Spikey Haired Hicks heads for HT figures - Up for order again!

[MML]

Hi Les, can you put me down for a painted one too? They're an absolutely fantastic piece of work. What would be the postage cost to Ireland?

 

[Les Walker]

Hi Les, can you put me down for a painted one too? They're an absolutely fantastic piece of work. What would be the postage cost to Ireland?

Last time I sent a small package to the UK and environs, it was around $10-15 US. Depends thereafter on the size etc. I've been adding only $5 to the listed US shipping price, making it $80 total. If shipping is more, but not much so, no worries.
(Prices of US postal just went up a slight amount also, so this is all guesswork these days. And I don't ever use UPS or FedEx unless I absolutely have to)

 

[nicky]

Hi Les. Can you put me down for a painted head too to Ireland? Thanks.

I can pay now via Pay Pal. You quoted me $80.00 in your PM.

UPDATE: I just paid!!!!! I hope you'll do more heads soon.

 

[Les Walker]

Thanks Nicky. Payment received.
Also from Darklord Dave. Thanks Dave!

 

[uscmhicks]

Hi Les , feel like im taking the mick not paying ,trust me to have no cash in paypal when you offer us these amazing heads .
The problem is , is that transferring money from my bank takes 8 days but im selling a few things on ebay so by the end of the week at the latest I will have enough to pay you up bud. I will keep you updated on whats happening.
I have £26.00 in at the minute so if you need that just let me know and I can give you the rest when its in.
Cheers for waiting bud , Tay.

 

[Les Walker]

Hi Les , feel like im taking the mick not paying ,trust me to have no cash in paypal when you offer us these amazing heads .
The problem is , is that transferring money from my bank takes 8 days but im selling a few things on ebay so by the end of the week at the latest I will have enough to pay you up bud. I will keep you updated on whats happening.
I have £26.00 in at the minute so if you need that just let me know and I can give you the rest when its in.
Cheers for waiting bud , Tay.

Tay, you're in! I will just wait for you to get all that straight next week or whenever, then you send me PP when you are done. Thanks buddy.

Adding Mudshark to the list also.

That only leaves a slot or so left. Not many heads this go round. Twelve is about all I can handle with all the other work I have in progress.
I may do more SHH in future, maybe, but for now, this is almost closed.

 

[eighthsamurai]

HHHHHUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!

this is not one to miss!!!!

 

[uscmhicks]

payment sent .
How can a few of these still be left ???.
Its unbelievable , these works of art are amazing!.
Les , you da man!.

 

[MML]

$80 sent! Really really looking forward to this, can't wait to see it. Thanks Les!

 

[Les Walker]

payment sent .
How can a few of these still be left ???.
Its unbelievable , these works of art are amazing!.
Les , you da man!.

Thanks Tay. And you are right, as I am up to my eyebrows in work now.
I think this is it. Baker's dozen is plenty for me with these. It will take a while to get these done when I start them in March. I do not know whether I will run any more later on, but let's not think about that now.

I'll be letting you know as I make progress on these, but know that I have to finish a lot of other headwork first.
Thanks for your trust in me, and I hope you will enjoy these heads when they come your way.

 

[uscmhicks]

looking forward to it bud , cheers , Tay.

 

[Sniper33]

Oh wow, thought I had sent payment early this morning before work. Guess I didnt finish it or something, but payment has been sent.

 

[Les Walker]

You're good! Thanks Sniper!

 

[Bardoon]

Just let me say that you all will NOT be disappointed with the head sculpt and Les' fantastic paint applications! Thanks again for my Hicks head, Les!

Just a question out of curiousity Les, start to finish...about how long does the whole casting to painting process take?

 

[Les Walker]

Just let me say that you all will NOT be disappointed with the head sculpt and Les' fantastic paint applications! Thanks again for my Hicks head, Les!

Just a question out of curiousity Les, start to finish...about how long does the whole casting to painting process take?

Easy question, tougher answer.

Normally, in some ideal NORMAL timeframe, where I don't have so many layers of work slowing down everything, probably just a couple of days. That's why I do sets at a time, so all those in a set get done in better timeframe, all done together in waves of worktime.

For me it takes the better part of a full day or more to just paint. Add a day to clean up a given head before also. But a FULL, solid 24 hours or more paint time.
I also clearcoat heads and let them set well before shipping too. So there is another day or so, depending on the head and workload.

Like I always have to explain to my accountant sister who thinks I just pull this all out of my butt, Art is not like math, it doesn't always add up. Some days, 2+2 = 17. But most of the time, it equals 4. Mostly.

Truth is, I have never measured it against a clock, so I can only guess. Usually, when it is singing along, you randomly look at a clock, it's 1pm in the afternoon. At some point, you stop and go, "I missed my show", it's 3am! Damn! Then you start all over the next day. Hard to measure for me.

Did that help? No? Probably not.

OK, two days each. Overlapped sets, five or more. Solid work time (not counting in daily delays from LIFE).
Several sets of 10 heads plus each, at once, plus singles etc., a month or more. Hard to standard.

If it helps any, I never rush. And I always think of "What if this was MY head for MY figure." Helps in quality control.

 

[tigerfeet]

I've got a master Les head coming

:chew:chew:chew

 

[uscmhicks]

I like the idea of how you think of the head your painting is yours , thats why your one of the best I guess. Hell even when its my head im painting , I can't get the skin color right and I end up throwing it across the room getting all annoyed then an hour later searching on my hands and knees for it ready for another attempt , lol. It must take a lot of patience , do you ever get scared of messing up or are you used to it enough to always do a great job ?. I'm curious to know whether the great figure master les ever gets it wrong .
It's highly unlikely I guess. Even if you got it wrong it would probably still kick ass

 

[My Lord]

Payment sent Les.:chew

 

[Les Walker]

Thanks, My Lord. (He probably waited all day to see me say that! )


Quick comment to uscmhicks comment above:

Do I ever get scared of messing up, Do I ever get it wrong?

Very interesting questions.
To me, I won't post a pic of a headpaint if I think it is "wrong". Whether the person that wants it thinks so is more relevant, but I always try to post it "right". I did work on a very important Sherlock Holmes for Amarcord where I did the eyes in a newer and more recently learned manner I actually liked, but when he wasn't happy with it, you bet I corrected it. Only because, I had varied from the exactitude of the original paint that I had done, myself, before, on a previous Sherlock head I had painted years before, that he had requested I copy to exactitude. (Which is harder to do than you might think, recreating an older style of your own, when you have moved on to newer methods.)
And, once I made it like the old one, it was better. I had fallen in love with a new method rather than keeping my eye on the final desired result, which I should have remembered in the first place. Clearly my bad.

So, yes and no. I am not ever really "scared" that I will ever get it wrong, but I am always trying to do it all better. Every time.
If that fails, or I don't at least match what someone specifically asked for, then and only then, do I fail.
But, I have the power to correct such failures, so again, I am not scared.
Wrong term.

As for anyone getting mad enough to throw their hard work across a room, let me say this, please don't be so hard on yourself. I have had many days that I was not into the paint, or couldn't rustle up my vision, or something. And I just leave it. I learned one hell of a great lesson from a really mean, older female boss I had years ago,
IT IS ONLY PAINT!
Trust me, that is all it is. It can be repainted. I repaint eyes all the time. Irises, pupils. etc. Sometimes it takes several passes before you get it right. NO BIGGIE! It's all part of the deal. You learn by doing. NO ONE KNOWS THIS STUFF OUT OF THE WOMB! No matter how much they may brag, no one can. It is all learned method and technique. What you do bring from the cradle is your vision. Your personal sense of what you see, and how to reproduce something in some form. Getting what you want, from what is in front of you, is all smoke and mirrors. Tricks and nonsense, as Han Solo said. Techniques. Methods.
All else you have, is your vision and your commitment to trying to get it the way YOU want it.

Some have said this or that is why my paints stand out. (Or whatever)
Well, I can only think this, that it is because, each time, each paint, is something I loved doing. I see the character in it every time. It is more than just a paint job. That is how I make it my art. My contribution. And in that, I cannot fail myself if I myself like it.
If I don't like it, I don't post and send it off to someone.
I will repaint it again until it is right.

I can't imagine rushing or skimping or cutting corners. And you guys, trying to learn, will understand that, when you get where you want to be. You'll never look back.
So, good luck, and stick with it. You will find your vision. It is in there, somewhere. Have faith in yourself.

End of lecture!
Sorry about that. Just how I feel. Hope it helps someone.

Now, I gotta get back to these heads! LOL!

 

[uscmhicks]

thanks for the reply , hold on I'm just doing something ( angrily throws a 1/6 head across room ) I think it has really helped me calm down with this stuff .
No im joking .
Thanks for the confidence boost , its great to know the best are bothered about probably the worst .
I'm better than I was when I first started though so I guess thats something.