Drummer, 7th Fusiliers, 1781 - Part Two - Fleshing out the Mannequin

Once the pose was finalized it's 'fleshed out' with Aves Apoxie Sculpt. I like to use Aves for the fleshing out part for a couple of reasons. The first being that it is very sticky and soft when freshly mixed, allowing for good grip on the copper wire armature. The second reason is that it is white, a different color then what the rest of the figure will be sculpted in. This allows me to see exactly where the mannequin is, and aids in making the clothing appear in scale and not too bulky.

I like to keep the mannequin fairly skinny at this point, it will be built up in later stages creating the desired bulk. Another thing I like to do is to add as many curves to the body as the pose will allow for. The human body have a  lot of curvature to it, and when adding it to the miniature it adds a little extra to the piece. Raul Latorre is a master at this, and his work is something I study every chance I get. As you can see, the curves are somewhat exagerated, but again, this will be toned down a bit when the final layers of clothing is added, but should still be visible in the final sculpt.

I always pay extra attention to the anatomy at this stage, making sure the proportions are correct, that the knees and elbows are in the correct place on the body etc. It is not a study of human anatomy by any stretch, but rather just a crude body without any real detail. This is fine as long as you have the main proportions in the right places.

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And the drum added to the base to check the over all appearance once more