Thursday, January 24, 2013

New Display - Sculpting Update

A new display is now available for your Zadar Miniatures Collection. This is a three level wood display that can hold a variety of pieces. The display can also be mounted on the wall if you like. Looks good on a shelf, counter or in your display case. The black color really makes the pieces stand out. I put one in my display case and I can't believe how nice the pieces look on it. Size is 4-1/2 x 4-1/2. Here is a picture. Retail price $25.00. Available at your dealer. Other displays available.

Here is an update on the Mariner Wax Master. I added the some detail to the wheel and you can now see the water rushing all around the deck during the storm.

Zadar Miniature

I started a new sculpture. Everyone knows the famous story of the Pied Piper. I think this piece already has a great look. I have about four sculpting sessions into it so far.

Zadar Miniature

Here is another new sculpture. Enter the amazing miniature world of Lilliput. Here is Gulliver walking through the village. Good potential here to push some miniature ideas.

Zadar Miniature

Thanks for looking. Let me know what you think of these ideas.

Randall Zadar/Sculptor
 
Zadar Studios

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Painting Miniatures - Final Step - Signing

Now that the bottoms have been painted and sealed, I can sign my name and add the serial number. These mice pieces are a Special Edition so there will be no serial number added. Instead I added the words "Special Edition" below my signature. This seems like no big deal but imagine signing your name about 100 times in a tiny space. Here is a picture of the signed bases. A side note, if you ever see me at a show or event, bring your pieces and I will add my first name to the bottom.

Miniature Fugurine
 
Now the pieces are inspected one last time and placed inside a protective plastic bag. The last step is to put the pieces inside the box as shown here.
 
Miniature Figurine
 
They are now completed after the long journey through the studio. They are now shipped to the dealers and hopefully find a nice home in your collection. If you have read all the blog entries about the production of these two pieces, you will understand why they cost what they do and why they are so rare. I hope you have enjoyed this studio tour.
 
Here is the production total for these pieces:
"Blast-Off" 48 pieces, Issue price $75.00, Retired.
"Ice Cream" 50 pieces, Issue price $75.00, Retired.
 
This was a low production run of 50 pieces and less. Normally I produce 75 pieces. That is why it is a Special Edition. If you are interested in these, you can try and contact these two dealers and see if they have any left:
 
Zadar Studios Dealer
 
Zadar Studios Dealer
 
Thanks for reading.
Randall Zadar
Sculptor/Zadar Studios
 
 
 
 


Friday, January 11, 2013

Painting Miniatures - Bottoms and Boxes

Now that the pieces are painted and varnished, they must be removed from the painting sticks and the bottoms finished. This is another time consuming step that must be done carefully. Here is a picture of three pieces removed from the stick. You can see the wax I use to hold the pieces onto the sticks. This wax must be carefully removed with a sharp knife.

Miniature Figurine

Here are the pieces all removed from the sticks. The bases are cleaned and ready for the next step.

Miniature Figurine

Next I put them upside down in a special foam tray. This allows me to work on the bottoms without damaging the pieces. I now hand apply a sealer to the exposed bronze on the bottom and allow it to completely dry.

Miniature Figurine

Next, I mix up some more gold paint and carefully paint each bottom with a small brush.

Miniature Figurine

Here are all the bottoms painted gold. They now are allowed to dry. The next step is to varnish the gold paint to protect and seal the paint.

Miniature Figurine

While the bottoms dry, I start work on the boxes. Here I use a label machine and print the custom labels. I then carefully apply the labels to the boxes.

Miniature Figurine

Miniature Figurine

The next step is to sign each piece and box them up for shipping. That will be the final update for these pieces.

Thanks for reading,
Randall Zadar
Sculptor/Zadar Studios
www.zadarstudios.com

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Painting Miniatures - Gold Work

The last painting step is the hardest of all, the gold trim. I have come to dread this step because at this point I am starting to get really sick of working on the pieces and then I have to paint the gold. The paint has to be mixed perfectly so that it flows without brush marks and does not run off the line. If it bleeds off the line, it can be extremely difficult to remove. Great care and a steady hand is needed for this job. The concentration wears me out sometimes.

On one painting stick that has three pieces, I timed myself to paint the gold trim. Took me 27 minutes to paint three. As I work and get the rhythm down, I can speed up some but not much. I use a stopwatch to challenge myself like a contest to see if I can improve. This is a little trick I use on tough pieces.

Here is a picture of the gold paint mixed just right.

Miniature Figurine

Here are some pictures of "Blast-Off" and "Ice Cream" with the gold trim painted.

Miniature Figurine

Miniature Figurine

Miniature Figurine

Miniature Figurine

You can see how much the gold trim really improves the look of the pieces and gives them a nice finished look. After the gold trim is done, the pieces are allowed to completely dry. Then I spray each one with a matt varnish. Because the pieces are handled, they need a protective coating and the varnish does the trick. The varnished pieces are allowed to dry then onto the next step. More updates will follow.

Thanks for reading.
Randall Zadar
Sculptor/Zadar Studios
www.zadarstudios.com

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Painting Miniatures Update - Final Steps

I have reached the final painting steps on the two special edition mice pieces. Since the last update, I completed the bows, grass and face details. You can see that each color step must be planned out so the colors layer correctly and cut over others. Everything has to be done in order so the pieces come out the best they can be.

Here are some pictures of the pieces up to this point. The last step was dotting the eyes. Amazing how the position of the eye can change the look of the entire piece. The eyes are a very important step that must be done correctly. The last painting step is the dreaded gold work. This is the hardest step of all and requires the steadiest of hand. Updates will follow.



  
 
Thanks for looking,
Randall Zadar
Sculptor/Zadar Studios
 
 




Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Painting Miniatures Update

Work is progressing on the two Special Edition mice figurines, "Blast Off" and "Ice Cream." Here I have progressed a few more painting steps that you can see. I am about half done with these pieces. Next, I need to work on the bow, ice cream and grass. Updates will follow.

 
 
 
 
 

Thanks for looking,
Randall Zadar
Sculptor/Zadar Studios
www.zadarstudios.com