PERSPECTIVES IN MINIATURE: AMT 2007 Diary

ARTIST STATEMENT

In the words of Wilbur Smith "War is the game played by old men with the lives of the young". The pawn in this game is the combat soldier, represented by the miniature toy soldier; an insignificant being on the battlefield. Combat is the most intense moment of war, where life and death balances on a knife's edge. The results are terrifying and reveal the worst part of our human nature. Conversely, there are moments when it exudes the best of our human spirit. Most of the miniatures you see here are diligently researched from historical sources and handcrafted between scales of 1/35 to 1/16 (approx 50mm to 120mm). The intricate rendition of human expression and fine details not only demonstrates the level of craftsmanship but also serves as a reminder of the fragile nature of human life. I represent no political bias though my miniature creations. My aim is to portray humanity through the chronicles of military history and thus it is my pleasure that I present to you my weblog Perspectives in Miniature.

Calvin Tan

WWII GERMAN UNIFORMS - PERSONAL MIXES BY CALVIN TAN

In conjunction with AK Interactive, this exclusive Gen 3 acrylic paint set is specially composed with the essential colours that I use to render WWII German Uniforms. It contains 18 colours and a small pamphlet with my personal colour mixes. If you are keen to acquire all the colours on my palette to paint a field grey tunic, a splinter pattern zeltbahn, an oak-leaf pattern smock or the Kharkov anorak, look no further, this is the set for you to get started.

CALVIN TAN'S BASIC GUIDE TO FIGURE PAINTING

This instructional DVD published by Model Art magazine was primarily developed for the beginner armour and diorama modeller in mind. The video presentation will feature a variety of easy to master techniques used to render a 1/35 scale plastic injected moulded figure.Topics include proper paint application techniques, choice of brushes as well as some little tricks for painting fine detail. It is fundamentally a showcase of some of my methods and techniques for painting military figures and I am certain it will prove beneficial for any modeller who wishes to improve on figure painting. It is currently available in both Japanese and English.

CALVIN TAN'S GUIDE TO CONVERTING AND PAINTING FIGURES

In this third instalment, I will share my techniques and materials to customize and detail an inexpensive stock plastic figure. Watch as I take you through the steps on how I modify a pose, model details such as hands, belts and webbing and insignias. Learn about working effectively with epoxy putty as well as plastic styrene and paper. As a continuation from my first two DVDs, I will demonstrate how to model and paint a simple groundwork as well as an alternate approach using a monochromatic underpainting to render both a field grey tunic and the World War 2 German Splinter Camouflage pattern on a helmet cover. If you have enjoyed and benefitted from those previous titles, this edition will be a welcome addition to your journey in scale figure modelling – regardless of your current skill level. It is my sincere hope that this could inspire you to embark on your own creative adventure in this fantastic hobby. .

Thursday, 12 April 2007

AMT 2007 Diary - Day 1

Labels: Model Shows - AMT 2007 Torrent Spain Posted by CALVIN TAN at 02:14

Hola Todos!

After a 15 hours of flying plus a two hour transit at Schiphol airport with a nerve wrecking episode of seeing my box of exhibits passing through a long security X-ray machine, I´ve finally arrived to Madrid. On hand at Barajas was Samuel Perez who kindly took time off to give me a ride to my hotel. After checking-in, we made a trip down to Samuel´s office where I waited for him to finish work at his office and it was off to the EuroModellisimo Studios to meet Rodrigo Chacon for lunch at 3pm. Yes! you heard me right lunch at 3pm! Spain is on a totally new planet where lunch starts at 2 and ends at 3pm. No wonder their dinners start at 9pm. Anyhow, after that Rodrigo and I headed down to the Museo del Prado to check out the Tintoretto exhibition. Really invigorating visual and insightful experience which will no doubt inspire my modelling. I´m now waiting for head off for dinner with Samuel and Rodrigo. Not sure where they will be heading be something tells me it´s gonna be good ol´fashion Spanish Tapas :) Hasta Luego!

Calvin