\" staff sculptor \" can you make a decent living? And how do you do it?

[SIGIL]

HEllo all I was just browsing the first page of the STAFF PAINTER thread and wondered about Staff Sculptors who work the industry.

What I am wondering is, is it possible to support a family and a decently comfortable life style by doing miniature scuplting for a manufacturer?

Also how would one go about getting this kind of employment?


Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Impernouncable]

Apparently you can. Otherwise there wouldn\'t be so many independent companies producing figures. I doubt that it\'s tremendously profitable, but clearly one can make enough money to do it full time, vis a vis Copplestone and Perry Bros. I suggest that you ask at 1listSculpting, the Yahoo mini sculpter discussion, for more details.

 

[t_haye2]

oh yes, if you\'re talented and can turn out the work at a decent rate that is surely a job you can support a family and a half with...

 

[SJB]

Yes, it can be done. It\'s a much easier path than trying to make a living out of painting (though that assumes you are able to sculpt which is entirely another issue).

There really aren\'t a huge number of very good sculptors but there are a lot of companies using freelancers. You do the maths. And then think about how the same sculptors pop up at all the different companies. Yup, there aren\'t many good sculptors.

Assuming you are good, the going rates in the industry for a basic 28mm sculpt are about $300.

As for how to go about getting such work, it\'s really straightforward. Sculpt good figures, take good photos of them and show them to the companies. If you\'re good and they are looking (most usually are) then you\'re set.

Steve Buddle

 

[supervike]

right from the horses mouth (no offense)

Although, I have no expertise on this I would tend to agree with SJB about the sculptors. The ratio of great painters to great sculpters seem to heavily favor the painters.

You do see the same sculptors names from many different companies.

Quite possibly an excellent sculptor could freelance not only for gaming companies, but toy companies, movie production, model railroading, and many other model building activities. Someone with talent should be able to find an avenue. Especially with 28mm figures on the rise...

Just a question though SJB, how long does it take to churn out a basic 28mm figure? Could it be done in a day? Two days?


Good luck Sigil, I hope we are painting some of your mini\'s soon!!
:flip:

 

[SIGIL]

Hey MANY THANKS for all the help guys. I am in the process of sculpting a few minis at this very moment. Taking a break to let the GS tighten a bit. I will not assume that my work is anything specail as I have NEVER done miniature stuff before and have limited experience with the larger scale modeling ( spawn figure sized ) but I do have the will to succeed at this. AFter having seen the Rackham stuff I have gotten completely obsessed. I never knew it was even possible to get such beautiful form in such a small scale.


BTW is 28mm the ONLY or just the best scale in which to attempt getting a job in the industry?

Also SJB you have some REALLY excellent stuff. If it is not a bother I would like to ask some more advice. Is there a good tutorial out there for miniature sculpting, I have seen a couple but they do not seem to really define the actual methods. Most of them seem to be a brief overview of the process as a whole rather than anything specifically instructional. I mean no disrespect to the authors of these tuts as all have been helpful but I am looking for something a bit more advanced.... any suggestions.


And also MANY THANKS for all the encouragement, most of my friends and family have just been rolling those eyes at the notion of my starting a miniature sculpting career.

Oh well they shall see. lol

 

[Daan]

Originally posted by SJB
Assuming you are good, the going rates in the industry for a basic 28mm sculpt are about $300.

Wow, maybe I am spoiled, but I imagine that sculpting a good 28 mm mini takes a lot of skill and certainly more than say 3 hours. Considering the skill involved to produce a really good sculpt I would consider a wage of $100 an hour to be fair, or am I living in a different world than most of you?

 

[DennisMech]

Sculpting is very hard to get good at in my opinon. What really helps is probably to talk with one of the masters and be able to see first hand, and have them answer any small questions which come up.

 

[UncleHex]

It\'s a hard life...

Like Steve said, you certainly can make a living out of it as a freelancer if you are good enough and there is only one way to get good enough.....practice.
Most professional sculptors will agree that it takes around 50 sculpts to get good enough to be able to pick up work easily, but if you have a talent for it then it could be a lot less. There are plenty of tips and tricks on the internet (much good advice on these very forums in fact) but there is no magic tool or secret techniqe that will turn your sculpts into masterpieces ( like my Pappy always said; \"You want to be a great pool-player son? Practice every day on a wonky table with a broom-handle for a cue and pretty soon you\'ll beat \'em all!).
There\'s no big bucks in it though and you have to be able to do it day after day (just like a real job!) not to mention keeping to strict deadlines.
The fastest way to make minis is to work on several at once but a good quality green should account for at least 2 full days work (earning you around £10/$20 per hour), most staff sculptors make less money .
On the positive side there\'s plenty of work to go around if you can meet the standards !

 

[t_haye2]

our beloved Uncle is right in a lot of ways. most of the designers I know can churn out a rank-and-file miniature in between 2 to 4 working days(mind you a lot of that is drying time, making sure it can be cast etc). For highly detailed figs you\'re quickly looking at 4 to even 10 days(depending on size). It is easier making a living as a staff designer(monthly wage and all that), but it is very hard doing it pure freelance, because you have to keep badgering companies etc. Saying that, of all the designers I know, there isn\'t a single one that would say it\'s not worth it....quite the opposite of professional painters

 

[SJB]

Tammy is about right with her time estimates of sculpting figures. $100 per hour? Well, it\'d be nice but no company is going to spend thousands on each green. It may be what a rare abilty is worth but, alas, minis don\'t usually sell in the kind of amounts that would see the manufacturer ever get their money back.

As for online tutorials, there\'s some stuff out there but they wont really help a huge amount. Mainly because us sculptors all work in such radically different ways. You kind of have to work out what works for you. It can mean a LOT of hard work and bashing your head on walls. I worked like a nutter to push myself to my current level and it took a few years. And I\'m told I was one of the faster learners.

And Tammy touched on another subject. Beyond sculpting well you need to know the basics of casting and how to make figures that will cast easily. This is quite a science in itself and is required knowledge if you wish to be successful as a freelancer. No company wants to be sending figures back for resculpting because it wont cast (and the sculptor gets annoyed too, I\'ve been through this myself).

But it is a decent job to have. I make my own hours and do a job that is fun. You don\'t get burned out anywhere near as badly as painters do.

Steve B

 

[SIGIL]

Yes the castability of a fig is my main concern as I have never cast one before. Though I assume that in the making of a mold there are two halves right? At least in the best case scenario that is. Going on this assumption I try to think out the form of the fig as I sculpt to attempt to insure it is castable at the end.

So far I am trying to just base my work off of Rackham\'s stuff ( not plagiarism mind you.. just referentially. ).

:wow: Yeah I know...... BIIIIIIIIIGG shoes to fill there, but hey I figure to get ahead you have to run with the Big Dogs right?

SO anyway..... I think I worked out my technique last night. Granted I am still a fledgling sculptor and I am sure this technique will change many times through out the evolution of my pursuit, but foir now it is working quite well. I plan to have a post up at CMON before the end of next week.

 

[waxfive]

o.k. if you want to do rackham quality stuff then the first thing that you need to do is forget green and start using fimo\\sculpey. the reasopn being that these materials dont dry by themselves, thus allowing you to do all manner of important technical stuff that you will earn in the future. At Rackham you are expected to produce three figures a month which works out to about 50+ hrs per figure which unless you can get a studio job is far too long to spend on a figure (unless it\'s for yourself that is)

as a time scale from beginner to \"pro\" (hehehe yeah right) it took me 31/2 yrs to be offered a position with Rackham so keep at it and dont be put off by your first 10 or so rejections

 

[Cerridwyn1st]

VIP Showcase

I\'d suggest you check out this website:
http://miniature-painting.net

Dominic Heutelbeck\'s site has two showcases: Visions in Color and Visions in Putty. As you might guess from the titles, they are intended to help painters and sculpters showcase thier work.

It is amazing to me the caliber of work you can see here. Everyone from rank beginners to professionals can and do contribute.

There is a Visions in Putty showcase underway now. Deadline for entries in Nov. 30th. The theme is \"invertebrates\". If you want more info, check the website.

It also has pictures from previous VIP and VIC showcases. Sometimes the greens from a VIP are cast, but not always.

The website also has a great interview with Sandra Garrity. She produced one of the VIC figures that was done. There is also a series of photos of the casting process for the last VIC piece done.

She talks about the process of creating figures and what it is like to work as a professional in the industry.

Check it out. It could be a big boost in your quest to become a professional modeler.

 

[QuietiManes]

Online guides

Not the key to greatness or anything but I found it fairly informative.

http://lyonstudio.com/

 

[SIGIL]

Hey thanks for the links guys ( gals ? ) And thanks for the advice Waxfive. I was unware that sculpey or Fimo was suitable for casting. It is nice to know what Rackham uses though because I have studied the few mini sculpts I have been able to find on the net and was working like a madman to figure out how to get the same kind of fine detail in the Confrontation minis.

I am familiar with Sculpey but have never used this Fimo stuff. I will have to check it out. WHich is the preferred stuff though? My main gripe with the standard sculpey is the difficulty I have had with it in getting it to stick to an armature. :flame: MAN that is an excersize in futility at times.

If you do not mind my asking though since you seem to be the one to ask. Does Rackham require their artists to relocate to France, do they have satellite studios, or will they allow an artist to work from home?

And one more then I will stop pestering :innocent:. Which minis have you done?

My favs so far are the Danu Spasm warriors, Minotaurs and centaurs.

 

[kittykat23uk]

I made this dragon from scratch out of super sculpey. I really like working with it.

http://www.coolminiornot.com/pics/img3dd63bea668b5.jpg

Unfortunately it has a habit of cracking, once baked. I don\'t think the armature was tough enough!

Regards

Kat

 

[Impernouncable]

Polymer clays such as Fimo are not suitable for making the vulcanized rubber molds commonly used in miniature casting. Rackham overcomes this by making a transitional mold of their original works in RTV silicone rubber, then casting masters for vulcanized molds out of resin. There was a pretty long discussion of the process on 1listSculpting a couple years ago, right after Rackham started getting a lot of attention in the US.

It\'s not necessarily relavent to the topic, but it might give you a better idea of what you are shooting for.

 

[SJB]

Yep, Impernouncable beat me to the punch. Polymer clays are not ideal for mini sculpting as most companies do not want the hassle and expense of producing RTV moulds for mastering.

As for needing to use polymer clay to get the level of detail on Rackham style figures, well, that\'s just not the case. I\'ve seen nothing on Rackham\'s figures that could not be done with greenstuff. Anyone who has seen Tom Meier\'s recent sculpts will have seen the proof of this.

Steve Buddle

 

[waxfive]

lo steve, once you have seen how rackham do fabric then you will understand why it cant be done with green, also its not what you can do with sculpey/fimo as much as how it does it,
sculpey/ fimo dont decay at the edges like green thus saving you time cos you dont have to keep going over those edges. an rtv mould is actually really cheep, i was quoted £10 per figure (54mm) to produce a master in vulcanisable resin ( a point worth adding: not all resins are vulcanisable you want an \"F 26 \" or something similar (sp?)

another advantage is that you can alter part of a figure if you need to without cutting bits out:eg: if you put a armour plate on top of fabric then with fimo/sculpey you can alter the creases of the fabric around the plate.
i wish that i had been using this stuff when i was working for fanatic it would have saved a lot of chopping

lo imp, if your careful (or your mouldmaker is....) tehn you can mould polymer clays in the traditional method you just need to use \"low temp\" rubber, the kind theat can mould plastics. Just dont expect to get much of the master back

if you work for rackham then you do have to move to france, montreuil sous bois in paris to be exact.
and that ladies and gentlemen is why i\'m still in blighty and had to turn rackham down. so you wont see any rackham figures by me

hugs
seth
p.s. i will try to get scans done of an example of a fimo figure up soon