Wave 1 is out and anyone can buy, there’s a few of the collector cards left too (Eleanor of Aquitaine, Ching Shih, Harriet Tubman, Black Agnes, Zenobia, Julie D’Aubigny)
Wave 2 is sculpted, master casts with painters and production casts being cast. It was originally listed at December release but that was optimism and many things happened! Marty is currently working away on the artwork too, hence Ada there. Wave 2 is Ada Lovelace, Joan of Arc, Mary Fields and Audrey Hepburn. I’m saying March/April for those. You can pre order them here.
Wave 3 voting should be this week!
Thanks all for supporting this. Once Wave 3 is done we’ll be caught up and ready to really advertise and make a big song and dance about it, but I’ve kept it on a bit of a downlow to make sure all the early supporters were sorted first.
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I’ve been out of office as a mates mum has gone into hospital and I’ve been helping there as another pair of hands (more to it but not my place to detail!) But hoping to get that Wave 3 poll up at least.
Audrey Hepburn was a winner in the polls that I did not expect – but a strong winner at that! It’s a brilliant chance to inform more people about this lady’s achievements, far beyond the silver screen.
Early Years
Did you know that in WW2, Audrey aided the Dutch Resistance? Only a girl of 11 when the Germans invaded the Netherlands, she saw first-hand some of the atrocities and did what she could to help fight them. Dancing was her passion, and she would dance at “black evenings”, secret underground fundraisers where the windows were blacked out and audience silence was required. There is something rather poetic about dancing for peace.
“Mum was more than a steel-butterfly; she was a battle-hardened badass.”
– Luca Dotti, Hepburn’s son
In addition, she got involved in more of the resistance activities such as carrying messages and supplies around the underground network and to allied pilots who had been shot down. Most wargamers will be familiar with the Battle of Arnhem, did you know a young Audrey Hepburn was there? She rescued and brought home an English paratrooper, a crime with severe consequences if caught – which, luckily, they were not.
Audrey Hepburn rehearsing at the barre, circa 1950.Audrey Hepburn stars in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)Hepburn was a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador between 1988 and 1993.
Much like the S.O.E, Audrey’s bonus power with the resistance was her natural camouflage of being a girl. In the early days of the French Resistance (less so later in the war), the women were overlooked as any sort of threat, which meant they could operate in plain sight. Noor Inayat Khan, for example, was caught right in the act of sending a message back to the UK by an SS Officer and winged it by saying she was just trying to listen to some jazz. Small Audrey could also be seen as neither threatening nor suspicious as “just a kid” mucking about, and this saved her life on many occasions.
Later Years
We all know that Audrey Hepburn became a major international movie star, a massive achievement in its own right. Still, I wanted to make sure more people were aware of what she did afterwards, when she retired from the screen relatively early to pursue humanitarian work. She worked with UNICEF worldwide in over 20 countries to bring attention to the various plights, earning a series of awards for her relentless efforts.
“The ‘Third World’ is a term I don’t like very much, because we’re all one world. I want people to know that the largest part of humanity is suffering.”
–Audrey Hepburn, 1988
Which era of Audrey do we do?
So, which version of Audrey Hepburn becomes a 28mm Community Miniature? It’s such a difficult question! Having discussed this with the community over on Baggy’s Cave, we agreed on film star Audrey.
One of the Community Miniatures Project goals is for the minis to be instantly recognisable, and one of her most famous roles was in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Whilst this doesn’t show anything from the above writing, I feel it will be a much more popular miniature than other versions, and it sets off the talking point of “Did you know….”
Sometimes in a quest to show women’s achievements it can be easy to fall into the trap of brushing off the feminine; this is counterintuitive. Audrey looks stunning here, and it’s not a bad thing or anything to be ashamed of or avoid. She survived through great risks and got to become that Hollywood star through her own determination and resiliance.
I haven’t sketched anything for the sculptor for this one as it’s pretty much this iconic image, with cat of course! No cigarette holder as it would be impossible, but I reckon you could convert one if you wanted with a drill and a bit of paperclip. We’re adding the sunglasses though to make her even more recognisable.
This will make a nice contrast to some of the other miniatures, as you can fight in other ways than with a sword or gun – in Audrey’s case, some of it it was dancing.
-Words by Annie Norman
(Ps – I maaaay be working on a WW2 Audrey simultaneously as it would make for such a good gaming scenario, having her intercept messages and run around the board undetected. Shhhh.)
These two are now ready, with Audrey Hepburn and Jeanne d’Arc currently on the sculpting bench (Audrey blog to come tomorrow!).
I met with Alan on Thursday at Leeds Armoury and he brought them along to pass over in person, a real treat! Firstly, here they are with the gang! The Gang makes me so happy, imagine the adventures they could have together!
“Stagecoach” Mary Fields
I’ve knocked up these little collages, and will try to for future minis! There’s very little change between sketch and sculpt. We made sure to get the right shotgun, whereas my scribble was generic, and changed Mary’s head angle slightly, but otherwise, we were right in sync. Even the tactical mound! I remain in awe of Mary and her achievements.
Ada Lovelace
I cannot WAIT to see this dress painted up in glorious purple fabric! Alan was really happy with my solution to drape the punch cards down the arm, so I am feeling like a nice smug minis designer now. Again, this needed barely any change, the cards going over the arm look better, and it’s altogether a beautiful mini and clearly recognisable as Ada.
Pre Order
You can pre order these now, the first 100 will get those lovely art cards
A sizeable chunk has already been allocated so don’t delay to ensure the lovely card! The art will be by Martin Whitmore and he’s got the task on his lap ready for the new year, then off to the printers next door to get them made up. Yay!
So here we go! If you missed Part One, check this out first. What do we know, first of all? Well, she wore men’s clothes. She has been depicted in dresses and skirts, but that’s more the symbolism, and we want to go as accurately as we can. I also wish to make figures that the historical person would approve of if they could see it somehow; come on Bill and Ted – lend me that time machine! She DIED because of her insistence on men’s clothes, so she’s getting them in 28mm! We won’t give her a helmet as we want to see her face, the face that grown men would have seen on the battlefield.
John Everett Millais – Joan of Arc, 1865, Very much in the Pre-Raphaelite style
In the variety of depictions, Jeanne has much in common with Eleanor of Aquitaine. They’re both shown highly stylised and dressed in what was a fashionably romanticised notion of her period at the time. I see this as a positive; you can see how they evolve over time yet keep the same key components, such as the banner and armour, in Jeanne’s case. It’s not historically accurate, but it is an insight into history in its own way.
I know some folk will want to see her hacking and slashing her way up a rampart, but this also goes against Jeanne’s position. I, too, wish to see more hack-and-slash medieval ladies, but you have to vote for them! We do have Jeanne de Clisson currently, but more would be a dream. Jean Hatchett very closely made it last time, perhaps on the next voting rounds? As I mentioned in the Eleanor of Aquitaine post, it’s good to keep them as much “themselves” as possible, instead of putting them into a different role.
To the Armouries!
After giving myself a headache looking at all sorts of armour, I decided to go to The Royal Armouries in Leeds for some hands-on research. Sculptor Alan Marsh came along!
L-R Me (Annie), Richard of ECW knowledge, and Alan: not his usual hat.
It was a superb chance to catch up and nerd out with many history chats over coffee and a delicious roulade. For a second time, I was impressed by how many books about women in history the gift shop has, which is even more than last time I was there. Of course, I had to buy some…
It’s brilliant to discuss upcoming figure design while in front of the actual pieces and, of course, feel the weight of different weapons. This all helps with the sculpting process to bring you these awesome-cool minis.
The Banner
Essential in Jeanne’s “kit” is the banner. She had several; important ones for us are the battle standard and the pennon. The battle standard was enormous and too unwieldy on foot, requiring a special saddle to prop it in. If we make a mounted version (I really want to, please buy loads of this to convince me!) we will use that for sure.
The pennon is the foot version, carried on a shorter pole and what she would have had to be mobile without her horse. With the mega battle standard, she wouldn’t be able to walk about.
When considering the pose, I figured that even though this is smaller, she would probably not be strong enough to hold it in the air one-handed, so it will be resting on the ground.
I found the measurements of both flags, so first I lay out the size of the pennon and needed something to help scale, and who better than Danny Devito?
There’s always a debate between cast banner and wire spear with transfer/paper. I have mulled this over for A LONG TIME. Cost is a significant factor, with these minis being £5 each, a big wavy bit of metal adds to the cost considerably. They can also become really clunky. I really want people to have their own unique Jeanne banner, and not a generic 15th century knight, so considered the possibility of getting a transfer made, but this is hard to apply along folds and creases of something sculpted.
Then, I mucked about with a wire spear and the paper we use for leaflets which found it to be a perfect thickness. I never did understand applying transfers to paper, when you could just have the paper printed in the first place. This would be a better quality than standard printer paper as well. So it’s now escalated to pricing up what the cost of our own designed pennon AND battle standard would be, as we might as well do both simultaneously, right! That mounted figure is happening whether I like it or not, isn’t it… (ha I protest too much for sure).
“I love my banner best – oh, forty times more than the sword! Sometimes I carried it myself when I charged the enemy, to avoid killing any one.” – Jeanne during her Trial.
Armour
Figure Design by Annie Norman, 2023
Several contemporary references to Jeanne being in “White Harness” armour exist. The white part means that it wasn’t embellished (Sorry Millais) and the harness part is that it is in many separate pieces. Jeanne was first given an “all in one” armour, then used some found Burgundian armour, and then was eventually commissioned this lovely piece by Charles VII. So that’s what I want to put her in.
It’s important to me that the pose is very much lifting the eyes upwards; Jeanne is holding the banner as high as she can so everyone can see, and she’s looking to the heavens for reassurance. These are all little signs that it is Jeanne d’Arc.
The hand-on-chest pose is used in several of the paintings and statues, and I appreciate the gentleness of it. However, in these, she is often shown bare-handed, I hope the gauntlets still have the same effect!
Eugène Samuel Grasset version of Jeanne
Something missing from my scribble is… The Holy Sword! That will be hanging from the scabbard, sheathed. Jeanne’s sword was the “Sword of St. Catherine”. A companion of Joan’s on the way to Orleans said, “I wanted to sharpen that old blade, but she said it was not necessary, as she should never kill anybody, and should carry it only as a symbol of authority.”
For the hair, we’re going for a shaggy bob, again to stand out more than a full “short back and sides”. This is one of the artistic decisions to make minis less literal sometimes, but not too far off reality – for example long flowing locks would be far off! A grown-out, super short hairdo is more justifiable.
I’m cutting this short as I feel like I’ve lived non-stop Jeanne for the last month and there is SO MUCH more I could write, but we’re nearing the end of the calendar year and I am sleepy, with more blog entries to complete!
The goal is to have these last two sculpted by the end of the week (ish) and then we can get voting on the next two between Christmas and New Year. Hooray!
Here we go. Strangely, this is the figure I am most nervous about designing so far. Joan of Arc, or Jeanne d’Arc is known and beloved by many, and perhaps THE most famous military woman in history, if not a solid top-five contender! She’d be a winning answer in Family Fortunes.
Jeanne D’Arc being excellent
The nerves come from this, that people have their own idea of who Jeanne was, what she did, and what she looked like. She’s a household name and has been portrayed in so many movies (of course, most memorably in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure), some more faithful to historical records than others.
Jeanne d’Arc was born in 1412 CE, during the Hundred Years War, a long and bloody conflict between England and France, which she would be destined to shape. From a young age, she began hearing what she believed to be the voice of God, though there are attempts at modern diagnosis to explain this on a secular level. We will never know, as per the words of Ridley Scott “Were you there mate?”
This led her on an incredibly daring mission to ensure that Charles VII (currently the dauphin) was to be crowned King, and then his army could save France. The fact that a young girl could walk up to somebody so high ranking is wild enough, but the fact they [eventually] paid attention is even more fantastic. “Scuse me, Sirs, you’re doing war wrong”.
Jeanne portrayed L-R by Vinzez Sozvr Zovzanza 15-20th Century, Albert Lynch, 1903 and Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres 1854
Jeanne led the French Army through highs and lows in the pushback against the English, becoming a mighty hype for morale, waving her banner and yelling for them to push on. An army believing they have God on their side is exceedingly powerful. While it was unlikely she would have fought intentionally, due to her age, size, and lack of combat training, Jeanne’s presence and encouragement were where her power really lay. In wargames, we have rules such as “Inspiring Presence” for banner bearers, and it really was just that!
Jeanne as portrayed by Milla Jovovich in “The Messenger”, 1999
After a defeat at Margny, she was captured, after pretty much being abandoned by the King she helped create and put on trial by a mixed jury of French, English, and their French allies – the Burgundians.
The trial was as you can imagine – incredibly unfair. However, Jeanne was brilliant (the record of the trial is actually online) and managed to make it through the thorough questioning. What I find bizarre, about the entire odd tale, is they effectively “got her” in the end for her trousers. She insisted on wearing men’s clothes to show she was a soldier, the same as others, and under the direction of God. Crossdressing was seen as blasphemous so she was sentenced to death. Refusing to refute her Mission from God, Jeanne d’Arc was burned to death before a public audience on May 30, 1431, aged just 19.
I normally keep these summaries reasonably brief, to encourage people to read more, but there’s a bit more this time. Sometimes a story or figure can become so well-known that you actually forget the details. So there’s a refresher! There is course far, far more to the story, but that’s the jist!
Designing Jeanne d’Arc
You know what? I’m putting this into the next entry, as this is fairly long, and I have a BIT more research to do. Keep them hungry, as they say!
If you haven’t already read about my visit to see actual Ada Lovelace in person, then you should totally go and read that first.
As is now tradition with this project, I ended up way off track, spending a whole evening figuring out what the Analytical Engine WAS, and the purpose of punch cards. Some of you older folks (older, not old!) have helped to inform me on those, as it was a lost tech by my time!
Ada Lovelace by Alfred Edward Chalon circa 1840
Ada Lovelace (born Augusta Ada King 1815 and died 1852) is a very well-known mathematician, recognised as being the very first computer programmer. She worked with Charles Babbage on his Analytical Engine, which was, in basic terms, a massive calculator slash early computer. It was theoretical, so they did not build it, but Ada’s annotations and calculations became the foundation for much of the technology we use today. We can blame her for those danged algorithms, she published the first one in 1840.
The daughter of “mad, bad and dangerous to know” Lord Byron, she was kept away from her father and the arts by her concerned mother Anne Isabella Milbanke, Lady Byron. Fearing the arts would corrupt her into the debauchery of her lineage, Ada was given a very scientific and mathematical upbringing by some of the best tutors available.
Designing the Figure
Ada Lovelace, sculpted by Etienne and Mary Millner. Located on the 7th floor of Millbank Quarter (formerly Ergon House), London.
From the start, I knew I wanted her to be wearing very fancy hair and dress as she was often portrayed wearing, most famously in the painting by Afred Edward Chalon. However, I don’t want her to be static.
Figuring out how to show someone “doing maths” can be quite the head-scratcher – which incidentally was a pose I pondered! But she was far more than any standard mathematician, and I wanted her to be more unique.
The “ah ha!” moment came with the punch cards from the Analytical Engine. Upon researching statues of Ada, I came to the conclusion that others had had the same idea and the same struggles! A fantastic piece by Etienne and Mary Millner, I can almost hear them going “argh just hang the punch cards up behind!”. I feel the struggle.
So let’s get to the Annie sketch. I feel she will work holding the cards up, perhaps quizzically, studying them. Regarding casting, they can almost cascade down her arm, something I am confident that the sculptor will figure out. They would need to be shorter at the very worst, but I think this is unlikely. I’ll get him to indent some holes into them, well – divots, so an ink wash will fill them in for you.
The veil in the painting will be harder to translate to a solid sculpt, as I have noticed from the more enormous public statues they have removed this, and we will too. It works beautifully in paint as it is translucent, but it would be quite a solid block in metal, especially at this scale.
I think this will make a lovely miniature to paint, and people can get really creative with the dress fabric, or if they are daunted, can paint it a solid colour with a wash and have it still look lovely.
Ada by Margaret Sarah Carpenter circa 1836
Regarding the dress, there is another painting which shows her front on. It is a different dress to the purple, but I intend to converge the design to make something which works well. Splay the bottom of the sleeves and add those delicate gloves.
That’s all there is really for the design of Ada Lovelace. Anything else to note? Oh, the weird hand in the sketch! I am very tired and figured I could wind myself up trying to figure out the hand for the rest of the evening, or just tell the sculptor what I meant, and he’ll do it fantastically! Wahey! That’s the process, folks!
I am very much looking forward to seeing a lady in a massive fancy Victorian dress figuring out complex maths thingies. Yes! Are you?
The cards were the last part to get sorted, and I am so glad I took a bit longer with them, same as Julie D’Aubigny’s face. I went with Print Co. in the end, my office neighbours! They kindly gave me a tour of all their facilities, and I was very excited by their mega corner punch. I even touched all the different types of paper like a connoisseur until I decided on what I deemed perfection. You’ll notice they are so nice and soft! On collecting, they will make a lovely deck.
REMEMBER the really cool Collector Cards are only included in the first 100 orders. There are still [at the time of writing] some left!
THANK YOU to everybody who has supported this project, primarily through all the slow bits when I’ve been juggling a bunch of other things. Now we have some momentum, I’m hoping it can really ramp up now, and the space between voting the figure and it being in your hands will be smaller.
I’m putting the following rambles in an FAQ form, enjoy!
Which minis have shipped?
The first six. Julie D’Aubigny, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Ching Shih, Black Agnes, Zenobia and Harriet Tubman. All shipped!
What about the next four?
Ada Lovelace, Audrey Hepburn, Joan D’Arc and Mary Fields are considered Wave 2. They were first aimed to be shipped in December, but it’s now looking like late January/February due to sculptor and caster timelines. As well as me, I still need to design the next three – but we have Alan Marsh booked in for December so I will have to have the designs ready by then! Eep!
Why has my Wave One pre-order not shipped?
It’s probably because you have Wave Two minis in it. If you’ve changed your mind and want the first wave before the second, pop me an email and we can sort it, you will need to pay a second load of shipping though (unless you pop a new order in and ask for them to be added into that)
I ordered from both waves at once, I’m happy to wait until Wave Two is shipped, but I am worried about the collector cards for my Wave One, will I still get them?
You will! You have a box in the office with your order number and I have picked your minis and cards.
How do I know when ordering if there are collector cards left?
I’ll make a note in the product description, so far we have cards left for all.
Nooo I missed the cards
It’s ok! The minis are still lovely and the full colour packaging with John Morris and Andrew Taylor’s painting on are also lovely. The cards are an extra bonus to help get the minis out there sooner.
Can I get these from retailers?
Yes! It’ll be a bit longer than other usual releases, and they won’t have the cards, but they will have the Community Minis. It’s taken a while to figure out the best way to do this as I want to support the retailers but not make it EVEN MORE confusing, so them having the “standard” version works best, as the cards won’t be all over the world like a Willy Wonka quest. So the first 100 sold DIRECT will be the only way to get the cards.
When are we voting for minis 11, 12 and 13?
Maybe over Christmas! The designs for 7, 8, 9 and 10 will be ready then, so we can use the Christmas break to think about the next bunch. I’m gonna change the voting AGAIN as well. I haven’t 100% decided yet but one aspect I am considering is limiting each person to ONE nomination.
Can I give you money for future minis?
I can’t stop you, but I am advising against it until the new year, as I want to be caught up so we can “relaunch” the project more streamlined and less confusing… I hope. If you have a subscription and are happy to keep it going, that’s super cool, but it’s also ok if you want to pause it. I hope this makes sense, it may feel counterintuitive but I want it to get back to being vote, then pay, rather than pay, then vote. It makes sense to me! I want us to vote for only one or two minis at a time too. TLDR: Wait and all will be clear!
I want some of these minis but haven’t contributed to any voting or pre-payment or anything, can I…. have some?
You can! They are for everyone! You can buy them through the shop as you would any other mini. I am hoping with the “relaunch” it will be less confusing. This has been very much a project of figuring it out as we go along, hence why I am extra chuffed you’ve been so supportive.
Magnifique! Church of St Mary Magdalene, photo by Annie Norman
A while back (though I dare not look at the date, I feel it was a few weeks ago, but it was more likely into the months), I decided to visit Ada Lovelace. It would have been rude not to!
“But Annie, didn’t Ada die in 1852?” I hear you cry. She did indeed, but her remains….remain. So I went to say hi.
She is buried in the Byron family vault in Hucknall, along with her father, Lord Byron, and family members going back 200 years. Hucknall is super easy to reach from Nottingham, where Bad Squiddo Games is based, so one very straightforward tram journey later, we were walking up to the Church of St Mary Magdalene. It really is history on your doorstep!
The church dates back to the 12th century, with it being expanded over the years, notably significantly in the 19th Century. The Norman element is very clear on entry and was my favourite part of the building (don’t tell Ada). Who doesn’t love old wood and big stone blocks?
Ada Lovelace – 1843 or 1850 a rare daguerreotype by Antoine Claudet.
Upon entry, we were greeted by a lovely chap whose name escapes me – I shall get it on my next visit and write it down! I’m going to call him George for now. It might have been George. He welcomed us in and gave us a tour of the church, which really was fascinating. I had no idea there had been so much history here all along, and the church has many ties to Newstead Abbey, somewhere else I have yet to visit – though that will be fixed soon! I just about resisted signing up for their volunteer gardener program… this time.
While fascinating, I’ll refrain from going too much into the details of the church as a whole, as this is about Ada Lovelace, remember, but it was superb, with lots of original Norman fixtures and fittings, including a big lead font.
With Indiana Jones fresh in my mind, I think part of me thought we would go down some steps into the vault itself, but of course not. ABOVE the vault, in the sanctuary of the church (I think that is the term, behind where the vicar stands) is where you can access. I asked George if he’d take me down the vault if I slipped him a fiver, but he informed me it was last opened in 1938. I’ll try again on the next visit, though, I might have put the idea in his mind. Maybe a fiver and a cup of tea this time?
A bad scribble showing roughly where the vault is, scribbles and photo by Annie NormanInside the Vault in 1938, Ada is in the centre there.The Proper plans of the Byron Vault
Here, I have attempted to show roughly where the vault lies in relation to the church and where you can get to. So you’re really standing on top of it all. Above are various memorials to Ada and her father, some very recent (he was big in Greece!)
It’s a weird feeling being so close to somebody you have been researching, even though she is long gone ( though apparently, in 1938, Byron was still very well preserved, even the erm…member). A feeling of, is this cool, Ada? I had a quiet word and told her it would be very cool and lots more people would hear her story.
Memorial plaque to Ada Lovelace, photo by Annie Norman
George kindly offered us some tea and cake, and I know to never down church cake, for it’s always especially good. This gave us a chance to chat with some of the ladies who volunteered there and had some enlightening chats about Byron and Ada, as well as the history of the church. I told them about the project and that I would return, tiny Ada Lovelace in hand, to show them all. I hope to get an extra one painted too so I can give it to them as a neat little present. It will be the ultimate test of whether we’ve got the mini right, as these people spend a lot of time around her, they’re basically family at this point!
L-R Lil, George and Annie (me!) Erm, standing on Ada Lovelace.
Who is the “we” I refer to throughout this? My mum, Lil! Yay, Lil! Here we all are in the church; I will make sure to get George’s actual name next time, but he was a brilliant host, full of information and a great sense of humour.
While on the face of it, the visit is not imperative to the figure design, it is for my sense of completion and research, as I like to get out where I can and not just be in books, and hey – it’s an excuse to visit somewhere new! I feel like I have more of a connection to Ada now, and I am looking forward to returning and seeing the lovely people again. It just feels more… rounded, you know? History is out there, in the streets! Or under the floor!
Next up is the design concept for the Ada Lovelace miniature, I’ll save it for the next entry. What do you think of this trip, are you tempted?
Yes, you read this correctly! While we have already revealed a design and notes for Mary Fields, it’s not over til the sculpting guy sculpts! If you haven’t read this first, you should! I listened to your feedback on making Mary more dynamic, and I agree. I was also concerned about her heavy mailing sack adding too much to the cost of the mini and limiting her use on the tabletop.
It’s been a while since posting as I was focussing on getting the first 6 in people’s hands, but it’s a weekend, so I’m doing some overtime to get stuck back in while the mojo is strong. I’m much happier with the redesign, which you’ll see soon, but I would love your feedback.
When I was reading about Stagecoach Mary, I got the impression of such a no-nonsense lady who, despite the preconceptions of many, could be absolutely terrifying. She fought off wolves and bandits, on her own, in the snow! She carried masses of weight in short time frames over mountains! I don’t want her to be standing passively.
Here is the before and after.
Two rough sketches by Annie Norman to design the miniature. Usual disclaimers that the art is purely to convey what goes where, and any anatomy weirds or fabric weirds or ANY weirds will be corrected by the sculptor!
I decided to keep the cardigan, but I’m not 100% committed to it- again – feedback is immense! I liked it from the photo as something quite feminine she might have wanted to hang onto, but it could be swapped out for one of her winter coats, what do you think?
In this pose, she is striding forward in a bit of a stalky manner. Perhaps she saw or heard something when she was driving the stagecoach or tending to an evening fire, and it made her have a look around. She can’t decide if she’d rather find man or beast.
The skirt has been made shorter to show more of the form underneath for you and the sculptor. It could be hitched up, or it could end up being longer again in the sculpt, but it’s something I’ll probably leave to Alan Marsh, the sculptor, to see what works best. Sometimes, it’s only clear during the actual sculpting stage when you have the 3D model physically there. Underneath, I would assume she has the standard-era boots, possibly with the postal uniform trousers tucked in for extra warmth and modesty. Any extra detail such as a pistol or whiskey on the belt would be down to the sculptor as well; a matter of if they would fit anywhere naturally or to keep it simpler.
This design makes me much happier, what do you think? I’m also much happier with my doodle! It works as a more action pose of the famous picture while keeping her trusty shotgun over the posed rifle.
While you’re musing, I’ll make a start on Ada Lovelace!
Hi friends! Apologies for the late update, I feel I’ve updated everybody everywhere apart from here – the one place I definitely have to. This issue has held up more progress than it should have, because of my funnily wired brain, but we’re back on track now. Also, I decided (well, my brain decided) I couldn’t progress with the next figures til this had been typed out.
What’s the delay? The first wave of minis are supposed to be in people’s hands already, right? WE HAD A SMALL HICCUP. Just a lil one. Kinda. I turned it into a teaching opportunity, of course!
Before I go into those details further, the shorter version is:
They will be coming very shortly, there were delays caused by changing a part of the sculpt of Julie D’Aubigny and finding a suitable company to print and cut the cards, which are both done, yay! HOPEFULLY, most will ship by the end of this month.
What happened?
It was entirely my own oversight! When designing a miniature, there is much more at play than what simply looks good. The miniature must be able to be cast many, many, times without fault; there is a fair bit of engineering that goes into making sure that works.
First, let’s look at the Version One. A stunning miniature, you will agree, and top paint job, John! This angle shows very well how one “one plane” this mini is. You could trace a straight line from the tip of her sword, up her arm, up her face, right up the bridge of her nose, middle of her forehead, and back down the other side.
In terms of casting, this is a doddle. Figures get more difficult the more “planes” there are. Imagine she stuck her left hand out to point at us from the screen, that would complicate matters. Also, she would be alive.
The issue is… what even is this line? A metal mould is made of two parts of rubber or silicone in big round discs. When the mini is being moulded, the sculpt is squished between the two under the golden combo of heat and pressure to make the cavity, which we later fill with metal to create the cast.
The point at which these two discs push against each other in the moulding process is often called the “mould line”. These can vary from extreme to a mere feather, we like to pride ourselves on being the feather variety! Although sometimes they can be more prominent depending on the figure design.
The sum up of all the above is basically that the mould line was going down the middle of the face. But this project will hopefully teach you a bit about the background of how minis are made and the tribulations we may run into on the way!
While our mould lines are barely visible, nobody likes it down the middle of the face. It’s such an important part. I should have spotted this before she went to casting, but stuff happens!
Julie D’Aubigny MK2, sculpted by Alan Marsh
Of course, I waited until she had been painted, and a huge chunk of her had been production cast already before I decided she had to change. Had this been earlier, we would still be on track – doh!
Was she good enough or not in her current state? I couldn’t decide. The line was minimal, but it was on the face, which is a mega pet peeve of mine in my own hobby adventures, and it wasn’t the usual done thing for Bad Squiddo. But I knew I was fighting against time, as this project is so far behind.
I felt absolutely sick when I approached the caster asking for the sculpt back, as I knew there was potentially a big extra cost of resculpting and money lost on the castings (we can get a bit back by throwing her clones into Mount Doom, though) as well as contacting Alan, the sculptor. It was none of their fault, but I was worried they wouldn’t be happy with my choice. BUT I AM A SILLY. I have worked with these people for years, and they’re lovely, DUH! They were ace, phew!
The best bit was that Julie was almost intact. When a sculpt has been moulded, they’re often broken and sometimes pretty much just crushed to dust! I didn’t want to convert a cast. I’d built it up in my head as this major thing. So I was ELATED to see her pretty much as she was before the moulding. Sculptor Alan Marsh is a dream and converted her easily before shipping her back to the casters.
So how did he fix her?
Decapitation! I believe he chopped the head off to turn it more forward-facing, but it looks like it’s been pretty much resculpted, I am sure the framework stayed the same though. So, the head was chopped off at the neck, rotated, and plopped back on. Then, the resculpting of the face and hair and anything else that was knocked off in the process, as well as a general MOT as she had “seen some things”. Alan noticed part of the hilt was missing, which I totally hadn’t spotted, so multiple eyes are good! That was sculpted back on, of course.
Now, if you trace that same line up the sword and arm, it now goes over her shoulder and up the side of her face, where the hair is. A cheeky little hair of a mouldline in her curly hair is fine; you can scuff it off with a blade, and it’s gone, much better than performing facial surgery.
HOORAY!
This has now been master cast, approved BY MEEE, and is now in the production stages. Poor John Morris has to paint her again, exactly the same as last time, please, John!
The Pretty Cards
The Pretty Cards will be ready once MK2 Julie is painted! Also, I need to finish designing them, I hope to update this blog very soon with those drafts. I was using Julie as a bit of an excuse as I could have been designing the rest, but it has been very busy around Bad Squiddo, and the time has just flown by.
New Printers
The other delay was figuring out how these cards would work. I want them A7 with rounded corners. But when you order from printing companies, they charge SO MUCH just for rounded corners, especially on low number runs (just 100 of each design), it was going to be a problem.
I’m on fire with these stock images today.
Investing in my own corner cutter even seemed an option – a heavy-duty one. I browsed through quite a few of those. They didn’t seem too great, though, really, the manual ones. Then it went into thousands of pounds, so I was back at the drawing board. That was until… I found a company! They seem really nice and helpful, and I met them in person and told them all about the project. I won’t name them yet in case it doesn’t work out (hehe, yes, I have made that mistake before), but it seems highly promising, and I’ll be going through some print designs with them next week. So, the delay was really useful in that sense, as I may well have found a new printing company for Bad Squiddo Games as a whole, not just this project. Yay!
Another accidental victory is that I really prefer the stance of the MK2 Julie, what do you think? I think she has more of a stronger “golden angle”. It shows how such a small change can create such a noticeable difference.
So there we go; silence doesn’t mean abandonment. I have just been pulled from project to project lately, and this week have a rotten cold (boo), but many wheels are turning. Hooray!
Community Miniatures Project 