New Clear final imges of Punisher from SS [Archive]

sculptfu

02-13-2005, 12:15 AM

It's a good sculpt of a face, but doesn't really represent any particular artist style of Frank Castle. Looks a little bit like Bela Legosi (excuse the spelling, the guy that played Dracula). And what's with the worms running through his fore arms? Andy is a terrific sculptor, but personally I think that Sideshow is totally wasting his talent. One of his strongest skills is the realistic sculpting of clothing and textures, and they have him working on sculpts with real fabric on them? Sideshow still seems to be running on a garage kit mentality that people are just going to accept whatever they produce. As a long time Marvel fan these sculpts are completly missing the mark in my opinion. The Green Goblin was by far the best of the three, but still to stylized for my taste. I'm sure they will sell well, just not to this Marvel fan...

hellspawn77

02-13-2005, 01:23 AM

Andy Only sculpted the head and it Tim Bradstreet's version of the Punisher. Andy original sculpt is way better before they painted it plus you have to light it like Bradstreet's covers to see how well Andy pulled it off... tha't sort of the problem with doing Bradstreet's version as he add pools of black around the eyes and under the cheeks so its hard to make out what the actual person looks like...

I saw a pic of andy's original sculpt lit the same way as bradstreet's covers and it looks really good...

He didn't sculpt the body and those arms in the pic are resculpted from what he tells me so those have been corrected...

just FYI ;)

claudio

Bullseye

02-13-2005, 09:07 AM

It seems to be a common problem converting a very good sculpt with a paint job. There also seems to be an exclusive in the works from the article?

sculptfu

02-13-2005, 11:09 AM

Claudio thanks for the info. It's obvious that they were going for the Bradstreet version, it just doesn't look that much like it, lighting or not. You have to wonder what the agenda is at Sideshow when three of the best likeness sculptors in the business can't get work there, but they are still turning out pieces like this. Again, I'm not knocking Andy, I think he is really talented, I just think that likenesses aren't his strongest ability. I have bought some of the 12 inch Sideshow figures, but they are all in a pile waiting for Joy to find time to resculpt all the heads. When you spend money on something like this, you want to be able to display it right away.

Bullseye, it isn't that hard to produce a good paint job. That picture is probably a prototype, which should have the ideal look of what the final product "should" look like. Our studio has paint master several DC bobbleheads that sell for around $10-$12 each and look as nice as any $150.00 statue coming out. You have to make sure the factory has a good paintmaster to work from. At 1/4th scale they should be able to put a really nice paint job on the head. Over the years I have observed that a supernice paint job can save a mediocre likeness sculpt, but it takes a really bad, almost ameuter (sp?) paint job to hide a top notch sculpt. We are working on a project now that involves 1/6th heads being manufactured in the orient, and I understand the issues involved in reproduction. Rarely does the manufacturing process ever make the product look better than the prototype...

Zurbaran1

02-13-2005, 11:21 AM

You Da man Azog. The face could be better but over all I think it's pretty cool. I hope they don't screw the pooch when they do Thor, I'm already saving my pennies for that one.

G, as with most of these some shading on the face will probably make a world of difference. What say you Paint Masters?

RickDTM

02-13-2005, 11:26 AM

Agreed Z. A little "resurfacing" should work some magic on this guy. Tom is right, rarely do the production pieces look anything like the paint masters.

sculptfu

02-13-2005, 11:38 AM

Unfortunately the painting of toys and statues is way behind the leaps made in sculpting and 3 dimensional reproduction. Artist who are skilled with airbrush (and some with traditional brush only) can but some wicked shading on these pieces. If you ever have the chance to see a model contest like Wonderfest you will see paint jobs that blow away anything on the market in prepaints. Finding a factory that can reproduce that kind of paint job in mass quantities is difficult, if not impossible. Sometimes it seems that asking a factory to "stay in the lines" while they are painting these things is asking to much. I'm pretty sure that cost is a factor as well. In order for a company to stay on their price point, there are only so many paint applications they can have, before it begins to become cost prohibitive. It would be very difficult to shade that Punisher head with paint to get the same effect as Bradstreet's style of painting. You would end up with something like the five o'clock "shadow" on the Bowen bust. They probably should have gone for an amalgam of different artist styles to create a head sculpt, instead of baseing it on an artist style that would be difficult to reproduce in 3D...

Ray Villafane

02-13-2005, 12:35 PM

Sculptfu , Who do you consider to be 3 of the best likeness sculptors that are unable to get work there?

sculptfu

02-13-2005, 03:11 PM

Sculptfu , Who do you consider to be 3 of the best likeness sculptors that are unable to get work there?

Joy Snyder, Jeff Yeager, Thomas Kuntz

Yeah Joy is my wife, but I would match her against any of the Sideshow sculptors or ANY sculptor in this industry. I recently heard that these other two gentleman had inquired about work at Sideshow and were given the no thank you. At one point Sideshow only wanted to hire "local" talent, so I could understand why a company in California would have no interest in hiring a sculptor in Florida. However Yeager and Kuntz both live in the LA area and were established likeness sculptors long before anyone ever heard of Mat, Olaf or Andy. Maybe these other guys ask for too much money? I only heard one side of the story. The problem way to often in this industry is that hiring decessions are often based on who you friends are, and not ability. You see friends on the boards praising each others work, and it gives those who are ignorant of what good sculpting is a biased opinion of who is "good" and who isn't. We have always let our work speak for itself, with obviously mixed results. Lukily we have plenty of work coming in so it's all good. I just hate that this kind of situation exist, were artist are judged by who they know, instead of what they can accomplish...

kitman

02-13-2005, 04:05 PM

Sculptfu,

I visited Sideshow last December for a possible article in Modeler's Resource.

I can tell you from personally being there myself that few of the sculptor's are actually in house (they have sculptor's world wide). From the people I talked with both from the company and the sculptor's they do not hire based "on who you know". it's based on "what you know" I got the impression when they hired they based it on if you can FIT into the Sideshow family persoanlity, ability, drive etc.
Location of the artist has far from anything to do with it..................it has to do with can you work together as a team, be a team player and grow as an artist in their company.
This is just the insight I picked up while spending a good part of 3 days hanging out with the whole crew of Sideshow.

If you were to understand how, personality and the way you come across to people plays just as an important roll in getting hired, be it sculpting, a waiter or whatever. Talent does not the whole make! This is what most respectable companies want in an employee today.

Kitman

Ray Villafane

02-13-2005, 04:26 PM

hellspawn77

02-13-2005, 04:27 PM

Just supporting what Norm already mentioned...

I know how Andy got his gig with sideshow and it had nothing to do with him being freinds or what not, becuase they simply saw an old sculpt he did and it went from there. Besides Andy's a great person, proffessional, and easy to get a long with, so that is a major piece of the puzzle.

Who they hire is their business ultimately and you shouldn't take it personally if they don't hire you. I may be that they don't see things like you or the other artists mentioned. Obviously they don't see things the way I do either - and that's cool.

from my understanding you don't even like their product so why would you want to work for them? Paying the bills, ok me too, but then isn't that a bit hipocritical?

Why not just go for the companies that you do want to work for? Not judging you or anything - just a different perspective.

I think if you don't like what they are doing - do it yourself. And when I say this I'm not trying to be a jerk (far from), ultimatley this would give you the freedom of doing things your way (and Joy's) which could very well be a better product then sideshow - why not?

it been done before and will continue... there is always room to up the bar...

Claudio

hellspawn77

02-13-2005, 04:31 PM

Well there are many opinions on the matter but from day 1 when I first stumbled across Bergholtz's work, before I ever began any sort of dialoque with him, I then and now consider him to be one of the VERY BEST IN THE INDUSTRY, and quite a bit better than others that follow. I've seen online portfolios and websites of many and although alot of them might feel they are not getting the work with Sideshow portraits because of who they know I think for others the reasons may be more apparent. They look for many things. Andy's sculpts are so incredibly clean and and detailed as well as obtaining great likenesses. Sure there will be many who evny Andys relationship with Sideshow, but to credit his success with who he knows is a far stretch.

Also, in cinversing with Andy, I know for a fact that Matt Falls looks for the cleanest sculpt when picking his artists - he make sthe decision ultimately. so if you don't see it like he does then there is no point trying to get work with Sideshow...

Just because Sideshow likes Clean sculpts doesn't mean that everybody does - look at mcFarlane. They are clean, not as clean as sideshow, but to me, more interesting. That's just me though - itsv ery subjective. Lots of people hate mctoys...

Claudio

Ray Villafane

02-13-2005, 04:37 PM

Also, in cinversing with Andy, I know for a fact that Matt Falls looks for the cleanest sculpt when picking his artists - he make sthe decision ultimately. so if you don't see it like he does then there is no point trying to get work with Sideshow...

Just because Sideshow likes Clean sculpts doesn't mean that everybody does - look at mcFarlane. They are clean, not as clean as sideshow, but to me, more interesting. That's just me though - itsv ery subjective. Lots of people hate mctoys...

Claudio

I agree 100% on both comments. To me the stuff that McFarlane staff sculptors put out is my favorite.

hellspawn77

02-13-2005, 04:39 PM

I agree 100% on both comments. To me the stuff that McFarlane staff sculptors put out is my favorite.

hehe...biased aren't we! :D

JOKE!

Claudio

Ray Villafane

02-13-2005, 04:45 PM

Nahh...I'm doing a single commissioned sculpt for them. I'm talking about their in house sculpts thare are done utilizing the efforts of many talented people. They draw from the individual strengths of many to produce some of the best sculpts in the industry.

Ray Villafane

02-13-2005, 04:45 PM

Their Texas chainsaw dude in the wheelchair is so freakin awesome.

spider-man

02-13-2005, 04:48 PM

It's a nice sculpt ,Im sure the cloths are real and will make this one EXPENSIVE.

hellspawn77

02-13-2005, 04:53 PM

Their Texas chainsaw dude in the wheelchair is so freakin awesome.

I LOVE their new Military line - their best work yet!

*I know... I was teasing you! haha! :D

I'd love to know the technique they use for making that unifrom texture all over...probably a sanding pad used as a texture stamp...

I dunno...Mcfarlane is just so inpiring to me :)

Claudio

Sniper

02-13-2005, 05:37 PM

why not have a spawn full size statue
This is something I cant believe he has not made !!!!
If the figures come out awesome , the statue would be killer , maybe based on a cover art?

kitman

02-13-2005, 06:36 PM

Andy's work is top notch and speaks for itself for sure :)
I also see Sideshow as willing to take changes with and step outside the box with their sculpts...........which is very encouraging

Norm

sculptfu

02-13-2005, 07:14 PM

I can tell you from personally being there myself that few of the sculptor's are actually in house (they have sculptor's world wide). From the people I talked with both from the company and the sculptor's they do not hire based "on who you know". it's based on "what you know" I got the impression when they hired they based it on if you can FIT into the Sideshow family persoanlity, ability, drive etc.
Location of the artist has far from anything to do with it..................it has to do with can you work together as a team, be a team player and grow as an artist in their company.

Kitman

After sending in pictures a few times I received an email from Greg Anzalone, the president of Sideshow, stating that they were only hiring sculptors that lived in California. That's what I based my statement on.

sculptfu

02-13-2005, 07:31 PM

Well there are many opinions on the matter but from day 1 when I first stumbled across Bergholtz's work, before I ever began any sort of dialoque with him, I then and now consider him to be one of the VERY BEST IN THE INDUSTRY, and quite a bit better than others that follow. I've seen online portfolios and websites of many and although alot of them might feel they are not getting the work with Sideshow portraits because of who they know I think for others the reasons may be more apparent. They look for many things. Andy's sculpts are so incredibly clean and and detailed as well as obtaining great likenesses. Sure there will be many who evny Andys relationship with Sideshow, but to credit his success with who he knows is a far stretch.

While I agree with you 100% that Andy's sculpts are clean and detailed, he's not that great at capturing a likeness. I'm not trying to take anything away from the man's talent. Just take some good photo reference and compare it to the sculpts. Everyone was raving about the Son of Frankenstein, and it was a nice piece of sculpting in composition and design. I got a close look at it at Wonderfest, and frankly the likenesses were not that great. See, my problem has always been that I'm not afraid of saying things in public that other people will say in private. I think (and I'm not alone in this) that Mat Fall's agenda has more to do with hiring artist on the same skill level as himself, and not hiring the best people for the job. If some perceive that as envy, that's their business. We found another company who appreciates Joy's ability, so all is right with the world as far as I'm concerned. I just know from talking to a lot of dealers and collectors that these folks want a better product than Sideshow is delivering...

Ray Villafane

02-13-2005, 09:59 PM

Mat Fall's agenda has more to do with hiring artist on the same skill level as himself, and not hiring the best people for the job..

I truley admire your wifes work and have voiced that in the past to you, but I have noticed you often feel a need to validate to her skills to yourself by discrediting others in the industry, whether it be sculptors or those who hire them. I can appreciate that you are probably your wifes biggest fan as it should be but there are certainly many many other individuals who might prefer the looks of Andy's pieces over hers. Because of this I think the remark about Matts desire to hire individuals only at his skill level could easily be seen as envy or resentment that they did not opt to use her services.

Kdawg59

02-13-2005, 10:45 PM

Andy Rocks!!! If I can someday sculpt as 1/2 clean as him I will be accomplished indeed!!!

SithLord11572

02-13-2005, 10:59 PM

why does he look like Tommy Lee Jones.....it could of been done better

Andy Bergholtz

02-13-2005, 11:00 PM

I think (and I'm not alone in this) that Mat Fall's agenda has more to do with hiring artist on the same skill level as himself, and not hiring the best people for the job.

Well, I can tell you with every bit of certainty that exists in my being, that this statement is complete and utter horsesh**. Think what you will of my opinion, but I'm not speaking with bias... I get no 'bonus' at the end of the year for saying this. ;)

The fact is, there are many reasons that certain sculptors might not get a job with Sideshow (or any company for that matter). Perhaps they are too expensive. Perhaps they are not willing to sculpt a generic military character before getting assignments on the more 'glorified' characters like Frankenstein or Darth Vader. Perhaps they are too difficult to communicate with, or are too reluctant to deal with revisions. In the end, however, the most common reason is that they are simply not good enough. There are a large quantity of sculptors out there who can capture an amazing likeness, but the surface-finishing is extremely sub-par (and vise-versa). Sideshow has established (from day one) a certain standard of quality, that tries to capture both of these aspects in a sculpture. It might not be everybody's cup of tea, but it's the way they like to do things. This fact, combined with the other aspects that Kitman mentioned, are all part of the philosophy that gains acceptance at the company.

Granted, not every likeness by Sideshow has been a home-run, but that's an impossible feat to be claimed by any company's body of work. For the majority, I personally feel that Sideshow's collection of likenesses are incredible (my pitiful attempts notwithstanding :) ).

Some folks think that because they haven't been hired by Sideshow that it's because "they don't know the right people", which is completely ludicrous. I'm a living testament to the contrary! I was scared sh**less when they first approached me for work, I didn't think I had anything to offer that would hold a candle to the work Mat and Oluf were doing (I still don't on most days). Anyway, I guess it all worked out.

As for the Punisher, he definitely could be improved (as could just about all of my pieces), but for all intents and purposes I think he turned out ok. So did Marvel and Tim Bradstreet, so I guess we did something right. :( Here is a pic of the original sculpture, which might better represent it's source material due to the lighting conditions...

http://img218.exs.cx/img218/3536/pun14cz.jpg

And yes, I did resculpt the arms (the ones in Azog's pics were early prototypes done by another artist). The, um, "worms" will be more appropriately rendered in the final product.

edit: For the record, I agree with Sculptfu about the Son of Frankenstein piece, what I wouldn't give to revisit those likenesses.

Zurbaran1

02-13-2005, 11:05 PM

Welcome to the forum hulkfan. Quite an entrance :D You're sculpt is awesome and I would have to agree with just about everything you say. Lately I have been spending a great deal of money on Sideshow pieces (mostly LOTR) and I don't think there's much doubt that they are the hot company right now. I think most of their work is top quality. Your Punisher rocks, no question.

Azog

02-13-2005, 11:05 PM

:buttrock: Rock on Andy, said it before, and I'll say it again great work

RickDTM

02-13-2005, 11:06 PM

LOVE that shadow pic. Very very cool!!

Andy Bergholtz

02-13-2005, 11:16 PM

Thanks guys (thanks for the welcome Zurb)! :o

One other thing---

...it takes a really bad, almost ameuter (sp?) paint job to hide a top notch sculpt...

You're joking right? The wrong paintjob (even a technically good one) can take the likeness out of any sculpture, and vise versa. I've seen many a good sculpt lose all it's life and attitude because the wrong color scheme is chosen, etc. Heck even something as simple as the wrong shade of brown on an eyebrow can throw off an entire likeness. In my experience, I would say it's extremely difficult not to detract from a sculpture by adding paint (hence the appreciation for the rare gifted artisan like Rick Cantu or David Fisher). I'm surprised that someone as well-versed in the 'ways of the likeness' such as yourself doesn't find this obvious. This is why I (and almost every other sculptor I've met) prefers to display sculptures in their raw form, perhaps with gray primer, rather than painted.

sculptfu

02-13-2005, 11:51 PM

I truley admire your wifes work and have voiced that in the past to you, but I have noticed you often feel a need to validate to her skills to yourself by discrediting others in the industry, whether it be sculptors or those who hire them. I can appreciate that you are probably your wifes biggest fan as it should be but there are certainly many many other individuals who might prefer the looks of Andy's pieces over hers.

Hey all I do is express my opinion just like everyone else. Instead of just saying something sucks, or I don't like it, I try and express the reasons why. As far as being my wifes biggest fan? This has nothing to do with it. Ray when you quit teaching and start trying to support your family doing this you will begin to understand what I'm saying. No one is a harder critic on our work than we are. In this business you have to be totally subjective about your work. When I say Joy is one of the best sculptors in the business at likenesses, it's because all the evidence I've seen tells me it's so. We study this stuff to death, to make our efforts better. I don't know that I have ever tried to discredit anyone. In this situation I genuinlly feel that Joy is more qualified. That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it. There are plenty of other people who think and feel the same way I do. Andy got the gig and I'm honestly happy for him. For a long time we have held off on taking orders to sculpt replacement heads for Sideshow products, in the hopes that we might someday get work there. Since there is no chnace of that happening we will start to reconsider those offers...

Ray Villafane

02-14-2005, 12:06 AM

The "biggest fan" comment wasn't meant to be offensive. I was simply stating that although I'm sure you would support her efforts more than anyone else that perhaps others see things in a more objective angle. Like Andy stated, a company like Sideshow may take many facets of a sculptors abilities and although Joy may posses the skills to capture a likeness there are other qualities they may think her sculpts lack. As crazy as that might sound every sculptor has strength and weaknesses.

sculptfu

02-14-2005, 12:15 AM

The fact is, there are many reasons that certain sculptors might not get a job with Sideshow (or any company for that matter). Perhaps they are too expensive. Perhaps they are not willing to sculpt a generic military character before getting assignments on the more 'glorified' characters like Frankenstein or Darth Vader. Perhaps they are too difficult to communicate with, or are too reluctant to deal with revisions. In the end, however, the most common reason is that they are simply not good enough. There are a large quantity of sculptors out there who can capture an amazing likeness, but the surface-finishing is extremely sub-par (and vise-versa). Sideshow has established (from day one) a certain standard of quality, that tries to capture both of these aspects in a sculpture. It might not be everybody's cup of tea, but it's the way they like to do things. This fact, combined with the other aspects that Kitman mentioned, are all part of the philosophy that gains acceptance at the company.

Thanks for the explanation. For what it's worth we were never ask what we would charge, what we would be willing to do ect. Frankly I think it's a pretty f'ed up way to run a line of product that's suppose to be based on real people, but I'm not paying the bills, so what's my opinion worth?

Granted, not every likeness by Sideshow has been a home-run, but that's an impossible feat to be claimed by any company's body of work. For the majority, I personally feel that Sideshow's collection of likenesses are incredible (my pitiful attempts notwithstanding :) ).

I have to respectfully disagree here. But again that's my opinion, based on the fact that I go back and study each of these sculpts (and those of other companies as well) and compare the sculpts to actual photographs of the characters. I don't rely on memory or the clothing or costume to convence me.

Some folks think that because they haven't been hired by Sideshow that it's because "they don't know the right people", which is completely ludicrous. I'm a living testament to the contrary! I was scared sh**less when they first approached me for work, I didn't think I had anything to offer that would hold a candle to the work Mat and Oluf were doing (I still don't on most days). Anyway, I guess it all worked out.

As for the Punisher, he definitely could be improved (as could just about all of my pieces), but for all intents and purposes I think he turned out ok. So did Marvel and Tim Bradstreet, so I guess we did something right. :( Here is a pic of the original sculpture, which might better represent it's source material due to the lighting conditions...

It looks cool with the lighting on it, but why go with this version when it's going to be impossible to duplicate that look in paint? Seems like it would have been easier to do a more "generic" Punisher that would come off better when painted

And yes, I did resculpt the arms (the ones in Azog's pics were early prototypes done by another artist). The, um, "worms" will be more appropriately rendered in the final product.

Thats good to know.

edit: For the record, I agree with Sculptfu about the Son of Frankenstein piece, what I wouldn't give to revisit those likenesses.

Well I'm sure I didn't win any brownie points with my comments, but at least I was willing to say it "in public' and not behind your back. We don't think everything we do is perfect either, but that's the only thing that allows people to grow as artist. I've been aggravated about this for a long time, and I apologize if my comments bothered anyone. I really have no reason for letting this get to me. Starting next week Joy's head sculpts are going to be seen on national tv every week for six months, so maybe a lot of people will see what I've been talking about. I tried being a nice guy in this business for way to long, and it hasn't gotten us as far as we have the ability to go. That's why I'm trying the @$$hole approach for awhile...

Lunchmin

02-14-2005, 12:18 AM

i know my opinions of good and bad are questionable,
but bloody hell- just look at the pic of the castilene original! it SCREAMS bradstreet and punisher!
this one of my favorite pieces that you have done, andy (and the x-files guy. simply unreal). the whole feeling and finiish of the piece is just superb.
i swear it looks like it's breathing.
i can see some people's concerns with the pic of the painted prototype... but i think it all revolves around the idea of doing a "bradstreet" piece. that's a toughie, unless you plan to light every pic of it like the comics, with all the deep blacks.
that said, i think it rules regardless and if we saw a pic of the prototype dimly lit- i think we'd all swear we were seeing the comic.

-gabe

Andy Bergholtz

02-14-2005, 12:25 AM

Cripes, thanks Gabe!

Sculptfu, don't get the wrong impression... The 'tone' of your posts, etc, isn't a concern of mine. We're all big enough to let attitudes roll off our backs.... And nobody is beyond criticism, hey I invite it whole-heartedly. The thing that bothers me is when people make claims about people, or companies, without having the first clue what they are talking about. It's a matter of being informed before you speak. I'm not sure where to find these little elusive circles of people who evidently "share your views" of the way things work at Sideshow... Maybe now that you've heard it from the horses mouth, you'll not feel so bitter. There is no 'conspiracy' against Joy (or Yagher, or Kuntz.....).

sculptfu

02-14-2005, 12:26 AM

Thanks guys (thanks for the welcome Zurb)! :o

One other thing---

You're joking right? The wrong paintjob (even a technically good one) can take the likeness out of any sculpture, and vise versa. I've seen many a good sculpt lose all it's life and attitude because the wrong color scheme is .

Actually not a joke. Like I said I don't just shot my mouth off. I try and study these things as closely as possible. Knowing several local store owners helps because I can closely examine something and not have to pay for it. I have seen peices (and this relates more to garage kits than prepaints but not always) were the paint job was amateur at best but you could still see the sculpt coming through. Granted it has to be an exceptional sculpt, but it happens.

Azog

02-14-2005, 12:27 AM

Seems an X-Files tune should be playing now....

hellspawn77

02-14-2005, 12:27 AM

Hey Andy - welcome! ;)

One thing I would like to say about this whole thing (whatever that may be) is that I do not believe that not being hired by Sideshow makes you a lesser artist (as in anyone)...

Personally I think its more a matter of two different ideals of art direction.

Sideshow is very clean for the most part, and when I say that, I mean sterile clean 9sorry I lack better terms). This is not a negative statement merely that is their "look". Clean and Crisp.

McFarlane toys is clean but not as "sterile" in the sense that they have a "grittyness" to their sculpts (please forgive me for my lack of better terms but I'm just an artist!). Tottaly different look - still incredible sculpture.

Bowen Designs has their distinct look as well etc, etc... all different art direction and visual apeal.

Personally I know I'm not a hack (please no laguhing). I have my stregths and my weaknesses as any other artist. I too tried my go at sideshow and was never hired - so what?

I haven't been hired by Bowen Designs either - so what?

I haven't been hired by (insert company) either - who cares?

This doesn't make me, or anone else any lesser as an artist. What I do have is the honour of making a sculpture for a chraitable oragization with memebers in over 190 counteirs and presenting it to the President in Japan.

What I do have is a license based on a major video game character from a mulit million dollar public company and I get to art direct myself (yay!).

The point is: did you (or anyone else) ever think that working for Sideshow might not make you happy?

You and Joy do excellent work - bowen likes it and so do many others. I think,considering you don't even like their products, that it would not make you happy working for them...

I'm much happier being Sideshow then working for them...

Claudio

Andy Bergholtz

02-14-2005, 12:32 AM

:thumbs2:

Ray Villafane

02-14-2005, 12:37 AM

I have tried improving my sculptures by looking at great and inspiring sculptors work such as Bergholtz's. I'm not kissing ass or anything but like I said before, from day 1 of seeing this guys work it gave me a goal to achieve. His work is top notch.
I tried being a nice guy in this business for way to long, and it hasn't gotten us as far as we have the ability to go. That's why I'm trying the @$$hole approach for awhile...
I never thought having an a$$hole approach to others as being something I needed to do in order to get far in this business and improve my sculpture

Your wifes likeness sculptures are great! I instantly knew each person the second I saw them, but like Claudio pointed out each company has a distinct style they look to achieve. Everyone has their preferences and the only criticism I had is that you indirectly accused Matt of not hiring artist better than him and as a result Joy did not get a gig. I think a better response could of been that Joys ability in likeness was up to par but Sideshows desire for cleaner sculpts may have been the problem. Its not a bad thing not to have clean sculpts. Some of my favorite sculptors lack the very polished look of most sideshow sculptors. It just happens to be an attribute Sideshow gives lots of weight to.

Andy Bergholtz

02-14-2005, 12:42 AM

Took the words right outta my mouth Ray, on all counts (except the part about my work being "top notch"!).

Kdawg59

02-14-2005, 12:48 AM

Took the words right outta my mouth Ray, on all counts (except the part about my work being that to "aspire to"!).

It is Andy!!! I was telling Tony the other day that it was a frankenstein sculpt of yours that made me realize how far I really do have to go, but also I started to practice on sculpted eyes rather than ball bearings because yours were so amazing!

Your sculpts look so fluid and I swear that the skin would move move if I touched it on your sculpts.

Every one had their own cup of tea. Fans, art directors, sculptors, you name it! Doesn't mean any one of you isn't talented. I consider Claudio to be right up there with you guys and his attitude is one of his best assets as a sculptor...

Claudio is right about sideshow versus Mcfarlane. It just depends on what they are looking for and most of the time no one will truly know that except the person hiring.

My 2 cents as a watchful mod.

grendelscott

02-14-2005, 12:55 AM

Hulkfan, welcome to the forum.

I see the Bradstreet inspiration in this piece. The Punisher covers were the first thing I thought of when I saw it. I also thought he had veins that heroin addicts would kill for, so I'm glad to hear they were smoothed out since those pics...

I'm still trying to get all the sculptor's names down, so I was wondering - Tom - does Joy ever post on this site? If so, what user name does she use?

Keep up the great work all!

:thumbs2:

d rod

02-14-2005, 12:55 AM

sculptfu: problem is that many times you come out as "joy rocks and the rest suck", not in those words but that's what it sounds like. over and over you state how she's overlooked and give reasons why she was not hired. i know you state your opinion and back it up with your own facts but it's your opinion. that doesn't make it correct. i think you are way too negative with the companies that don't hire you. if you read your post, i see zero positives, only negative comments about a company that is successful and many people enjoy and love their work. i'm a personal friend of mat falls. that's why i'm speaking up because i know he won't waste his time justifying his work to you. obviously, he has done something right because he's very successful and maybe you can learn something from him. he's never had to be an ass to anyone to get to where he is. and i'll put his work next to anyones. i've seen sculpts (i own some of his masters) that can put anyone else to shame. i don't think you have ever heard him knock on any other artist though. maybe that's why he's successful and people like to work with him. modesty usually goes farther. look at bowen. the same goes about him. i have yet heard him knock on someone's work. he's been successful and humble at the same time. don't misunderstand the humble part though. if someone does try to step on them, they'll step back.
if you want a job with sideshow, it's not just about being a great sculptor (which they have many and many more are out there), it's willing to go in the direction that they want to go, willing to listen and also understand. knocking on a company when you are completely clueless about them is also not the best way to get a job as well.
i sent mat erick sosa's work and spoke to him about villafane and he really liked their work. erick now works with them. they aren't into hiring a sculptor just for a piece. they are a family. it's long term with them. it might not be full time work but you will be "one of their boys".
all in all, being a critic is good. but, constantly being critical and stating how much better you are can be annoying.
i'm an athlete. i've competed in sports all my life. as good as i've been, i've never announced it to anyone or stated how i can school someone else. i let my abilities do the talking. i think that's why i always ended up in great teams. i just seems to me that always talking down constantly can be a turn off. like in sports, people can get tired of it.
if you feel the need in saying what's bad about a company or someone, also try to find some excellent qualities and try not to compare their work constantly with yours. sounds more like sour grapes. i think joy is a great sculptor as well, don't get me wrong but it just seems you are always trying to justify her work or state how much better she is. if she is that much better, good for her, let the fans do the talking.
i helped produced the transformers statues and busts and you've never seen me here on a pep rally. rob did an excellent job on them and deserves all the credit but i let the sales and profits show me how good the work was. mat being one of my best friends, one would think that i'd spend hours talking him up or his company but i don't.
anyways, my point is mostly that tact is important in this industry like any other. you have great knowledge, i'm sure. therefore it would probably do a lot more good stating good points about the artist as well.

sculptfu

02-14-2005, 12:58 AM

To be successful, an artist has to play to their strengths. In our case I think Joy's strength is likenesses, so obviously we think her talents are best suited for a company producing that type of work. I was ragging on Sideshow because that was the topic of discussion here. We haven't had any luck getting work from Neca or Macfarlane either. Joy has sculpted over 150 likeness sculpts in the last six months. These involved working for three different companies and the money was nothing compare to what other companies pay. However we have to eat and pay bills, so we take the work where we can get it. We don't feel compeled to post pictures of every sculpt we are working on to get patted on the back. We could care less about that. We are hoping one of our new clients lands a couple of good licenses and we can concentrate on one project instead of juggling three and four at a time to make ends meet. Anyone in any profession who ever felt their qualifications were over looked can relate to what I'm talking about,.

Claudio what i don't like about Sideshow is a lot of their head sculpts. The rest of the figure is great. They recently landed the Highlander license which is based on one of my all time favorite movies. It would have been nice to get a shot at working on something like that. Nothing stopping me from getting the figures and having Joy redo the heads.

sculptfu

02-14-2005, 01:15 AM

Drod I appreciate your comments. I did try to state that I thought Andy was a terrific sculptor in most respects. Sideshow does great on some aspects of their figures. My attitude is based on a lot of things I have been told in confidence, by people whom I trust, and respect enough not to betray that confidence. As buddy, buddy as everyone likes to make this industry sound it is cut throat to the extreme. Everyone "plays nice" in public, but behind closed doors it is a different story. A few years back I met a couple of people who were working at Sideshow and showed them some castings of Joy's head sculpts. Their comment was that Mat would never hire us. When I ask them what the problem was they told me and I quote "your to good". Now maybe they were bitter because they weren't getting to work on the projects they wanted to. I don't know, and don't care. Who am I? Just another @$$hole with an opinion. Sideshow hasn't hired us before and after this I doubt they would ever consider it. There are more fish in the sea. I respect your loyalty to your friend...

hellspawn77

02-14-2005, 01:18 AM

Claudio what i don't like about Sideshow is a lot of their head sculpts. The rest of the figure is great. They recently landed the Highlander license which is based on one of my all time favorite movies. It would have been nice to get a shot at working on something like that. Nothing stopping me from getting the figures and having Joy redo the heads.

Hey man - its cool. I'm not a huge fan of most of Sideshow's product either (why I don't buy many things from the company). Regardless I have always been a fan of Andy's work way before Sideshow.

Still sideshow doesn't do it for me: not bashing them. I mean their product is really good, top class, just not my thing. Nothing wrong with that either. I won't judge them for their creative direction, but rather do my own thing... way more fun.

This is simply because my artistic or visual view differs from theirs.

I am a HUGE fan of Andy's work because its so different from my own: really super clean and top notch with subtleties and nuances. I know Andy isn't crazy about McToys "grittyness" (or whatever the look is) and its cool with me... I personally do this because of McFarlane. I'm still floored by their new military sculpts. They inspire me, i own a lot of their product.

A lot of people Hate McFarlane.

I mean the toy industry is pretty new to me as I come from a special FX back ground so things are a bit different and its been interesting getting used to what I have to do better.

I have matured a great deal thanks to people like Andy, Ray and Joy so it pains me to see the people I admire be A$$-holes to each other or each others work.

I don't think you are an a$$-hole Tom, so I would have to disagree with you in thinking you have to act like one. ;)

Claudio

sculptfu

02-14-2005, 01:25 AM

grendlescott: Joy does not and will not post on this or any other forum. Joy has been deaf since birth and is very subconsious about her written communication skills, even though they are better than a lot of people who post here. I feel compeled to act as her ego, since she doesn't have one. Because we aren't into this deal for the "fame and glory" most (even the few who know us well) don't have clue one as to the extent of the volume of work we have produced. Art directors get a dose of it, but it's not something we feel compeled to share with the world. I usually pass along the positive things people say about her work to her...

d rod

02-14-2005, 01:42 AM

sculptfu: my point exactly. if someone tells you in confidence something about a company, the point it to keep it to yourself, not post it on a public forum. if mat told you she was too good, that would have been a lot better than "we can't hire her because i don't like your attitude" or "our direction is different than your sculpts". either of them would have been more humiliating but regardless of the reason, it was a positive feeling of an answer.
i just think that the negativity is not a good PR tool. if i were sideshow and read this thread and had to hire someone between you and claudio, i'd hire claudio. mostly because even though neither of you are fans, he shows respect. i just think the way you come across seems to discredit others. take for example your post to grendel:
"grendlescott: ... and is very subconsious about her written communication skills, even though they are better than a lot of people who post here."
your answer could just have been that she's too busy, hates computers, is very shy or anything else but your reply bashed some of the members. regardless if her communication skills are better or not, no need to state that. it makes it seem that you are talking down to some of the members publicly while really not having a reason to. please note that i only state this since i'm big on modesty. i think she's a great sculptor and wouldn't like to see you burn a bridge.

Ray Villafane

02-14-2005, 01:43 AM

Sculptfu~Villafane's wife here...I just got home from work and walked in on my husband one hand typing like a madman so my curiosity got the best of me. He allowed me to read the overview of this thread and all of your comments. He also provided me with a link to view your wife's work. First of all, your wife does do nice work. But more importantly, if you're her "spokesperson" and the person she relies on to obtain any work, I think that would speak volumes of why you have not been as sucessful as you seem to think you should be. You are EXTREMELY critical, and even when you have made an attempt to say something positive, you follow up with something negative. even though they are better than a lot of people who post here. ... It is one thing to give critisism but you are flat out insulting. God Bless your dear wife if she has to count on you to speak for her because quite frankly, as a supportive spouse myself, you are doing an extremely poor job of it. You are going beyond making it just about sculpting, your are criticizing everyone and everything that doesn't see what you see. In my opinion, and I'm sure others, capturing the likeness is not the full extent of producing a good product, all aspects need to be met. We have some of Andy's work in our home and his ability to sculpt hair as well as other detail I find is phenominal. You say that people have said things in confidence that they don't say publicly and you seem to want to be patted on the back for having the ability to be an asshole in public, however, most people have tact and professionalism about themselves to where they realize that being a humble person and treating your fellow professionals with respect gets you a lot further then "being a public asshole". Your wifes work is good and hopefully it continues to prosper to the point that she does not count on your "voice" to make things happen for her because you certainly are not scoring any positive points for her work with your attitude. The cream always rises to the top. ~TV

sculptfu

02-14-2005, 01:56 AM

Well hey you are intitled to your opinion. The comment you quoted however you are taking totally out of context. I was refering to the spelling and or grammatical errors that some of the posters make (look at any post by "Sniper" for example). This was intended as a joke. I know Ray is new to this whole thing so I'll take your comments with a grain of salt. A lot of people don't like me or my opinions and I don't have a problem with that. The problem most people have with me is I'm not afraid to say in public what other people will only say in private behind peoples backs. Like I just said in a previous post this is an ugly cut throat business, and if you don't believe it now, you will eventually. Sincerely the best of luck to you, Ray and your family.

hellspawn77

02-14-2005, 01:56 AM

if i were sideshow and read this thread and had to hire someone between you and claudio, i'd hire claudio. mostly because even though neither of you are fans, he shows respect.

Hey Drod,

I have HUGE respect for Sideshow becuase, regardless of my own personal taste, they really put out a good product (even if its not what I look for) and obviously care for their artists and fans: this to me really shows and deserves respect. Martin (Canale) and Pablo Viggiano told me how they were treated when they visited L.A. and I thought it was great... Martin is a good freind.

They go for a different approach to their characters, like the Punisher or Wolverine ,that are perhaps not as mainstream or as easily translated in 3D as other depictions. That to me takes a lot more guts and effort then following the crowd regardless of wether I agree with it or not.

I know first hand how hard it is to get a product out on the market so I know how hard its been for them to get to where they are. It would be silly not to give them respect.

Tell Matt Falls they are doing a good job.

BTW- I really liked their LOTR busts and ringwraith on steed. I own the 12" Hellboy :D

Claudio