British Officer Blenheim

[MarkL]

Hi guys!
this is my last major conversion: a British Officer at Blenheim during the War of Spanish Succession 1704. Materials are a mix of Fimo (beige parts), Magic Sculpt, Duro and a mixture of both as well as metal foil. Head and hands are modified resin castings.
Hope you like it, comments are welcome.

Best wishes

Mark

 

[pinsel]

hello pretty figure.the only thing you could add is an sweetband inside of the tricorn.because so it looks quite empty.and as far as i know they had already this feature in it
cheers

 

[gordy]

Fabulous work Mark! The hair is great!!

 

[1969]

Lovely job on the figure Mark, i really like the way you have created the hair which looks great. Should prove an attractive figure once painted up.

One small note he seems to appear to have a thumb missing on his right hand !

cheers

Steve

 

[BionicCow]

perhaps its the photos but he seems to be falling over almost, his hips appear to be too far forward to support his weight

otherwise a great sculpt!

 

[gordy]

perhaps its the photos but he seems to be falling over almost, his hips appear to be too far forward to support his weight

otherwise a great sculpt!

IMHO, the halberd is the counter-balance, and it's those pushing the envelope anatomies that makes these pieces stand out from the blah

 

[megroot]

That is a great sculpted figure.
I hope we gonna see the painted version soon.

marc

 

[BionicCow]

IMHO, the halberd is the counter-balance, and it's those pushing the envelope anatomies that makes these pieces stand out from the blah

I like expressive, and I think pushing the bar is great, but there is a limit as to what you can do to convey an idea... even with the halberd to support, there is no tensing of muscles or balance of weight being applied to the halberd arm, he is leaning forwards and back

The challenge of being a great sculptor, is not only being able to push the bar, but being able to do it without going too far to lose the intended result

for example, if he was a comical piece, like something from Pirates of the Caribbean, balancing and trying to recapture his balance this pose would work and work very well.


My suggestions is always... try to physically do the pose you intend and see how practical and/or awkward it is, or if its a motion, try and photo capture the motion, and feel how it feels

I say this as while I am an art educator and enthusiast in my spare time, my main field is athletic training.

 

[gordy]

I like expressive, and I think pushing the bar is great, but there is a limit as to what you can do to convey an idea... even with the halberd to support, there is no tensing of muscles or balance of weight being applied to the halberd arm, he is leaning forwards and back

Well muscular tension is implied (the subject is clothed) that is difficult to see, however it is still a plausible motion.

The challenge of being a great sculptor, is not only being able to push the bar, but being able to do it without going too far to lose the intended result

Agreed, this a great example of that, IMHO

My suggestions is always... try to physically do the pose you intend and see how practical and/or awkward it is, or if its a motion, try and photo capture the motion, and feel how it feels

That's just my point, pushing-the-envelope, is using the 'pose frames' from the extended range of motion, the first few and the last few 'frames' of a clip of motion are the most exaggerated and unbalance, thus giving the best illusion of action and motion.

I say this as while I am an art educator and enthusiast in my spare time, my main field is athletic training.

Great! Then you know what i'm talking about

 

[BionicCow]

my issue is there is no reason for it to be posed like that, outside of being unintentional or a photo illusion

pushing the envelope isnt really occurring because theres no reason for it to be happening

if he was balancing on a log, reaching while trying to get a rabbit to jump into his hat, then yes, that would be pushing the envelope of skill and composition while still having purpose for doing it

simply doing something to be different is why art has lost its foundations and most young/new artists dont even understand the main things they use to create their works(light, colour, anatomy, posing, composition and so on) they simply rely on the fact that they can do anything, and it will be viewed as their own style or pushing the envelope


I understand fully, and credit the artist for his works, as I know how difficult it can be to pose and all that stuff, this isnt a bashing of his skills by any means, its simply a "why is it like that" type response

 

[gordy]

Valid points, but we will have to wait and see when it's complete

 

[MarkL]

Thanks Gordy, Markus, Steve, Marc and Alex for your comments!
The question about anatomical correctness is legitimate and even the best painted and detailed figure cannot compensate for this. The balance of the pose didn't look odd to me at first, but having reconsidered it now, I must admit that Alex maybe right. The feeling I want to transmit with this figure is that of an officer storming in front of his men and just having passed a river. In the course of climbing the muddy bank he is shouting back to his (invisible) fellowers to encourage them. So the matter was to show the character in a forward-movement and at the same time leaning/looking backwards.
Markus, good point on the sweat band, I will at this.
Steve, you are right, the thumb will be added last, because I want to paint the halberd separately.
Painting will start soon, here are some more shots.

Best wishes

Mark

 

[pinsel]

hello
well for me it does look not impossible.in regards to the intendet groundwork iam sure this will get an handsome effective model.
i like it and would buy such an posed figure.maybe even if its an little bit overdone,but its art,for me wrong historical details are much more disturbing.but this is again an own oppinion
please do show it when its done
happy modelling

 

[BionicCow]

regardless of some posing issues, its a fantastic piece, I love the rapier especially

 

[Paulo]

HELLO !!! Mark, very nice job, is good to have you back again. I like particulary the hair, the rest is very nice also. I`m shore you`ll paint it greatlly as always.

a hug from switzerland

Paulo

 

[blaster]

Hi Mark,
A very nice figure. I can't wait to see it painted. That's a mixed media piece...

Rgds Victor

 

[Paulo]

early pictures

hello guys, for those who are interrested here is a foto from Mark figure in his early stages (le petit soldat)
happy modelling
Paulo

 

[Elaphus]

Hello Mark,

very nice sculpting and i wait for your great painting !!!

Tolle Figur wird das, klasse Arbeit !!!!!

Gruß

Karsten

 

[MarkL]

Hello,

I finally finished painting the figure. Hope you like it. (Photos are overlighted and not first rate, but I'm working on it...

Best wishes

Mark

 

[Mike S.]

Love this piece. The action is well within the realm of possibility balance wise, and is obviously depicting a mid action pose. I'm a fan of this historical era as well.

Nice.