We’ve had some absolutely cracking miniatures come through the Design Studio doors over the years, and the vast majority of these are courtesy of our two in-house sculptors. I sat down with Wojciech Flis and Marco Sano to find out a little bit more about their backgrounds, process, and what it’s actually like to bring model concepts to life!
How did you get into sculpting? Was it a career path you chose from the start, or something you came to more by circumstance?
WF – It was deliberate, although it started out as a simple exercise! Miniatures were very expensive in Poland at the time, so I thought to myself “I’ll just make my own!”. Using different materials, but mostly FIMO plasticine, I made all sorts of stuff. To be fair, the quality wasn’t great at first but it kept me entertained! I ended up doing it quite a bit, and a lot of my friends wanted conversions of their figures – this gave me a reason to go further. I began my research and, seeking a more deliberate path of what I wanted to do in my life, I came across a few smaller companies that gave me some work experience. Over time, that led to Warlord Games!
MS – Miniature wargaming was my hobby during high school. I mostly gave it up during my 20s, but then picked it up again in my 30s. When Kickstarter came around, I decided to try digital sculpting out, and released a decently successful range of ‘cosmic horror’ figures. This gave me a little bit of visibility, and from there I started doing some freelance work. One of my clients ended up being Warlord, for the Dr Who range, and some time later they hired me full-time.
When sculpting a figure, how do you start? Do you make a basic pose and add detail, or do you make the entire figure, then pose it?
WF – I started out doing ‘traditional’ (by hand) sculpting, but these days I primarily sculpt digitally, so I’ll focus on that process. I learned early on that making a ‘T-pose’ (a basic neutral pose -ed.) is necessary to be consistent in my work. However, my T-pose is different to most. This is because I have a ‘dummy’ or ‘mannequin’ that I dress according to what the figure brief is (historical soldiers mostly!). ‘Dressing’ means that I just block out the shapes that I will need for the final sculpt. On top of my mannequin I put belts, pockets, buttons, trims, cuffs, collars, hats, and all manner of pouches and gubbins, roughly in the places I need. Then I pose the dummy in a way that suits the brief, and only then, having all the elements in place, do I start sculpting. This is all because by doing it this way, I can better see how the folds of the clothes will be bent and stretched according to the movement of the figure. It’s probably easier for me to show you in person – if you visit us at the Warlord Open Day, come and say hi!
MS – Coming from a post-production and video game background, I developed the habit of always starting with models in neutral T-poses. While they’re in this stage, I take care of all of the design aspects of the figure, and then once it’s done I deal with the posing. The image below shows this latter stage, where I can take my ‘finished’ models and pose them according to the brief.
How much research do you have to put into sculpting historical figures?
WF – Because I’ve spent so long sculpting historical figures, I find that I don’t need to do as much research nowadays as I used to – a lot of the time, I will have already done the research previously! However, I always appreciate a brief that contains clear pictures of the uniform – front and back – and a picture of the weapons I need to make. What’s even better is if I can find a video of the weapons being used, as this helps me make everything more realistic. If I’m doing a particular person from history, I’ll do some reading about them, and if something stands out I’ll try to add this to the figure. Research is most fun when it includes characters from historical movies, as it’s great to watch and pause trying to find some cool detail or pose!
MS – I usually receive my briefs from other people in the team, who have written them with historical knowledge, so a lot of the research is already done at this stage – I just need to make it come to life! Of course, I also supplement this with my own research as I often need extra visual reference material to complete a project.
Do you have a favourite type of model or pose to sculpt?
WF – The answer is quite simple – my favourite is always the last figure I’ve done! This is because the last one always represents my current ability, and I’m always trying to make the next figure better than the last. I find that this keeps me focused and entertained, and with the right mindset to always look forward to new challenges. One thing I will say, though, because I get asked this a lot – I really like sculpting hands! There’s something about working out how stuff is carried and used. It’s always a rewarding challenge to get them looking right.
MS – In terms of historical models, I always like working in the medieval and renaissance periods. Outside of that, my preference leans towards fantasy – specifically monsters – which is where I got started!
When you sculpt, do you envisage what the model will look like when painted, or do you mentally focus more on how it will appear before painting?
WF – I like to see my models painted, and it’s always necessary to ensure that they give a good, fun challenge for painters, but when I’m working on them, getting the actual shape right is the most important thing!
MS – I sculpt with painting in mind, in the sense of how ‘paintable’ specific areas are going to be. Working in 3d doesn’t give any sense of scale, and can lead to over-detailing, ending up with figures that look great as renders but are almost unpaintable. This is an issue I see a lot with online files available for home printing. I think it’s good practice to paint my own miniatures once they’re finished, to understand what challenges customers might face.
What are the biggest challenges for a sculptor in day-to-day work?
WF – Staying focussed and not getting distracted! I always listen to something as I work, and I find that this helps a lot. It’s a job that is very much an individual thing so it’s all about finding what works best for you!
MS – As sculptors, we are part of a design ‘chain’, so it’s really important to have all the gears aligned to have a smooth workflow. We need to be prepared for last minute changes that happen for a variety of reasons, from historical errors, to production requirements, or even deadline changes. When changes happen, the biggest challenge is overcoming any frustration and moving on – above all, always try to keep it fun!
What are your favourite figures that you’ve sculpted?
WF – Honestly, my favourite figures change all the time, depending on what I am looking at or doing at that moment!
MS – My favourite historical project so far is the recent Seven Spears of Shizugatake, and the Sláine range would be my favourite non-historical range.
Want to ask Marco and Wojciech more about sculpting? At the annual Warlord Games Open Day, they’re on hand to answer your questions, and show off some of the top secret projects they’re currently working on, along with the rest of the Design Studio team. Keep an eye on our newsletter so you don’t miss out when tickets go live!
