A Personal Message to all Figure Sculptors

[Bexley]

Please, please, please- bring your female models indoors before you take reference photos of them. It's awfully mean to make them stand out in the cold like that, and I'm getting very tired of always having to file the nipples off of figures who are clearly wearing shirts.

Thank you.

[goblyn13]

Those aren't nipples Bexley, they're called Flash :tongue2:

[v22TTC]

Funny - I'm getting tired of having to keep sculpting nipples on minis that don't have them! Full-plate or spacesuit, there's always room for them nipples!

Nah, I don't mind for the most part but it can seem a little juvenile sometimes, yeah... but then, I really like filligree too..:vb_devil:..

[Jabberwocky]

*Snickers*

[eastman]

as a frequent painter of NNN (non-nekkid nekkid) I am strongly in the pro-nipple camp. Keep on sculpting them nips!

It's much easier for you to file them off than it is to add them.

[diehard]

Big fan of nipples myself. I actually lean to the There's Not Enough Nipples Camp myself, but to each his (or her) own.

[Skullcrafts]

If there was ever a "Need More Nipples Society" I would surely be a member...if not the chairman. I could never tire of nipples in real life, why would it be different in miniature format? I love em' all.

:tongue2:

[Bexley]

You all need to get out more.

[wiccanpony]

I soooooo want to say something.....but if I did the Vice Police would be looking for me.

clue word: head LOL

[caffeinated]

I actually like to sculpt a third nipple on every figure; male or female. Makes me feel freaky.

Look what happened to these poor wrestlers when the nipple police arrived:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/columnists/orl-maxwell2808mar28,0,677446.column?track=rss

[Bexley]

See, that's just wrong. Topless figures should have nipples. Figures that are "sexy" and being played up for comedy can be totally nipping out. It's the really gorgeous clothed sculpts with highbeams that annoy me.

[redstripe]

I think this is one of the Seven Signs of the Apocalypse when our lives become so decadent that nipples become irritating.

[caffeinated]

In all seriousness, if the reference material has them (whether they are drawings or photos) they will likely get sculpted. Sheer or form-fitting fabrics do reveal underlying features. If a commissioned work stipulates that detail, the sculptor will add it.

[Bexley]

Yes yes yes. My point is that while it may be done to be "sexy" or to be true to the reference model, it usually just comes off as juvenile. It'd be like if a stoic and serious male elf fig had a giant schlong-bulge running all the way down to mid-calf.

[Dragonforge]

Ive actually had to sculpt nipples on to mechs and robots before.. not thats a wee bit crazy..

[Illustrange]

Yes yes yes. My point is that while it may be done to be "sexy" or to be true to the reference model, it usually just comes off as juvenile. It'd be like if a stoic and serious male elf fig had a giant schlong-bulge running all the way down to mid-calf.

I disagree there, why do female breasts always get compared to male crotch !? an elf with a giant schlong-bulge (not familliar with the name but I know what you mean ) would be rather comparable to a heavily cameltoed women, I actually wouldnt mind nor be offended by male miniatures with *david bowieish' talents* for that matters, tough I dont think male elves have balls or anything large enough to be seen down there

actually another aspect of female miniatures is much less realistic as nipples showing (wich can also be erect from the tension of the battle you know, and I doubt most fantasy woman would feel comfortable wearing a thick brah.) and thats their hair and in painting, their makeup ... never hear complaints there (but a woman mid battle has a much higher possible of having visible nipples or even visible breast, than having nicely combed hair and perfect makeup.)

I think its unfair to call it juvenile and wrong, I dont associate breast and nipples or nudity at all with sex perse (actually I personally find a girl with just-out-of-bed hair and just underwear (may even be a girly short ) and a way oversized shirt the most sensual view but thats another topic entirely , nudity on itself is the epitome of art and beauty, both male and female but especially the latter.) to get back on why I think its unfair, is because..

what on earth is wrong with breast and nipples ? no matter the situation, when you think about it reasonably how on earth did it happen in history that people considered it wrong ? (even from a religious point of view, there is a whole passage in the bible were salomo praises the breast of a woman.)

ok its wrong because for some people they are purely objects of lust ? the whole problem is that this is a chicken/egg situation. censorship focus the attention and actually creates the whole *object* approach.

think about it what are higher chances were a guy will see breast as pure lust objects :

1.) raised entire life in an envoriment were woman and man consider their upper body equal, woman have more fat in their breast, but so do some men in the end its no different a part of your body than your nose and your ears, its considered normal..chances are very unlikely that the boy would suddenly think in puberty *omg nipples wooooot*

2.) raised entire life with being hidden and censored from what the female body looks like, constantly by parents, media, school being told that woman are different, and while its ok for men to be barechasted its not ok for women to be because naked breasts are a filthy filthy thing.

in puberty curiosity takes a natural course, and then he accidentily sees a womans breast, how high are the chances that he thinks *ohhh they are just breast and nipples, I have them too actually.* no, what will cross his mind is *ooohhh filthy filthy, but soo interesting* tadaa.. the birth of pervism.

offcourse my examples are extremes, and while Im personally convinced that the whole secrecy, taboo and censorship deal towards nudity and sexuality is the direct cause for the many problems we have with it in our society (discrimination based on sexes, insecurities in this subject and even crime in the subject.) I dont think radically swifting attitudes would make things better immediately

lots of words that come down to one thing, I dont see the problem :laugh: the only problem I have with it is that more male miniatures should have see-trough nipples too, yes, thats it. (and no Im not even remotely Bi.)

now move along, pointless ranting is over

[Illustrange]

I must add one thing tough, sometimes you say nipples represented by a two small blobs.

I think that is just plain silly and completely unnecessary. (and in that case would agree to the nipples for the sake of nipples argument.)

Id then rather paint them on myself

[Bexley]

And yet, I guarantee if the Mona Lisa's subject had iced up before sitting down in Leonardo's studio, nobody would be commenting much on her smile.

I'm certainly not advocating any sort of censorship. It's not that it's universally bad, it's that I've seen them used far too often on models which aren't really improved by them.

Many people might appreciate well-endowed male figures as well, but you'd be lying if you tried to say that it wouldn't end up being the focus of the figure. Which is fine if that'w what you're going for. If no, you've got some filing to do.

[Illustrange]

And yet, I guarantee if the Mona Lisa's subject had iced up before sitting down in Leonardo's studio, nobody would be commenting much on her smile.

I'm certainly not advocating any sort of censorship. It's not that it's universally bad, it's that I've seen them used far too often on models which aren't really improved by them.

Many people might appreciate well-endowed male figures as well, but you'd be lying if you tried to say that it wouldn't end up being the focus of the figure. Which is fine if that'w what you're going for. If no, you've got some filing to do.

no, but thats my point exactly, its only a focal point because we have put so much focus on it, its deeply written into our very *instinct* (for lack of better words, in debates I always find out my english is limited ) by generations of focus on that part.

yet a tribes woman/man would completely miss the problem, it is so common sight for them that it doesnt become a focal point. (say if we see a person walking on the street with a horn on his head, our attention is drawn to it, if we all had horns, we wouldnt even notice... hmm maybe this makes thing actually more vague )

tough I do admit, Its not that I completely dont understand what you mean, but for me its part of a larger frustation, having to do with my girlfriend who is extremely insecure and a discussion I always end up with with her mother, who says insecurity is caused by the medias focus on beautiful women, but the media also focuses on beautiful men, yet they rarely *suffer* from it. its not the media thats doing things wrong, its the complaining about it that causes the problems, as it puts focus on something that shouldnt be an issue in the first place.

maybe it explains things further, maybe it makes it even less clear (when I start typing I usually confuse myself ) but I have the same toughts regarding discrimination, I think positive discrimination puts way much more fuel on the issue than negative discrimination does, altough people tend to think the positive side is the way to solve the negative one.

this is a theory Ive experienced in real life, in a class I was one of two colored kids in a class of 15, never had any issues... nobody saw us as different (nor did we.) but then we gotten a new teacher who came from south africa (and I believe teached there on those schools that aid development.) he always spend extra time explaining things to the two of us, alot even, clearly and never subtly seeing himself as some sort of humanitarian. (he didnt even seem to notice that I allready was the best in the class so really didnt need extra attention, tough... and seriously, altough Ive lived in south america shortly as a kid, even my grandmother allready had dutch nationality ) wich subsequently caused small issues regarding color coming from other class members, nothing serious, but they wouldnt even have tought about it without it being put in focus.

but these things always move in circles, and in the end, once set in motion it is impossible to end them.

so actually I wasted all these time typing

and I must admit, that I actually do indeed agree to the thing that it can be purposedly used as a focus, even when it shouldnt be a problem.

a painting Ive been busy with (well the preparation sketches etc.) for a while now is the tree of life wich is completely built up of nude women, not because it is so natural and so not-a-point-of-focus to me (tough not from a ooohhh nude women pov either.) but because it is a focus point for people and that is an element that makes people stand still and makes them think about the paintings mirror painting, wich is the entire tree covered in censorship, and the name of the painting *the birth of sin* (yeah actually an artist shouldnt talk about his art before he makes it when its art with a capital A, but since I doubt I will finish it within the next 5 years and by then you have forgotten all about it its ok I really want it to be lifesize and that makes one hell of a big painting, for wich I dont even have the room yet.)

I stop now, I tire myself.

why dont we just move along from topics that can be debated, because I love debate, and its not an usefull way to spend time haha

and after all, to each his/her own.

and I feel the pain while typing this but..

why file them off ? you can always chip/cut/bite them off !!

>_< ouch

[Illustrange]

I must add tough, why do the female forummers stay wide clear from this topic ? lol

even wiccan doesnt say what she wants to say

[Bexley]

You're putting waaay too much effort into this.

[350kilotons]

I thought that if you wanted nipples on a model, you would get a daemonic steed of Slaanesh?

Personally, I'm still not keen on the magical chainmail g-string of protection that a lot of fantasy females still sport. As for the whole nipple issue ... in moderation I suppose they're ok (on minis. On real peeps they're ... ok, I'm stopping before I say something crude and sexist).

[Brushmistress]

I'm not going to stay away from this thread...

I have never had any hesitiation painting female models with nipples, on nude or clothed. I think that our society (by our I mean American) is raised sexually repressed. I'm not saying that we should all run around without clothes, but we shouldn't be afraid to confront the female or male anatomy. I've never been embarrased to draw a nude study, either male or female, and I've actually painted quite a few models with borderline obnoxious breasts (Freebooter's Chaos Sorceress for one).

I suppose if you just don't like the nipples, cut them off. When we are painting/buying minis, we have to realize that many are sculpted from a conceptual sketches that involve "chilly air". Artists love drawing them, and sculptors apparently love sculpting them.

Now, on a strange note regarding earlier comments regarding male models with bulges, I must admit that I cannot paint a GW Empire Militia model without giggling. Because their models are generally nowhere near properly proportioned, the, for lack of tack "cod pieces", are nearly as big as their heads. It's actually quite silly looking, especially when a commisioned piece calls for it to be painted yellow, and the rest of the model blue. I'm not sure what people are thinking sometimes when they come up with color schemes.....

[Bexley]

So, now I'm sexually repressed? Wow.

Look, I made a joke post, basically trying to say (in a silly and roundabout way) that I think highbeams are getting a little ubiquitous. Like OSL once was, or red paint.

[Illustrange]

you cant be sexually repressed... you have an avatar saying *titte*

(melvin, move along now and leave this topic alone, it doesnt like you touching it.)