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seit 04.03.2011
Bedankte sich 2073 mal.
Interview with Trevor Grove (Sideshow sculptor)
Thanks to the forum Swisscollector.ch
SC: swisscollector
TG: Trevor Grove
SC: First of all, Good morning (or evening) Trevor, It’s a pleasure
to be able to have an interview with you.
TG: Good “After-Morn-Evening” to you and the Swisscollectors!
SC: Before today, have you ever heard of our website «
SwissCollectors » ? If yes, could you tell us how ?
TG: I believe I have heard of the SwissCollectors website, possibly
due to some of your members getting in touch to express their
appreciation for the work I do. (Thank you!)
SC: We are all statues, busts and figurines collectors, and of
course Sideshow is one of our favorite manufacturer. How long have
you been working for them ? How did it happen ?
TG: I started working with Sideshow Collectibles about seven years
ago. I was just out of High School and I knew that I wanted to
pursue creative work as a profession; It had been my lifelong
dream. I had first become familiar with Sideshow when they had been
producing Universal Monster action figures, and my first year to
San Diego Comic Con I was absolutely floored by the work they had
on display. It was at that moment that I knew I wanted to try to
work with them. My first opportunity to get noticed by Sideshow
came from a website called StatueForum. They ran a contest to get
your work noticed by Mat Falls of Sideshow Collectibles, and I
jumped on board immediately. My work wasn’t particularly good, but
I did one piece that caught the attention of Sideshow, which was
the Hammerhead character from “Star Wars” sitting at a table
enjoying a drink. From what I’ve heard, that was the piece that
opened the door for me. It’s quite funny thinking back to that,
because I haven’t sculpted an alien in all the time I’ve worked
with Sideshow. Just people!
SC: Did you have a specialist training to get to such a high level
of expertise in sculpture ?
TG: For me, I avoided school. I was not fond of school as a child,
even art classes, and it filled me with dread to think of going
back to a school enviornment. I decided to learn on my own, through
trial and error, and reasearch. There is much to be learned if you
really dedicate yourself to searching for it. Whether it be from
anatomy books, or online from fellow artists. You needn’t pay for
schooling, unless it’s something you enjoy. One of the best ways to
learn is simply to study the work of artists that you admire.
Thanks to the internet, I was able to connect with working
professionals and get advice. Most of the best artists out there
are very generous, if they have time, and will help out people who
are obviously dedicated to their work. I try to pay this back
whenever someone gets in touch with me hoping to get advice. We can
all help one another out simply by sharing our experiences.
As far as reaching a high level in one’s work: It simply requires
time. Patience is the great quality to any good artist. It’s ten
times more useful than talent. Talent is abundant, but patience and
dedication are hard earned. Those who succeed in creative work are
very hard working people.
SC: As you are aware, there is more and more production problems
with Sideshow (break, paint problem, missing parts, too much
differences between the prototype and the final product…) Do you
have an opinion on these problems ?
TG: As a vendor for Sideshow, I’m on the outside. I work only on
the prototypes for these pieces. So when it comes to production, I
have no more knowledge than anyone else on the difficulties and
challenges that the production team faces in getting overseas
factories to match the work we’ve done. So my opinion is probably
not much different to yours. It’s always disappointing when things
don’t match expectations, and meeting everyone’s expectations grows
increasingly difficult with today’s standards.
SC: One of the recurrent problems is the bad application of the
paint on the statues. It is not seldom to see a wonderful sculpture
being completly « ruined » because of a disastrous painting work.
Do you share this impression ? Is it not upsetting for a sculptor
to have his work messed up like that ?
TG: Sure, it is upsetting to see something painted in a poor
fashion. I feel many of the pieces come out beautifully, but the
ones that leave something to be desired disappoint me in the same
way that they disappoint you. I’m only a part of the whole process,
so in the same way that maybe a film does not please the actors
that worked hard on it…the same can be said for a sculptor
sometimes.
SC: Is there a sculpture you are most proud of ?
TG: I am highly critical of myself, so I rarely afford myself the
luxury of being proud for too long. I always hope to improve the
work so that collectors can enjoy a higher level of quality. For
Sideshow, I’m most proud of a piece we that we did that expands on
the character of Obi- Wan Kenobi from Star Wars. It was a difficult
piece to make, but I was really grateful that Lucasfilm allowed us
to play with such an incredible character, even allowing us to
depict a somewhat younger Alec Guinness likeness, and an older Ewan
McGregor, so that collectors can choose which actor they prefer in
the role. I feel that piece tells an incredible story of a
character we all know, and I love it for that reason.
SC: Is there a character you would dream to sculpt ? or a licence (
je ne suis pas sur de ce que tu veux dire par licence en fait) you
would like to work on ?
TG: I’ve had a tremendous amount of good fortune in already getting
to work on characters I enjoy very much. At the moment, I can think
of two very different characters I would love to see: Herman
Munster and The Bride from “Kill Bill”
SC: Do you know that our website « SwissCollectors » organizes
projects reserved for our members ? Artists are given a mandate to
make limited editions that we finaly integrate into our
collections. We are therefore giving a touch of originality to our
collections, by working on characters and monsters that we don’t
usually see in the stores. What do you think of this concept
?
TG: Brilliant! I love these kinds of projects, and I’ve been a part
of a few myself. Sometimes it’s the only way to produce a piece of
a character that will never see the light of day.
SC: Speaking of which, sorry for asking (LOL), but would you, as an
artist, be interrested in taking part in one of these projects, or
is there some restrictions that prevent you from working without a
licence ?
TG: Oh yeah. As I mentioned, I’ve done work like this previously.
My challenge is time. If I have an interest in a project, and I can
make time for it, I’ll probably be open to doing it. Unlicenced
work is a staple of the figure-making community, and while the
companies I work for may not be keen on it, it’s the only way to
produce certain characters that will never be produced.
SC: Most of us are huge fans of The Lord of the rings, and we think
that the Sideshows Premium Format for this world is incredible,
especially the Orcs and the Uruks. Actually, is there a chance that
one day we will see a Premium Format of an Uruk-Hai of Helm’s Deep
or a Theoden in armor ?
TG: I’m also a huge fan of this work from Sideshow. I’ve had the
great privelege to work on some of the human LOTR character, and I
enjoy it very much. The Orcs are incredible too, I agree.
Unfortunately I’m not aware of the upcoming plans for the LOTR
line. I know we will see some pieces based on “The Hobbit’ films,
but that’s all I know.
SC: What are the steps that lead you to create a work ? Do you
begin by gathering photographics informations on the subject ? And
after that ?
TG: Yes, that’s right. As a likeness sculptor, I have to gather
many many reference photos to do a good job. I spend hours doing
this. If I can study video of the subject, it helps as well. To
begin a sculpture, I usually start with a chunk of wax. Wax is a
great medium for this kind of work because it is hard and allows
for amazing detail. To sculpt is sort of a difficult thing to put
into words. I just begin doing it from instinct. If you see a
visual of someone sculpting it makes sense, but it’s a difficult
thing to describe. I suppose I need to film myself sculpting!
SC: Exclusively for SwissCollectors, could you give us an insight
into the next releases of Sideshow that you have worked on ?
TG: Ha! You’re trying to get me in trouble! I did some extensive
resculpting to an upcoming Legendary Scale Indiana Jones piece,
which I’m proud of, and I also redid a portrait for another
Legendary Scale piece from a Galaxy Far Far away…..there you
go…there’s your exclusive!
SC: You’re especially known for your sculptures from Sideshow, but
more recently also for one of your creations: Walter White of the
series Breaking Bad. After pictures of this work were published,
the team set has invited you to visit them. Can you tell us about
this adventure?
TG: Oh yes! That was a great joy for me. I am a big fan of
“Breaking Bad” and to my amazement, I was contacted by the writing
staff after I published photos of my Walter White sculpture. I took
this as an opportunity to send them fully realized custom action
figures of their character. They were so grateful, and because I
live only an hour from their offices, I managed to get invited to
stop by for a visit. It was incredible for me, to be in the very
room where my favorite TV show is written. Some people would prefer
to be on the set, but for me, it was incredibly special to be in
the writer’s room! Meeting the writers and the creator of the show,
Vince Gilligan, was a real joy. The team graciously gave me lots of
cool Breaking Bad swag that is reserved for the cast and crew, and
I treasure it all. Interestingly, shortly after I
left my visit, Bryan Cranston arrived to the offices, and I’m told
he loved seeing the figures of Walter. I JUST barely missed meeting
him.
One of the cool outcomes from this experience is that because of
those figures and my meeting with the writers, I got the job to
work on official 6” figures from the show which will be released in
the Summer of 2013. Apparently the custom figures I did were a
catalyst in convincing marketing that it was a good idea to produce
toys! I’m very proud of that, and it means the world to me that
other fans of the show will get to own some Breaking Bad toys
now.
SC: You collected or do you keep a copy of the pieces you
sculpt?
TG: I own copies of quite a few of the things I’ve done, but not
everything. My studio is full of statues, figures, busts, etc, and
many of the things in here are pieces I worked on.
SC: On what format do you feel the most comfortable to
sculpt?
TG: You know, I really enjoy working on various scales at all
times. It keeps me very interested. I love large work, small work.
All of it is great to work on. I will say, I sometimes dislike
working on anything smaller than 1:6 scale, because it’s hard to
focus on. If I had to choose a favorite size to work, it’s
1:4.
SC: How did you get to sculpture? then at Sideshow?
TG: Sculpture was an unexpected development in my life. As a child
I wanted to be a painter/ illstrator, like my favorite illustrator
Drew Struzan. my work towards illustration taught me all of the
essentials to making art. I collected toys all my life, so I always
had an interest in collectibles, I just never expected to be
working on making them. After I got out of High School, I realized
that I did not want to go to College. I felt that making a career
as an illustrator would also be very difficult. It was at this time
that sculpture began to interest me, and I decided to try it. I
almost immediately became enamored with it, and trying to capture
likenesses became my goal soon after. From this point, I began
researching and learning more about the field, and it felt like a
real possibility that I could get work and support myself as a
sculptor. 8 years later, I’m still going, although it is a
difficult path.
Sideshow came quite early in my career. I was about 19 when I got
my first job with Sideshow, and we’ve worked together ever since. I
have the internet to thank for getting all of my jobs, because it’s
an easy way to share the work I do with the world. Opportunities
come from simply showing your work. I don’t think it’s often
necessary to seek out work…just focus on being a great artist, and
share what you do. Opportunity will come to you.
SC: We know your sculpts Legolas and Gandalf, The Hobbit was
released in the cinema, have you seen it ?
TG: Yes! I loved the film. I did not watch it in 48fps, because I’m
staunchly against that nonsense. A movie in 48fps is like removing
the magic for me. The film itself was great fun, I felt. I think it
was very successful. As much as I love practical movie effects
makeup, I found myself enjoying the digital creations just as much
this time, like the Goblins, Azog, and the Trolls. The movie was
satisfying and fun for me. I look forward to part 2!
SC: Which character would you like to sculpt?
TG: Hmmm. Well, since I never get to work on creatures, it would be
fun to do an Azog piece…but having sculpted Martin Freeman, I’d
love to make a Bilbo too. Oh, and Lady Galadriel is still a
character I want to sculpt. Something elegant and pretty would be
fun for once.