Colonial Ranger

[Ray]

Guys,
I hope this guy is of interest to some of you. He's a Ranger from the French and Indian/Seven Years war era, though he would serve equally well as a Revolutionary war Ranger/militia man. In these shots the figure is not quite finished, needs work on the hands (these are a kind of armature castings not the finished product) especially, and perhaps some touch up here and there, let me know if you find anything lacking.

Ray

 

[John Long]

I think you've done a fine job Ray. This is one of my favorite subjects. I think you have misplaced the garters on the leggings though. They should be placed just below the knee.

 

[quang]

Good take on the Jack Cribbs illustration, Ray.

Apart from the misplaced garters (which John pointed out), I'd give a slightly wider brim to the hat.

Otherwise, the pose looks very natural and the composition has pleasing, flowing lines.



Quang

 

[pgarri27]

Hi Ray,
I'm far from an expert, but it seems the powderhorn strap is too tight across the back, cutting too deep into the shirt.
And it is a very nice looking figure!
Pete

 

[Ray]

Hello Guys,
Thanks for the critique. Would an explanation of the deficiencies be received as an excuse I wonder? Trusting that it won't I'll press on and offer the reasons why the three items you noted were done the way they were.

The garter strap on the leggings is ala Natty Bumpo, from James Fennimore Coopers saga ‘Pioneers’, early in this story he unfortunately for my sculpting, sited Natty's garter as being just above the knee(literary license?-thus artistic license :lol: ) so too did I. I could change it I suppose but as this was one of the more difficult areas to work on I think I'll leave it and do the next one differently. The hat brim is in fact two scale inches wide as in Ted Spring's, ‘Sketch Book #56; Rogers Rangers’, though I too thought at first it should be wider. Given the quality of material probably used in the hats manufacturer I decided to go with this narrow brim thinking it more likely to stay flat than a wider one would have done with poor material quality.

Pete really caught me out with the powder horn cord, this was simply a planning oversight on my part. I put the strapping on before sculpting the shirt and neglected to compensate for the looseness of the cloth thereby making the thing look as though the powder horn is of great weight. A friend gave me an excuse for this by pointing out that the figures right arm is, plausibly, pressing down on the powder horn, thus accounting for the tautness of the cord. Maybe I should go ahead and fix this so as not to have to rely on an excuse for its being the way it is.

Thanks again guys, I'll keep all this in mind when working on the next figure. Perhaps for my sake an SBS would be the way to go, that way my errors could be caught and corrected while still a work in progress.


Ray

 

[quang]

Hello Ray,

I wouldn't call the points we raised 'deficiencies' or 'errors' as you have a plausible explanation for each of them. They're the choices you made and I respect them.

Keep in mind that you don't post your work here to be judged. This NOT a test or an exam. We're NOT judges. We're just giving our opinions as one hobbyist to another in the hope that something helpful can come out of it.

Looking forward to the next step.

Cheers,
Quang

 

[Ray]

Hello Quang,
Actually I'm kind of hoping for a little judgement even if it really isn't the purpose. In this way I hope to learn a little something about my abilities and those of you guys as well.

Did you receive my note?

When can we see some more of your stuff. Postings like this one I made are really the most enjoyable aspect of the Planet for me, other peoples posts that is.


Thanks,

Ray

 

[Dan Morton]

Ray - I think that's pretty darn good! Could we see a frontal or 3/4ths view of the face and frontal view of the figure? Probably you need to reduce the size of your photos a little, but I'm sure the pF staff can help you do that.

All the best,
Dan

 

[MAB]

Hi Ray
It compliments for your sculpture this and a beautiful subject

if I can allow me to give a council......... famous that its
left shoulder is the little low and longest one.......the attitude is corrected....... but to my opinion it would have to go up little and to tighten towards the chest.

Salutes
MAB

 

[Ray]

Dan,
I'll try to get the shot you ask for taken and up before I forget to do it.

Maurizio,
It certainly looks like the left shoulder is longer in the pic, put me in a panic actually. But after measuring to be sure I find both shoulders are indeed the same length, within less than half a scale inch. Now that my heart rate has gone back to normal, thanks for the note.


Ray

 

[Ray]

Dan,
Here's the pic you asked for, hope it's what you wanted.

Ray

 

[Dan Morton]

Ray - From what you've written, I hearby recommend you for the " healthy attitude" award for sculpting on pF. I could not agree more with what you've said! When I post one of my thingies, I'm looking forward to having to explain why something hangs a certain way or whatever. I think the way the equipment lays on your figure is perfect. I wouldn't change a thing on that.

But I have a question. Why is his face half black or burnt-looking or whatever? I thought it looked that way in the other pictures and the latest one you posted I think shows the same thing. Is it a mix of putties or something? ??

Could we get a close-up of just the face?

Again, Ray - I think you've done a great job sculpting this figure and can't wait to see it painted.

All the best,
Dan

 

[MAB]

Originally posted by Ray@May 5 2006, 01:11 PM
Maurizio,
It certainly looks like the left shoulder is longer in the pic, put me in a panic actually. But after measuring to be sure I find both shoulders are indeed the same length, within less than half a scale inch. Now that my heart rate has gone back to normal, thanks for the note.


Ray

Hi Ray
Me displeasure to have to you created of little disorder ........
and they are happy that you do not have to make no modification..... why in effects to have been enough complicated........... many times also the photographies make ugly jokes.

Salutes and good painting
MAB

 

[Ray]

Hello Maurizio,
Thanks for taking time to let me know that something looked off on my figure. It looks to me after some intense scrutiny, and repeated measuring that the problem is really the one that Pete pointed out earlier, with the powder horn cord being too tight against the body. I think if anything needs to be changed this is it, and it would probably get rid of the illusion of oddly, and uniquely shaped shoulders. Still I don't think I have the fortitude to make the change, actually I'm afraid of it, and the additional work. Just the same thanks again to all you guys for looking of my figure, and thanks for trying to help me discover problem areas.


Ray

 

[Jonah]

Ray, that is one nice looking figure. I love the pose!

The tightness of the powder horn cord might not be so bad once the figure has been painted, and I can see with the amount of finished detail around that area that re-doing it would be a bit daunting.

Regards

Jonah

 

[Ray]

Jonah,
Thanks for the note, it's really gratifying to know that the figure is like and makes me eager to start on the next. It's also great that some of the less than perfect parts of the figure brought to my attention as it helps me know what to look out for next time. This is a completely different approach to sculpting than I am used to. First, I don't often have to opportunity to have my work critiqued by people that have an appreciation for the medium. When it comes to hanging lots of stuff on a figure I just don't have that much recent experience (nor much long term experience) doing so as most of my work has always been civilian figures. This hanging of stuff on a sculpt certainly creates a lot of new difficulties, and requires a lot more pre-planning than I am used to, as evidenced by the powder horn cord on this figure. But, hey so long as you guys remain willing to point out the things I error on there's some hope I'll be able to learn the process better.

Thanks Again,

Ray

P.S. Sorry about being so wordy, it's a curse I'm afraid.

 

[garyjd]

Ray, Sorry for getting in on this thread so late. I like the figure and pose. Aside from changing the garters the rest looks good. Given the type of figure, i.e. ranger/militiaman, I think a narrower brim on the hat makes more sense when serving in the wilds of North America. A number of British regiments made similiar modifications to their uniform when serving in conjunction with rangers or as light infantry.~Gary

 

[Ray]

Thanks for having a look Gary it's much appreciated. As for the garters I guess there's a moral in it which is to not trust literature over art. I hope you'll be on hand, with the other guys, when I get to work on my next figure. I've gotta make a figure for my new long rifle and pistol, and am eager to start. I'll try to get something posted as soon as there's something to show.

Best Regards,

Ray