Himmapaan's Customs and What-Nots

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Anything this well done requires time. I believe it requires talent to know to take the appropriate amount of time to complete something. Art isn't created on an assembly line after all..despite what car makers will tell you..

[dinonikes]

Anything this well done requires time. I believe it requires talent to know to take the appropriate amount of time to complete something. Art isn't created on an assembly line after all..despite what car makers will tell you..

I think Cezanne once said that an artist is never finished with a piece- they just have to know when to stop.

[Himmapaan]

Anything this well done requires time. I believe it requires talent to know to take the appropriate amount of time to complete something. Art isn't created on an assembly line after all..despite what car makers will tell you..

I think Cezanne once said that an artist is never finished with a piece- they just have to know when to stop.

Leonardo da Vinci preceded him (as he did many others in a hundred ways  ) with 'Art is never finished, it is merely abandoned.'

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

So we could say that the epitome of art is something that is continually changing and being worked upon then ? Hmmmm.

Knowing when to stop must be a talent..because it always feels like there is more that could done.

[Himmapaan]

I definitely agree that knowing when to stop is crucial. The Leonardo quote is an enigmatic one. On the one hand, it could be interpreted as you say, Chris, but on the other, I get the feeling he also means that an 'abandonment' is inevitable.

Some slightly better pictures of the T.rex.



The extremely fine series of hairlines that look like brushstrokes are not those but are in fact on the model itself. These seem to vary in visibility on different models. On this one, they're most evident on the other side:



I informally call them 'striations', but they're the layers of the material as it's 'printed' up in 3D. On some models in the 'White, Strong and Flexible' material, these can sometimes be painfully obvious. This T.rex is in 'White Detail'.

[brontodocus]

  Wow! I just had to steal your emoticon:  

[Himmapaan]

Hehe, thank you, Dr. Andre! 

[ZoPteryx]

Those paint jobs are amazing!!!

[Lio99]

i like those teeth!

[ihatefeathers144]

Those striations as you've called them is the one thing that turns me off about the Shapeways models. Beautiful paintwork by the way, I can't believe you did that fine mottling with a brush!

[Tylosaurus]

WOW They look as if you airbrushed them,  hey look very realistic now, you did them LIKE A BAUSS!

[Himmapaan]

Thank you, guys.

Those striations as you've called them is the one thing that turns me off about the Shapeways models.

Yes, they can be a pain and almost defeat the point of one's hard work. On some models, they almost don't show up at all. Luck of the draw, I suppose. The Edmontosaurus had none, for instance.

[postsaurischian]

Yes, they can be a pain and almost defeat the point of one's hard work. On some models, they almost don't show up at all. Luck of the draw, I suppose. The Edmontosaurus had none, for instance.

....... !

[robustus_]

You´ve just found another client*...

Awesome paintings, Himmapaan! I´ve always loved your artwork. Very natural-looking, from your sketches and drawings to your painted models. Kudos!





*Once I have the money to buy Shapeways AND pay you

[Himmapaan]

Thanks so much, Robbie.

A small word of caution, if I may.  I'm tentative about accepting commissions as I'm terribly inefficient with turn-around time and have difficulty knowing how to price them. At the moment, if I paint models for anyone else other than myself, it's on the understanding that I may take forever (!). At present, the 'clients' tend to be friends who won't mind that, and I'm consequently happy to do them for very little reimbursement.

This is not to put you off altogether, of course, but just so you're aware if you did decide to ask me!

[Meso-Cenozoic]

Simply beautiful, Niroot! I love your mottled paint FX. It still amazes me how well you work on such tiny surfaces! Doesn't your hands and fingers start to cramp up after awhile? Or your eyesight begin to blur after so long??   But the results, at least for us, are soooo well worth it! 

[Himmapaan]

Thank you, Chuck!

I do wonder if it may only be a matter of time until my eyes give in (even sooner than is commonly expected, that is), but my hands were fine for these. Although you've just reminded me of a book I worked on last year, for which my thumb and index finger endured frequent, prolonged bouts of numbness. The artwork consisted of a great deal of intricate details such as these, and I found myself tensing my grip on the brushes with a severity that doesn't happen with imprecise markings such as on the dinosaurs.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Thank you, Chuck!

I do wonder if it may only be a matter of time until my eyes give in (even sooner than is commonly expected, that is), but my hands were fine for these. Although you've just reminded me of a book I worked on last year, for which my thumb and index finger endured frequent, prolonged bouts of numbness. The artwork consisted of a great deal of intricate details such as these, and I found myself tensing my grip on the brushes with a severity that doesn't happen with imprecise markings such as on the dinosaurs.

If I'm doing really tiny things like eyes I use a magnifying lens..helps out a bit and lessens the strain a  little.

I've been afraid of my eyesight going downhill for awhile..though the past few years I've become more concerned with arthritis ..my fingers seem to always feel like they have pressure building up in them.  I guess we'll just keep tooling along as long as we can eh ?

[Himmapaan]

Indeed. Especially as I'm no good at all for anything else in this life. Though I don't expect to be around for very long at all events. 

I've tried using a magnifying glass before, but found the disjoint awkward and gave me ironically less control. 

[brontodocus]

I've also started using a magnifying lens for very small parts - or to be more precise, magnifying glasses. They only have a 2* magnification but it really helps especially when I'm painting the tiny Shapeways minis. The downside is that I most likely look incredibly stupid when I wear them. However, most of the time I believe I'm not in need of a magnifying lens but rather in need for better and finer paint brushes.