masterminis.net - where we learn to be a better painter!

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Double Virus Alert!

Double Virus Alert! 
Hint: There is WIN in this post, read it carefully!

Influenza - thou art a heartless bitch!
Wintertime. Freezing temperatures. A time of year where a lot of people get sick - the common cold, the flu and other undesired virus driven ailments have the times of their life.

Who am I to deny them their fun or even their existence? So I unvoluntarily became the host of some of these fellas and - to say it mildly - 'don't feel good at all'. 

Many of my friends are currently sick as well. I feel ya! Literally :D

So after an attempt of cutting video material for our upcoming DVD instruction set I went right back to bed for a few hours and give it another try now. 

Good thing that this flue will be all over in a day or two.

A different kind of virus - long lasting and possibly incurable

"Brad & Yanet" sculpted by Mati (Badsmile)
www.paintingbuddha.com
Over the last couple of month a second virus, one that I am not sure I will ever get rid of again, has taken hold of me.

This time I can't just wait it out to get 'healthy' again - I have to get busy actively fighting it so I can finally control its effects. But I honestly fear, this virus is here to stay.

I talk of none other than the sculpting virus

Working on our first (and currently already the second) DVD instruction set for paintingbuddha.com, I have the great pleasure of working with such amazing artists as Ben "White Rabbit" Komets, Stephan "Derwish" Rath and Mati "Badsmile" Zander. 

As far as the painting side is concerned, filming and editing over 50 hours of material and being able to look 'over the shoulder' of incredibly talented painters such as Ben and Stephan, it is a mild understatement to say that 'inspiration' struck me more than once. Even though Ben and Stephan use completely different techniques, they both create amazing looking miniatures. 

Yolandi Visser - Die Antwoord
Even with my limited previous painting experience (I say "experience", not "regular practice" :D). I KNOW that - following the upcoming DVD step-by-step - I will be able to aquire their techniques to create similarly good looking results. That's the beauty of being able to 'look over someones shoulder', watch what they are doing and have them give away their 'secrets' in the process - and all of you will all be able to do just that very soon, too. 

But wait! Didn't I say SCULPTING virus?

I sure did. Our sculptor Mati - who most of you know under his name Badsmile (and his smile is not bad at all, very misleading indeed) - infected me with another virus. The sculpting virus. 

Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton - America's Last Moonshiner
Youtube documentary about him (heelbilly english!)
Sitting next to him and experiencing first hand how he turns a blob of putty into some of the finest sculpted miniatures that I have ever seen is nothing short of a miracle to me - because I don't understand any of it. If I took a 90% finished sculpt and would try to finalize it, my skill would quickly turn it back into a blob of putty :D

For weeks now I notice myself wanting to paint stuff that means something to me, something that 'connects'. In 9 out of 10 cases, this 'stuff' does not exist yet. So I find myself wanting to sculpt stuff I see, with the goal of then painting it according to my vision. Artists (like Yolandi and Ninja from Die Antwoord), interesting characters (like Popcorn Sutton) or just crazy looking creatures, machines, spaceships and stuff I find in inspiring movies, concept art and so on.

Virus killing snake oil

Unlike Pop Sutton who illegaly distilled moonshine, I can't squash and boil Mati to get his 'sculpting essence' distilled out of him. This would be wrong on many levels, even though sometimes desperate times require desperate measures. But as soon as I finish cutting our first DVD set, I will 'press' him for answers - very carefully ;) 

This blog is full of WIN
So, how about you? Have you ever wanted to sculpt something? Or did you even finish something? Was it a scratch build or a conversion? Was it easy or hard? Would you like to learn how to convert/sculpt stuff? 

Leave your comments below - and by doing so, enter the next drawing of a limited Dark Angels Codex from Games Workshop - limited to 2000. And no, I did not buy all 2000 of them as some of you already suspected :D Let's just say that I secured 'a few' - for you!

Your other two chances of winning this Codex are here and here. Chances of winning are REALLY GOOD as there are not too many people who entered yet! So GRAB your limited codex - you know it has YOUR NAME on it ;) 

Have a great day - and don't get infected by anything else than the painting and sculpting viruses!

Zaphod

24 comments:

  1. I think I caught that virus too, resisting the urge to start sculpting (seriously I don't need MORE stuff to do) but it is getting to me

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  2. Your Product will kick ass! Im sure! ;) Looking forward!

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  3. Well I have to say very proudly that I'm a keen sculptor/modellist myself, completing some fully scratch built models of my own that I'm very happy with and I am planning to continue doing so improving my tecnique as much as I can. Mati is certainly a ver good way to achieve this scultping Nirvana!

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  4. I have tried to do some minor sculpting a few times.. my attempts have been.. underwhelming :/
    Im going to stick to painting for now!

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  5. Basicly I only sculpted once, if you can even call it by that name.
    I was putting some models together and was a little bit to excessive in use with my pliers. cutting parts of that were actually connections with other parts.
    I did my best to greenstuff it all back in form.
    Other then that I sculp my bases with millyput, being big stone floors.
    Very amateuristic though.

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  6. I have a Masterminis-competition Virus I s'pose

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  7. Ohhh, I know that virus that makes you want to sculpt too...But unfortunately I'm definitely lacking skills, so it's hard to convert all of my ideas into hoopy Miniatures ;)
    But after my university exams this semester I'm going to do some small practice sculpts, some legs and beaks for my Beasts of Chaos :-)

    Best regards
    Christian

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  8. I wold love to be able to scuplt like a boss I've done some really rudamentary cloaks for a lukas the trickster I bodged together but that s as far as I have gone so a dvd would be epic on a million levels due to having 4 kids and anothr on the way I don't get chance to get and clases snd stuff so I think you should definately give it a bash kep up the epicness

    Peace out
    El Reevo

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  9. Picked up some green stuff just the othe day! Right now I am limited to gap filling and some basic things. I'll start some more adventurous sculpting on my Nurgle space marines--that way if it looks like @&*# I can say that was the intention :)

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  10. As much I would love to sculpt something every time I pick my green stuff I realize I suck too much. Seriously even trying to fill gaps is a nightmare.

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  11. I tried sculpting a tiny scorpion but it was a mess...Seems not to be MY buisness. And yes I know, skilly can't be bought...Unfortunately there is no time for me ro practice ^^ Best regards.

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  12. I just got myself a bar of Greenstuff (actually kneadatite cause it's cheaper!) and have been messing around with it. My first attempts turned out much better than I anticipated. I make a very small skull emblem to go on the hat of my cultist champion, and I sculpted a robe for my terminator seargant wich turned out pretty well (not as smooth as I'd like, but not bad). I will hopefully get better with practice, but I'm also looking into 3D printing for making new sculpts. It's a different kind of sculpting, but still great fun!

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    1. Update: I'm no good at 3d modeling. I guess my sculpting will remain greenstuff and super sculpy.

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  13. I've been dabbling my feet in converting a little bit.
    But the virus is definitely there. I discussed my budding plan about scratch sculpting a tru scale pre heresy night lord with my regular painting buddy and he just gave me that smile. Not quite condescending but the knowing smile of a man that knows that he'll be hearing my ranting for the countless months that it will take me to finish the project. so, Yeah I know the virus :-D

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  14. ts,ts... I`m sculpting opened hands for a female 28mm girl at the moment and... it makes me wanna puke! But it occurs to me, that my latest attempt was succesful ;)

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  15. I've never scuplted but I may have to give it a try. But when will I do that with all these miniatures piling up!

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  16. The only trick is this: be stubborn. :D

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  17. I haven't sculpted anything from scratch, just conversions like adding chain mail, fur, etc. I would love to have the time to learn to sculpt, but I spend all that time trying to improve my mini painting ;P

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  18. I have attempted to sculpt a few things. Such as a missing leg for a Daemon Prince for a friend, a Dwarf Hero from scratch, and gap filling. Can I say I am good at it, no.. sorry, just no.. wont be quitting the day job for that anytime soon. BUT.. I do enjoy throwing some putty around every now and again and seeing what it turns out like!

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  19. Ah, Sculpting! Our crappy try on getting part of the Creation (no, I am not a Creationist, but I like how things are designed...;)...)...

    Still working on the "Old Memories" Sculpt that tries to capture the beauty of the saggy man boobs of a very old and very happy Guy thinking about his life...:)... Besides that: Not every sculpting must be organic... I really enjoy sculpting Robots and Machinery Parts using Plastic Card, and all kinds of found goods...

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  20. I'm not in good relationship with green stuff. Right now I'm working on my Black Guards. I want whole unit to have cloaks just like comand group, but it takes hour to make one. But I won't give up and hope my skill will grow fast in the future ;)

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  21. I have more of the sick virus than the sculpting virus. But I've certainly wanted to try my hand at sculpting.

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  22. I am trying to develop this side of the hobby as well. So far I can green stuff gaps and make tentacles... :D

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