Custom Figure Bases

An aspect a lot of people overlook when creating their figures is the base on which the piece is attached to. All to many just put their passionate figure work on a random piece of wood, sometimes not even wood but some other material. To me, the base is as important as the figure, you should have a base that complements the project you are doing and one that helps the presenatation as a whole.

Recently I came in contact with a gentleman named Gerald Smith, who makes costum bases, he pretty much will do anything you could ever want or need, and probably then some. I first contacted him about an abnormally large base for a vignette/diorama I'm doing. After some back and forth regarding the material the base was completed, and it is a beauty. It is the one in the three picture series below. The top is one piece of Cocobolo wood with gorgeous grain and finish! It is just one example of his excellent craftmanship, the other bases were also made by Gerald.

What is really cool is that if you find a piece of wood you like, Gerald will be happy to make anything you need out of that piece of wood. I love to look for wood online, there are some amazing pieces out there that will help you costumize the perfect base for your projects. Just do a google search for Exotic Hardwood and you will find plenty, and Ebay is a good choice as well. It isn't always cheap, but the figure you are putting on the finished product is well worth it. Most of the time you can get several bases out of one piece of wood as well, so per base it is not that much. I can't think of a way to get more control over your project then that, it is a lot of fun and very rewarding. Really, it is the first time that I've experienced such liberty with the bases, it is awesome not to be limited by the bases you can find that's already finished, now only your imagination will hold you back.

I would highly recommend Gerald to anyone wanting a specific base made or just for a normal single figure base. He is very particular with his work and will work with you until you are happy with the end result. If you need a base send him an email through this link , Email Gerald.