21 Nov Interview with Sandra Garrity, Miniature Sculptor ( 2014 )

                                  Many years ago I wrote a few articles for an online, miniature orientated magazine. For one of these I got to interview Sandra Garrity, who is a prolific miniature sculptor for may of the big US companies. Reaper, Ral Partha, Grenadier to name but a few. I thought it would be a good time to put in on my blog so others can see what a lovely and very talented lady she is.

2014 Sandra Garrity Interview

 

 

Back when I first got into collecting miniatures, the scene was dominated by the big three companies. Citadel / Games Workshop here in the UK, with Grenadier and Ral Partha over in the United States. There were some smaller companies of course but these were the ones who generally managed to get their products into local toy shops.

 

Back then sculptors weren’t really recognized either. However in the bigger monster boxed sets from Grenadier they included a printed insert showing a picture of the completed miniature, and who sculpted it.

 

Two names have always stuck in my mind from those days, Sandra Garrity and Julie Guthrie. Now ladies who sculpt miniatures are uncommon now, but back then I knew of only three, Trish Morrison of GW fame being the third.  Imagine then my great delight when some umpteen years later Sandra has agreed to do an interview for the debut of Treasure Chest.

 

Firstly could you tell us a little about yourself?

 

I have been a freelance artist for over 40 years, doing both painting and sculpture. I am married and have two adult daughters.  We live in a rural area on five and a half acres. Horses are my passion. I had my horse, Fire, for 30 years until 2012, when his failing health and age took him from me.

 

 

How did you first get into miniature sculpting?

 

In 1989, my husband retired from the Air Force, thinking he had a civilian job lined up.  The job fell through, leaving us short of income. Since I had cut back my freelance work to raise two small daughters, I started contacting artist friends to look for additional employment. An artist friend of mine was doing blister card art for Ral Partha and told me they needed sculptors. That ultimately led to my doing my first miniatures for them as a freelancer and then as a staff sculptor.

 

That must have seemed a bit stannge at first.

Were you aware of the industry, role-playing, war gaming before you started?

 

Yes, although I was not a gamer, myself. I had been seeing the figures in hobby shops for a number of years and often stopped to admire them.  I became adept at recognizing the work of some of the sculptors, especially Julie Guthrie’s and Tom Meier’s beautifully sculpted figures.

 

How did you first discover that you had a talent for sculpting in miniature?

 

I had been a sculptor, working in larger scales with both wood and Super Sculpey for many years. It never occurred to me that the size of the sculptures might make any real difference in the process.

Working to sculpt the figures with the green epoxy putty was rather a challenge,

since there was not much available in the way of training when I was working as a freelancer. Most of us back then had to train ourselves to properly work the epoxy putty.  After I became a staff sculptor at Ral Partha, we often traded techniques and shared some of what we had learned about “the mysteries of the green putty.”

 

 

What was it like working for Ral Partha? 

 

It was very interesting, but not as “glamorous” as some people might imagine.  When I started working there on staff, most of the sculptors worked together in a single room that had no air conditioning.  It was extremely hot in the summer until the company CEO’s fiancée visited us one day and convinced him to at least install a window air conditioner.  On the positive side, working together with the other sculptors was fun.  We listened to the radio and talked back and forth as we worked, discussing everything from current events to sculpting techniques.  Eventually, in addition to my regular sculpting duties, I was also put in charge of training new sculptors as they were hired.  This was rewarding, because I really enjoyed seeing new talent come into the industry.

 

 

How did you start up working for Grenadier? 

 

While I was working freelance for Ral Partha, I also worked freelance for other companies, such as Lance and Laser.  When I went on staff at Ral Partha, my contract with them specifically said that I could work freelance for other companies, with no restrictions, as long as I did it on my own time.  While I was at Ral Partha, I finally got the chance to meet Julie Guthrie when she was in town to deliver some sculpts. Over time we became friends.  One day, when we were talking long distance on the phone, she mentioned that Grenadier were looking for sculptors, and put me in contact with Andy Chernak, the president and co-owner of the company.  He told me what kind of figures he was looking for, and I told him that I would be glad to sculpt freelance for Grenadier as long as the sculptures were notably different from the things that I was doing for Ral Partha.  My relationship with them just continued on from there.

 

 

 

Sounds like you were sculpting nearly non stop.

Does being freelance give you more control over what you sculpt?

 

To some extent it does, because, as a freelancer, you do have the freedom to turn down a project. Some clients have asked me to design the pieces and given me considerable artistic freedom, while others have concrete ideas about exactly how they want their figures to look.  Once you accept a commission, however, you must make every effort to please your client and provide what they need.  By working together, both you and your client can be successful; and a successful client is likely to come back to you with more work in the future.  Sculptors and clients depend on each other.

 

 

So do you work from concept art, a written design brief or imagination?

 

I work from all three of these. When supplied with reference art, it is sometimes just a starting point for me to do a work-up sketch for the figure. Other times I am required to follow it exactly. Sometimes I just get a written description from which to do a work-up sketch. The best thing is when a client says “Do me a ____ figure.”, and I get to design it completely

 

How do you find the major fantastic worlds that miniature design tends to fall into.

Are fantasy / science fiction themes of interest to you generally or just something to do with work?

 

As a professional artist, I started out working with the themes and images of nature and the Southwestern USA, primarily Arizona and Texas.  However, both fantasy and science fiction themes have been major interests of mine all of my life. Getting to create fantasy and science fiction figures is wonderful!

 

 

Could you talk me through the process you use to sculpt a new miniature?

 

If a miniature is going to be reproduced, sculpting must begin with an armature. It is usually made of wire, although some of us have armatures cast in white metal.  That armature is fixed to a base, cork, or other mechanism to provide something for the sculptor to hold onto while sculpting. The armature is then posed, and ready for the addition of the putty.

 

Next, layers of putty are built up, allowing each layer to cure before adding additional layers. This provides a firm foundation for applying surface details. Warming the epoxy putty in a “cooker” (25 watt light bulb inside a coffee can attached to a reflector lamp) will speed up the curing of the putty. Although it will cure without heating it, the warming will make the putty cure (harden) faster so the sculpting will go faster.

 

Last, the figure is put on a tab for a slot base, or placed on a regular base, as per the client’s direction. If the pose requires the sculpture to be done in pieces for molding and casting, the sculpture is then cut where needed, joints are formed, and the copyright information and my signature are added to the tab or base.

 

You make it sound very easy, which I know from personal experience it certainly isn’t. However over the years you have worked for nearly all the big miniature producers. Have there been any really standout projects you’ve been asked to do?

 

I have done quite a few dragons over the years. I really love designing and sculpting Dragons! I also love doing horses.

 

I can see that. In many of the mounted Reaper miniatures its usually one of your horses with the rider by a different sculptor.

 

You’re known for how beautiful / handsome your miniatures look when they’re sculpted. Is that a conscious artistic decision, or more just your natural style?

 

Thank you.  Sometimes it is conscious, sometimes it just happens. It depends on the figure. I think that over the years, I have seen that the handsome/ beautiful figures are more popular than those that are less so. Except when a figure is supposed to be homely, clients seem to want more handsome/beautiful miniatures.

 

I’ve noticed you sign a lot of your work. Do you think miniature sculptors get the recognition they deserve?

 

If miniature sculptors are not allowed to sign their work, they often do not get the recognition they deserve.  My client contracts stipulate that my signature appears on the product.  One of the perks of being an artist is being able to sign your work. The artist’s signature can be mutually beneficial to both artist and Client. The artist is noted for his/her work and the company can use the artist’s name to promote the product.

 

That’s a very good point.

 

Do you ever feel your talent and hard work are devalued when the end result is just referred to as toys?

 

Not really, because anyone who is willing to take a close look at the level of detail in today’s gaming miniatures will see that a great deal of effort and skill is required to create them. People who refer to them as toys just haven’t really taken a good look at them.

 

 

As I mentioned earlier that I knew of only three female miniature sculptors back in the 80’s / 90’s. With Victoria Lamb of Victoria Miniatures in Australia I now know of four. Why do you think there aren’t more female sculptors?

 

Actually, I am rather surprised there are not more women doing miniature sculpting. It could be that, initially, gaming was mainly a male hobby and there were simply not too many women who were fans. This is certainly changing now, and I think that there will be more women sculpting in the miniature industry in future years.

 

 

Have you ever sculpted anything other than fantasy subjects, sci-fi, steampunk for example?

 

As I said earlier, I started out doing nature and Southwestern US paintings and sculptures.  Over the years, I have sculpted a wide range of subjects, including licensed Star Trek and Star Wars figures (which let me visit Skywalker Ranch several times!), various game related sci-fi figures, dinosaurs, and fantasy furniture and wall sections.  Additionally, I have done model railroad figures that include animals, people and miscellaneous objects. I have also done work in the toy industry for television and movie licenses that involve sculpting actor likenesses, as well as various sports figures.

 

 

What is your favorite scale to sculpt in?

 

I don’t have a favorite scale. I like the challenge each scale provides. Since I am often required to do very fine details however, I tend to appreciate 30-54mm scales because they have more room to apply fine detail.  I’ve sculpted gaming figures from 10mm to 610mm (24 inches).

 

 

Whose work do you admire?

 

There are so many talented sculptors now, that it is hard to pick just a few.  The first two sculptors that I was impressed by when I first started in the industry were Tom Meier and Julie Guthrie.

 

 

Do you keep an eye on the new sculptors coming through?

 

Yes, I try to, because I find it exciting to see new talent coming into the industry.

 

What do you think about the trend into computer aided design for miniatures, and have you considered it?

 

I think it is great for many applications, not so much for others. I have considered it, but I love the hands on sculpting of the figures. Additionally, upgrades to my computer, getting the software, and the high learning curve required to do computer sculpting, probably means I will not go in that direction.

 

 

You have sculpted everything from huge dragons to tiny creatures. Do you ever look at the design brief and think, how am I going to sculpt that?

 

Oh yes!  Determining how I am going to sculpt the figure is the first part of every project – and some of them really require a lot of thought and effort! Not only do I have the responsibility of sculpting the figure to my client’s satisfaction, but I must do it so that the figure can be cast.  Some poses require the figure to be produced in parts for molding and casting.  I have to be able to determine which parts must be separated to make the casting process as simple as possible.

 

So you have to have a good understanding of the casting process too.

I know there is no such thing as an average 28mm miniature. But what is an approximate time from start to completion? 

 

For me, the average amount of “hands-on” sculpting time for a moderately detailed human/humanoid 28mm-32mm scale figure is 18 to 25 hours.  This time does NOT include any research, work-up drawings for the client, or required cure times for the putty

 

That just goes to show the work that has to go into a miniature master.

Have you ever thought of setting up your own company and selling your work directly?

 

Yes, I have, and am working toward doing that in the near future.

 

I look forward to hearing more about that later in the year.

What is the favorite piece you’ve ever sculpted?

That is a difficult question. Over my sculpting career,  I have sculpted over three thousand sculptures. If I could only pick one as my favorite,  I guess it would be “Maria Roseblade,” done for Reaper Miniatures. (02645 : Maria Roseblade ) 

 

Any future plans / projects you can tell us about?

 

I am planning to market my own lines of figures.  The projects for my clients, unfortunately, cannot be discussed until they have been released for sale, but I can say that there are some interesting projects in the works.

 

That all sounds very interesting. I’d like to thank Sandra for taking the time and trouble to answer my questions and for providing such an insightful interview.