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As previously stated, scratch-building is immensely rewarding and often only limited by one's imagination. Bringing a human element to the garden railway is another opportunity to dabble in the art of miniature construction. I have learnt that a whole new range of techniques are necessary, but quite easily acquired, to make mini-men. I began by looking at what is available to buy ready made. The Busy Bodies have a real character, as do the Wee Chaps, but I wasn't prepared for the associated price tag. Call me stingy, I think of it rather as resourceful. Having been sufficiently inspired I took the next logical step and searched the net for 'How to make' articles for clay figures. I found a great series on the American Large-scale Central website. However, it wasn't long before I figured out (sorry for the pun) that I didn't want to make exact scale figures, rather more caricature-like fun figures that would have a real individuality.
Next, I went to the Chidham Light Railway and found the Fimo figures that Keith Brown makes. Re-inspired, I got hold of a 2 quid block of the Japanese equivalent (Formo) and began to play around with clay. The clay I use has many kinds, some that use real earth, some clay, others lighter like paper. The heavy clay is good as the figures have a proper mass to them and bake well in the oven.
Begin with something familiar. So I did. I tried a copy of Wallace from 'Wallace & Gromit' as I could find loads of pics on the net and his features, albeit cartoon-ish, are easy to reproduce. Through trial and error, I found that making a head shaped ball of clay and sticking it on a toothpick gave me something to hold on to rather than squashing bits I'd just formed.
What do you need?
Clay, obviously. A small jar of water, some toothpicks or matchsticks and a newspaper to stop the table getting messy. Really, that's all! No wire frames or technical (and expensive) tools either. Anyone can do what I'm about to explain, even if you only understand about half of what I say. Let's face it, there won't be anyone to say "That's not what people look like." because the figures you make are specifically for your own railway. There's no right or wrong. The first figure took me close to an hour and a half to make from clay, then another hour, not including drying times, to paint. Now I can turn one out in 30 minutes plus 30~40 minutes for painting. I've only done 12 so far, which means I will just get faster and better as I do more.
My figures have a children's animation feel yet at the same time fit in with the world in which they live and are inspired by a wide range of sources (TV and magazines mainly).
There are now 12 scale people who populate the line. They were all made from children's modelling clay (2 pounds a big block). My process is very easy as I usually want to make the figure with as little fuss as possible. I start with either a picture I have found of a suitable character, or make a mock-up sketch of what I want to make. I feel no need to create my own original faces or characters. One reason for this is that even though I am attempting to copy a specific character, I usually, through the use of too many thumbs (my own), end up with a vague approximation at best. A good example of this is 'Wendy'. Bob the Builder's construction partner (girlfriend?) was the base for this figure. Her face looked easy from my daughter's magazines, but come to making it from clay... Well, I ended up clothing her in a loosely Japanese summer working kimono with a face that resembles 'Wendy's' third cousin. My daughter still refers to her as Wendy so I don't mind that much. The other reason is that faces that are vaguely familiar are comforting and make things a little more real, even though that reality is the reality of a children's programme. Ultimately, I want my railway characters to be just that, characters. People I can associate with my line.
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