Hobbits - miniature and otherwise

[dagmarjung]

My Visit to the LotR movies exhibition in Berlin has encouraged me to finally pick up the idea again to make some LotR miniature dolls. Or rather, the merchandising booth at the entrance did it, which sold, among other things, a wide range of figurines which I mostly found easy to resist buying.

Comments

[wulfila]

The sketch is absolutely lovely, and does look very Hobbitish indeed! :) Sadly, I do not know any hobbit fansite (not being very active in the fandom myself at the moment), but I suspect that the elven side of the fandom is still more active because many elves fit (or are made to fit) a certain mould of beautiful, mysterious, slightly tormented, etc. etc. hero that many people love in every fandom.

[dagmarjung]

You'd be amazed about the masses of Beautiful!Tormented!Frodo fics that used to clog the archives. Maybe it's not entirely bad that hobbits are out of fashion.

[elvses]

From active-Hobbit-fandom days, what I remember best is a crapload of stories in which Aragorn accidentally rapes Frodo (because he thought Frodo really wanted it or something naff), and then spends the rest of the Fellowship quest trying to make it up to him.

I am not sorry to see those stories go, really.

[dagmarjung]

They were not all that was going on. I miss Teasel's recommendation site, she really was my guide dog for the better sort of hobbit fiction. Like everywhere in fandom, few gems are hidden among loads of pebbles.

[sirielle]

I have no links to hobbits, but elves are missing, too. Or at least some elf artists disappeared - Marta Aguado changed something on her site and I can;t find the gallery anymore. It's in Spanish so maybe the link is somewhere there, but I can't see it. I hoped on more art from her but now I'm worried she'll delete other galleries as well. As Remi did, she deleted dA account and Elfwood page, her art is right now only at RoTN (from the places I know, but I haven't checked everywhere). That's sad :( I fear to check Ivanneth site now, I hope it will not disappear

[dagmarjung]

I checked, and found that Marta Aguado has removed her Elfwood gallery also. :-(
On the bright side, Ivanneth's website is still alive!

Concerning miniature sculpturing, the most amazing figure I ever saw was a tiny dancing Rosie Cotton, about two cm high, complete with sweet face, flying skirts and curls. A young artist who worked for Games Workshop made her from scratch for the actress who played Rosie in the movies, to give it to her at the first RingCon. I'm sure she was delighted to receive such a gift.

[elvses]

I will look forward to seeing pictures of your dolls. The sketch looks excellent and indeed very hobbity. I admire your dedication to work on 2 mm eyes without screaming, kicking the table over, and throwing things across the room. Which is what I would surely do.

The thing I find about the Games Workshop etc. figurines is that they always make the head disproportionately large. Easier to work on facial features that way, I guess, but it still makes for a funny-looking figurine when it's painted.

[dagmarjung]

Not just the head, they use a special set of proportions in general, with thicker limbs and bigger hands and feet. I guess they do it so you can see more detail. In comparison to small figures for model railway, which are realistically proportioned, they certainly make more interesting characters.

I will show some dolls and animals in another post. The LotR dolls will still take a lot of time. Sculpting, cast mold making, assembling the dolls, painting, costume design (I need to make a pattern), wigging ecetera.

[lenine2]

I love the sketch of Frodo smiling. It is very genuine-looking. I imagine his hair looks like that because he has been outside all day wearing a hat, and has just come in.

Can't you make your dolls bigger, and then put the results in some kind of magical shrinking machine? It would certainly be easier on your eyesight.