Please Critique my new baby "Andre"

[Bonnie Brown]

This is my new baby Andre. I am open to any critics you may have.
He will be 18"-20" finished and is completly hand sculpted using polymer clay. He will also have limbs made for him.
Thanks,
Bonnie

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/Bonniehaha/b1653430.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/Bonniehaha/1a4ad2e8.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/Bonniehaha/5625aeac.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/Bonniehaha/3dd86d25.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/Bonniehaha/IMG_2958.jpg
http://www.heavenlyhoneynursery.com/images1122/BonniesBaby2lightened.jpg

[jim]

look real! must be a boy!!blue white blanket....

[RCFA-Raven]

Looks very real. I'm not sure I could have him around the house though....would make me want to have another child. lol!

[Bonnie Brown]

Thanks for your comments! I still would like some critics though.
Thanks,
Bonnie :)

[obseq]

Bonnie,

Great work-- The very first detail that struck me was the assymetrical parting of the mouth. This is such a thoughtful detail.


The fourth image does better justice at showing the great detail, epsecially evident in the eyes.

Are you working from a model/image? I am curious to know some of your motivations behind the work.

I think I'd like to see some images with different lighting that would highlight more detail in the skin tone.

[HappySculpting]

Look so much like a real baby. Wow! Good job! :)

As for the critique.

Only because you asked I'll look closely. What struck me first as well was the mouth and how the (viewer's right) side of the mouth is pooching out. It almost looks too much so like he's blowing air out that side of the mouth. Not sure.

The second picture: Looking at the (viewer's right) ear. A side view would be good but wondering on the way it's attached and it it's possibly a little to flat to the head at the bottom of the ear.

That's all grasping at straws. More detailed pictures in various angles would help for a better critique.

Excellent work!

[Spooky]

The skin comes across to blochy. Assuming your are portraying a healthy baby it would be more red and more expressive. At that time infan:ts look vastly different by the hour so you may need to name it as such "08:30 hours" looks good. ;)

[Merlion]

It is very well done. Good work.

On thing is not too chear. Is it hair on the baby's head, and do you implant them one by one?

As the real baby's lips would be partly wet, perhaps making part of them gloss would make it look very nice.

Not sure if you know, an artist very good at making hyper realistic human figure sculptures is Ron Mueck (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Mueck).

[Jay Long]

Man would I love to have that stuck in the grill of my truck, with a little red paint, and then drive around town with it. a real head turner.(just kiddin) actually very life like, I showed it to my daughters and they thought it was real, Then I told them that it was polymer clay.....well done.....Jay

[Bonnie Brown]

Bonnie,

Great work-- The very first detail that struck me was the assymetrical parting of the mouth. This is such a thoughtful detail.


The fourth image does better justice at showing the great detail, epsecially evident in the eyes.

Are you working from a model/image? I am curious to know some of your motivations behind the work.

I think I'd like to see some images with different lighting that would highlight more detail in the skin tone.
I sometimes use images when I am doing portrait sculptures of peoples babies.
But I didn't use any for this baby.
Thanks for your imput,
Bonnie

Look so much like a real baby. Wow! Good job!

As for the critique.

Only because you asked I'll look closely. What struck me first as well was the mouth and how the (viewer's right) side of the mouth is pooching out. It almost looks too much so like he's blowing air out that side of the mouth. Not sure.

The second picture: Looking at the (viewer's right) ear. A side view would be good but wondering on the way it's attached and it it's possibly a little to flat to the head at the bottom of the ear.

That's all grasping at straws. More detailed pictures in various angles would help for a better critique.

Excellent work!
His lip does pooch out a little
I am still working on ears and I also think his ear lobes are too close to his head I will note that when I make the next one.
Thankyou for your imput Tamara.
Bonnie

The skin comes across to blochy. Assuming your are portraying a healthy baby it would be more red and more expressive. At that time infan:ts look vastly different by the hour so you may need to name it as such "08:30 hours" looks good.
Ok thanks I will give my babies less bloches next time,
Thanks,
Bonnie




It is very well done. Good work.

On thing is not too chear. Is it hair on the baby's head, and do you implant them one by one?

As the real baby's lips would be partly wet, perhaps making part of them gloss would make it look very nice.

Not sure if you know, an artist very good at making hyper realistic human figure sculptures is Ron Mueck.
I glue the hair on my babies heads.
I will add some gloss to his lips
Ron Muecks sculptures are stunning I hope to have my babies looking that realistic one day.
Thanks Bonnie

Man would I love to have that stuck in the grill of my truck, with a little red paint, and then drive around town with it. a real head turner.(just kiddin) actually very life like, I showed it to my daughters and they thought it was real, Then I told them that it was polymer clay.....well done.....Jay

My friends want to put them in the freezer section at the supermarket ;)
Yes made from scatch out of polymer clay. How old are your daughters?
They could be making dolls like this I have just turned sixteen
Bonnie

[Jay Long]

My friends want to put them in the freezer section at the supermarket ;)
Yes made from scatch out of polymer clay. How old are your daughters?
They could be making dolls like this I have just turned sixteen
Bonnie
My daughters are 10 and 12 and they will be intimidated because you are only 16 years old, which I think is good for them. By the way, you have a natural talent for sculpture, and it shows by your work, you will find alot of people will try to tell you what you should do to make things look better, but let me tell you you got the right idea, and your right on track. always check out a critique, go to their website, look at their homepage, see if they have any experience in the area you are skilled at, this forum has it share of critiques that are full of idea's but no skills.........Jay

[GWayne]

Bonnie,

Amazing work, but even more so, for someone your age! Your skill level reminds me of a young Steve Johnston(special effects artist). I have a few suggestions regarding your sculpture:

1. Try using complimentary colors of the main flesh tones where there are shadows to make the tones richer and to give the features more depth(reference old master paintings).

2. The flesh tones need to be blended a bit more, so that they don't appear to be so blotchy.

3. The red lip color is too warm and contrasting. Try using a thin wash of either green or blue to tone down the intensity of the red. Adding a gloss coating to an already bright color will only distract the viewer from the main focal point(the baby).

4. The physical surface areas on the forehead and face need a little fine tweaking so that they don't look uneven. Rubbing alcohol can be used to smooth out stiff or uneven areas on polymer clay.

5. Add a touch of drool in each corner of the mouth.

Please don't take my suggestions the wrong way. You did an incredible job! You should be very proud of yourself. :) Your maturity really shows with how you handled this delicate subject matter. Best wishes on your next project!

GWayne

http://www.georgewayne.com

[obseq]

"His lip does pooch out a little
I am still working on ears and I also think his ear lobes are too close to his head I will note that when I make the next one."

Bonnie,

On the ears being too close to the head, as far as I have known, the ears of newborn infants tend to be very close to the head until they 'ripen' so to speak.

In my mind, Andre looks like a newborn infant which is why i think the blotchiness of the skin is appropriate/accurate.

Look forward to more of your work!

[daaub]

Wow,

The little imperfections are what make it look so real. The "blotchyness" of the skin and "pooched" mouth make it a very specific infant, not an ideal one. You don't need to change a thing unless you want it to be prefect like a doll.

[Bonnie Brown]

Thanks for your critique and comments!
Sincerely Bonnie

[MommaChele]

Bonnie,
I work on an obstetrics unit in the midwest. I work with newborns every day, and I have to say he is beautiful! I actually had to take a second look because I thought he was a real baby! The skin of newborns is blotchy, the lips very red and the ears are "slicked back" for at least the first 24 hours. You have done a perfect job! I hope to be as gifted in sculpting as you!

Michele

[Wayward]

Bonnie he's absolutely stunning, I was wondering how did you paint him, what did you use? I would like to be able to produce sculptures like that, your going to go far!!!

[Landseer]

THAT's clay???? holy cow!!! you could have put that picture up anywhere else and posted something like "This is my sister's new born baby boy, just home from the hospital and taking a nap" and I'm sure no one could tell it's not real!

You should DO that somewhere on a child related board ;)

[Bonnie Brown]

Thankyou for your comments, I use oil paints.
Bonnie :)

[philpraxis]

Wow! Congratulation, excellent work!

I cannot help but think of Ron Mueck also of course, and your work is really up to this level IMHO.

The other reference is Prune Nourry's work, that comes up to mind even if it does not share the realistic look of your art but the ironical side:

http://www.xlrmx.org/wiki/uploads/PhilippeLanglois/prune-art-com1.jpg

http://www.xlrmx.org/wiki/uploads/PhilippeLanglois/prune-art-com3.jpg

Her work is visible on:
http://www.prune-art.com/

cheers
Philippe,

http://www.xlrmx.org

[Mollie]

Wow, that is some amazing work.

Did you sculpt him/her from Super Sculpey, ProSculpt or something else?

[hooverss]

Your baby looks too real….small children scare the shit out of me and this sculpture really scares me…..good job.