YAF (Yet Another Figure) - Part 5 - a French Fisherwoman, c1910...

Well I've put it off long enough, time to give it a go - if and when this is finished, it will be my first female figure!

First off though, a mock-up using Blu-Tak, to get the pose right - and in this case see what the full-length dress would look like:



So straight to the drilling, pinning and filling:



Note that the dress hasn't been made full-length yet - once the Milliput has cured I will go over the top of the whole dress with Green Stuff or similar - to hide the pleats, and to take the whole hem down to the ground.

blimey Clive you sound like Jean-Paul Gautier now!! but very nice start. Good Luck

mikey

Today I went to work with the Green Stuff (for those of you watching in colour, yes it is grey but it's the same stuff, really )

The problem I have had with this one now, is that on the mantelpiece where I leave my things to dry, she wouldn't stand properly - the weight of the GS is causing her to topple over - which then causes the GS to crumple as it hasn't set yet! So I have strung her up with some cotton round the neck - she is suspended from a bedroom door! Only for a couple of hours or so, then she'll be right. Dead, but right.

This is turning into a "soap". Can't wait for the next episode - will she live ?, whodunnit ? , where is the evil FrankS now ?, etc etc . Yes its raining here.

it must have happened in real life Clive;with the weight of those skirts I mean!!

Mikey

So a bit more progress this week, in parallel with the 'husband' figure...

I padded out the rest of the skirt to lose the pleats once and for all



Then this morning I had a rush of blood to the head, and made a start on the 'upper body'... now this was always going to be risky! Unfortunately I panicked, and made up slightly too much Milliput. So, where might I make use of this excess. Well, obvious really. It had occurred to me that this lady was missing a certain 'je ne sais quoi'. So I put that right:



I also decided to bulk up the 'derriere' and the tummy a bit too:



Mikey, I hope that this does not cause any kind of 'discussions' in your household! It did rather prompt some searching questions at this end! e.g. "who were you thinking of when modelling her then?? Not me obviously!!!" followed by a rapid forming of ice on the inside of our dining room window as the temperature and the atmosphere both took a pronounced dip!

clive_t wrote:

So a bit more progress this week, in parallel with the 'husband' figure...

...Mikey, I hope that this does not cause any kind of 'discussions' in your household! It did rather prompt some searching questions at this end! e.g. "who were you thinking of when modelling her then?? Not me obviously!!!" followed by a rapid forming of ice on the inside of our dining room window as the temperature and the atmosphere both took a pronounced dip!

'The picture of the fallen madonna with the big boobies'

Excellent work Clive! Glyn wondered how you had got such a good likeness of her; until she saw the derriere!! I like it though ( something to ogle when theres no trains running!!)

Mikey

Can you make one about 5ft 5ins please - she has reminded me of someone I used to know.

Just had another look at this model and i must say clive you have a good understanding of the female anatomy. thats a perfect parabolic curve!!

Further progress tonight... I have preserved the lady's modesty (for the most part!) - and adorned her with a hat of sorts too:



From the rear:



I think I want to do something with her hair, but not sure what at the mo. Also, I am thinking some sort of belt around the waist? Or is that too modern, I wonder?

Looking good Clive. Women of all classes normally wore their hair up,and normally with a hat.
Fresses tended to be high-waisted so belts werent worn.working women wore a pinny. If its not too late have a look at these 3 pics;







Dresses normally dark.

mikey

Cracking pics Mikey! OK, I shall attempt to Dremel away the existing hair moulding at the back, and replace it with something that looks like 'hair up'! And no belt.

Are you happy with:
1. The neckline, or is it a bit too 'plunging'? I can cover her charms a bit more if you'd prefer!
2. The waistline, or do you think it should be a little higher?
3. The lower arms (below the elbow)? Currently they look (or will look) bare, but alternatively I could make a thin sleeve to extend to the wrist if you prefer, not a huge problem if that's what you want.

I didn't see her as a 'working girl' as such, but you're the man in the chair for this figure, if you want her to be wearing a pinny then that can be done quite easily.

No Clive I think the hair is ok (its a short style), the only thing i'm not sure about is the amount of cleavage! (might attract more fish?). Also i think your right, if she is Mr Benets wife she would be fishing in all her finery, so no pinny!!

mike

Edging ever closer... sprayed with grey primer, to get a better view. Pic taken from above, also to get a better view!



Will hopefully cover her up a bit when I next get a chance to make some progress...

...and a bit more progress tonight...

Like that very much Clive!

mikey

So last night, and again this morning, I helped this lady fix her war-paint ...



For some reason, I like this shot better:



Mikey, I know you mentioned 'corn-cob pipes' in an earlier post, I wonder do you still want that for this figure? I haven't tried making one yet, but I guess it wouldn't be much of a problem to apply one.

Wow Clive. that figure has really come alive now! How do you do the faces, you must have an extremely steady hand.I think we'll leave the corn-cob.Looks great as it is. Trouble is I feel a need for more figures coming on!!

Mikey

Cheers Mikey, I am very glad you like it. The faces are actually quite straightforward - I use a base 'flesh colour' followed up with some brown in the areas of shadow, eg eye sockets, under the nose and lower lip, and under the chin, and anywhere where there is a layer of clothing next to it, eg the sleeves - oh, and in this case of course, the cleavage! That bit took me the longest of all, I felt I had to get it right! Either that, or I am a colossal perv.... yes, that'll be it!

A very small brush helps enormously too, I have found.

OK, so no pipe - ergo, this figure is done! I only have the creel to finish off for the gentleman figure, and we can think about packing them off back in time, to sunny France of c1910!