Doug Watson's collection

[Derek.McManus]

Doug, I would just like to say that your orginal sculpt for the feathered Rex is very impressive! Thank you very much for sharing!

[Doug Watson]

Gorgeous work. It's good for my wallet that you're not in the resin kit game...

Thank you, I dabbled in it with some simple dinosaur kits  but they never sold well and then this gig came along and I had to give up the kit biz.

Seeing the original sculpts I want to get them all now.
To me the Velociraptor is the centerpiece of the new lineup. The Dinosaur Toy world has been in need of it !

Thank you, glad you like it.

Doug, I would just like to say that your orginal sculpt for the feathered Rex is very impressive! Thank you very much for sharing!

Thanks did you see the link to the other originals?

[DinoLord]

Gorgeous work. It's good for my wallet that you're not in the resin kit game...

Thank you, I dabbled in it with some simple dinosaur kits  but they never sold well and then this gig came along and I had to give up the kit biz.

Huh, I never knew you made any kits. I guess it must've been from before my time. Do you have any pictures?

[Doug Watson]

Gorgeous work. It's good for my wallet that you're not in the resin kit game...

Thank you, I dabbled in it with some simple dinosaur kits  but they never sold well and then this gig came along and I had to give up the kit biz.

Huh, I never knew you made any kits. I guess it must've been from before my time. Do you have any pictures?

If you go to http://www.magma.ca/~watsondn and look under Dinosaurs,Ancient Reptiles and Prehistoric Mammals, I did a Utahraptor, Triceratops and T rex in finished and unfinished resin and finished Bronze. They are all pretty dated now and would be very different if I did them today. I also offered 1/12 scale unfinished resins of the life-size Pteranodon pair I did for CMN.

[DinoLord]

Thanks for sharing those blasts from the past! Definitely interesting to compare the T. rex with the latest feathered one. Amazing how much our image of these creatures takes with time.

[sauroid]

we are all so blessed that we are interacting with one of the creators of the very figures that we cherish and admire.

[Doug Watson]

Thanks for sharing those blasts from the past! Definitely interesting to compare the T. rex with the latest feathered one. Amazing how much our image of these creatures takes with time.

Funny now that I think of it I have sold more of the expensive bronze versions than unfinished resins.

[Doug Watson]

we are all so blessed that we are interacting with one of the creators of the very figures that we cherish and admire.

and I get immediate feedback from the people who buy Safari Ltd'd pieces and ideas for new pieces as well.

[suspsy]

we are all so blessed that we are interacting with one of the creators of the very figures that we cherish and admire.

and I get immediate feedback from the people who buy Safari Ltd'd pieces and ideas for new pieces as well.

Right on. Keep toiling away at those all-new Stegosaurus and Triceratops figures, Doug!

[Archinto]

Awesome looking new models Mr Watson! I admire your artistic skills, you have a real knack for accuracy! I have a few of the figures you did for safari, love the Dunkleostus! How difficult is it to get ones foot in the door with a company as a sculptor?

[Doug Watson]

we are all so blessed that we are interacting with one of the creators of the very figures that we cherish and admire.

and I get immediate feedback from the people who buy Safari Ltd'd pieces and ideas for new pieces as well.

Right on. Keep toiling away at those all-new Stegosaurus and Triceratops figures, Doug!

Of course I do have to contend with the occasional attempt by some to get me to tip my hand.

[Doug Watson]

Awesome looking new models Mr Watson! I admire your artistic skills, you have a real knack for accuracy! I have a few of the figures you did for safari, love the Dunkleostus! How difficult is it to get ones foot in the door with a company as a sculptor?

It's funny I have been on here since 2013 and I believe you are the first to ask this question. It is hard for me to say how hard it is since the first time I tried I succeeded. If you are young and just starting out I imagine it might be hard. I had the advantage of sculpting animals for a National Museum for 17 years and then sculpting miniature animals for a US Giftware company for a few years, so I had an extensive portfolio and a track record of working for a private producer of miniatures when I tried to get into this business.  The key I believe is to build a portfolio, pick the type of company you want to work for and target them with your portfolio. In other words sculpt the type of subjects they produce in the size they produce them in and take good pictures.  Keep track of your time so you can give confident estimates for delivery. What I did when I was done with the Giftware company was send three major Toy companies e-mails with images of miniatures that I had done and a description of my background. I only heard back from two of them. The first was a German company that liked my work but was afraid of the distance between us so that went nowhere. The second company was Safari Ltd and as you know we clicked. Don't forget there are other companies that produce action figures, cartoon figures etc. They may not be what want but it is a foot in the door.
You need to practice your craft and only show a company your work when you can create production quality pieces.
Make sure that you show them your best work and if you are successful be warned this isn't a business for lazy people or people with thin skins. If you can't take criticism and won't change your work for anyone don't bother. The client has the last say, make your case but if in the end they want the piece to look a certain way that you don't like, swallow your pride and do it. Also companies are on deadlines so you need to work efficiently and fast. Miss too many deadlines and you will be on the outside looking in.
If you can't get into the toy biz right away don't discount the Giftware companies some sculpt in similar scales and stress accuracy. You do have to keep the fragile nature of the material in mind but it was a great proving ground for me even if they did screw me in the end.

P.S. I just remembered how I got into the Giftware business (its been a while). I have a Web Site that I set up as an online portfolio after leaving the museum showing examples of my work. One of the product developers from the giftware company was searching the web for sculptors, found my site and contacted me through the e-mail I provided. So having an online portfolio can generate work, just be sure to only put your best work there.

[Archinto]

Thats an awesome bit of information, thank you for taking the time to give me such an in depth answer! Proud to be the first to ask said question too!

I can see a portfolio being a necessary piece of artillery when looking into trying to shoot for a company contract. I bet keeping enough sculpts going by certain deadlines can be trying, and has to be treated as a day to day job. I would love to be able to make a living off my art, its just a matter of finding my true happy place. I really enjoy sculpting prehistoric critters. I try to go for as accurate as possible while still retaining some artistic flair.

Being capable of giving the customer exactly what they want is absolutely key! I have learned that from doing other types of commission artwork and it really doesnt bother me when they want something changed. I like the idea of approaching giftware companies too, I wouldnt have thought about that. I'll have to practice on my speed. I've been getting faster at it, and the detail has been getting better Big sculptures are still a bit intimidating though, its been a while since I worked on Geo.... O_o

[Pachyrhinosaurus]

Thanks for sharing your story; I was curious about that, too. Is the giftware company you sculpted for still in production?

[Doug Watson]

Thanks for sharing your story; I was curious about that, too. Is the giftware company you sculpted for still in production?

Funny you should ask. When I started with the Giftware company I resisted working on a royalty basis since you get paid less up front and hopefully make up the balance in sales. Finally after a few years of them asking me to go on royalties I relented. Soon after there was a management shake up and the new manager told me he didn't like to pay North American sculptors when he could basically get the sculpts done for free in China and he especially didn't like to pay royalties. Myself and the other NA sculptors didn't get anymore work and he retired most of the pieces I was supposed to get royalties on. I watched from afar and the quality of the work really went down hill. Eventually he left the company and it was bought out by another Giftware company that kept the old name for the existing lines. I kept getting small royalty payments but eventually they stopped so I did some digging and found out that the whole group had gone bankrupt. So to answer your question, no they are not still in production. Karma.

[sauroid]

Mr. Watson, do you work exclusively for Safari Ltd., or there are other companies you currently work for too?

[Doug Watson]

Mr. Watson, do you work exclusively for Safari Ltd., or there are other companies you currently work for too?

I have worked exclusively for Safari Ltd. since 2003.

[suspsy]

So what were your very first Safari dinosaurs?

[spinosaurus1]

i can't believe i happened to look over this thread. Doug, you have done marvelous work with the recent releases from Safari Ltd. and it's a pleasure reading your informative posts.

[Doug Watson]

So what were your very first Safari dinosaurs?

When I first started with Safari Ltd they had someone doing dinosaurs that they were happy with so all I got were extant species but after a while I got the prehistoric mammals and that lead to me doing the Sue & Friends figures and the AMNH Feathered dinos for the toob so those were my first dinosaurs.