Going bust

[Ferris]

Hi All,

Just have to ask: What do you like about busts??

If I notice any development in this hobby over the past decade it is the huge growth in the number of busts on offer. Although I have tried, personally I do not get vibes with busts. I feel they are 'incomplete' figures (well, they are of course, but I mean it in an unpleasing way, rather than factual). Perhaps I simply like doing groundwork too much....? It doesn't matter, I am just curious what makes YOU like busts so much??

And as a side question, are there others that explicitly DO NOT like busts?

Please don't get me wrong. I'm not looking out for a fight about full figures being 'superior'.....just curious what it is that makes busts so attractive to many.

Oh, and to pre-empt the obvious funny guy response: When talking about busts I am talking about the chunks of resin or metal we paint and put on sticks, not the soft and bouncy type the majority of males tend to like rather universally...

Cheers,
Adrian

 

[Nap]

Adrian ,

A good question bit like asking the meaning of life perhaps , for me it's hard to say what I exactly like about painting them , perhaps it's the "look" of a bust , almost classical although with the more fuller products this is not so much !....

It's certainly not the ease of painting .......maybe as the focus is generally on the flea work it's that challenge.

Maybe I just don't like legs or groundwork but there is just the buzz for me ..like you when you get a figure all based up on groundwork .

Busts now are being taken to another level , we see this with the great concept ideas from one of outr own Brian (smudger1960) and it great to see this

Be interesting to see what others say

Nap

 

[DaddyO]

Well I can say that I've never personally tried a bust - They simply don't appeal to me in the same way that a full figure does.

It's been interesting, coming back to the hobby, to see the explosion of this style of figure (The only ones I remember, back in the day, were a group of three all mounted together on the same wooden plinth; can't remember who made them though)

I can definitely see their appeal and there is no doubt that the character of the larger face gives them a certain something which is more difficult to do in the smaller sizes so perhaps that is it? Busts tend to appeal to painters who like 'characters' and figures appeal to those who like uniforms or 'incidents'

What's interesting is how folks tend to gravitate to one or the other. . . take a look at most collections and you don't often see an even mix of the two; sure the devout 'figure man (or woman)' might have the odd bust in there that's caught their eye for one reason or another, but I've not seen any 50/50 splits

Paul

 

[Ferris]

Nap,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Someone once told me he likes busts because he could focus his time on the face, but with the high quality busts today, there's so much detail outside the face, in a bigger scale, that I would need even more time to finish that.
So I agree with you it cannot really be the ease of painting.

Paul,

Interesting point about characters and incidents.
I notice that I am interested in busts depicting specific characters (such as the Afghan girl bust I painted), or some general or farao, but not interested in busts of typical soldiers. On the other hand, in figures I prefer the 'typical soldier'.
In my view figures can tell more of a story, although Smudger is certainly succesful at doing the same with busts, as Nap pointed out.

Thanks again for sharing. Looking forward to other views.

Cheers,
Adrian

 

[mick3272]

I have never done one. I have nothing against them, but I believe that the art in painting a great bust is in the face. My face painting ability is shit so I have avoided them.
With the full figure there is more to take the eye away from the poorer painted parts.

Having said all that I have two in my gray army and another two on order when they are available, In the hope that my face painting skills improve.

mick

 

[Inaki]

Hi!
Good topic.
I agree in the fact that a complete figure makes a whole story and draws our attention longer... it's more balanced and I'd say, yes, "superior" in many ways.
I was convinced even when I've painted many busts... until CGS delivered the Scots Greys Trumpeteer. I think a bust can be as great as a full figure and recent ones like the Cptn Nolan, from Stormtroopers is another good example. Both Moz and Reid are doing wonders and we could wonder whether who the winner is if we compare the recent Reid's 95th (from Mitches) bust and figure or Bonaparte's 7th Fusilier bust Vs figure.

For me, the main advantages of the bust are:
- We can "consume" it faster: I'd paint everyday thousands of figures, when my current speed is about 1 every 3 months! In Spanish we call it "comer por los ojos" and means that with such rate of little wonders delivered every week, we can buy compulsively with the false hope of painting at the same rate. In this respect, the bust are more "productive" for impatient painters.
- For those like me not skilled in "ground" work and keener on painting faces, busts help.
- No tartans
- More detail degree in larger scales.
- It's difficult to paint and properly display many 200mm figures, so the space availability is also a point for the busts.

Having said that, in general, I also prefer complete figures and small vignettes.

Krgds,

Iñaki

 

[brian]

Although i've painted many figures in the past,and still do,i love painting faces.I also have a short attention span,so i find painting busts more relaxing.I must admit,not all the time

 

[Metal Extremo]

After painting some busts, i think the popularity of them are for some reasons.
-Are big. Here there are a lot of people painting 120 and bigger scales. The painters i used to meet paint 28 to 90 mm, so a bust is less tired to paint, and many of them are over 50 years old, so the vision is not the same.
-Bigger eyes are easy to paint... in theory. Our nightmare are the eyes, and at little scales the black circle inside the dirty white is very complicated and maddening. You know. The problem wiht bust is definition. You have round and beatifull eyes, but them, you want more contrast, the white shine, the red lacrimal.... at the end eyes aren't easy cause you have a lot of work to do.
-The bust is a concrete person. Is not a generic face. How many Lagertha are painted in this forum? The problem, with wrong painting you see this person diluited between your brushes.
-No ground. I hate made grounds.
-A lot of details sculpted.
-Help to lose the fears to paint flesh

The problems in busts:
-The painting must looks like to the historic person.
-The degree must be perfect
-The fuc**ng eyes with all their elements
-Who fears the flesh?
-Textures with leathers, silk, etc

 

[DEL]

Hi Adrian. I enjoy every scale of figure from 28 to 120mm, basically it's got to be something that grabs my attention and interest.
That is equally true of busts. I don't mind whether it's a traditional head and shoulders or one of the more recent highy animated half figures, what they've got to have is an interesting and characterful face.
I love groundwork and trying to place a figure in a scene that is not only historically plausible but also tells part of the visual story, this is no less true when working on a bust.
The face is where I try to create a bit of personality......I like a Berserker to look .....erm..... Berserk.
To this end I rely pretty heavily on the sculptor to give me the bumps and lumps to work with. Similarly it's why I reject figures where the faces although beautifully sculpted and cast are often imo generic and bland. I'm just not good enough to work with an entirely 'blank canvas'.
Currently I'm working on 3 busts before moving on to a 90mm figure, a 75mm figure a 40mm fantasy piece and then a flat.

 

[Wayneb]

For me being a relative newbe to painting miniatures(5yrs.);but experienced in other art forms;my personal taste leans toward busts 1/9-1/10 scale for the most part because that scale is somewhat in my comfort zone as apposed to full figures in smaller scale which I have done.I feel for me a well sculpted bust with loads of accurate detail is a consistent challenge for me because if I don't nail every aspect of the piece I'm not satisfied .I really don't care to show my work because in the end I'm the one who has to be happy.I don't even show my work to my wife.She can see them in the cabinet anytime she wants.She wouldn't know what to look for anyway just like I was before I became interested.
So to make a long story shortfor legs;no legs..........Wayne..

 

[Babelfish]

I've only really got into painting busts these past couple of years, although if pushed I'd have to say that I still have a preference for full figures. I also generally prefer the traditional "V" type busts rather than the half-figures, which aren't really busts at all in my book.

- Steve

 

[peedee]

This is a fascinating read and a great topic Adrian !

My modelling interests go back a very long way,
when there were only plastic or metal figure kits.
Even a metal kit was to be aspired to from a pocket money budget.

When resin appeared many gave it a bad rep as a dangerous medium.
When busts appeared they were denigrated by me and others as a half kit.
Nowadays my cabinets hosts many of everything.
I think this proves only that the best sculptors are actually infiltrating us as Star Trek's infamous Borg Collective.
I am 2570 of 4750.
They are assimilating us one at a time !

If a sculpt makes me draw a sharp breath when it's released on Planet figure.....it's going to be mine!

There are still some things I won't buy, and it's usually because i'lI have looked and thought no that's got too much
'hanging off it for my taste', or maybe it looks a little clumsy or awkward that's all really.

I love animated poses and stillness.

So bring 'em on from 4mm to 1/4 scale I will have a go.

I have one piece I began years ago, nearly 2 feet tall to the tip of the feather plume that I shall finish one day.
I just need a bit more of that sqaure section wire to hammer out, and if I can get some of that waxed thread then i'll just.....

It never stops does it?

Love it

Paul.

 

[Bailey]

I like painting both busts and full figures. What are some pros for busts? Well, my favorite part of figures are the faces. So with a bust I can focus on that. There have been many figures (especially earlier in my painting), where by the time I go down to the shoes I was just rushing just to get it done with so I could move on to the next project. At the larger scale you can work in more detail to the figure. And, when it comes to display, it's nice to have a mix of stuff. In my opinion, having busts along side full figures can make for a more interesting display. Plus, busts as a sculptural art form have been around for thousands of years, so there must be something good about them!

As for the cons (or pros of full figures), busts tend to be pretty static. Yes, there are some counter examples, but I'd say the vast majority of them don't convey much action. There are plenty of static full figures too, but it's easier to convey motion or action with a full figure than a bust. And, whether it's a dynamic pose or good groundwork, I think it's easier to tell a story with a full figure than a bust. Again, I can think of some busts I've seen that do tell a story, but there are far more full figure pieces that have an interesting narrative quality than busts.

That narrative aspect is what I've been striving for lately, so my focus is definitely on full figures. But, every once in a while, it's nice to switch things up. There are some beautiful bust sculpts out there, so why not give one a try sometime?

 

[MCPWilk]

I like full figures, which are not much bigger than a half figure on a plinth.

Mike

 

[kenshin393]

The thing that attracts me to a piece, first and foremost, is dynamic posing. I love it when it tells a story, gives off an aura, that kind of thing. This, for me, seems difficult to impart in a bust. If I ever tried one, I'm sure it'd end up being a half-figure, waving his arms around the place. I'm also far too find of groundwork, it's a chance to affect the feel of the piece myself rather than just relying on the sculpt.

 

[Claude Portsmouth]

Of my figure collection about 20% are busts 10% Flats and the rest Full figures from 54mm/200mm.

The collection is quite substantial but looking in the cabinets I find I am drawn far more to full figures than busts, to me it is an incomplete object whereas a full figure on an appropriate base or setting tells more of a story. This is not to denigrate some of the superb sculpting of busts which have graced this forum, they have an uncanny way of showing emotion in a way that is more difficult with a full figure especially in 54mm scale and I perfectly understand their attraction born out by their popularity (an assumption based on the range on sale) on the competition tables.

Another aspect of busts is one of size some recent releases with extensive action poses, pointing swords etc, create something of a space problem in the cabinet. If I had to choose between a Mounted Pegaso/Andrea mounted Hussar in 90mm or an action bust taking up a similar space for me it would be the full figure.

At the end of the day it is down to personal taste plus many of the good points already preceding this post. It is good that we have so much choice and long may it continue.

Claude

 

[Colin_Fraser]

I like busts for the following reasons:

1. I like personality pieces which obviously concentrate on the face;
2. I like large scale pieces and 1/5 or 1/6 full figures are too big for my cabinet;
3. The most interesting parts of uniform to my eye are the headgear, torso and awards. Very few figures have attractive or interesting lower bodies (except Andrea pin ups);
4. Modern busts can indicate mood or movement...hands and weapons can be included without looking odd;
5. I hate painting legs and footwear - hence busts;
6. I hate doing groundwork - hence busts;
7. I enjoy sculpting faces, hands and upper bodies but not full figures...anatomy on a full figure is much harder to pull off convincingly.

 

[ellie]

Hi Just thought I would add my bit, as a company that does both foot figs and busts, we find that our customers seem to have a leaning towards bust of late and emails we get are all asking for more busts so as a company we have to watch the market and listen to what the customer likes.

I think it's just getting that right balance for us as long as their is a market for the bust, companies will carry on commissioning them. I think their is room in the hobby for both. but tastes may change and people will drift back to figures again. it's the same with scales 120mm and 200mm seem to be popular at the moment. it's all a question of trends and taste and they change all the time.

I think if you produce a great sculpt then people will buy it what ever the scale, foot or bust. that's what makes the hobby what it is, so much diversity and long my it be so.

cheers

Ian

www.elliesminiatures.com

 

[Alex]

I like everything about our art form.
But i prefer full figures to busts.
I prefer the traditional 'V' bust to the half figure which screams 'where are my missing legs ???'
My collection is 90% figures and 10% busts.

It is much easier and much faster to pull out a realistic paintjob on a 54mm than it is on a 75 or 90mm figure... However those 90mm, when well painted, have that presence on a shelf which is very difficult to reach with a bust.

 

[Range Rat]

Busts for me, found I enjoyed painting the faces then started to get bored with the legs and boot areas. The quality of busts now is phenomenal and the variation suits my pallet.
I have only one full bodied figure in the grey draw which has yet to painted yet which is a Royal Regiment of Fusiliers I bought years ago from M Corry who is a brick commander from N/Ireland.