Sculpture V Ability To Paint

[Wayneb]

I ask this this question because I am sculpture oriented,I know anatomy and detail,and I know what it takes to put the two together with action and feeling.Have always worked in a larger scale and detail was my main focal point.
Still learning to paint and I feel I'm getting confident.(not confident enough).
My question is......How many of you are out there that buy a piece based on the sculpt alone,just looking forward saying I can paint that; And if I can't I will learn.......I am one.......Wayne

 

[Ron Tamburrini]

Hi Wayne
There are a lucky few who can paint almost anything but if you look close there tends to be a recurring theme the twoWorld Wars
have there painters,the Napoleonics, the Ancients ,fantasy and so on some guys stay true to one era and people like me dip there toes in a couple .

At one time I painted nothing but French Napoleonic , then in those days I only listened to Bob Dylan
It is a question what you are comfortable with there is still some things I avoid like the plague ,I think this is the case with the general journey man painter and even some of our so called masters can be a bit picky ,then that might just be down to taste like the Dylan thing
I do the same with the Guitar can't play everything I want to so these days its Pink Floyd .

So with the painting pick something you know you can manage and just stretch the boundaries a bit at a time { take notes of how you got there when something works and also when it doesn't so you don't cover the same old ground }

One of the top painters I know has a note of every mix he has ever made ,and his pal a country boy doesn't bother but is every bit as good.

This probably won't help but it's a start " try and rub shoulders" with better painters than yourself.

Ron

 

[Uruk-Hai]

I have noticed that some good painters simplifies the sculpting and rely on painting in some details. And the opposite that good sculpter rather sculpt detail than paint it in.

Also I would say this is a concern for manufacturers, they have to ask: -Does our typical customer want to paint this detail in or would he rather have it sculpted in?

As long as the final result is believable and they are happy.

Cheers
Janne Nilsson

 

[Mark S]

G'day Wayne, I would say that most figure painters are originally attracted by the quality of a sculpted piece and that alone and only consider the strategic plan for the painting later.
Of course that applies generally to most painters of good taste, which naturally excludes individuals that show any inclination towards Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd or Bay City Rollers.

 

[FigureLover]

I find that I generally buy a kit to paint because it grabs me in some way, whether it be genre (I do almost all), pose or just has something different about it. Being in Australia, we generally only see a kits box art on the internet (as opposed to being able to open a box and check out the sculpt/casting) and have to make up our minds if we want to buy it or not. So for me, seeing 'primed' or 'raw' pics of a kit always makes me sit up and take notice, if its a great sculpt, then I'm interested and will think about purchasing it so that I can put my own mark on it.
Ben

 

[Helm]

"Of course that applies generally to most painters of good taste, which naturally excludes individuals that show any inclination towards Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd or Bay City Rollers or is Australian"

There fixed it for you

There are some sculpts I wouldn't buy simply because I know I can't paint it to how I want, if I get to the stage I think I can do it then I'll buy it and have a go, you need to know your limits IMO

Steve

 

[Mirofsoft]

Well, I bought in the beginning a lot of piece because : they were good sculpt, they were colourfull, they represented something unusual at that time...
I painted a lot ... but discarding some I wasn't confident in .. so I bought the 150mm Taisho from Lamb 40 years ago... I opened the box many times... and reclosed it ..
it's still in it's origianl box
Today I buy because they are good sculpt, they are colourfull, they represent something unusual and still hope I can get enough courage one day to paint the Taisho
I think lot of peoples buy on a crush .. then ask themselves : do I paint this one or what's left in my grey army ? Also big questions : have I enough patience to invest time in a difficult piece or do I begin with an easy one ? Do I want to go in competition or is it for my pleasure only ?
More and more you see from famous manufacturers, on the art box, sculpted by xxx and painted by yyy
So if your primary pleasure is to sculpt , go on; Rodin was a sculptor, not a painter
Best