Why your chosen subjects?

[Steve Arthur]

I promise this is the last "Curious George-ish" question, but I was asked what were the periods I liked and I answered that I liked the Victorian-British Army for a couple of reasons see post:

http://www.planetfigure.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=3177

So, now I would like to pose the same question. Do you have a particular period you prefer to work with and why?

Best Wishes
Steve

 

[Guy]

Ask all the questions you like Steve.....you have come up with some very interesting topics. I am sure we will get some interesting responses to this question. I shall respond to this myself in awhile.

 

[Guy]

Why do we Paint / sculpt in the Historical periods we do? A good question that Steve brought up. I have an interest in the Native American period figures due to my Great Great Grandmother being a White Mountain Apache. I have always been facinated with the Indian Culture and also collect Native American prints and sheilds and lances. When I first started, there were not many Indian figures available but the market has increased as has their quality. I guess the American Mountain Man kinda goes hand in hand with the American Indians. I fulfilled a lifetime dream several years ago where I restored and lived in a Cabin in the Blueridge Mountains of NC. 3 Years ago I sold the cabin and moved to Oklahoma to fulfill another dream of working with the Native Americans here in Oklahoma where I was a counselor for delinquent youths of the many Indian Reservations located here.

I also have an interest in the Nomadic peoples such as the Mongol and Viking peoples that roamed the European and Asian lands. I guess I have some Nomadic blood in me as well as my European ancesters go back to Norway and Iceland.

My father was a professional modeler for the government and also did modeling at home. The Airforce would take pictures with the V-2 spy planes and then the pictures of Tanks or other Military equipment would be enlarged and handed to my father where he would make a model of the equipment / tank / airplane. So I guess modeling comes in my blood and after giving several areas of modeling, I discovered Military Miniatures back in 1973. I changed to figures and never looked back.

 

[milminwh]

It is a good question. My own passion is Civil War, and dont really know why. I surmise related to the fact that my gg-grandfather built the steam engine on the USS Monitor in the Brooklyn Navy Yard in winter of 1862.
My wife thinks I am a reincarnated Civil War veteran.
Looking forward to reading more replies. Guy's story is very interesting!
Regards

 

[Steve Arthur]

I love it!

I've no idea why I have this fascination of why we do what we do, I guess it's those underlying stories. I think it's why I gravitated to history.
That's great Guy! You know, in some way I think we all have a little nomadic blood.

One last thing, and this may sound a bit goofy, but one of the reasons I have this thing for the British Army during Victoria's reign, that no matter how desperate the situation, there was this sense of grace under fire and a staunch acceptance of a potential disaster. A romaticized notion I know, but in a sense true.

On a less philosophical note, I really like how each culture the empire encompassed influenced the uniforms.

Best Wishes
Steve

 

[Evan August]

I tend to do a variety of things, but I spend a good deal of time with WW2 Germans and US paratroopers. I got into figures as the result of the natural progression from armor to dioramas. I discovered that the figures are what I was most passionate about, as they tell the human side of the story. My continued interest in WW2 subjects most likely comes from the other side of the hobby, armor, and my love of reading accounts of the combat in Europe. It's just something i'm drawn to I guess. I also have a great interest in the Civil War, and the paintings of artists like Mort Kunstler have inspired me to try some Civil War subjects in the future. In fact, I am most likely the only guy to ever have both Kunstler calenders hanging on the dorm room wall. The more research I do on these subjects, the more I am inspired to model. Then I will occasionally pick up the odd or unusual figure just because it's cool, like my 1/6 resin figure of Fox Mulder.

 

[Anders Heintz]

I really don't know what my personal favorite era is, maybe thats weird, I dont know! I like to paint anything that catched my eyes. I really like Ancient Greek's, mainly because the history (mystery and philosophy) behind them is so cool. I also like Native Americans because of their awesome culture and their neat regalia. Other favourites are; Cowboys, Nam, WWII Germans, Romans etc etc.

I guess what I really like is the human aspect of all subjects.

I also like WWII US stuff because that makes money ( :lol , and I am very familiar with the gear and uniforms used, which makes it more interesting, as well as I think that was a great generation of Americans.

 

[megroot]

He Steve,

I also came out of the AFV modelling. Figure painting is big fun. Untill know i painted celt's, romans. But now you asked i see i paint the last time more and more from the napoleonic time. It is because i love all the colours they used.
I am also interest in the great war better know as WW I.
WW I was more a disaster for the soldiers then for the civilians. It was also the war where the clothing came from colorfull to camocolour.
Now when i am thinking off it, i find the WW I more interesting than the Napoleonic but i dont know why. For know i paint Napoleonic's because i can buy more from it than from WW I.

I like the topic.

Marc

 

[Bert Takken]

I'm most interested into the Vietnam era, why? Well, The fact, no one looks the same with uniform and gear. Also a lot of difference into the colours. There are not so strictly rules as for WW2 figures especcially the Germans.
I don't like to paint the German figures, not for political reasons, what sometimes is thought because I'm Dutch. Maybe the cammo, it's just a feeling.
Sometimes I paint a WW2 Allied figure and a german buste, like Skorzeny, Wittman or Richthoven (thats WW1 I know) but more I like the bust

Bert

 

[Robin]

HI

What a kewl thread.

|Well My eras are Napoleonic ( maily french cavalry--gaudy unifroms and attitude to life. British infantry----for what they were against what they accomplished).

Knights--I often try to imagine what a battle would have been like in that era, scares me.

I model soldiers to celebrate the men who had to do what needed doing and did it often giving everything to accomplish it .

Robin

 

[quang]

Originally posted by Robin@Nov 4 2004, 03:30 AM
.. men who had to do what needed doing and did it often giving everything to accomplish it .

That's me when I'm doing the dishes.

Q.

 

[Alex M.]

That's a great question..even though you have me thinking too much.

My chosen subject seems to be WW2 Germans, and for some reason especially the Waffen SS..

I think it has to do with all the various elements of the uniforms, camo, field modified, winter gear, etc.

I always have my eyes on other eras, and very rarely do them. I have a huge list of stuff i'd love to start, and very little is ww2, but i always seem to settle for ww2. WW1 is starting to interest me, as well as some of the recent English Civil war ironsides figures...

I don't think i've made any argument or point here, but i don't have much of an answer for ya!

-Alex

 

[Shane]

Like Guy, my sculpting and painting often relate to my ancestry. Sort of a way to get in touch with my past, I guess. In the beginning, I was into Confederate subjects-- after looking into family history. I also have an interest in the Revolutionary War--because of a couple of ancestors. But the subjects that most interest me tend to be British due to my ancestors prior to 1740 being long-time Londoners. Due to DNA testing, I know my ancient ancestors were most likely insular Celtic and pre-Celtic. So I've been involved in a lot of sculpting of these people. Perhaps my focus is too narrow, but being able to relate to the subject helps maintain my interest.

Guy,

A cabin! Now that's a deam of mine.

Shane

 

[thegoodsgt]

Although I'd rather paint Victorian-British Army over all other subjects, I really don't limit myself to one area. Why? Because I hate painting the same color(s) over and over and over again. Each time I consider the next figure I'm going to paint, I make a conscious effort to choose something with colors that are very different from the figure I just completed. That variety keeps me interested in the hobby and challenged.

 

[MSzwarc]

Hi Steve,

I became interested in figure modeling through trying to learn to make more realistic pilots for stick and tissue WWI model aircraft. At first, I bought figures of different periods and nationalities, but now I focus almost exclusively on Japanese figures from ancient times to modern. While most of these figures are samurai (that's what's commercially available), my interest is in Japanese figures from all walks of life, and I am slowly learning to convert figures to make those not commercially available.

The reason for my interest in Japan is that I spent three years in there as a child from 1960 thru 1962. As my interest in figure modeling grew, I found myself more and more drawn to the samurai figures. Their rich and colorful costumes reawakend my childhood memories of Japan. As a result, in addition to collecting Japanese figures, I have also been reading extensively on Japanese history and culture, and have begun to learn to read and write Japanese. The more I learn about Japan, the more interested I become in the figures, and my interest in the figures drives me to learn more of Japanese history, culture, and language.

Mike

 

[Jim Hockett]

Interesting topic. I don't really concentrate in any one area, just paint what appeals to me. That makes research more of a challenge I suppose, because I often pick up a figure that I have no reference on. I do have quite a few Highlanders in my collection, because I enjoy the challenge of painting plaid and trying to make it look woven. That plus I have been given a hard enough time about painting "men in skirts" by the guys in the local club that it is kind of a badge of honor. Now if I could just get trews to come out even.

Jim

 

[Grizzly]

Mine was mostly WW1 and WW2 due also to my armor modeling but find myself looking towards other eras of history,have been interested in Viking figures due to my Norwegian heritage.

 

[Lancer]

Hey Steve
Maybe I'm in the minority, I tend to paint pieces that catch my eye, whether its the pose the colors something has to start a spark! To give you an idea I've been roughing in colors with the airbrush for a couple months and these pieces are ready for oils! 4 CSA figures, 2 Apaches, 2 Vampires, 1 Celt, 1 Batman, 1 Muskateer, 1 Gladiator, 2 Napoleonics, 2 German WWII, 3 American Western, 1 Spiderman, 1 Samurai, a couple of girl warriors and a Star Trek piece! Besides those I'm trying my hand at sculpting sports celebrities and CSA calvary!
If anyone can figure out a pattern, good on you, because I can't other than they caught my eye!
Makes the local club meetings interesting, they never know what I'll walk in with.
Cheers
Mark

 

[amherbert]

Hi

This is my second go around as a figure modeller. As a kid I went from airfix aircraft through to Tamiya armor and then started doing figures just as puberty kicked in. After about a 20 year gap, I decided to try a ship. It was fun, but fiddly. I built a couple of aircraft, then it was armor kits. I basically followed the path I'd taken as a child/teen but in a few months rather than years. I started working on figures to complement my armor (WW2) kits, then over the last few years the kits were the bases for figures, and now I have a large collection of unbuilt armor kits to sell!

I started with WW2 figures mostly, with the occasional medieval figure. Now it's all MedRom or Napoleonic/Imperial age stuff for me. (so there's a big stack of WW2 figures collecting dust - the dangers of eBay).

Now I just got some warhammer figures to paint for fun, so who knows what's next!

I find it much more interesting to try and create a representation of a living person than to build a machine. That may change, but I doubt I'll go back to where I was a few years ago. I enjoy the building and painting aspects, and find figures very challenging. I think I'll be figure modelling for as long as I'm able.

So why Napoleonic and Medieval or Fantasy? I think because I painted a bunch of green and grey and camo figures, and that got a little boring. I enjoy the color possibilities of figures representing older and different eras. Furthermore, I find it difficult to model WW2 axis subjects now. There are a number of reasons for that; and enumerating them would just lead to a flame war!!

As a Canadian with British parents, I'm biased towards UK and Commonwealth history. So I have painted a couple of redcoats, I think my knights are British, and so on! It's funny, I have no interest at all in the US Civil War, but I have a couple of British Civil War figures to work on. I am working on a Native American, and Dutch Grenadier and a British Lifeguard these days. I think pose and complexity/color matter to me more than the subject for selecting figures. We're lucky in that there are far more figures available than I can ever hope to paint - I'm going to need a long healthy retirement to get through what I have already!!! So I can be picky now, and demand accuracy, quality and pose.

The funny thing is I've now started converting figures, so I'm sure in a few years I'll have a completely different set of criteria. I don't think I'll ever do the kind of conversions Bob Tavis shares with us, but you never know...

And these kinds of questions are good, not bothersome, Steve!!!

Cheers
Andy

 

[vince wai]

I almost go striaght into figure painting when I am fifteen ( back in 1973 ) when I was hanging around in model shop mainly selling import model figurine such as Hinchcliff and Poste Militaire. Not too long, the shop owner found out I can paint much better than most of his customers and I was then given free figures )) to paint as long as I bring them back for display. This lasted for about seven years and I was forced to quit painting mini-men after I graduated and worked as free-lance illustrator. It was 14 years later when I moved to Canada that I started picking up this hobby again and still it's figures only....