Welcome back to the blog! This post will be detailing two of the pages on the website you can view. Outdoor Photography and Customizations are two artistic outlets that I have been able to interweave with my collecting habits. These are all things that I enjoy in day-to-day life and enjoy sharing the output of these pastimes.
Firstly, we can get into the photography aspect. I am not a professional photographer by any means but have enjoyed staging my figurines in natural and unnatural habitats both for photos. The main concerns with such environs is in regards to scaling objects with the model itself for a realistic shot, even getting the lens to focus on the right object in frame, and the practicality of getting the model to stand upright. Finding locations can be a difficulty for some, but in most cases, if you look around a selected area you can what I mentally categorize as a "microbiome" to place a miniature in, and in many cases it will match well enough. But the reality is that in many cases the plants are in large part going to out-scale your models. I try to utilize the concept of "forced perspective" where applicable. This principle is taking objects that are of different sizes and positioning them with variable distances to the camera to create the appearance of sizing in the frame matching. I.e. if you have 2 wolf models but one is half the size of the other, if you position the smaller further away and the larger closer to the camera, then it creates the illusion of distance rather than size disparity. Pictured below is an example, the farthest models in this frame are the smaller Bullyland and Safari figures, mid-range would be the flamingos that are all roughly the same scale to each other, and the closest model is the overtly large Papo figurine.
And now, moving on to customizations of models. Repainting figures is something I have done for a long time (and have ruined many cheaply made models in my early experimentation). As time and practice goes though, you can improve of course. Again, I am in no way an expert on the topic and I don't take myself too seriously when I create such things, it is usually just an idea I develop and eventually execute. Sometimes the result is well done and sometimes a disappointment, but that is just how things work right? Usually, repainting is about all that is required. Sometimes perhaps a little sanding of seams or rough edges is beneficial. I have recently began to experiment with resculpting, usually minor alterations of a figure. Paint is usually enough to transform a model on its own, but actually reforging the silhouette is a monumental task (at least for me). Aspects of the artistic eye are very subjective when it comes to replicating a coat pattern or coloration, but the inclusion of more detailing will often make a more satisfying end result. Again, here are some examples of my work.
Pictured above is my most ambitious custom to date, the Schleich Texas Longhorn Bull was made into the extinct Bison latifrons, I only added to the sculpt rather than altering what was already there. I cut nor reshaped any part of him, I only added clay for the shoulder hump, beard wattle, and some front leg and forehead woolly hair. Once the clay had been sculpted and set, maintaining my detailing, I primed the model itself and repainted it. I was very satisfied with the end result, having fretted and agonized over the process of creating it on my first attempt. Many of my projects have not turned out, sometimes through lack of experience or talent on my part, and sometimes because of the selection of figure for victimization, but regardless they are models I keep and intend to retry at some future point. As a budding artist myself, I would encourage anyone to attempt new artistic paths and projects, that is how you learn how to do new things. They may not always turn out how you hoped, but they will always teach you something about yourself. Anyhow, my customized models have enriched my shelves in one way or another and my photography has given me an excuse to explore the wild areas around me; incorporating both into my passion for collecting have been side tangents I enjoy immensely. Happy collecting!
