Eldar Bonesinger
I started modelling the Bonesinger with a wire mannequin, as usual. Although the figure wears a big skirt and would have been easy to just start the figure with the whole skirt volume, I decided to start off with the legs. This serve me as a proportion guide and help me keep the volumes realistic. Only very skilled and experienced sculptors start off on the clothes without sculpting anatomies. I cut some plasticard with the shape of the helmet horns and attached it to a little putty ball. This would be my first approach to the head. I also made a sketch of torso muscles, just as an exercise, because again, I didn’t need to. In these first photos I even sculpted a first approximation to the lateral armour plates.
With the legs finished, I sculpted the lower skirt and the straps. I made a mistake here because I made the straps out of Green Stuff and then added Milliput on top to carve the centre of the strap (to make the straps look tighter). I should have started off with Milliput entirely.
The head was pretty easy and fun. The ball was attached to some wire so that I could grab it easily with a hand drill. I just modelled the shapes with Milliput, also adding some on top of the plasticard, to create more rounded volumes.
Now I sculpted the upper skirt. I could model some volume to the front part with a clay shaper. The back part remained plain, as a request from the client.
Then I started with the torso. First I modelled the chest plates and then the plaque which comes from the neck. I also sculpted the gem in the middle and started the rune of the front and the plaques of the back.
Once these were finished, I made the arms out of some wire and attached the head (temporarily) to the body, to see the general aspect. The hand was made in different putty (Magic Sculpt) because I had it modelled previously (I reused the hand from another model which I didn’t finish, but fitted perfectly on this one). Then I sculpted the little plaques for the knuckles.
I modelled the harp (I did another one first but didn’t turn out right) just by filling the properly scaled drawing of the harp with some putty. I let the shape dry and then finished off the harp with some more putty. Then I attached the harp to the arm and started modelling the other. I sculpted the bracelet and the shoulder pad.
Finally I sculpted the left arm entirely, hand, bracelet and shoulder plate. Some finishing touches, and that’s it!
Link to bigger photos: Eldar Bonesinger
