Brigadier general Armistead. First attempt at sculpting

[Richard]

Hi all!

Well, this is my first attempt at sculpting a figure. In the end this is supposed to be general Armistead during the battle of gettysburg. The figure will be placed with three other figures (wich has to be sculpted also) on a small vignette.

The only thing i did so far are the boots and trousers. It's not done yet, there is some filling and sanding to be done and there are a few things wich i'm nit sattisfied with and needs some attention. The top of the trousers are not done and will not be done because the coat will fall over it and you can't see it afterwards. Oh, and i know the boots are not of the same hight

Enough said, here are the pictures.

Regards,

Richard

 

[vergilius]

Don't forget the hat on his sword !

 

[Piotr Czyz]

Good start - keep us posted!

 

[Ulrich]

I feel with you. It looks good for your first attempt. I started with it last year.

But something disturb me. Are you sure that the boots are so high? I am searching the knees. But I will wait and see.

Ulrich

 

[ckleisch]

Just curious but is your scenario the high water mark as Armistead reaches the cannon. A suggestion since it was brought up concerning uniform and boot accuracy. You may wish to look up the Artist Don Troiani : www.historicalartprints.com/

Don does meticulous research into his paintings and has done Armistead at Pickets charge rather well. This will give you an in color look at a perspective uniform

 

[Richard]

Thanks guys,

As for the scenario, it's not going to be the High water mark. I believe Micheal Roberts Ltd has a figure of that scene. The scene i will be showing is one in wich Armistead talks to another officer. It´s more of a non-action scene.

As for the boots, they should be of the right lenght. I´m using a 54 mm figure as reference for the lengt. The knees are there....sort off... I could bring in a bit more knees in the figure.

William, thanks for the link.

Regards,

Richard

 

[Dan Morton]

Richard - Very good beginning and keep at it!

Regarding the previous comment about the knees...

Even in baggy trousers, the viewer should be able to locate the knees. The knees are narrower than the thigh above or the calf below, so the trousers should fold in at the back a bit and on both sides of the knee a bit. Try to find three or four photos of figures here on PF or just go do some 'people-watching' and notice the knee area in people wearing loose-fitting trousers. You might even take a look at photos of models in online clothing retailers. That should help you quite a bit to carve in the right folds and get the drapery right. If the carving is too rough, lay in a very thin layer of putty and smooth it with hand lotion or a light oil like olive oil.

Do you have the anatomical charts that have been posted here on PF? They're invaluable!

All the best,
Dan

 

[Richard]

Hi Dan,

Thanks for the commnents and tips, i'll be using them. I searched PF for the anatomical charts and printed them out in the right size.

Regards,

Richard

 

[megroot]

Richard,
Het wordt een mooie denk ik. Nooit heb ik geprobeerd om te sculpteren, maar misschien moet ik er ook maar eens aan geloven.

Marc

 

[Richard]

Marc,

Moet je echt doen, het is best wel moeilijk(mijn ervaring), maar o zo leuk.

Groeten,

Richard