PERSPECTIVES IN MINIATURE: Making Leafs with Fimo Deco Gel

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. .

Wednesday, 10 October 2007

Making Leafs with Fimo Deco Gel

Labels: Groundwork, Modelling Tutorials, Tests with Fimo Deco Gel Posted by CALVIN TAN at 21:36

Fimo Deco Gel is dyed with an oil paint mix of Ivory Black, Yellow Ochre and Prussian Blue.

The gel is painted over the photo-etched leaves. Surface tension of the gel helps to contain the shape of the leafs.

The gel is baked with a heat gun to cure to a rubbery hard finish. It's then peeled off from the photo-etched fret with a scalpel blade.

Close-up of the reproduced leaf.

..and now the clones are ready!

Attach the leafs to a dried weed root with super glue. You may apply some heat from the heat gun to curl the corners of the cured polymer gel and after that it is ready for paint.

Calvin

11 comments:

Dani Serrano said...: Awesome idea, my friend!

One Q! When you say "heat gun" you mean a air-dryer?

Muchas gracias :); 11 October 2007 at 06:18
CALVIN TAN said...: De nada Amigo,

si, the heat gun is like a hair dryer, abet more powerful.

Calvin; 11 October 2007 at 10:17
Dani Serrano said...: Gracias, olvide la "H" (Hair dryer) ;D; 11 October 2007 at 22:42
Ross Mahoney said...: Calvin that is excellent. what is decon gel?; 12 October 2007 at 00:31
CALVIN TAN said...: It's like liquid polymer clay which cures to a solid state when heat is applied.

Calvin; 12 October 2007 at 10:56
Robert Crombeecke said...: Hi Calvin,

great technique!
I guess that heat gun is something that painters use to strip off the paint from window- or doorframes etc. ?

cheers

Robert Crombeecke; 13 October 2007 at 05:54
CALVIN TAN said...: Hi Robert,

yes, that's exactly the same one.

cheers,

Calvin; 13 October 2007 at 21:29
Julian Yap said...: Calvin,

very interesting & novel technique. I'll definitely have a go at this. Beats using PE since the polymer dries giving it 'volume' to an otherwise flat leaves.

Where can i get fimo deko gel thingy?
I'll probably need some bondite putty also.

Julian; 14 October 2007 at 15:42
muncheberg LI said...: Hi calvin! I come from Taiwan.

The Leaves are really Lifelike.

Where can I buy the "Fimo Deco Gel "?

Or what can instead of it?; 14 October 2007 at 23:29
CALVIN TAN said...: You can buy the Fimo Deko Gel from here:

http://www.garieinternational.com.sg/clay/shop/fimo_gel.htm

Calvin; 20 October 2007 at 10:24
Mary Anne Enriquez said...: Just bought your book last night calvin! I am so amazed at your skill!

How do I figure out how long to bake the fimo with a heat gun for? I have used an oven in the past for thicker sculpted fimo...but this technique you posted is awesome as well as inexpensive.

Be careful not to burn the fimo either. The fumes are toxic, and the result is awful.; 9 November 2011 at 21:33