Greetings Statue Forum!
My name is Adam and I'm new here. I've been sculpting for about two years, and I've recently taken a step forward and gotten my studio totally ready to process professional figures. I wanted to introduce my first completed resin figure to you guys.
Now, I will admit this figure is a bit of a knock-off, but I just HAD to do this character and I really felt any pose other than this one does him a disservice.
Obviously, there is already a phenomenal Skull Kid figure sculpted by Goran Sadojevich for First4Figures. That is actually what inspired this piece...actually that is what inspired me to start sculpting in the first place.
When I came across Goran's Skull Kid online, I was amazed by it. Skull Kid is actually my favorite video game character so I really wanted it. The price tag on ebay, however, was completely unrealistic for most people. (especially struggling college grads working retail i.e. this guy) My next thought was more of a fantasy at the time -- It would be awesome if I could just make my own. My curiosity got the better of me and I started researching and playing around with polymer clay. After the first couple of derpy pokemon, I ended up making a few that looked quite good and I got hooked.
I gradually took steps to advance my process, and about a year after I started sculpting I decided to pay homage to the Skull Kid and got to work on him. After finishing a rough (very rough) sculpt of him, I realized it was still a bit pre-mature to be attempting something of that level so he was benched for quite a long time. This year, when my studio was finally fully set-up, I brought him back out and used him to break through all my learning curves. I figured he was a pretty forgiving character to use for this purpose as he is so impish, tattered, wood-like, and faceless. Through the countless hours and set-backs, I finally achieved my very own Skull Kid who proudly sits atop my display case. Although similar to the F4F statue, he is actually one of a kind. I had way too many issues with some of the molds to even think about re-producing him (not too mention I'm so not willing to paint another one of those masks >_>).
The only design changes I made with comparison to the F4F piece are that he has facial structure under his mask, he has his fairy companion Tael (yes he is photoshopped, but yes he is also part of the sculpt), and I added a little chalk drawing like one seen in the game; this represents his youthful innocence hidden away behind the evil mask.
Thank you to anyone that bothered reading this, and I hope you guys like my version of the Skull Kid. I welcome any feedback, positive and negative. I'm also curious to know what you guys think of the photography. I'm a photographer by day, so that tends to shine through. I don't know if I should be checking my photographer hat at the door and keep sculpture photos more simple, or if the more artistic approach is appreciated.