Organising paints on a tight budget, an alternative clay conditioning machine, and what's up next hobby wise

Looking at my paint bottles strewn all over the work station makes me wish I had paid more attention during woodwork classes all those years ago. If I had, I would have made myself a nice wooden paint rack by now to store up all the drop bottles I own for easy access. If wishes were horses ...

Using a cheap alternative to store paint drop bottles

So having an extremely tight hobby budget to work with meant I had to seek the cheapest option available without compromising too much on quality. That came in the form of a Tesco house-brand 2900 ml. air-tight food container which cost RM13.90 (about USD4.30) which was especially suited to the Vallejo Model Color acrylic paint drop bottles but not so much the Reaper Master Series paints.

A Tesco house-brand 2.9 litre food container

Dimensions of the 2.9 litre food container was such that I could overturn the container and still have the Vallejo Model Color drop bottles stay in place without moving too much.

Acrylic paints all lined up, pretty as you please

However, when I tried doing that with the slightly shorter Reaper Master Series paint drop bottles, they would move around rather loosely in the container. Nonetheless, both paint brands had drop bottles with a similar diameter so as long as you don't make a habit of overturning the container to have a better look at the colours, it was still fairly usable for the Reaper paints.  

Still fairly usable for the Reaper Master Series acrylic paints

Seems like the local Tesco store is starting to become a regular haunt for me in which to source alternative art supplies such as silicon-based cooking papers (attractively priced during festive seasons) for use in my home-made wet palette. In fact, it was in a Tesco store that I finally found an affordable alternative to an art clay conditioner. There was a mini-promotion going on at that time so I got the pasta machine for just RM29.90 (~USD9.20). Thank my lucky stars I didn't shell out RM130 (~USD40) for a clay conditioning machine that I saw in an art supply shop. Heck, Tesco should be my 'hobby sponsor' ala Formula One driver sponsors. Again, if wishes were horses ...

Using a pasta machine as a cheap alternative for a clay conditioner

So what's up next for me hobby wise? With my Knight Models Spider-Man Marvel Universe project very close to completion, I don't have much left on the work station other than the two work-in-progress Dark Sword Wood Elf Goddesses. So after a prepping, assembling and priming binge, I now have eight additional miniatures of all sizes primed and ready for their first coat of paint (see below). 

Miniatures on my immediate to-do list: eight primed and two work-in-progress

As for my sculpting ambitions, hopefully by getting a pasta machine for use as a clay conditioner I would have removed the last excuse I have for my continued procrastination towards sculpting. Moreover, after initially toying with the idea of using Katniss Everdeen as the first sculpting subject matter, I felt perhaps an easier-to-sculpt character will make those first baby steps less daunting. Darwin Watterson was the simplest subject matter I could think of off hand so I guess that walking talking goldfish from The Adventures of Gumball cartoon will likely kickstart my sculpting journey.

Darwin Watterson, The Adventures of Gumball

What with helping my son prepare for his finals as well as spending more time with him leading up to his birthday, I haven't had much time to paint miniatures. Hopefully I can still squeeze in some hobby time amidst quality family time. Matters are made much worse by the fact that two of my favourite TV shows namely Supernatural and Walking Dead are entering their latest seasons which means even less time for the hobby. Sigh ... if only we could download ourselves into an EMH (Emergency Medical Hologram) and have eternity to indulge in our hobbies. Ouch ... will the geekery never end.

Ahhh ... what price immortality and the life of an EMH

Capturing a smile for Portrait Practice #09 and some clay sculpting tools at last

Capturing a smile was first and foremost in my mind when attempting my latest portrait pencil drawing. The next two objectives was improving my skin tone shading as well as getting hair to look darker and messier. Sticking to the theme of drawing what could be my potential sculpting subjects, I again drew (pun unintended) inspiration from The Hunger Games 'Girl on Fire' scene. Specifically, I used a photo reference of Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) responding to a comment made by the Hunger Games talk show host, Caesar Flickerman as played by actor Stanely Tucci. 

Portrait Practice #09 - Capturing a smile (Sculpting concept sketches - Girl on Fire series)

Reference photo used in my latest portrait drawing practice -  a scene from The Hunger Games

While I have been trying out charocal pencils and willow charcoal sticks in my practice sessions invloving just the drawing of hair, I do not yet feel comfortable enough in their usage to apply them in my latest portrait practice session. As such, this latest portrait drawing was completed using graphite pencils only. In order to get the hair to look darker, I incorporated the use of a Staedler 8B pencil which had very good matte black qualities. To try and simulate realistic hair, I also drew random wisps of hair and paid close attention to how the flocks of hair interacted with one another.

Not entirely an accurate likeness as I compensated for heavy shadows on the face

Once when referring to a Games Workshop 'Eavy Metal miniature painting guide in an old White Dwarf magazine, I came across advice which made mention of how a slightest change in highlights can determine a miniature's facial expression. To be honest, I never truly grasp the relevance of this advice until I started drawing portraits using just tonal values. That in essence is what makes getting a likeness in portrait drawings so difficult for me. Getting a shading slightly off for a facial feature and the portrait ends up looking like the sister of the subject matter or turn what was suppose to be a radiant smile into an uncomfortable grimace - in other words, close but no cigar! 

Original photo of drawing, shown here against a high contrast adjustment made using MS Picture Manager

Without access to a scanner for this drawing, I had to settle for the next best thing which was taking a photo of my drawing using a DSLR camera. Due to the A3 size of my drawing pad, placing the drawing in my usual photography set up is sadly not possible. So without the help of lighting from my IKEA lamps, I relied solely on daylight as my light source to mixed results. On most occasions, the photos I take of my drawings usually end up looking too dark thus negating the contrast in tonal values I had shaded. I made corrective adjustments using the Microsoft Picture Manager program.  

Looking back at my first portrait drawing versus the level I am at currently

As the saying goes, the proof is in the eating of the pudding, so I referenced my latest portrait drawing against the first one I did late last year to see if I had improved at all. I guess it's safe to say that I am making some progress although there is definitely still a lot I can do better. 

Finally, some clay sculpting tools

Pro Art 14-piece clay tool set with case

Inside the set is a mixture of metal and wooden tools

On the sculpting front, I got a very good deal for a clay tool set from Amazon. Although there are still materials I need for a proper figure sculpting project such as armature wire, I do have the basic stuff which would allow me to try sculpting a head or face. That is a good place as any to start my journey into sculpting as I would love to sculpt a bust in the future anyway. But I am getting ahead of myself ... first I need to find out what each tool is used for. Either that or just wing it and see what I come up with. Who said playing with plasticine in kindergarten decades ago wouldn't amount to anything. 

Messing about with hair and some clay for sculpting

A pause in my portrait drawing practice sessions was in order as I decided to go back to basics and try to rectify some things I wasn't too happy about. Chief among my shortcomings was the inability to draw hair well so that was what I focussed on, for starters. Having gotten some valuable advice from Michael Awdry (of the 28mm Victorian Warfare fame) on using willow charcoal as a foundation of sorts, I was intrigued by the few charcoal pencils I had and how it could be used to draw hair. Until I can get my hands on some willow charcoal sticks, I decided to try out my charcoal pencils instead. 

Hair drawing practice using both charcoal and graphite pencils

Less attention was paid to proportions while I concentrated on getting the texture of hair right (see pictures above and below). As I was experimenting without really knowing what I was doing - reason being I didn't find any good online material on drawing hair using a combination of graphite and charcoal pencils - the results were ambiguous at best. I am pretty sure I wasn't using the pencil combo correctly. Hopefully, I can get hold of some willow charcoal sticks soon and try out the method suggested by Michael, who was right in pointing out that charcoal pencils tend to scratch the paper.  

Pencil drawing (hair not messy enough) versus reference photo used for this practice session

I am very glad I decided to learn how to draw concept sketches for my future sculpting projects as it is helping me understand how the human figure is portrayed accurately through art, which can only help when I start sculpting. Speaking of which, my baby steps in the sculpting process continues with the purchase of some polymer clay namely SuperSculpey and SuperSculpey Living Doll. In addition, I bought some cheap house-brand aluminium foil to be used in the sculpting process later.

Some SuperSculpey clay as well as aluminium foil for the sculpting process

I don't have any proper clay sculpting tools on hand yet but I am hoping to sort that out before the end of next month. In the meantime, my drawing and painting will keep me plenty occupied. 

Girl on Fire: Portrait Practice #08 and finding the right Katniss Everdeen pose to sculpt

Every movie has its own iconic scene which embeds itself into our psyche and simply screams out to be replayed again and again, especially for fans. For me, the Girl on Fire segment from The Hunger Games movie is that scene ... so much so that I plan to use it to find the perfect pose for my first sculpting project, codenamed ... duh ... Girl on Fire. So with that in mind, my eighth portrait practice drawing is one of Katniss Everdeen in a moment from that scene. I like this particular Katniss pose because it reminds me of Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's ... must be the hairstyle.     

Portrait Practice #08 - Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games)

Jennifer Lawrence in the Girl on Fire scene

By using better quality drawing paper - Daler Rowney A3 Graduate Sketchbook 160 g/square metre - I was able to get slightly smoother graphite blends for the skin tone. But being my own worst critic and a perfectionist of OCD proportions, I am still not entirely happy with my drawing. I am not making much progress on the drawing of hair and the facial proportions of my portrait drawing still suck (from what I suspect is a result from not having my eye parallel to the paper when I draw).  

Pencil Drawing vs Black and White Photo

Based on a quick rewatching of the Girl on Fire scene, there are two possible subject matters I can based my sculpture on. First is a bust of one of the character's more emotive portrayals during the scene while the other is a complete head-to-toe figure of Katniss Everdeen while she is in mid-twirl and with the lower fringes of her dress on fire. Both are technically beyond the skill-level of a beginner sculptor but maybe beginner's luck can see me avoid a major failure. That's me doing a Grand Moff Tarkin impersonation ... and then we will crush the rebellion with one swift stroke (Dum-dum-dum Dum-dee-dum Dum-dee-dum) ... we all know how well that notion turned out.   

Katniss attending the talk-show interview for the Hunger Games participants

My favourite part of the Girl on Fire scene from the first Hunger Games movie

Anyway, I might be putting the cart before the horse as I still have yet to get some reading done on the sculpting process or even gotten all the supplies I need to actually start sculpting. But without any inspiration to sculpt, the book will likely remain unread and supplies unsourced, so getting inspired is just as important. That's what I keep telling myself as I procrastinate on learning how to sculpt. 

Portrait Practice #07 and a first step in sculpting

Hot, hazy and dry just about sums up the weather in the city at the moment. In such stifling conditions, I found it much easier to draw than to paint. So it was game on for my seventh portrait drawing practice piece. It is based on a photo of Katniss Everdeen (as played by Jennifer Lawrence) that I saw on a magazine cover promoting the first movie of The Hunger Games quadrilogy.

Portrait Practice #07 - Katniss Everdeen

For this piece, I tried to concentrate on shading i.e. using extreme light and dark values to form the facial features. I wasn't too happy with the results as the shading was still patchy in places. So either my technique is wrong or I am doing it correcttly but need more practice. That being said, I was pretty pleased with how the eyes turned out as they seemed to make the drawing more lifelike. 

Hunger Games promo photo of Katniss Everdeen (played by Jennifer Lawrence)

Perhaps one thing I could have done to make the drawing have more depth was to shade the area around her head with matte black. But leaving the surrounding area unshaded was an easy decision to make as I have no idea how to make the border bewtween a matte black background and the head appear seamless. In the end, I lightened the shading throught the portrait drawing to compensate.  

Comparison between a slightly scaled up drawing versus the black and white reference photo

As I have mentioned before, my portrait drawings are part of the overall sculpting process namely the initial concept sketches that are to serve as a blueprint of sorts for my future sculpts. This being the case, I felt that I needed to make a proper start in sculpting per se hence I will be immersing myself in a book by Katherine Dewey titled Creating Lifelike Figures in Polymer Clay (see photo below).

My journey into sculpting begins with this book

Why polymer clay and not other sculpting materials? Well, although I was tempted to use some self-hardening materials available on the market, I didn't want to work under a time-limit when sculpting. It would probably take me days just to get any particular part of a sculpture looking half-decent so to have a sculpting material that hardened in a few hours may result in, for example, a face sculpt that looks like a horses's ass. We wouldn't want that happening now would we? 

Portrait Practice #06 - Working on proportions

As I plan to make Katniss Everdeen the subject of my first attempt at sculpting, I guess it stands to reason that I first try to draw a likeness of Jennifer Lawrence, the actress playing the Hunger Games character. One of the key things I am still struggling with is getting the proportion or scale of a drawing correct. The fact that I draw flat on the table rather at an angle could be a contributing factor.

Trying to draw a portrait of Jennifer Lawrence in the correct proportions 

My latest drawing is based on a general photo of Jennifer Lawrence that I found online and not of her in character as Katniss Everdeen. For this practice session, I used a black and white printout of a JPEG file as reference for my portrait drawing (as opposed to my previous drawings which were based off a computer screen). Doing it this way allowed me to get better measurements for my drawings. Another thing that may help would be to use a proper drawing table which is angled parallel to my eyes. Unfortunately, since I don't have the funds for it, a normal table will have to do.

Photo of Jennifer Lawrence used as reference for my drawing

Yet another possibility as to the not-so-perfectly proportioned/scaled drawing is that my application of the light and dark values (shading) lacks enough depth. I need to add deeper blacks to the darkest areas of a drawing and shade the rest accordingly. But before I do that I might need to get drawing papers of a better quality. The ones I am working with are not very good.  

Comparison between the drawing and a black & white photo

To better see how close I came to drawing an accurate portrait of Jennifer Lawrence, I placed the drawing side by side with a black and white photo. I came pretty close this time but not near enough to where I want to be. Additionally, I also did a comparison between what a photograph of my drawing looks like versus a image obtained using a scanner. I feel the photograph more accurately represents the drawing I made although I will need to find a way to make the photograph brighter. I took the camera shot late at night under dim fluorescent lighting so that could have been factor.

Digital image of a drawing using a DSLR camera versus scanner

Who would have thought that drawing could be so much fun ... hard (for me) ... but incredibly fun. Learning to draw portraits also provides me with valuable knowledge on facial features which I hope can be of use when I start sculpting. For now, all I can do is to put up better drawings (and less cringe-worthy ones) in future blog posts. One portrait at a time towards my own Mona Lisa.  

Portrait Practice #05 - Improving stroke by stroke

With ridiculously warm weather plaguing the peninsula and causing my acrylic paints to dry up super quick even in a wet palette, I decided to continue practicing my portrait drawing instead. These pencil drawings are part of a bigger picture in my miniature hobby in which I hope will lead to the ability to create detailed concept sketches that can be used as blueprints for future miniatures that I want to (learn how to) sculpt. So far, learning to draw again has been a real blast!

My fifth serious attempt at portrait drawing

It is painfully obvious that I have not yet achieved any true resemblance to the reference photos that I am trying to draw. One reason being that my drawing skills are still not up to par but another not so apparent reason is that I am drawing from photos I see on a computer screen. That makes it harder for me to get the correct measurements and proportions for my drawings. Going forward, I plan to print out the photos in black and white to make my work easier and hopefully more accurate. 

Miranda Kerr, former wife of Legolas ... errr Orlando Bloom

But one silver lining is I am slowly coming to grasp with the use of graphite pencils as an art tool. When I look at this portrait of Miranda again after a few months, I will most likely cringe in embarrassment. In fact, I am counting on it for it will mean I have improved my drawing skills. 

Making slow but steady progress on my portrait drawings

This drawing of Miranda Kerr was my incidentally first attempt at shading skin with graphite pencil and blending stumps. Previous efforts were negligible and feeble attempts that look more like line drawings than shadings of varying values of light and dark. To help me get a feel for shading, I did a quick sketch of the interplay between light and shadows on a sphere. I am not very happy with what I achieved in my first try at shading skin with pencils but it's better than leaving it as line drawings.

"Look Peter a ball," said Jane.

One thing's for sure, I will have to revisit my portrait drawings and redo them to determine if I have made any actual progress. Redrawing them after a period of a month or more should give me an idea whether I am improving or not. So it's back to the drawing board for me as more practice lies ahead.

Learning to draw again

With my interest in sculpting gathering momentum, I found myself having to learn how to draw again. Although technically you don't have to be good at drawing in order to start sculpting, I felt that it would be a good starting point for me as I would prefer to have some detailed concept sketches in place before I begin sculpting. This meant picking up a pencil and drawing again after so many years.

A drawing of the eye - the window to your 'soul'

As a kid I loved to draw despite not being really good at it. But sadly, any interest in improving my drawing skills were effectively killed off by a horrible art syllabus in secondary school (high school) which made art one of my most hated subjects. So any nascent interest in art was dead by my teens.

Taking a stab at drawing realistic hair - much more practice awaits

To get things started after such a long hiatus from drawing, I decided to start with the head. After all, if I can't draw a decent face what would be the point of continuing on to the rest of the figure. As with miniature painting, the eyes are - to me anyway - the most important feature of a figure. So I began by trying to draw a decent eye (see above). I have always struggled with hair too so I gave drawing realistic hair a go as well. Other parts such as the nose, ear and lips are also on my to-practise-list.  

My first drawing of Sucker Punch's Babydoll - a potential sculpting project

My first two subjects of my drawing are Emily Browning's Sucker Punch Babydoll character and Jennifer Lawrence's Hunger Games Katniss Everdeen character. Both will likely be my first sculpting subjects so it stands to reason to try a draw a likeness to both actresses. It's no surprise that my first two portrait drawings were not very good and did not have a close resemblance to the photos. A lack of natural talent in art means the only way I can get better at portrait drawing is to practice.  

My first attempt at drawing Jennifer Lawrence, in preparation of a Katniss Everdeen sketch

A sense of relief permeates my first steps in learning the skills required to draw some early concept sketches for my sculpting projects. Relief because for someone who lacks natural artistic talents, learning to draw again after more than two decades was very challenging. But with the mental hurdle of even starting successfully navigated, all that is left for me to do is practise, practise, practise!  

Girls with guns, swords ... and hammers?

Anyway you look at it, girls with weapons is a marriage made in heaven for painters and sculptors alike. I find the concept of associating weapons with girls most appealing. Why? Because it challenges many a society's prejudiced view of women as the subservient and weaker sex ... the very same segment of society that discriminates against you based on the colour of your skin or personal believes. Putting weapons in the hands of the feminine half of humanity is to me, a symbolic gesture of flipping the bird at prejudiced views. And what a better way to start off than Bonnie Parker.       

Bonnie Parker as played by Holliday Grainger

Although the movie about the infamous 1930's outlaw duo of Bonnie and Clyde by The History Channel has been slated by critics for taking considerable liberties with historical accuracy, I think they missed the point. The show was meant to be entertaining, which for me it was, and it provides a take on how a person ends up in a life of crime which reinforces the notion that life is coloured in many shades of grey. Moreover, this latest TV movie remake makes you want to read more about life during the years of the Great Depression in America as any good historical show should do.  

Bonnie and Clyde as envisioned by The History Channel movie

Bonnie would make an excellent subject for a sculptor and painter, something I have been more actively aware of ever since my interest in sculpting was sparked. Weapons and 1930's style of clothing on a sculptor of Bonnie Parker makes for a unique and interesting combination that differs greatly from your regular sci-fi and fantasy stuff. On that note, there is a much more modern version of Bonnie in Roxy as played by Tara Lynne Bar in the movie 'God Bless America'. 

Roxy as played by Tara Lynne Bar

Creeping up on me unawares, 'God Bless America' is one movie that simply stunned and blew me away with its brilliance. A movie in which closed-minded conservative individuals should shy away from as they will not be able to see past the violence, the story revolves around Frank (played by Joel Murray) who is down and out to put it mildly as he has a broken marriage with a child that hates him, has lost his job and has terminal illness. As Frank sits on the couch with a gun in his mouth ready to end it all, he has an epiphany that sees him team up with Roxy (played by Tara Lynne Bar) and proceed to take out the trash of society - [Spoiler Alert Begins] including spoiled teenagers, racist and religious bigots, people who talk in cinemas, and many more idiots of society [Spoiler Alert Ends].

God Bless America - a superb dark comedy

On the surface there seems to be nothing interesting to sculpt or paint where Roxy is concerned, though I beg to differ. As a sculpture, Roxy is a symbolic miniature that represents a stand against the idiocy that seems to envelope the masses, or a non-conformist figurehead if you will. But not all miniatures need to based on serious themes. There is always the fantastical such as Sucker Punch.

Babydoll, the protagonist in Sucker Punch, as played by Emily Browning

Despite 'Sucker Punch' being almost universally panned by so-called serious film critics, I for one enjoyed this movie while still acknowledging it could have been so much better. Directed by Zack Snyder of '300' and 'Man of Steel' fame, this movie had great fights scenes (choreographed by Damon Caro) and stunning visual effects. One possible ambiguity this film represents is that it treads a fine line between female empowerment and sexploitation of female characters for geeky fanboys. Regardless, the characters in this movie make for cool subjects for both sculptors and painters.     

Other girls of Sucker Punch, including Babydoll

Of all the main female characters in 'Sucker Punch', I am most tempted to do some early concept sketches of Babydoll to see how this character can be sculpted by a novice like me. Figures of Sucker Punch characters have been professionally made by companies such as Hot Toys, Sideshow Collectibles and Gentle Giant. My favourite so far is an 18" tall figure of Baby Doll by Gentle Giant.

Babydoll collectible figure by Gentle Giant

But if there is a hint of sexual controversy in the depiction of women in 'Sucker Punch', there is none - in my opinion - of The Bride or Beatrix Kiddo, a character played by Uma Thurman in Quentin Tarantino's 'Kill Bill'. Here, she is purely a mean, lean and lethal killing machine out for revenge. Arguably, the pose of Uma Thurman in a Bruce Lee outfit and holding a samurai sword is possibly the easiest to sculpt and paint. Another cool pose is one in which she is in a wedding outfit. 

The Bride as portrayed by Uma Thurman

Uma Thurman was excellent in Quentin Tarantino's no-holds-barred action movie that pays homage to many film genres (the heroine's costume is already a dead give away). Though admittedly the violence can be at times a tad overwhelming, 'Kill Bill' was engrossing and enthralling to say the least. A simple plot in which Uma Thurman plays an assassin seeking revenge against her former allies for trying to kill her serves as the vehicle in which Tarantino unleashes this masterpiece on us.
This is not a movie for you to analyze the psychological underpinnings of the main characters, of which nearly all are female, but one to enjoy for the well executed homage to Hong Kong martial arts films, Japanese sword fighting movies, revenge and you guessed it ... girls with guns and swords.

Kill Bill Volume II movie poster

Guns and swords most people get but a girl with a hammer? Two words ... Ramona Flowers. One of the few well made manga influenced comic-to-movie translations, 'Scott Pilgrim vs The World' was a delightful little show that was both outlandish and endearing in a quirky kind of way. Ramona is the love interest for the main protagonist Scott Pilgrim who must defeat her seven evil-exes. Sounds silly when you think of it but the plot works a treat and is acted out well in an over-the-top manner that suits the feel of the comics. Ramona is one character I would consider trying to sculpt and paint. 

Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Ramona Flowers in Scott Pilgrim vs The World

Ramona as how she looks in the comics (left) vs her movie version (right)

There is certainly no lack of characters to serve as an inspiration to start learning how to sculpt. But I  will need to take small baby steps and first start out with concept sketches of some of the characters I mentioned so far, including Katniss Everdeen. Fail or succeed it's shaping up to be one hell of a ride.