Your friendly neighborhood jman was lucky enough to throw some questions at one of the nicest, prolific sculptor/artist these days, Paul Harding. Paul has sculpted with companies from the likes of Sideshow Collectibles to Hasbro. Currently, he’s working for DC Collectibles putting out some fantastic statues (and action figures, too).
jman: What do you consider yourself more of: a sculptor or illustrator? How did you get started in the arts? Are you classically trained or self-taught?
Paul Harding: It’s hard to label myself one thing or the other without feeling like I’m forsaking the other media. With that said, simply because the past 12 or 13 years have really been so heavily focused on sculpting leads me to think that I’m more of a sculptor. Volume of work sort of has decided that. I was trained as an illustrator at Syracuse University, though, so I’ll always see myself as having those artistic ambitions inside me. I do get to flex my two-dimensional muscles occasionally; And I’m glad I do because it tends to strengthen my three dimensional abilities in many subtle ways. It’s a two-way street as well, with sculpting influencing my drawing skills in a number of ways.
In art school I never really pictured myself as a sculptor and only ever completed a handful of 3d projects. Action figure sculpting was an unachievable dream to me and something that didn’t really cross my mind until about five years after school. It was at that time when I jumped head first into sculpting for the collectibles market. I was living in New York City after school and was able to meet some wonderful people who gave me a jump start into the traditional sculpting realm.
jman: Going through your website, it looks like you mostly do digital sculpting, do you do any traditional sculpting? Besides the most obvious differences between the two, what are some of the differences for you between digital and traditional sculpting?
PH: The first half or so of my career was completely traditional meaning that everything I sculpted was in Castilene or my own concoction of toy wax based on the legendary Hasbro formula. On one hand it was an incredible learning experience working with traditional media and I definitely feel proud that I accomplished so many pieces with the art of hand sculpting. It certainly has made an impact on my digital methods and my ability to see things three dimensionally when working on a computer monitor. On the other hand, I wouldn’t change the past six years of digital sculpting for all the traditional skills in the world. It has offered me truly endless possibilities in terms of meeting the challenges of organic and mechanical modeling. It has made the process of organic sculpting an absolute joy in terms of the speed at which I can accomplish whatever concept is in my mind’s eye at that particular moment. Regarding mechanical modeling, the digital medium has opened doors to me that I never thought possible. Sculpting machines and weapons were such a time-suck for me when I was using traditional methods that it actually made me despise mechanical forms. With my introduction to the digital realm I can say there is no doubt that I thoroughly enjoy modeling hard surface objects like weapons and machines now.
jman: From concept to final approval, how does the actual process work for you? How long does it typically take for you to sculpt a figure or a statue?
PH: The general rule is that most pieces should take about two weeks. These two weeks can get spread out due to licensing approvals to about four weeks or even eight weeks if the communication is slow. Literally every project is different and has it’s own set of challenges that I must work with my art directors to meet. There are no surprises though! I really have to be ready for any circumstance to rise in the middle of project; and I have to happily meet these challenges head-on on a weekly basis. If a project is stalled by a licensor or if a large design change comes to me late in the process I tackle these new, stressful deadlines with as much timeliness and swiftness that my hands and eyeballs allow.
jman: You were the sculptor on Sideshow Collectible’s Harley Quinn 1/6 scale figure. How did you get involved in that project? Are there any difference in sculpting techniques between action figures, statues and the 1/6 scale figures?
PH: Yes, I was the principal sculptor on Sideshow’s DC figures of Harley Quinn, the Joker, and Catwoman. There were a few accessories or secondary parts that Sideshow handled in house, for instance the Joker’s flower and his spats or Harley’s hammer and her boots. Catwoman was done entirely by my hand, though.
A number of years ago I met two of my favorite people in the business by the names of Brant Bridges and Jared Chapman. Both of them have since left Sideshow to work at other collectibles companies. They were both very helpful in landing me a lot of jobs, many yet-to-be produced, at Sideshow and I’ll always be glad to have met them.
The deal with the 1:6 world is that I’m almost always trying to fit parts to existing bodies. There is fun in it though, even if I can’t be the only creator on the project. It’s also very gratifying to see the wonderful costuming and paint work that the other artists contribute to 1:6 pieces. It’s a real team effort in that regard.
jman: You also sculpted the Heroic Age Thor for Marvel Legends. When it comes to action figures, how does the articulation get determined? Do you sculpt a figure with the articulation in mind? Did you design the figure? Or did Hasbro come to you with an idea in mind?
That Thor figure was one of the last ones I did for Hasbro. I referred to Olivier Coipel’s stunning art on his first Thor run as my guide. It still stands as one of my favorite pieces and, yeah, I’m definitely proud that I did in wax.
All in all, I sculpted dozens of figures for Hasbro and had a pretty good time doing it too. They had me sculping 4”, 6”, and 12” scales, so the variety was there to keep me interested. I think everything I sculpted for them was in traditional wax. Same for my time with Toybiz before that- all clay and wax.
When it comes to articulation, this is a detail that is determined well in advance of sculpting by the in-house art directors and only occasionally is modified due to design adjustments later in the process. I really have to know exactly how every joint should work in each case so I can make my client’s day easier. After over a decade of articulating, my art directors don’t want to have to explain the nuances of double knee joints to me over and over.
All articulating is done by me. I leave nothing up to the over-seas factories to “figure out.”
jman: You’ve worked for a bunch of different companies. Does the process of producing a figure or statue vary?
PH: The process is the same: I work as fast as I can and deliver no less than three sets of process images for in-house review during the project time line. Knowing the different work styles of my various art directors and product managers is a skill that helps me to adjust make the process smoother for all involved.
jman: These days you do a lot of work for DC Collectibles. How many projects have you worked on for them?
PH: I have done about 50 projects for DC Collectibles. At this point in my career DC has proven to be one of, if not the most important clients I’ve ever had. This summer will mark my ten years as a freelancer for them. The past five years in particular have seen a very consistent job flow from that amazing team and I’m sincerely grateful to have the opportunity to work with them every day.
jman: You’ve sculpted a few of the Superman statues for DC Collectibles, which are based off of the works of John Romita Jr, Frank Quietly and Kenneth Rocafort, for example. How does the process work for those statues? Do you pick the poses? Or does DCC come to you with what they already want?
The Superman Man of Steel statues and the Batman Black & White statues all have poses that are determined before I start sculpting. DC needs something concrete to look at before I do my thing. These poses are either freshly sketched out by the comic artist or I’m called upon to analyze their published comic art. With these particular artist-based projects I’m there to be a faithful translator or the artist’s style. These projects are always interesting because there is a new set of challenges each and every time.
For the Frank Quitely Batman and Superman statues I was asked to take a specific drawing and make it 3D.
For the Rocafort piece I was asked to use a new sketch for reference and incorporate all of the nuances that Kenneth has put in his many other drawings to achieve a very “Rocafort” look. When working with Matt Wagner or Cliff Chiang I was supplied with extremely specific turn-around artwork form the individual artist. It can be quite challenging to make sure specific forms from one angle stay true when viewed from another angle.
On top of all that, you’re also a designer/sculptor of vinyl toys. Of all these things, is there one thing you prefer to do over the other? When it comes to sculpting, itself, is there anything in particular you prefer to do? Like hands over faces? Is there anything that you put off or not look forward to sculpting?
As a boy who grew up in the 1980’s I’ll always have the action figure bug. It’s an understatement to say that they were a large part of my childhood. I would set them all up and take photos of them. That’s how important they were to me. I hope I can always make action figures. As I matured in my drawing and sculpting desires it became evident that making statues with all their anatomical details and challenges was something that I needed to be fulfilled as an artist. So these days it’s about 50/50 splitting my time between figures and statues. A perfect ratio for me.
jman: Of all your work to date, which has been your favorite piece?
PH: My Superman VS Brainiac robots statue, the Rancor monster for Hasbro’s Star Wars line, and the Sideshow Joker come to mind as some of my favorites.
jman: You’ve got a picture of your studio on your site. It looks like a really nice, comfortable place to hang out, let alone work. Did you design it?
PH: My studios is the perfect place for me to work. It can accommodate my body of work on the walls and shelves, and can show off my comic collection as well. It’s also got a great area for movie viewing and I can walk out into nature if I feel the need!
jman: What are you working on these days?
PH: I’m currently working on some very exciting DC action figures and some really cool and weird sculptures for Diamond Select!
Many, many thanks to Paul Harding for taking the time out of his busy schedule to answer my questions.
And…hey. Before you split, how about checking out the latest episode of the Almost Internet Famous Internet show. This week we’re talking about the 1990’s crossover classic…DC vs Marvel!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRblwiAXnvc
