New Release "Spring Stroll"

I am almost finished with “Spring Stroll” the new miniature collectible from the studio. I hope to ship the piece to dealers on April 14^th if possible. This piece features a mother duck taking her chicks for a springtime walk in a stroller. The three tiny chicks can be seen looking out of the stroller. The piece has an excellent Spring/Easter season look.

I added some flowers on both sides of the piece giving it a sense of a grassy trail she is walking along. The piece is really small (9/16ths of an inch tall) so painting it was difficult. For me the hardest part of the painting is the eyes and gold work.

The way the eyes are painted makes a difference in the expression of the piece. You wouldn’t think the placement of a dot about the size of a period at the end of a sentence could make a big difference, but it does. So I need a very steady hand to place the eyes just right. Sometimes I only have one chance to get it right.

This edition is 75 pieces. There are four sets of eyes counting the mother duck and three chicks. That is eight eyes per piece, times seventy-five pieces, comes to 300 eyes to dot at one time. Talk about patience.

The other painting step I almost dread doing is the gold paint trim. This is always the last painting step and the most critical to get just right. The paint has to be mixed just right so that it flows smoothly and does not bleed off the line and into the piece. This bleeding can ruin a piece, as it is sometimes impossible to remove the gold from places it doesn’t belong. I must be very careful and paint with a steady hand and controlling my breathing while working. This can be a frustrating process but when finished, the gold accents really look nice.

I hope you like this new miniature. There will only be 75 pieces made and the issue price is $75.00. Each piece is signed and numbered on the bottom. You can go to my web site for ordering information.

Thanks for reading,

Randall Zadar

Youtube video:

Press Release - International Miniature Show

Zadar Studios Debuts New Figurines At 35th Annual Chicago International Miniature Show

The smallest of the small makes a big debut at 35th Chicago International Miniature Show, which is the largest miniature show of its kind in the world today.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Cat House

PRLog (Press Release) - Apr 11, 2012 -
Two new Zadar figurines titled “Spring Stroll” and “Cat House” will be making a debut during the 35th annual Chicago International Show. These miniature figurines can rest on the end of your finger and feature amazing detail. Randall’s dealer representative, Marlene Shoalts of Shoalts Collectibles will be featuring the two pieces as well as many other works by Randall. Marlene says, “Randall’s figurines encompass many subjects including animals, ladies, flowers, holiday themes and much, much more. This artist’s work is truly a gold mine for collectors.”

Sculptor Randall Zadar from Strongsville, Ohio began his career in miniatures at the Chicago show in 1994. Randall produces a unique line of quality miniature bronze figurines that are produced in limited edition. Zadar said, "I use the Lost Wax casting process to produce each piece in my collection. Starting from sculpting a wax master, each piece is then cast in Studio Foundry Bronze Metal. All of my figurines are hand-finished and hand-painted in oil paints. From sculpting the master, through mold making, casting and painting, I do all the jobs here in my studio” Zadar said.

The 35th Chicago International Miniature Show draws the world’s finest miniature artisans, from nineteen countries around the world. This year marks 35 years for Tom Bishop Productions, arriving at another milestone in miniature shows. The first Tom Bishop show produced was in 1978 and that show launched Tom Bishop into the international show circuit. They are now the longest and continuous running promoters of miniature shows in existence. Their world-renowned Chicago International event remains the finest, largest and most prestigious miniatures gathering in the world.  Watch the YouTube video “Spring Stroll” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9xTimT-1Kc

For more information:

Chicago International Show, April 20-22, 2012
Marriott Chicago O’hare
8535 W. Higgins Rd
Chicago, IL  60631
Telephone:  800-228-9290 or 773-693-4444, Web Site: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/chiap-chicago-marr ...

Tom Bishop Productions
Telephone:  (561) 434-6622 • Fax:  (561) 434-6159
Web site: http://www.bishopshow.com/ ,  Email: BishopShow@aol.com

For more information about Randall Zadar’s collection, and to view photos of Randall Zadar’s works of art, visit: http://www.zadarstudios.com/Contact information: Randall Zadar
Ph: 440-878-1474
Email: zadarstudios@juno.com

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How to Sculpt a Miniature Figurine Using Wax

The master for every figurine is first painstakingly sculpted out of wax. I like to use carving wax because it holds excellent detail, builds up nice and can be melted fast. I use a process of building up the wax with a hot tool and then sculpting out the design. The wax is good for building up and allows the sculpture to have a bit of flexibility without breaking when carved. Even still, you must be careful and only apply delicate pressure because the wax is very soft. The thing I love about wax is the great detail that can be achieved. Below is a basic "rough-in" master sculpture of a figurine. This has a few hours of sculpting time but the real time is in the details.

Some sculptors use the hard Sculpey clay or a two part epoxy called “green stuff” to sculpt miniatures. These are fine and serve a purpose. For me, using wax is perfect because the wax builds real nice, hardens almost instantly, and the finished master can be cast into metal using Lost Wax Casting if you wanted. When the wax is warm, there are a few seconds that it can be shaped like clay. This is a technique that requires some time to master.

This is the hot tool I use to sculpt the wax. The tool has settings to control the temperature but I like the foot control. This way I can use both hands and have complete control over the temperature using my foot. That is the real trick, controlling the temperature. The tool I use is made by Kerr and is called an Ultra-Waxer.

I use a red wax like this to sculpt with. I also blend my own waxes that have different properties and colors. This allows me to see areas of the sculpture better and maybe use a harder wax on the faces where I need more detail or a softer wax for a frame.

My tools are basically the same carving tools used in the jewelry market. I have taken them and filed each one to fit my needs but a basic set like this will work great. I always mount the master on a stick when working it so I never touch it as this can cause detail loss. There are also products that smooth the wax but just a simple can of lighter fluid works great.

A master sculpture can take anywhere from 50 to 200 hours to sculpt depending on the complexity. Once finished I make a mold. That will be covered in the next segment on molding. I purchase a lot of my supplies at www.riogrande.com if your looking to give it a try.

Randall Zadar

New Youtube Video - Christmas Set - Miniature Bronze Collectible

Hi, I just posted a new video of the very popular Christmas Collector Set on YouTube. This is a seven-piece collector set that has a custom designed base. Cast in bronze and hand-painted. Limited Edition of 75 pieces and is now retired. The height of the piece is 1 inch. The tiny angel on top of the tree was cast separate and then soldered onto the tree. This was the only way for it to cast as the tiny wings and arms never would have come out complete in bronze.

The set includes, Santa holding a gift and placing a bell on the tree. Next is a tiny dollhouse with three dolls. A train set, three toy cars, a Christmas tree, and a custom base with key slots so pieces can only fit in one way.

The video shows the piece rotating around. This is the best way to see all the detail in this fun piece. Some of the pieces were sold individually to collectors so there are not many complete sets like this one. This is an extremely rare piece and a very interesting concept in miniature.

This is the first video I put on YouTube. I am adding more because it is a great way to showcase the pieces. There is always so much detail in the back of the pieces and one picture can't show it all like a video can. Check back often, as I will have more videos posted soon. This is the place I will comment on the videos and share insight into the pieces, why I made them, history, inspiration and so on. Thanks for listening.

Randall Zadar

Introduction to Lost Wax Casting by Randall Zadar

The "Lost Wax" method of casting is a refinement of a very old and ancient process dating back some two thousand years. Our ancient ancestors discovered that molten metal from a volcano, when cooled, assumed the exact shape of the clay or stone it flowed upon. This discovery led many of our early ancestors to produce simple molds in sand, stone or clay. They would pour in molten metal and produce ornaments or tools.

Later, jewelers such as the great Karl Faberge used Lost Wax Casting to produce some of the most beautiful and complex jewelry ever made. In the early 1900's, dentists began to use the process to restore the exact shape of a damaged tooth. In the 1930's, the manufacturing jewelers in this country discovered that they could use the same process to produce jewelry. Today, the process has been refined and is widely used by industry to produce complex parts.

The artist has also benefited from the process. Who can forget the magnificent bronze sculptures by Frederick Remington or Auguste Rodin? Sculptors all around the world soon realized the potential of this casting process to produce art.

As a sculptor of miniature art, I find the Lost Wax Casting process a perfect medium for my artistic expression. The process allows for very intricately cast designs. I then hand-paint each one in oil paints. The average size of my work is under an inch in height.

The following is a description of the steps I take to produce my figurines. The master for every figurine is first painstakingly sculpted out of wax. I use the process of building up the wax and then sculpting out the design. I use a combination of soft and hard wax to sculpt the master; the soft wax is good for building up and allows the figurines to have a bit of flexibility when carved. The hard wax is rigid and holds the extreme detail required.

The tools I use are basic. A specially sharpened X-Acto Knife, a spade shaped blade and some pins. I also use files for shaping the wax and a Q-Tip for smoothing the wax. For melting and building up, I use an electronically controlled heating tool.

After the wax master in completed, I cast it in sterling silver. The process basically consists of mounting the wax in a metal flask. A plaster type material call "Investment" is mixed with water, vacuumed to remove air, then poured into the flask. After the investment hardens, the flask is placed in an oven and slowly heated to 1,350 degrees. The wax melts out and becomes "lost". This leaves a cavity in the investment in the exact shape of the wax pattern. Molten sterling metal is forced into the mold cavity using centrifugal force or poured in using a vacuum assist. After cooling down, the metal is broken from the mold by quenching it in water. The new casting is now ready for finishing operations.

The new sterling master is cleaned, inspected, and prepared for use in the production mold. The production mold is used to produce additional wax patterns for casting. This mold is made from strips of un-cured rubber. These strips of rubber are packed around the sterling master and placed inside a metal frame. The mold is placed inside a vulcanizer, which uses heat and pressure to cure the rubber.

After the mold is vulcanized, it can be cut open. Using surgical blades, the mold is cut open with a choppy cutting motion. This cutting motion allows the mold to lock back together when injecting a wax pattern. Release cuts are made to allow the removal of the delicate wax patterns. Also, vent cuts are made which allow the air to escape as the wax enters the mold.

Once the rubber mold is made, wax injection begins. A wax injector, which melts the wax and injects it under air pressure, is used. The molten wax flows into the mold and then cools for several minutes. When cooled, the mold can be carefully opened to remove the new wax pattern. Not every pattern is useable. Generally, seven or eight out of ten are good.

The wax patterns are now mounted inside a flask and the casting process is repeated as mentioned above. Instead of using sterling silver, bronze metal is used in all the production pieces. The bronze is strong and durable.

The newly cast bronze figurines are now cleaned and prepared for paint. The sprues are cut off each figurine. A sprue is the passageway for the wax to melt out and the metal to flow in. They also anchor the wax pattern inside the flask. Using hand files and rotary tools, any mold lines are removed. Each cleaned figurine is mounted onto a painting stick and given a white base coat using an airbrush. Oil paints are mixed for each color needed and the painting process begins. Once all the painting steps are completed, the figurine is allowed to dry and then varnished.

From the beginning to the end, each figurine must pass through a series of complex steps. The Lost Wax Process is the only way for me to produce the precision detail required for this unique art form.

Discovered from primal forces in nature, this ancient process in theory has not changed. It has been developed to an exact science with sophisticated tools and equipment, but the basic concept is the same and will never change. This leaves us with an ingenious way of transforming delicate wax into permanent metal. The beauty of this process is the ability to cast unlimited designs. The only limitation is our imagination.

Randall Zadar/Sculptor. To learn more about Zadar Miniatures, please visit: www.zadarstudios.com