New, looking for advice.

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drokle

New member
Hi everyone. I'm new here and actually new to minis. I started up playing D&D again after 20 yrs. away from the table to find that minis now play a very important role in the game. So....I am an artist by trade but have never sculpted anything even close to this small before. Here is my first attempt at sculpting a mini... http://coolminiornot.com/236787 Admittedly, the paint job is not that great but I am looking for comments and critiques on the sculpt. What do you guys like/dislike about? How could I improve it? Should I post pics of the unpainted piece instead? Does anyone have links to resources that gives tips about sculpting in such a small scale? Also, I have noticed that many posts have multiple pictures of their minis from different angles. Are the posters just stitching together 1 image from different shots or is there a way to upload more than 1 pic for a single entry. I really love this site so far. I think the work on here is amazing. Thanks in advance for any help you guys can give me.
 
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daGoz

New member
Welcome Drokle
Congratulations your first sculpture looks way better than my 100th so think twice before accepting the following critique:
At first glance the head seems just a touch to big for the body (but looks very good on its own)
The hips are too narrow for the shoulders (I think(?) they should be about as wide as the shoulders. And I think the thighs are not quite 'beefy' enough for the upper body strength the sculpt projects.
I can't really tell from a front shot with no side angle, but the motion balance seems to be ok.
As to the painting I like what I see, but the pic is not really big enough for any detailed 'picking on'.
Once again, your sculpt beats any of mine so take my comments as you see fit...
Practice makes perfect don't give up.
Goz
 
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drokle

New member
Thanks for the response daGoz. Yeah, I know the proportions are off. I did the sculpt in pieces and forgot to compare scale on each piece before connecting them. I wasn't even going to post because of the problems in proportion but several people that I showed this to thought that the oversized head made it look cool and stylized. I started the legs with a 30mm figure in mind and the whole figure ended up at 38mm. Thanks again for taking the time to view my work and replying. I will do the same.
 
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funnymouth

Active member
drokle said:
Yeah, I know the proportions are off. I did the sculpt in pieces ...
Click to expand...
the general convention when sculpting a 28mm mini is to do it in one piece, unless you have a specific reason not to. in any case, the armature is a valuable tool for keeping your proportions right.
 
PegaZus

PegaZus

Stealth Freak
An unpainted picture does help if you're looking for opinions on the sculpt. And yes, they've stitched together the images (ie, only one picture uploaded). Should be a simple thing to put the pictures together (I use Gimp).

As for critique, I actually sort of like how it isn't proportional. Makes it a bit cartoonish and distinctive. Course, I'm sure that wasn't what you were going for, but it never hurts to have a figure recognized as unique. I think the waist area seems a bit out of place, and that might be the making it in pieces that you said you did. I think the thighs are the wrong shape, as they either need to be more conical for flesh, or more thin for bone.

Welcome!
 
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drokle

New member
funnymouth said:
the general convention when sculpting a 28mm mini is to do it in one piece
Click to expand...

Hi funnymouth,

The few examples/articles I have found show the minis being done in pieces. Do you have any links to example articles where they are done in one piece? I would like to see that. Thanks for your help, it is greatly appreciated.
 
freakinacage

freakinacage

Well-known member
good work! as mentioned, the proportions are off, it looks like from the hips down, everything is too small. the body for this scale is usually about 7 heads high (as they are slightly enlarged, along with the feet and hands) the ground to knee is the same height as the knee to the top of the hips (iliac crests), which is the same as the top of the hips to the ears. elbows should be at the same level as the top of the hips, thumbs should fall just below the groin. shoulders are about double the width of the head. you head proportions are pretty good - the head can be divided into two, with the eyes in the middle. that can then be divided into two with the tip of the nose in the middle and the mouth lies roughly halfway in between that and the chin. sides of the mouth are about the middle of the corresponding eye

as for sculpting in one go or not, it entirely depends on the sculpt. if it's for casting, often some parts need to be removable. it's up to the personal preference of the sculptor as to whether they make the pieces separately or simply cut them after
 
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funnymouth

Active member
as FIC mentioned, everyone has their own approach. people do tend to take the path of least resistance, though. if you dont need to sculpt it in many pieces, then dont.

here are two useful resources, in addition to the articles that can be found on this site:

the art of miniature sculpting

video: making armatures this video is part of a series.


lots more out there, you just have to poke around.
 
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drokle

New member
Thanks to everyone here for the great advice. I already feel much more prepared for my next sculpt. Now I have another question. I casted my zombie mini because I needed about a dozen for some of my D&D encounters. I want to post a pic of 1 of the castings. Should I make a new single image with the new one connected to the first 2 and replace the original post, or just make a new post? Thanks again to everyone here. I really enjoy this site and I am really happy with the input I have recieved so far. I hope that I will be able to help others here in the future as well.
 
PegaZus

PegaZus

Stealth Freak
Well, I'd suggest that you just put up a picture here in the forums rather than make a whole new voting entry on it. After all, it'll be a cast not a sculpt, so it could score a lot lower than it would as a sculpt (voting being what it is).
 
freakinacage

freakinacage

Well-known member
PegaZus said:
Well, I'd suggest that you just put up a picture here in the forums rather than make a whole new voting entry on it. After all, it'll be a cast not a sculpt, so it could score a lot lower than it would as a sculpt (voting being what it is).
Click to expand...
aye agreed. start a wip thread, you will get better feedback
 
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funnymouth

Active member
i agree. he has good method exposition and a neat, fast technique, but its definitely lacking in some regards. good place to start though.

i look forward to seeing your wip thread, drokle.
 
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