CMK QuestionsWhat are the three most important pieces of advice that you would give to those who are just beginning to customize?Learn to Paint Before Learning to SculptI did 50 paint-only customs before I did any sculpting at all.
Start by honing your painting skills. Do some easy head-swaps and practice getting a neat paint job. Success of this kind will give you confidence when you start sculpting and it all goes horribly wrong.
Try Not To Be Impatient. You Have To Be DedicatedUnless you have had serious training in art or sculpting before joining this forum and customising figures, don't expect miracles, don't be vain and don't be too hard on yourself.
I was a complete novice when I started in 2003 and in awe of seasoned customisers like Flobbster, JediDoug and Alyrenne. I stayed humble, learned from them and did my time. I made 100-150 customs before I felt that I had entered their league.
If you get frustrated with your own work as a newbie, look at my work from 2003 on my website and you'll find it is similar to mine. You need to keep going and keep making those customs.
Learn to Use Critiques To Improve Your WorkTo improve your work you need both encouragement and criticism.
I know how hard it is to hear something negative about your work, but you do need to hear it, if you are going to develop. I know how you feel. Even the smallest comment sometimes feels like a slap in the face after all your hard work, but you have to get over it. Members of this forum have become quite sophisticated over the last 3 years and they often know what they are talking about in a critique.
My advice for guarding your own hurt feelings is that, when you read something like that, don't respond immediately. That response comes from a defensive place. Go away and do something else. Read the comment again after 24 hrs and you'll find that it has miraculously become less damning.
Comments about sculpting are often too late to improve on the custom you are working on. If you've already painted it, that ship has sailed. It is something you can keep in mind for your next project though.
If the comment is about painting, and you find you agree with it on reflection, make an adjustment. The person who criticised you will gain respect for you trying to improve and will be much more supportive of you in the future.
Responding to a critique by saying "I respect your opinion but I don't agree" isn't the right attitude, it's ducking the question. If you're producing work with exactly the same flaws after several months, you're not developing as an artist.
Do you feel the seventh season of Buffy was a good stopping point for the show, or do you think they could've gone on for another season (or more)?I can understand why SMG wanted to move on with her career. I agreed with Joss that the Series shouldn't go on without her.
Season 7 of Buffy was my least favourite. I was gutted when the Series finished but I wouldn't have wanted more of what was going on in Season 7. The Big Bad was lame. The potentials were annoying. Buffy was cold. The Scoobies were mean. Not what made the series great.
I think, if Joss had been more directly involved and Fox had managed to negotiate better with Amber Benson, Season 7 would have been much better. Having First Evil Tara would have been chilling and heart-breaking. Not having Kennedy would have been a huge bonus. Having Buffy giving her cosmic wish to Willow, so that Tara was resurrected before the finale, would have kept the beautiful loyalty of the Scooby Gang in tact.
If all that had happened, I'd have loved to see what developed in Season 8.
This is more of a statement than a question, but I just wanted to thank you for all that you do for the Customized Figures section of this forum. You've helped make it the most popular section here at BtVSFigs, and it's a pleasure to have you on the forum staff. You're an inspiration, Sasha, and I thank you for your help and support!Thank you!
