PERSPECTIVES IN MINIATURE: Season's Greetings and One Year On....

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. .

Sunday 23 December 2007

Season's Greetings and One Year On....

Labels: Groundwork, Modelling Tutorials, Tests with Fimo Deco Gel Posted by CALVIN TAN at 22:08

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Wow! it did not occur that this blog has been going on for a year now. It has been really fun and encouraging to receive many positive responses and queries about my works and techniques (especially the one about the Fimo Deko Gel). So just to kick up a notch from the small clump of undergrowth from base of the SS Deutschland figure I though why not make a hedgerow during this festive lull based on the techniques described HERE .

Dried sea-foam weed was used as a base to construct the hedge. The texture of the stem is re-created with a thick coating of Gesso primer(type used by artists to prime their canvases)

The sea-foam weed is undercoated with flat black applied with an airbrush.

The individual leaves are carefully attached on to the sea-foam with superglue (yes I know, it's crazy)

Got a little cross-eyed when I took this picture.

Three days old and there's still a lot of bald spots to cover. Thought it does not look like a Christmas tree but it will have to do for me. So here's wishing everyone and all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Calvin

8 comments:

Sergiusz Pęczek said...: Hello! It's amazing! One question where I can buy this sea-foam weed? Is it the same that was in Verlinden stock some years ago? Best regards and Merry Christmas!

Sergiusz Peczek; 24 December 2007 at 00:09
Anonymous said...: Very good idea. But can you tell what extcaly is sea foam ? And can it be primed with black spray ?; 24 December 2007 at 07:58
YongA01 said...: Hi Calvin,

Hats off, that is why your hedgegrow is always more realitic than others I had seen ...given your effort. Well done; 24 December 2007 at 11:39
Anonymous said...: Wow, that`s a pretty crazy method. But it looks really really nice!

m(_ _)m; 24 December 2007 at 15:17
Anonymous said...: Ooops, I neglected to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Again, that`s a pretty awesome Christmas Tree; 24 December 2007 at 15:21
CALVIN TAN said...: Hi Sergiusz,

you that's the same one that was sold by Verlinden at a more exorbitant price if I recalled correctly. I do believe that some craft shops have them in stock if you search hard enough. I got mine many years back at a clearance sale at a local craft/home-deco shop.

Calvin; 24 December 2007 at 17:21
CALVIN TAN said...: Hi Allan, that's something for you to look forward to the next time you're in town!

Calvin; 24 December 2007 at 17:22
CALVIN TAN said...: I'm not sure what sea-foam weed is exactly (God knows if it's an undiscovered virility drug) but that's what some modellers like Steve Zaloga refered to in his Osprey title Modelling the M4(75mm)Sherman. It could be primed with black spray as a more convenient option but you might need to exercise some caution in not to spray too thick a layer of paint.

Calvin; 24 December 2007 at 17:34