Miniature Figurines
Do you have a favorite image in your mind that you’d like to to be able to physically see, to spark your imagination…or help you remember a particularly poignant memory? Perhaps a favorite time with your pet. Or a favorite activity. Maybe you have always ‘seen’ yourself (or a loved one) in a way you’d like to see brought to life (so to speak).
One form of artwork that we specialize in is the creation of handmade, miniature figurines. Each is a uniquely created, ‘One-of-A-Kind’ (OOAK) sculpture, in 54mm scale. We started creating these miniatures in order to spice up our game nights with various board games. Each of us has a cardholder, with a unique ‘character’ that symbolizes each of us, personally. The character has a special place it can be set on each cardholder, representing each player’s personality in the game. I originally just wanted to add some ‘eye candy’ to our games, to keep everyone interested between their turns. Since then I have branched out, and began creating larger, and often more impressive figurine sculptures similar to the humble game piece beginnings.
We would like to offer you the opportunity to have your very own handmade, miniature figurine. The figurine’s look and character, attached base, surrounding scenery, and other additional features can all be customized, as per your specifications…and limited only by your imagination!
Below are a few examples of figurines, and/or dioramas which I have created. Most are pieces that I used to gain experience of various sculpting techniques. I'm always tempted to go back and 'fix' what I later think of as a 'practice' figurine, but I tend to force myself not to for one very important reason: they serve as examples...as reminders... for me of where I have come from in my art, and help to show a progression as I have experimented, as I have learned. Though it's often hard to not consider these examples as 'mistakes', I've done my best to instead consider them as a working history, a physical record of my growth as an artist. Its sometimes emotionally painful to look at a piece (“Why did I ever do THAT...?!?”), it helps to remind me that I am always learning, and that I always will be. That, in turn, helps to motivate me to continue in those moments that are dry of inspiration and creativity...or just motivation, period. As an artist, its sometimes hard to be motivated to create that next piece, and I find looking back over my older works helps inspire me to do more, and (to me) better things than where I have come from in my art previously.
The Robber!
This was where it all started…the very first sculpture I tried making! I created this game piece for our own game nights, using some ideas I had for what I thought the piece should look like…didn’t turn out too badly! If you look very closely, you’ll notice that the figurine doesn’t actually have any hands. It was some time (and much experimentation!) later that I figured out how to make suitable hands for my figurines.
Wally, Sit!
A gift to my Employer’s Wife (both are avid board gamers). She long ago requested a figurine of herself…and a horse. I couldn’t figure out how to fit a horse on the small base that fits in the card holders, so my wife did a small wood carving of her beloved canine friend instead! This was the first time we had tried incorporating a secondary figurine, in this case a wood carving, into a figurine. I failed miserably when I attempted it, but fortunately my wife is a more skilled carver than I am!
Healing Reign
This was a ‘character’ figurine I made for a friend, who is a local pastor. She loves board games, and I wanted to craft a piece that eloquently incorporated both of her passions. This was the result. There was a great deal of symbolism worked into this piece, more than actually originally imagined. The open scroll was difficult to fit into the figure's hands and still have it positioned correctly, allowing both for the impression that the character is reading from it, but also allowing for a respectable view of the scripture reference we wrote on it.
Old Wolf
This is MY ‘character’ figurine. It represents my love of all things medieval, as well as the fact that I was always an ‘old soul’, even as a child. This was the first time I attempted creating 'armor' on a figurine. The results were OK, but I gained a lot of knowledge in the process. Creating the shield was fun, and I will probably use the same process to create individual armor pieces in the future...rather than the one I experimented with for the individual armor pieces on this figurine.
Potbelly Friar
This was another gift I made for a friend. It was the first figurine I made that had actual 'feet'. I somehow didn't get a picture of the feet at the time I was making them (must have been a busy weekend!), but suffice it to say, they turned out really well, especially for a first attempt! I used many of the same techniques I developed for creating hands, but had to make some unique bends to create the shape of each foot. I actually felt really bad when I added sandals and had to glue each foot down to the base, forever covering up all the detail I managed to obtain in the process! But that's often the case when you are creating something, especially for the first time. You often go overboard with detail, just so you know what IS possible, even if you later end up covering most of it up, hehe...
Flutterby Princess
This is my daughter’s ‘character’ figurine. She wanted me to create a figurine with butterfly wings attached to its dress, similar to a dress she had at the time. She had little butterfly wings that she's strap on like a backpack. It looked pretty cool, and she was proud of the outfit, so I wanted to help us all remember it in some way. I searched EVERYWHERE for a hole punch I could use to create those butterflies with...I finally found something at a local 'dollar store'!
On The Wings of Eagles
This was a diorama I created, inspired by the local First Nations Peoples. My wife, a brilliant painter, created the stunning backdrop for the piece. We know several First Nations individuals who share our faith, and this was made as a testimony to them.
Marie Scarlett
This is my wife’s ‘character’ figurine...a pirate, inspired by one of her favorite movies growing up, “Pirates of the Caribbean”. She originally wanted me to create a “Captain Jack Sparrow” figurine for her…but I told her that she needed a female pirate instead. After seeing the results, she agreed…! This was the first 'scene' I created. There's a LOT of detail, all crammed into a small space. Since I wanted this to fit on the card holders we made, I only had a very limited space to work with. The crates show that this scene is taking place in the hold of a ship. Captain Scarlett has just broken open a treasure chest she found there, and is admiring a ring she took from it! This was the first figurine I made using wire hands, allowing each finger to be moved individually, and even to grasp items if so desired (such as the sword in her other hand).
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