Sculpting

[martin tabony]

Actually while I think of it, head size is something that's very important. The ancient Greeks believed that the perfect proportion was eight heads as shown in the on line guide that Carl posted. The problem with that idea is that the average head is 23. cm times that by eight and you get 184 cm or just over six feet. If we agree that the "average" height is 173 then the proportions should be based on seven and a half heads

 

[Dan Morton]

7.5 heads, not 8. Yeah, that makes sense. Kinda makes setting your dividers to a head length and using them to 'proportion' a figure a bit chancy, doesn't it?

And, in my post, the issue about the three kits NOT being 1/16th scale was precisely the point. Same thing happens with every scale of course.

I'm not sure the extent to which this is an intentional mistake by the sculptor for the sake of commercial attractiveness vs. just a FUBAR. Any thoughts anybody?

I don't have any actual evidence that a taller figure in a kit is more attractive to the buying public - just my opinion.

All the best,
Dan

 

[MCPWilk]

120mm is 1/15 NOT 1/16 scale based on a 180cm height male.

Mike

 

[martin tabony]

Mike, yes I agree, then it doesn't fit into the eight heads rule either. Although if you wanted to base a figure on 173 cm/5'8" you could divide that by 120 it it would give you a scale size of 1/14.66 ! Ridiculous I know (unless you have a comision that has to fit an existing space) which is why I would rather make a figure to a scale not a size. If you were to stick to 1/16th (because it's an Imperial fraction such as 1/32nd or 1/12th) then 173 (5'8") divide by 16 = 108 mm (divide by 15 + 115 mm) but 183 cm (6') divide by 16 = 114 mm (divide by 15 = 122mm)
Dan, I'm not sure whether model figure sculptors are intentionally making figures longer in proportion but as I said artists have been doing just that for thousands of years. And of course that is also why women wear high heels. If you look at the anatomical proportions of an adult female you'll see her hip joint is pretty much dead centre, but because she stores fat from her hips to her thighs it give the impression of shortening her legs. If she stands on her tip toes or wears high heels this lengthens the leg. If she then stands with one leg in front of the other this appears to thin the legs. Classic model poses.
Martin

 

[garyhiggins]

The science of anatomy and proportions is an incredibly difficult subject and I seriously doubt that anyone is going to understand it properly without a lot of study. The reason being that there is no such thing as the "average" figure, and any variation in size of figure is far more likely to be FUBAR than devious intent.
There are so many factors that go to make-up the build of a figure. Taking a hypothetical adult male, is he a testosterone filled 35 year old who habitually stands to attention like a guardsman, or is he 57 with the weight of the world on his shoulders? Is it 9.30 in the morning or 10.00 at night? Things sag! There are no definites and that is why the use of "heads" as a GUIDE to proportions works so well and has done for such a long time.
Going back to the hypothetical male, if you want to sculpt a hypothetical 1/20 (90mm) figure, for the sake of argument, take as a starting point 8 heads. Set your calipers to 1/8 th of 90mm, then build your armature and design your figure accordingly. If you want young adult, perhaps make your figure 7 heads, if you want large athletic and imposing, you might go to 8 1/2 heads. If you want squat, or old or elegant or fat, adjust the number of heads in your figure accordingly, but keep your calipers set at that original 1/8th of 90mm.
The best advice I can give is buy a good Artistic Anatomy book. Computer screens are fine, but there's nothing like the feel of a real book.
Here endeth the lesson,. My brain now hurts, soooo............
Best wishes, Gary.

 

[martin tabony]

Gary, definatly agree about the book. When do we get on to animal anatomy!!

 

[garyhiggins]

My brain Hurts

 

[garyhiggins]

Seriously Martin, when I've got the hang of human anatomy, then I'll go on to Animal Anatomy

 

[martin tabony]

Just thinking back to when I started sculpting figures, I didn't start with a whole figure, I converted. That way you can learn about the planes of the face, shapes of eyes etc. by simply changing and hopefully improving existing figures. You can then move on to make larger bits as they're needed

Martin.

 

[garyhiggins]

I can't remember which was the first figure I sculpted, it was when I was about 10 and was either a copy of the Frankenstein Monster in plasticeine or a lifesize head of Ebeneezer Scrooge which my dad insisted in casting in plaster, happy memories.
Best wishes, Gary.