Sherlock Holmes: Finished piece

Here we go:

Before and after:

Got it finished just in time for christmas even \o/

Photos by Anders Clausen.

Sherlock Holmes: Sculpting part 2

I had the sculpture of Sherlock Holmes:

I'd made a violin and a bow:

The bottlecap was only intended as an size indicator, but pepsi, if you do want to sponsor this page just call me, awright. I drink pepsi max thank you. The strings on the violin btw. were made seperately with a glue gun and then glued to the violin. Swearing is allowed if imitated.

Here I've combined it all in one glorious mix:

I added a watchchain and corrected the arm a bit. One foot broke when I glued it to the base, but that was eaily mended with green stuff.

Hands were done in three stages: Palm first, then each finger positioned seperately. Lastly I'd make the hands and fingers actually look like hands and fingers. Now we're talking!

Last photo by Anders Clausen

Sherlock Holmes: Sculpting part 1

I had my pose, the outfit and the general look figured out. I also more or less had a plan of action. I'd sculpt the main body first, then the outfit and lastly the head, all done using sculpy. Then I'd bake it and add hands and violin, both made in green stuff. I'd have to make the violin first and then attach it to the neck before making the hands, as the hands would have to grasp the violin and react according to its size and shape and not vice versa.

I tried using a very thick and flexible wire this time instead of using many small wires. I'll say it now:. Don't do that. The sculpy will have a hard time sticking to the one wire and you'll hate yourself . On the plus side though, it is easier to cover the wire, but a well made skeleton using many small wires is always better. It takes time yes, but it is worth it. Sing a song while twisting the wires together. With a friend if possible.

I made him twist his upper body to give the sculpture some life and randomness. I also didn't want his left arm parallel with the left leg which would have made him look static.

This was the base for the violin. First I made a rough outline of the body. When that had cured I filled it out with some more green stuff. Lastly I cut, filed it down and carved the details into the body (the F-holes ( I'm not kidding)). Then I could concentrate on the neck.

The added pin would later become the figerboard. Finally I sculpted the fingerboard, tailpiece, bridge and scroll.

This was the last sketch I did before starting on the deatil. I made it just to make absolutely sure I hadn't any misconception of how f. ex. he should be holding the bow string, how he parts his hair or what kind of shoes he wears.

Sherlock Holmes: Sketces

I've always loved action figures, especially the old Action Force/ G.I. Joe range because you could pose them so easily. My brother also have an deep seated interest in action figures. This christmas I decided to give him a cool gift. It's said the best gift is the one you make yourself. Well, I didn't think a drawing or an ashtray would make him jump for joy, so I decided to do something a little more ambitious.

As well as having a common interest in minatures, we're both huge fans of Sherlock Holmes, epecially when he's played by the legendary Jeremy Brett. The answear was obvious; Make him a Sherlock Holmes sculpture for christmas! Here goes..

First off I wanted to make the iconic Sherlock Holmes, i.e. he should be doing something he's known for, examining a crime scene or smoking his pipe, but which? You always see him running round with his deerstalker and magnifying glass, but that was too obvious a choice for my taste. That is why I like Jeremy Brett's interpretation of Sherlock Holmes. He almost never wears a deerstalker. He's known for playing a violin in a robe though... hmmm, now we're getting somewhere.

 

Leasure suit and playing a violin it was then. Now I just had to figure out  his look. If I could pull it off I'd go for the Jeremy Brett version ( I may have mentioned before I liked his version of Sherlock Holmes) I opted to go for realism as much as my skills would permit me to.

As my Sherlock would be plaing the violin I wanted him to be wrapped in the music. This helped me a lot when figuring out his pose.

When I sculpt I aim for the model to be interesting from all angles. Again you have to balance this with realism. I remember once being told that the world famous skulpture of the greecian disc thrower was a bad sculpture because of his realistic pose. He looks good when viewed from the front or from behind, but when viewed from the side he looked, quote; "As a wounded soldier" That can't be good, can it?

So: Energetic movement, realistic pose and no "weak" angles to make it look uninteresting. OK THEN!