I just saw your news update and I am glad you have been able to have him sculpt for your company. I also see your going to have miniatures of the Sculpts he had listed on his own web page. I can't wait to see what else he will be doing for you.

Yes,
Gael Goumon is another favorite of mine, Darksword is definatly the Mercedes of miniature companies. Another upcoming sculptor, i predict he will be one of the best in a few years is Derreck Schubert, he only has a couple sculpts for reaper, but they are some of the best ones they have had and his style is very complimentary to other Darksword sculptors, just my 2 cents on another person i would like to see sculpt for you Jim, hehe.

We have our eye on Mr. Derek Schubert, make no mistake about it.

In another year or two of honing his skills, he will for sure be ready to sculpt in different styles. Reaper is going more towards a hybrid GW look to have the widest possible appeal (which is a sound strategy)for miniature enthusiasts. Dark Sword requires more of a realistic look to mirror the artwork we are working from. Reaper is just more high-fantasy these days.

Once Derek wants to flex the ol sculpting muscles and give Dark Sword a whirl, we will for sure let him do his thing and see what comes of it.

Experience is a good thing! No need to rush things...

Cheers,

Jim

Sorry guys but he's not a great favourite of mine. I love the way he does cloth but he has a nasty habbit of doing huge plank swords or exessively end heavy weapons that push the bounds of suspension of disbelief a little bit too far. Also he sometimes does that Rackham thing of putting too much filligree detail on armour plates (understandable for Dark Sword 'though since that's the style being emulated anyway). I'm not too keen on the short breastplates he sometimes does but it seems to be a style the french like at the moment (impractical). Occassionaly his faces all look too thin (like an inverted shark's face or something).

That aside he's a really great sculptor (and as I said, he's a god with realistic looking cloth). I think his work looks okay in the Visions of Fantasy range but I'm not sure his particular style is good for any of the Fab Four (his style just seems too different).

awesome artist so far...i love the new female palidan, i really love to see that she's not only a great scuplt but she's also a left hander...99.9% miniatures manufactured in the business are right handed...hopefully more are made as south paws...

Aye left handed miniatures are good (now we just need to taunt a sculptor into daring to do one with curly hair - there's been a distinct lack of curly haired mini's since the 80's :p).

Well, I just happen to be a lefty!

Cheers,

Jim
www.DarkSwordMiniatures.com