Oy, I really didn’t mean to upset the monkeys, Proto. That last sentence came out very snippy in hindsight, for which I apologize. My only point is I would rather not wait if there is someone out there NOW who wants to give this a shot but is intimidated by all the talk about wanting a pro to do it. Commissioning a pro’s all well and good except:
1. Andy and Trev have said they’ve got a lot on their plates right now and it could be a while if they decided to take this on.
2. Money. Sue’s mentioned her friend will of course command a professional’s price. Still very unclear about the $ (or pounds or rupees or whatever) thing and until we talk seriously with a specific artist, we won’t know what a realistic rate or price-per-piece is. If and when that is hashed out, I know I have a high pain threshold when it comes to price as long as the quality is there but then I don’t have any dependents other than a high strung dog to feed. How many of the twenty-something others on the list would be willing to go $40 or more on a single unpainted bodiless head?
3. Hiring a pro is no guarantee of good results. Portfolios are great for a preview of what an artist is capable of, but what would he or she do with this specific project?
This all assumes some kind of formal arrangement that would require consensus on the part of a significant number of buyers. I am looking at this situation now, and objectively, I am 90% sure that that will never happen. The only way I can see a Wesley sculpt realistically making any progress is if an artist—any artist, pro, semi-pro, hobbyist, tho I’ll just say, I personally would love it if it were Trev and less than 6 months from now—takes the initiative—does the sculpt on their own time, slaps a price tag on it appropriate to their work and a decent profit margin, then posts a “for sale” post without waiting to be approached by a group of crazed and desperate Buffy/Angel fans on Sideshow withdrawal. Then see the customized Wes figures begin to post a couple weeks later.
Anzik, I really look forward to seeing your work if you decide to post the results. It is fun to sculpt, I often think about how different things would have turned out for me if I’d kept up with the art school in college rather than the English degree and business career I ended up with, but back then all viable art careers had to do with advertising which wasn’t for me, and there’s no denying my current job pays me well enough. I would give Wes a shot too, just for fun, but I’ve even slowed down with Willow and Tara lately due to real life. I have finished my Willow sculpt, though, and will look to go to mold on that this weekend.
