Palanquin of life

[Pompusky]

Hi
As you might know, i've recently taken part in the sculpting competition that @Rikard organized.
He suggested that the one who wanted any critique or feedback could ask for it, but the best option was to open a thread so that anyone can express his/her feelings about the miniature.
So, here it is for all of you.
(when i get some tools i am waiting for, i will paint it and upload it here too, but first i want to get my airbrush).

Any constructive critique or feedback will be appreciated.
Thank you very much to everybody

 

[Crowsfoot]

I can't critique it as it is far superior to anything I could do, how long did it take you and what is the cream coloured putty and why did you use that over green stuff?

You got my vote btw.

 

[Pompusky]

It took me a couple of months, although i must admit i did not spend too much time each session with it until the last two weeks, and i had to make several changes as i was not able to fulfill the original plan successfully.

The crean collored putty is Andrea sculp, an epoxy from Andrea

I had one of this that i used to fill the gaps in metal figures. I started the miniature with this because it is sturdy when dried, and also, because i did not know about green stuff (i had never sculpted or converted anything) . After starting with the conversion, a friend reccomended me the green stuff for the details, as it is much better for them. As i saw he was right, i used andrea's epoxy for the "skelleton" for it's superior toughness, but covered in GS to make details.
The reason in the trees is visible is that the vines i made where too thick, but i thought that if i covered the tree with greenstuff, those would be more reasonable vines, and i could add details to the trees

Thank you for your vote, it makes me really happy to think that you, guys, like my work

 

[Rikard]

Depends on how thorough you want in terms of critique.

As a minimum I'd say take your time more with your work, the two big things that stand out to me are:
1.
Finger prints: Always a tricky one, but you can leave the putty to harden a little first, roll it out, then apply it. If it's had enough time you can do it without smudging.

2.
The Tree: I can see where you've made it in sections, it also looks like you've applied a layer straight on to the armature, smoothed it and then applied some texture.

What I'd advise doing is you can do it in segments, but take your time in applying it, even without the bark texture it doesn't just hug the tree, it will still be wider and thicker in parts, splintered and fragmented in others too. I'd recommend applying it in segments (start at the bottom and work up), but I'd also recommend spending more time pushing and pulling in segment as you do so, this will help it blend with the layer below and allow room for the layer above.

 

[shwaym]

Very cool!

 

[Pompusky]

Depends on how thorough you want in terms of critique.

As a minimum I'd say take your time more with your work, the two big things that stand out to me are:
1.
Finger prints: Always a tricky one, but you can leave the putty to harden a little first, roll it out, then apply it. If it's had enough time you can do it without smudging.

2.
The Tree: I can see where you've made it in sections, it also looks like you've applied a layer straight on to the armature, smoothed it and then applied some texture.

What I'd advise doing is you can do it in segments, but take your time in applying it, even without the bark texture it doesn't just hug the tree, it will still be wider and thicker in parts, splintered and fragmented in others too. I'd recommend applying it in segments (start at the bottom and work up), but I'd also recommend spending more time pushing and pulling in segment as you do so, this will help it blend with the layer below and allow room for the layer above.

Thank you very much for the advice.
In fact, i did not realise about the fingerprints until i read it, and then i went back to the photographs, and thought "f***... there you are, indeed"
Next time i will be more carefull about that.
About the trees, you are right. I think all the bark texture was made in the last 24-48 hours, I shall spend more time with that next time i do it, taking into account what you said.
Thank you very much again, i will keep practicing