Toy Soldiers

Another project that I have been working on for several months, are a series of illustrations for Glencoe Models, a company that produces and distributes a variety of plastic model kits and toy soldiers. The owner needed some new art for two different boxes of soldiers, French WWI infantry, and South African Zulu Warriors. The client said that one of the complaints about box art is that the painting rarely shows the actual poses that are found on the figures in the box. He wanted to me to do something that was a realistic-looking scene, but at the same time, as accurate as it could be to the actual poses of the figures. He sent me samples of both of the soldiers. Progress has been slow, as the soldiers are mono-colored, and I had to research both the details of the uniforms and equipment, as well as the probable landscape that they would be found in. I then had to blend what the historical record had to say with the actual appearance and detail of the soldiers. I shot some photo reference for the soldiers. Then I tried to imagine what kind of landscape and groupings the figures would look natural in.


















Since there were only 4 poses per French set, I had to bet creative with the arrangement.On the the French Infantry, i stuck to keeping the four main figure poses in the foreground. It seemed sensible that there would be only one officer, so that was easy. Having him direct the gunfire of the two firing soldiers also seemed pretty straightforward, however what to do with the one marching was a little tricky. I was also able to add smaller figures in various poses in the background.


















On the Zulus, it was little more difficult as there are only 3 poses per set. Again, I followed a layout and landscape that seemed logical for the poses.
These sketches are the result. Once the client approves the sketches, I will execute a finish of each in acrylic. They will be more finished and contain more detail than the sketches.

The apple didn't fall far from that tree...

People often ask me where I got the art talent from. I would have to say I inherited it from my father. My father drew a lot when he was younger. He drew lots of things, portraits, landscapes, cartoons. But he always seemed to be most fascinated by machinery, aircraft, cars, ships. He aspired to become an architect. He worked for Stone & Webster Engineering in Boston as a file clerk making, filing and sorting blueprints and operating their photostat machine before he enlisted as a marine in 1942. He married my mother in 1944, and they started a family. His plans to become an architect were shelved, and after the war he got a job as an equipment installer for New England Bell (the phone company) and worked for them for 45 years. He never really drew after that. One of my prize possessions is a drawing that my father did back in 1937, when he was 17 or 18 years old. It is his design for his 1937 dream-car. It is interesting to note that although the the car has many of the same features , it looks more like something from the 50's than from 1937, when cars still mostly looked like this.











It makes me wonder what sort of career he might have had if WWII and family hadn't intervened.

Graphic Novel Anyone?

Some work in my "not paying now but maybe someday" category. Some thumbnails for a page from a proposed graphic novel about WWI-era subchasers. Wooden fore-runners of the PT boat that were built specifically to hunt and destroy Nazi subs.