around the same time as having those art booklets. There used to be a type of candy that would come in wax tubes about six inches long. They were filled with a brightly colored syrup that could induce insulin shock and the sugar shakes. After draining the syrup I’d knead the wax into a little ball, and using a straight pin and the tine of a fork, I tried sculpting the heads of the seven dwarfs. I’ve been doing pretty much the same thing for over forty years. Heroes? Too many to mention. But that won’t stop me. Just to mention a few: Claus Sluter, Michelangelo, Cellini, Bernini, St. Gaudens, Alfred Gilbert, Chester French. And those are just a few of the dead guys. There’s a whole host of living sculptors; friends, colleagues and people whose work I know but have never met that just leave me gobsmacked. There seems to be a kind of Renaissance in figurative sculpture these days and its driven by pop sculptors (no plug intended). Fine art, for the most part, is people trying to convince you how good it is because you don’t like it and/or don’t understand it.

AP: What was your first professional sculpting project? Looking back on it now, how do you feel about it?

TB: The short version is, the neighbor across the street owned a Jewelry store. I was sculpting a papal button for shits and giggles and asked him what it would take to have it cast in gold. He saw it and offered me a job. I was a wax carver/apprentice goldsmith for a couple of years. Looking back on it now, it was one of the most important events of my life. It helped make me what I am and who I am. At the time, after a few months, I thought I was too cool for the room. But that’s youth, ain’t it. And to quote a character in one of my favorite movies, “youth is wasted on the wrong people”.

AP: Do you still feel that you're a fan of this type of work? and if so, do you ever find yourself getting excited to meet another sculptor?

TB: Absolutely. And.. absolutely.

AP: How does it feel to have hardcore fans of your work?

TB: I don’t know. I don’t know that I have hardcore fans. To be honest, I don’t think about it. If people like my work, I think that’s cool. If people don’t like my work, that’s cool too. If you work for the appreciation of others, you’re screwed. If you’re hands-for-hire, you work to please your client. If you create personal work, you work to please yourself. You have a better chance of accomplishing the former than satisfying the latter. The day you look at a piece of sculpture you’ve done and can’t find anything you could have or should have done better, its time to stop sculpting.

AP: How important do you feel it is to seek out inspiration? What are some of the things you do when it feels like inspiration is running low?

TB: As a hands-for-hire artist, you don’t have the luxury to wait for inspiration. You have a deadline. That’s your inspiration. Aside from that, you have an obligation to dig something out of the job you’ve been given. We’ve all worked on things we’ve had no affinity for whatsoever. That’s when you have to dig the deepest. There’s something in it, somewhere. Your job, apart from creating something in 3D, is to become a fan of what you’re working on. Your fandom doesn’t have to last longer than the job lasts. But during the job, your enthusiasm can wane. If it does, it shows. Good work comes and goes. Bad work. Lifeless, uninspired work, hangs around forever.

I want to give a big thanks to Tim for doing this. I hope you guys reading this have enjoyed it and will come back for the next interview (to be posted next week).

Cheers!!

Post Craziness

Well, all the craziness of March and April are over. Plus I actually had a couple of film projects come through the studio, so you'll actually be able to see stuff I worked on, in a movie!! I'll give you more details and share images once I'm able to, but don't hold your breath... It's going to be over a year.​

The Lucky Baldwin unveiling went really well. You can see images in the Client gallery section. I'm looking forward to getting another one of these projects. It was a huge challenge, but so rewarding.​

Monsterpalooza, was a blast. It was the busiest it's ever been. I had a slow couple days to start, but Sunday picked up and I managed to get some decent sales. I met Greg Nicotero (of KNB and Walking Dead fame), which was a huge highlight. I'm hoping to follow through with that meeting and actually get a visit at the KNB studio.​ I'll let you know if something happens there.

Now I've reached a slow time of the year, so I'll be working on more of my own projects. There's some cool stuff coming (hopefully by next Monsterpalooza), so keep an eye out for updates. I'm actually teaming up with the awesome Silva Brothers, to do some concept design on an idea that I have for an awesome "Last Stand" zombie scenario sculpt. It's going to be amazing.​

There's new stuff for sale up in the store, so head over there and help keep the pirate ship afloat. Your support keeps me going and allows for more original sculpts. Tell your friends, share this site with your Facebook buddies, buy someone and early Christmas gift. I'd really appreciate it.

​Cheers for now,

Alfred

WonderCon, Monsterpalooza and the Lucky Bladwin Monument.

Hey there everybody (or just you, the one person reading this). Coming up are some very cool things that I'll be attending and being part of. First up, WonderCon. Next weekend (Mar. 29, 30, 31)​, I'll be attending down in Anaheim. I'm not exhibiting there, but if you know what I look like, you might see me walking the floor of the show, as I look for work and make new contacts. I'm excited about this one, as it's the second year it's in Anaheim, and it'll be my first year attending. I think it'll be a fun experience.

​Then, on April 9th, the lucky Baldwin Monument will be placed in it's permanent home in the City of Arcadia. This will also be a fun and exciting experience, as I watch the piece get lifted and placed on it's pedestal. It's been a while since the piece was completed, and now we're finally at the end.

Following that, on April 12, 13 and 14th, is Monsterpalooza!! I'll be exhibiting my work there once again. The table will be chock full of new work (stuff you guys haven't seen yet). I'm super excited about the show and have been working hard to prepare all the inventory, and get a couple of the pieces painted. The "Bad Apples" have been hard to keep in stock, so I have to keep casting more as I get closer to the show dates. I think they will be a hit at the show as well. If you're in the Burbank area on those dates, stop by the show and then come by my table and say "Hi". I love meeting fans and sharing my work. I look forward to seeing some of you there. Let me know you read the blog.​

The 14th is also my 37th birthday!! I'll be celebrating by sitting behind my table at Monsterpalooza!!​

On the 15th, the crew from Make Magazine will be coming by the studio to shoot an interview for their Youtube channel: Make: Believe​. I think it's going to be a fun shoot and I hope you guys can get a chance to get to know me a little better, and see the inside of my studio.

Then FINALLY!!! On the the 16th.... (Phew, I'm going to be busy), is the dedication ceremony for the Lucky Baldwin Monument. It'll be taking place at the site, and there will be a number of guests and press for the event. I'm really looking forward to seeing people's reaction to the piece as it gets unveiled for the public. I'll have photos of the event, and hopefully some video to share with you guys.

​Well, that's about all I can fit into my schedule for now. I'll have lots more stuff coming this Summer (I'm on a real alien kick right now, so prepare to see lots of aliens creatures coming from me). Until then, or one of the events, Take care. Thanks for stopping by. Be sure to say Hi if you see me at one of these places.  and Cheers!!

​Alfred

​

Happy 2013

It's a new year!!! But what does that really mean? Isn't it just another day? Yeah the calendars change, but really... they change every 30 or so days anyway. What am I getting at? Basically I'm saying that when you're working hard to chase down a dream, the calendar doesn't matter. Nothing has really changed, I'm still working just as hard as before and things are coming out soon. So let's talk about what's coming.

First off, the long awaited installation of the Lucky Baldwin monument is getting closer. It's (tentatively) scheduled for February, so I'm excited to see it in it's final place. It's been a long road from the beginning to now, but a lot of it has been waiting around. Now we're finally going to come to the close of this project and hopefully bring a little more attention my way as a monumental scale sculptor.

Next up, this is the year that you'll see my Stan Winston Lesson, as well as my interview with them. I don't have a release date for it, but I'll let everybody know when it comes out. If you haven't signed up yet, be sure to visit the Stan Winston School of Character Arts website and look at the videos. There's so much to be learned there, and there's still so much more to come from those guys that it's mind blowing. I'm very grateful to have been a small part of it, and I hope to do more lessons with them in the future.

Third, I will be doing a series of portrait sculpting lessons for Visualarium. Filming should start early this year, and the video series should be out before Summer. I'll keep you posted on that one.

Fourth, I have new work in the studio getting ready to be released. The Young Frankenstein busts are finished and ready for molding. The 15" tall "Frank's Boy" sculpture is also finished and ready for molding. That one was a lot of fun to sculpt and I'm looking forward to putting it out there. I also have a new series of Trophy Zombie Heads. These heads are 1:2 scale and will be mounted on rebar spikes (all resin). I've got creepy clowns, hillbilly dudes, and some rather messed up looking zombies. Look for all these pieces to be available in the Spring - Or - Come out to Monsterpalooza in April and you'll be able to see the pieces in person and pick one up. I'll even sign it for you if you ask nicely.

Other than all that, I don't have any more specific plans. There's stuff I can't talk about that I'm really excited to do, and hopefully I'll get to share that with you guys eventually, but it might be a while. I'm still looking for work and taking commissions, so if you or someone you know is looking for a sculptor, send them my way.

So I hope you all have a great 2013, but remember... You don't need an arbitrary date to start going after your goals. Don't wait!! Start going for them NOW!! Let me know if you're reading this. I love hearing from you guys.

Cheers!!

Alfred

Halloween is over. Time for something different.

This Halloween was a busy one. With lots of travel and lots of pumpkins, I did a lot of things for the first time, this season. It was my first time to New York and to Texas. It was my first time working on a record size pumpkin, and it was the first time I have ever been inside of a pumpkin. Working for Pumpkin Wow and for Villafane Studios this season, I got to do some cool stuff. It's been a fun season, but I'm also glad it's over. The traveling and time away from my family was tough. Changing time zones ever three days isn't really easy on my system. With all that said, I'm still looking forward to next year and trying to raise the bar on what I did this year.

Now it's all about looking forward to the next thing. The Lucky monument is done, but still waiting to be installed. Monsterpalooza is six months away, so it's time to start figuring out which pieces I'm to work on. I've got some cool ideas for new pieces and I've nearly finished the Young Frankenstein busts (the Gene WIlder and Peter Boyle). I'm also beginning to learn Zbrush, so you'll see some posts of projects I'm trying to work on. So far, it's been slow going, but I'm starting to make some good head way and figuring things out. Now that the Halloween season is over, I'll be able to focus a bit more on Zbrush.

On T-shirt News, I picked the winners and announced the names on the Facebook Fan Page. I'll mention them here as well, so Congratulations to Randy Pavatte, Keith Cousins and Randy VanDyke. Their T-shirts will be in the mail soon. For the rest of you guys that might want a shirt, head over to the store page and you'll see the shirts and be able to click and order your own. Quantities are limited so order yours soon.

So that's all I got for now. Until next time, Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers!!

Alfred

Wet T-Shirt Contest Time!!!!

Actually it's just t-shirt contest time... It's up to you if you want to wet the shirts.​ I just ordered some new shirts with the new website logo. I'm excited about the new shirts and I wanted to give back to you guys for all the support, so I'm running a contest, for a chance to win one of these new shirts.

So how is this contest going to go down, you ask? It's pretty simple... I want you to share some photos (please no wet t-shirt photos). Seriously though, you just need to share some photos of my work. There's two ways to enter:​

#1 - For those of you who have purchased some of my work. Take a photo and share it on Instagram or on my Facebook Fan Page. If you share it on Instagram, Hash tag  #apsculpturestudio​ and if you share it on the Fan Page, tag the photo with Alfred Paredes. All those who post photos will be entered into a drawing for a shirt. Photos should be of one or more of my sculptures in your home, office, studio, or wherever you've chosen to display it. It doesn't need to painted, but it would be nice if it was at least displayed nicely. If you have more than one of my sculpts, post them as separate pictures and get entered for each one you post. In other words, the more of my sculpture you have, the more chances you have to win. I'll award one t-shirt to Instagram posters, and one to Facebook posters.

#2 - For those who haven't purchased my work... Shame on you!! No, I get it. Times are tough and we can't all shell out a few shekels to buy sculpture​. But maybe you're still a fan of my work. Hell, you're reading this on my site, so you must like my stuff a little, so I want you to have a t-shirt too. Here's how you win. Go to my Facebook Fan Page, make sure you "Like" the page and share a photo from my albums on your page (it should be of one of my sculpts). Be sure to tag Alfred Paredes so that I'll see the photo. You'll only be entered once, but feel free to share as many photos as you like (I could use the help). There will only be one t-shirt up for grabs for you guys, so good luck!!

When will the winners be announced? It's October, so Halloween is the perfect time to announce the winners. (it also gives the t-shirts time to be printed and shipped to my house). If you live in the U.S. I'll even ship it to you for FREE. However, if you live outside of the U.S. I will need you to cover shipping (sorry, but it gets pricey).

So what will these t-shirts​ look like? Well, I don't have them yet, but here's the design that will go on them.

T-shirt Mono.jpg

​Pretty cool, right? The design is being printed on dark grey shirts. I'll have different men's sizes available (from M-XL), and some Girly Fit as well, for all you ladies out there.

So get to postin' and good luck!! I'll pull the names out of a hollowed out skull this Halloween. Winners be announced here on the site, and the Fan Page as well, so look for your names!!​

​Cheers!!

Alfred​

I've been a Baaaaad Boy!!!

Hey everybody... Hello? Is anybody there? I don't blame you. I've been away for a long time. I apologize for my absence, but it's been a crazy few months. Hell, it's been a crazy year. I wanted to come in and share a quick post with you (if anybody is even still reading this), and let you know what's been going on with me and my work.

So... The Canada Sand Sculpting project. I went, I saw and I conquered. It was a bit terrifying at first, as I had to learn a new material and a new way of working really quickly. I had never sculpted in sand before, and it was also my first time sculpting in a subtractive form. In the end, I gained new skills and a some confidence in knowing that I can do what I set out to do. It was a lot of fun and I hope to do it again sometime. I'll have pictures to share (at some point), or you can go to the FaceBook Fan Page (there's a link on this site) and I've set up an album there.

In other news. The Lucky Baldwin monument is still at the foundry. It's being cast into bronze and the city is working on plans for the base. It looks like installation won't be until some time in November, but at least things are moving forward.

A couple weeks ago, I was down in San Diego for Comic-Con 2012. It was a lot of fun and I had some very positive responses to my work, as I went from booth to booth, trying to find jobs. I definitely think that this year will lead to new projects later on. DC Entertainment, Sideshow Collectibles, Triad Toys and Mezco Toys were some of the most promising. I have my heart set on either DC or Sideshow (with Sideshow leading the wish pack). It probably won't be for a while though, because these companies have to plan their stuff years in advance and then they need to find the right project for any particular sculptor. I'm still hopeful that things will happen by next summer. For now, I'm focused on personal projects and a couple of commissions.

Finally, there's some exciting news to share with you. My very first instructional DVD (or streaming video, whichever you prefer), will be available soon. I shot an instructional lesson for the Stan Winston School of Character Arts, on sculpting a character from the live model. You'll get to see a sculpt from start to finish, with plenty of instructions, tips and tricks along the way. I had a very lovely model, so there will also be plenty of eye candy for you as you learn to sculpt from the live model and create a believable character/creature. The lesson should be available before September, but I'll have specific dates when I hear from the Stan Winston guys. It was a real pleasure, and one that I'll get to experience again, as they want to do a couple more lessons for them. Be sure to check out their site and look for all the great lessons they've already put out. And when my lesson comes out, I hope you'll support me by buying a DVD or streaming video, and letting all your friends know about it as well.

 

Okay, that's it for now. I'll some WIP shots of some recent sculpts to share soon, so be on the look out for those. Until next time, Cheers!!

 

Alfred

So Much is Happening!!!

Okay guys, there's a ton of stuff in the works right now. Some of which I can share with you and other stuff that will have to wait a little longer. But it's all really amazing stuff that I'm honored and privillaged to be a part of.

First up, I'll tell you what's going on with one of the projects that you already know about. The Lucky Baldwin Monument. The molds were completed a short while back and then delivered to the foundry last week. The waxes should be ready soon, and then I'll be doing some clean up and getting them ready for their next step into bronze. It's been so much work to get to this point, but the end is almost here. I'm talking with the city about base deisgns and the site prep should be underway soon. We're still looking at a July installation and unveiling, so I'll have lots more pictures and maybe even some video, then.

The next thing is a Huge sand sculpting exhibition in Niagra Falls, Canada!! I'll be joing the super talented Ray Villafane for two weeks in Canada to work on a huge sand sculpture, along with dozens of other talented sculptors from around the world. I'm very honored and privillaged to have been asked to join Ray on this spectacular project. I've never sculpted in sand before, so I'm nervous and excited at the same time. I'm also a bit nervous about leaving my wife and young baby for two weeks, but my wife is really awesome and suportive and she's really excited about the opportunity for me. Here's an image of the design that we'll be sculpting out there. Ray and I will probably be sculpting the Campfire scene.

Here is some cool video of the Russian company at work. These are the same guys that are putting on the Canada Exhibition.

Next up, at the end of this month (just before I leave for Canada), I'll be having some visitors come by the studio with their cameras and stuff. I can't really get into who it's for just yet, but I can say that I'll be showing a bit of what I do best. I'll have more news for you as soon as I get the go ahead.

Finally, this last bit is a little closer to home. The web site is undergoing a bit of a face lift. I'm working alongside my younger brother to make some much needed updates to the site. We're also going to be changing up the gallery and making it a bit easier to see the work that you're most interested in. All this and new social media tags so you can follow me and stay up to the minute with new photos and updates on all the various projects that are going on. We'll be launching the new updates at the end of the month, so stay tuned.

Cheers for now,

Alfred

Time to get back to work!!

Well, Monsterpalooza is over. It was a cool weekend filled with lots of awesome stuff to look at, as well as good friends. I got to see lots of people and meet a whole bunch of new ones. I'm looking forward to next year's show and I'm going to start creating stuff for the show right away. I want my table to really showcase some awesome stuff.

For now, I need to get back to the monument project and finish up a couple small jobs. Then it's full steam ahead with my personal work and learning Zbrush.

Cheers for now, and for any of you who are new to the site because of Monsterpalooza... Welcome and Thanks!!

-Alfred

Monsterpalooza 2012

MonsterpaloozaWell, it's that time of the year again. Monsterpalooza is right around the corner and I'm feverishly working away to have plenty of inventory for all you collectors out there. Last year I sold out of several pieces. This year I'm planning to have a larger inventory. I'll also be debuting some new work at the show. With a fantastic table location this year, I'm certain it's going to be another great show!! Plus, this year there's a bonus... Saturday the 14th is my Birthday!! I'll be celebrating (quietly) at the show. But here's some cool news for you. If you come by my table on Saturday and say "Happy Birthday", you'll get 10% off your purchase. This is for Saturday only, so don't miss out!!

There's also another purchase incentive that will start on Friday the 13th!!. For the first 3 people that buy a copy of the "Pregnant Zombie", they'll each get a FREE copy of the crawling torso zombie!!! I'm only giving away 3 of these, so be one of the first to buy a "Pregnant Zombie" and be sure to get your Crawling Torso Zombie for FREE!!!!

If that isn't enough to intice you to come out to the show, I don't know what is. There's gonna be some great artists out there, and lots of cool stuff to see. If you're in the So-Cal area next weekend, be sure to stop by the show. And if you're thinking of buying me a birthday gift : ) The best gift is buying one of my pieces for yourself!!

See you at the show!!

WOW!!! Have I been busy!!!

Hey guys, sorry for the long absence from the site. there's so much going on and so little time to get on here and post it all. I'm taking a few hours out of my busy schedule to post some updates and some news for any of you who might be left out there.

Lucky Baldwin SculptureFirst off, the Lucky Baldwin monument. I finished the sculpting phase of the project this morning. It felt really good to sign the piece and be done with this part. There's still a lot of work left to do (Molds, wax, bronze and installation), but it's nice to have made it this far. The project has had its challenges, and I'm certainly a more experienced sculptor because of it. My goal has always remained as wanting to create something that I would be happy with and proud of. I can say that at this point, the answer to both is, Yes.

First Moon WerewolfNext up, Monsterpalooza!!! Only a couple weeks away and there's still so much work left to do. I didn't have enough time to create all the work I wanted to, but I did manage to create a couple new pieces that will be debuting at the show. You'll find them in the Store section after Monsterpalooza. And to those of you who have purchased a copy of the pregnant zombie, Thank you so much. And thank you for the great pictures. I'm really going to have to create a fan photo section on this site (oh well, yet more stuff to do). One of the new sculpts is a companion piece to the pregnant Zombie... It's Zombie Dad!!!... or rather, what's left of him. The other new piece is my take on a Werewolf. It's a full figure sculpt with base. He'll be showing his scary face at MP first, then you'll find him on here (but if you've clicked "LIKE" on the FaceBook Fan Page, then you've seen some teaser shots of both).

Finally, there's some cool stuff lining up for this Fall. A partnership of EPIC proportions!! I can't say anything just yet, but I wanted to let you guys know that there's even more cool stuff in the works for the near future.

Thanks to all of you who visit the site and take the time to comment. A HUGE thanks to those of you who have purchased work (you really help to keep me motivated to make more). I hope you will continue to stop by and please forgive the long absenses. I haven't forgotten, I'm just really busy!!!

Cheers for now!!

Alfred

A "little" something different

Hey guys, I wanted to share some news about a big project that I'm working on. Last night, the city of Arcadia City Council gave it's official thumbs up, for the completion of a nine foot tall monument to their first mayor. I've been commissioned by the Great, Great Grandaughter of Lucky Baldwin, to create this monument, that she will be graciously donating to the city. I started by creating a 1:4 scale maquette (seen here in progress) Lucky Baldwin Sculpture of this historical character in California's history. With the approval of the city council to move forward on this project, I now get to start on the nine foot tall sculpt that will be molded and cast in bronze.

While this isn't the fisrt time I've sculpted a large scale figure, or the first bronze figure I've created (not by a long shot), it is the first large scale figure that will be cast in bronze. And it's my first public monument. This piece will hopefully stand at his location (across fromthe Santa Anita Race Track) for many generations to come.

Next up in the process of completing this figure is the enlarging itself. There are a couple ways to this, but I'll be opting for the digital scan and foam enlargement. It'll be the first time I'll be using this technology on a project, and I'm really looking forward to trying it out.

This project comes at a busy time for me, as I'm also getting ready for Monsterpalooza (this April). I hope to finish a couple more creature sculpts so that my table will be even better than last year. I'll keep you guys up to date on the progress of this and other projects, and I hope you continue to stop by the store and support what I do by picking up a copy of one (or more) of my resin kits for your collection.

Cheers for now!!!

Alfred

New Work for sale!!

Hey guys, I've been really busy with being a dad and trying to run my shop and believe me, it's a lot of hard work. I haven't been able to be in the studio as much as I would like, but spending time with my baby girl and helping out my wife has been great. However, I am trying to run a business here and so... There's new work for sale!!!

I'm getting some details taken care of in the Store section, so for now, you can send me a message if you're interested in ordering either (or both) of the new pieces. You can check them out in the Gallery. First up is the Marty Feldman bust. One of my favorite movies of all time "Young Frankenstein" has been on my to do list for a while, and what better way to get started than with the iconic role of Igor (pronounced Eye-gor). This bust is 9.5" tall, in hollow cast resin. $80 + $15 shipping (within the US).

Igor Marty Feldman

Next up is the gruesome gal herself... "Flesh Eating for Two" is a 1:6 scale figure, fully detailed and filled with awesome textures that make her a painter's delight. She stands at 10.5" tall and is cast in 3 parts. Get your copy of this Zombie Mamma for the Holidays, or make someone's Christmas extra special by having this creepy gal waiting under the tree. $90 + $11 shipping (within the US).

Zombie Mamma Pregnant

To make a purchase now (before the pieces officially go up in the Store section), you can send me a message and I'll give you the payment options.

Thanks for supporting my work and I look forward to seing what you guys do with these and all my other figures. Keep those pictures coming, I really do love seeing what you guys do with my work.

Happy Holidays!!! See you in 2012 with even more work and exciting news about a really BIG project!!

 

A Crazy Project I Can't Talk About

Hey guys. So, soon after returning from the Carlos Huante workshop, I started recieving requests for work. This isn't very unusual around here, it's just that most of the requests usually end up going no where. Well, I got contacted for a doosey of a project and it seemed like I was the only one that was up for the challenge. The project was for a very well known celebrity. It was going to involve making a custom chess set. That alone doesn't sound too bad, but here's where the crazy comes in. I was going to have to design, sculpt, mold and cast all the chess pieces in only 10 days. It started off pretty reasonable. There were going to be the usual 6 pieces, then repeated to complete the set. But celebrities don't tend to have simple ideas for long, and the six grew into 11 very quickly. The time frame didn't change, so this meant a whole heck of a lot more work.

I started in with the designs and quickly moved through the bad ideas, weeding it down to a few solid ideas. I did a lot of research on chess sets as well as on some of the characters that would be on the board. The approval process went quicly (luckily, the client understood the challenges of the tight deadline). I began sculpting and in just over a day, I had already roughed in 5 pieces - and a few of those were more than roughed in. I knew I wouldn't be able to complete this project on my own, so I reqruited some help from fellow sculptors. They came through with flying colors and really saved me a lot of time. They also spent a lot of time in my studio, helping me with some of the grunt work, while I worked on the portraits.

The days were long (not one of them being less than 16 hours), and there was one point where I had been working for 39 hours straight. In the end, I completed the project on time and delivered as scheduled. It was definitely the most amount of work I've done in such a small amount of time, but I'm glad I took on the challenge. I knew it was possible, and with the help of some very cool friends, we accomplished what no others were even willing to take on.

Sadly, because of the confidentiality agreements in place, I can't disclose who the work was for, or show any of the pieces (at least not yet). So for now, it goes down as a crazy experience that only a handful of people have actually seen.

Now that the project is over, I'm trying to get back to sculpting more creatures for next year's Monsterpalooza show. I really want to have a cool looking table and improve on what I showed last year. I already have several pieces under way, and I've been drawing several others. I don't know how many I'll be able to finish - having a kid takes up a lot of my time. Plus, there's actually more potential work around the corner. And if that project comes through, I'll be swamped for months!!!! At least that one I'll be able to talk about (once I actually get the job - fingers crossed). We'll see if any other projects come across my table before then, but until then... It's back to the studio to make some of the best creature sculpts I've made so far.

Cheers!!

Alfred

I'm back from the Workshop

Hey guys, I'm back from the Carlos Huante creature design workshop at Anatomy Tools. It was a great experience and I believe I learned a great deal of things that I will be able to apply to my work. I think you'll start seeing even more original looking creations coming from me, as well as just cooler looking sculpts. It was a tough week being away from my young family, but my wife was a real trooper and I got to see her and my baby girl on Skype each night. Now that I'm back home, I'm trying to figure out a routine for getting time in the studio. It's tough with a new baby, but I have managed to get a few hours in there and I'm making progress on several new pieces (started before the workshop). There's a creepy new Zombie Gal in the works, which I hope to have done by Holloween. She's mostly finished, it's all detail work, but this is going to be one of the most detailed pieces I've ever done, so it's gonna take some time. Keep an eye out for the anouncement. The other pieces will be ready for Monsterpalooza next year (which I already have a table reserved, and it's in an AWESOME location). I'll be posting updated pics of their progress on the Facebook Fan Page.

Thanks for all the support and to all those who continue to buy kits, you have my sincerest thanks. It's because of you that I'm able to keep making monsters.

Cheers!!!

Alfred