Hi everyone
My pleasure to feature a extremely talented artist in this months feature of “ Meet the Artist “ , a sculptor previously and now a painter of mostly fantasy pieces but a master of NMM .....you’ll see this in the pictures.
I present for your delight ....
Q: How long have you been painting miniature figures and how did you get into the hobby?
Q: Do you have any particular figure painters / artists that have influenced your style or motivated you?
Question 1and2
My names Rendall Patton I am 63 years old and am currently retired . I live in the North east of England in a small town between Sunderland and Durham .
I started modeling around the age of 7 or 8 like many modelers of my age. I started with Airfix kits and would build just about anything I could lay my hands on, be it aircraft, ships, ships.tanks,or anything else that grabbed my attention or that I could afford at the time.
I started to gravitate towards figures and armour when Airfix released their multipose figures and their historical range in !/32nd scale and a friend introduced me to Tamiya kits.
The biggest revelation to my modeling journey was discovering Military Modelling magazine. Suddenly I was exposed to the Diorama's of Francois Verlinden and the painting and conversions of Historex figures by the likes of Max Longhurst and Graham Bickerton.
I started sculpting in around1989 I Was already doing quite extensive animations of Historex kits but it was seeing the work of Bill Horan in Military Modelling that gave me the push to try and sculpt a compleat figure i then got lucky when i was at a model show in Glasgow where I was introduced to Gordon Brown of Cromwell Models he had just started releasing armour kits in 1/35 alongside his current 1/76 range and was looking for crew figures and I just happened to have some figures that I had sculpted with me to show him
.Soon other companies were asking asking me to sculpt for them the biggest break came whenI was approached by Warriors and later Verlinden this gave me the opportunity to quit my job and go sculpting freelance full time which i did till 2006 when I gave up due to decline in orders and disillusionment with the hobby and i walked away from the hobby altogether selling everything except my paints.
I returned to the hobby in2017 and tried to get back into sculpting again but by this time the hobby had moved at an incredible pace with the advent of 3d Sculpting so i settled down to just painting figures at this point I was still painting historical figures but it was when I visited the old Figure World show that I got my first taste of fantasy figures which I now predominantly paint.
Q: Do you have any particular figure painters / artists that have influenced your style or motivated you?
Question3
There are many artists that influence me at the moment but some names that really stand out are Kirill Kanaev ,Arnau Lazaro,Dave Colwell and Eric Swinson.
Q Are you involved with or a member of any clubs ?
Question4
I'm a member of two clubs at the present those being my local I.P.M.S Tyneside and the White Rose Guild of miniature painters,I would always encourage modelers to engage with a local or even not so local club the amount of information and tips and tricks you can learn is invaluable
Q Any favourite materials like paints or brushes you prefer to use ?
Question5
My favorite paint is the Vallejo model colours range mainly because they are easy to source from my local model shop though I do use Scale75 Scalecolor and the Kimera range but if my model shop stocked the scale 75 paints I would buy them as my main paint.
For brushes I use the Rosemary and Co series33 and 8 Kolinsky sable as they are the best quality in relation to price.
Q How long does it take you to finish a piece and how often do you paint ?
Question 6
on average it takes me around two weeks to paint a piece that's painting around 4 hours a day for around 4-5 days of the week I have a very short span of attention and if I don't finish in that time frame I lose interest unless it's a piece I'm really enjoying
I honestly don't. know how some painters can spend hundreds of hours on a piece. It would drive me up the wall, at the end of the day I paint for myself and if people like what I'm doing that's great.
. I know I could push myself further but basically I'm too lazy and I'm not doing box art commissions or entering international competitions. I'm simply not that good.
Q Have you a preferred subject you paint or scale ?
Question 7
I much prefer to paint fantasy figures these days as I feel I have greater creative freedom my prefered scale is 75 mm and upward though I draw the line at 1/9th scale busts. This is purely down to the fact that the old eyes are not what they were.
Q Have you a favourite piece or pieces in the display cabinet ?
Question 8
I have several favorite pieces in my cabinets the first of which is a bust called the Knowledge from Taro model maker others are Re-konecter in 1/10th scale from C.A.Sculpts/Robot Rocket alongside for glory and for Honour by the same company,another of my favorites is Capricorn from Scale75 and Alai the templars atonement from Galapagos miniatures, I've no doubt missed some out.
Q Any subject or piece you’d love to obtain and paint ?
Question 9
There are several subjects that I would like to paint unfortunately most of them are either out of production and those that possess them want exorbanate amounts for them or the figures are still available but are simply too expensive I have a limit on what i'm prepared to pay for ta figure but one that I would like to paint is Mean Tweets by Robot Rocket.
Q Who have you worked with when sculpting , anyone in particular that influenced you ?
Question 10
When I was sculpting my favorite company to work with was Warriors scale models John Rossangrant and Chris Morosko were always encouraging and supportive and let me have free reign on subjects to do.
Q Any particular shows both past and present you liked to support ?
Question 11
my current favorite show is Figureworld North it's only been going three years but so far the quality of entries has been very high and I,ve been fortunate to win golds and silvers at all of them this year winning best fantasy display which came as a surprise as I felt it should have gone to Carlo Borella for his beautiful figures.
In the past I would have to say Euro Millitaire such a pity the show eventually died, I would love to get to some of the European shows such as Scale model challenge and Monte san Savino.
Q Any comments on the Miniature world at this time ?
Question12
My thoughts on the current world of miniatures is there has never been so much choice. There are so many high quality models out there that it's impossible to keep up with it all, never mind buy half of it. The level of detail and realism that 3D sculpting affords was unheard of when I was sculpting and the level of painting is out of this world.
Q where do you see the hobby going in the future ?
Question 13
As for the future of the hobby, that's a tough one to answer. I honestly think that in the future most people will 3D print their models and kits. Some manufacturers are already offering 3D prints instead of resin castings and others are only offering their figures as STL files.
However I do fear that the hobby will die out unless we can attract new blood and the biggest hurdle to that is the sheer cost of kits these days. I sometimes baulk at the price of some figures especially now when there's a cost of living crisis. It feels as though the hobby is heading to the point where only the well off can part partake, that being said for those just new to the hobby the amount of information out there to help you progress as a painter is phenomenal especially with the likes of You Tube , When i started all you had was article's in a few magazines hopefully with step by step photos but even then you weren't seeing the exact process of how the paint was applied.
Q 3D is very prominent nowadays what’s your thoughts ?
Question14
I think I've already answered that in previous questions but I feel 3D is the way to go I think there will still be a place for traditional sculpt's especially in the fantasy genre but as far as historical figures I think 3d is far superior also most of the newer sculptors are people brought up using computers most will have never used clay type mediums in their lives.
Q Do you sculpt as well as paint these days ?
Question 15
I don't do any sculpting or conversion on my figures any more. I'm quite happy to just paint models straight out of the box at the moment.
Q Is there anyone you’d like featured in future episodes of “ Meet the Artist “ ?
Question16
That’s a easy one to answer.......Carlo Borrella
A MASSIVE THANKS to Rendall for the replies and for supporting the modelling world
Let’s finish this feature with more pictures of the artwork
ENJOY (Click on for larger images)
Nap
My pleasure to feature a extremely talented artist in this months feature of “ Meet the Artist “ , a sculptor previously and now a painter of mostly fantasy pieces but a master of NMM .....you’ll see this in the pictures.
I present for your delight ....
the artist is RENDALL PATTON
Q: How long have you been painting miniature figures and how did you get into the hobby?
Q: Do you have any particular figure painters / artists that have influenced your style or motivated you?
Question 1and2
My names Rendall Patton I am 63 years old and am currently retired . I live in the North east of England in a small town between Sunderland and Durham .
I started modeling around the age of 7 or 8 like many modelers of my age. I started with Airfix kits and would build just about anything I could lay my hands on, be it aircraft, ships, ships.tanks,or anything else that grabbed my attention or that I could afford at the time.
I started to gravitate towards figures and armour when Airfix released their multipose figures and their historical range in !/32nd scale and a friend introduced me to Tamiya kits.
The biggest revelation to my modeling journey was discovering Military Modelling magazine. Suddenly I was exposed to the Diorama's of Francois Verlinden and the painting and conversions of Historex figures by the likes of Max Longhurst and Graham Bickerton.
I started sculpting in around1989 I Was already doing quite extensive animations of Historex kits but it was seeing the work of Bill Horan in Military Modelling that gave me the push to try and sculpt a compleat figure i then got lucky when i was at a model show in Glasgow where I was introduced to Gordon Brown of Cromwell Models he had just started releasing armour kits in 1/35 alongside his current 1/76 range and was looking for crew figures and I just happened to have some figures that I had sculpted with me to show him
.Soon other companies were asking asking me to sculpt for them the biggest break came whenI was approached by Warriors and later Verlinden this gave me the opportunity to quit my job and go sculpting freelance full time which i did till 2006 when I gave up due to decline in orders and disillusionment with the hobby and i walked away from the hobby altogether selling everything except my paints.
I returned to the hobby in2017 and tried to get back into sculpting again but by this time the hobby had moved at an incredible pace with the advent of 3d Sculpting so i settled down to just painting figures at this point I was still painting historical figures but it was when I visited the old Figure World show that I got my first taste of fantasy figures which I now predominantly paint.
Q: Do you have any particular figure painters / artists that have influenced your style or motivated you?
Question3
There are many artists that influence me at the moment but some names that really stand out are Kirill Kanaev ,Arnau Lazaro,Dave Colwell and Eric Swinson.
Q Are you involved with or a member of any clubs ?
Question4
I'm a member of two clubs at the present those being my local I.P.M.S Tyneside and the White Rose Guild of miniature painters,I would always encourage modelers to engage with a local or even not so local club the amount of information and tips and tricks you can learn is invaluable
Q Any favourite materials like paints or brushes you prefer to use ?
Question5
My favorite paint is the Vallejo model colours range mainly because they are easy to source from my local model shop though I do use Scale75 Scalecolor and the Kimera range but if my model shop stocked the scale 75 paints I would buy them as my main paint.
For brushes I use the Rosemary and Co series33 and 8 Kolinsky sable as they are the best quality in relation to price.
Q How long does it take you to finish a piece and how often do you paint ?
Question 6
on average it takes me around two weeks to paint a piece that's painting around 4 hours a day for around 4-5 days of the week I have a very short span of attention and if I don't finish in that time frame I lose interest unless it's a piece I'm really enjoying
I honestly don't. know how some painters can spend hundreds of hours on a piece. It would drive me up the wall, at the end of the day I paint for myself and if people like what I'm doing that's great.
. I know I could push myself further but basically I'm too lazy and I'm not doing box art commissions or entering international competitions. I'm simply not that good.
Q Have you a preferred subject you paint or scale ?
Question 7
I much prefer to paint fantasy figures these days as I feel I have greater creative freedom my prefered scale is 75 mm and upward though I draw the line at 1/9th scale busts. This is purely down to the fact that the old eyes are not what they were.
Q Have you a favourite piece or pieces in the display cabinet ?
Question 8
I have several favorite pieces in my cabinets the first of which is a bust called the Knowledge from Taro model maker others are Re-konecter in 1/10th scale from C.A.Sculpts/Robot Rocket alongside for glory and for Honour by the same company,another of my favorites is Capricorn from Scale75 and Alai the templars atonement from Galapagos miniatures, I've no doubt missed some out.
Q Any subject or piece you’d love to obtain and paint ?
Question 9
There are several subjects that I would like to paint unfortunately most of them are either out of production and those that possess them want exorbanate amounts for them or the figures are still available but are simply too expensive I have a limit on what i'm prepared to pay for ta figure but one that I would like to paint is Mean Tweets by Robot Rocket.
Q Who have you worked with when sculpting , anyone in particular that influenced you ?
Question 10
When I was sculpting my favorite company to work with was Warriors scale models John Rossangrant and Chris Morosko were always encouraging and supportive and let me have free reign on subjects to do.
Q Any particular shows both past and present you liked to support ?
Question 11
my current favorite show is Figureworld North it's only been going three years but so far the quality of entries has been very high and I,ve been fortunate to win golds and silvers at all of them this year winning best fantasy display which came as a surprise as I felt it should have gone to Carlo Borella for his beautiful figures.
In the past I would have to say Euro Millitaire such a pity the show eventually died, I would love to get to some of the European shows such as Scale model challenge and Monte san Savino.
Q Any comments on the Miniature world at this time ?
Question12
My thoughts on the current world of miniatures is there has never been so much choice. There are so many high quality models out there that it's impossible to keep up with it all, never mind buy half of it. The level of detail and realism that 3D sculpting affords was unheard of when I was sculpting and the level of painting is out of this world.
Q where do you see the hobby going in the future ?
Question 13
As for the future of the hobby, that's a tough one to answer. I honestly think that in the future most people will 3D print their models and kits. Some manufacturers are already offering 3D prints instead of resin castings and others are only offering their figures as STL files.
However I do fear that the hobby will die out unless we can attract new blood and the biggest hurdle to that is the sheer cost of kits these days. I sometimes baulk at the price of some figures especially now when there's a cost of living crisis. It feels as though the hobby is heading to the point where only the well off can part partake, that being said for those just new to the hobby the amount of information out there to help you progress as a painter is phenomenal especially with the likes of You Tube , When i started all you had was article's in a few magazines hopefully with step by step photos but even then you weren't seeing the exact process of how the paint was applied.
Q 3D is very prominent nowadays what’s your thoughts ?
Question14
I think I've already answered that in previous questions but I feel 3D is the way to go I think there will still be a place for traditional sculpt's especially in the fantasy genre but as far as historical figures I think 3d is far superior also most of the newer sculptors are people brought up using computers most will have never used clay type mediums in their lives.
Q Do you sculpt as well as paint these days ?
Question 15
I don't do any sculpting or conversion on my figures any more. I'm quite happy to just paint models straight out of the box at the moment.
Q Is there anyone you’d like featured in future episodes of “ Meet the Artist “ ?
Question16
That’s a easy one to answer.......Carlo Borrella
A MASSIVE THANKS to Rendall for the replies and for supporting the modelling world
Let’s finish this feature with more pictures of the artwork
ENJOY (Click on for larger images)
Nap
