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Breann the Warrior |
Sep 21, 2003 |
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When Drew Williams Miniature Sculpting Studio
was recently approached by FG Minis to sculpt a series of 54mm fantasy personalities,
Drew sensed an opportunity to do something not normally seen in the mini
world. That is to create a series of women warriors who actually look powerful,
formidable and commanding. Within the FG Mini line Drew plans to contribute
as many such women warrior figures as possible.
"I have always found many fantasy female figures to be absurdly delicate,
and unworthy of the weapons they are meant to use. A general assumption
persists; that a woman visibly strong enough to bear the weapons of warfare,
must in turn loose a portion of her femininity and allure. With these figures
I will try to explore the boundaries of this myth, and if possible, dispel
it."
Here is a peek at the process of the first FG Mini figure in this series;
‘Breann’. She was started with a copper wire armature soldered
at seven points planned out in advance on a piece of paper.
"I wanted the sword and the hair to be expressive elements within the
pose, so I included them in the initial armature. Ultimately I chose a pose
that was both dynamic and powerful, as well as decidedly feminine."
By doing this I was able to involve the direction of the sword and the hair
from the very start.
The first layer of putty established the pose of the whole form as well
as the long hair. Aves brand Apoxie Sculpt was mixed with the standard PSI
‘green stuff’ to give the putty extended workability as well as
the rigidity Drew wanted for working in this scale. The properties of this
mixture would benefit the sculpting of this scale figure time and again.
Inspired by the popular works of Frank Frazetta, Drew opted for a full bodied
anatomy with a strong emphasis on the legs and the pelvis. The arms and
shoulders were given as little definition as possible while still keeping
them believably strong enough to wield a weapon.
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| click images for enlarged views |
" I‘ve found that no matter how developed a woman's body might
become, the more prominent the legs and pelvis are in her proportions, the
more undeniably feminine she still appears".
As the surface layers were added, the Aves mixture improved results in smoothing
the masses together and eliminate seams. At some intervals it was better
to use the sensitive tips of the fingers than any tools. Halfway through,
the legs actually became too heavy looking. At this point the Aves mixture
helped again; as it gave the hardened epoxy the right rigidity to permit
subtle carving and sanding without leaving the unsightly marks most softer
epoxies will reveal.
When it came to dressing the figure Drew began with the boots. A soft leather
look was decided on, with particular attention paid to the curves on top
of the cuffs to help describe the roundness of the figures calves.
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| click images for enlarged views |
"The rest of the costume was actually a mystery to me right up to the
last. In my mind, I rebel emotionally from the ‘chainmail bikini’
standard, and I struggled to consider alternatives. In the end however,
I yearned to keep her physique as visible as possible, and it was what the
customer first wanted anyway."
Drew established the rest of the clothes by using a fine felt tip pen to
scribble in the areas to be covered. Since none of the markings really effected
the casting process, Drew could draw, wipe away, and redraw his ideas directly
onto the figure as much as needed. The ultimate plan was to give her a brief
plate and chain bikini lined with barbarian style fur. The dark scribbles
on the surface of the form represent where Drew would add the fuzzy remnants
of the lining. Then the putty was applied portion by portion according to
the guidelines drawn. Once again, the Aves did well for this, as it allowed
much more of the putty to be worked on at the same time without curing too
soon.
A simple jeweled collar was included to give a point of separation for the
neck when the figure was broken down. Fur lined wraps on the forearms were
located for the same purpose.
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| click images for enlarged views |
On a separate piece of plasticard the shield and scabbard were shaped and
cured. The shield was made round with a deep wood grain detail on the back
side. The front was covered with a layer meant to represent a stretched
leather surface that is tacked firmly around the inside edges. To imply
battle wear, the metal boss in the middle is given a couple of dents and
the leather covering is torn open in a few places to reveal the surface
underneath.
The base detail shows her standing in a ruined courtyard of some kind, with
cracked tiles exposed to the elements and overgrown vines and greenery at
her feet. The base was made large enough to hold the weight of the figure
with an octagonal shape around the edges for a clean presentation.
Once the shield is positioned on the left forearm with wire and glue and
the details of the hand and straps are worked in, the arm and shield are
cut off from the main body at the cuff line as a single piece for separate
casting. The right forearm and sword were also removed in this way. In order
to cast the wild movement of the hair the head needed to be separated from
the body too, ultimately leaving six pieces to cast.
Immediately after finishing Breann, Drew moved onto the next original 54mm
figure for FGMinis. He made some decisions early on regarding the direction
of the next figure: "Though I was pleased with the expressiveness of
the pose on Breann, I vowed to try for a single cast pose in the next figure,
without sacrificing the amount of dynamic character the figure can have."
Drew Williams Miniatures Studio plans to develop these women as distinct
individuals, each with their own story to tell.
Visit Drew's website to
see the upcoming figures for FGMinis as they are developed. If you have
your own suggestions for future women warrior figures, Drew would love to
hear them. Finally, don't forget to pay a visit to FG
Minis where you'll find more of these excellent figures.
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