1:35 Budha - Vietnam

A focal point around which a scene assembles itself

The Vietnamese landscape was dotted with small shrines and statues which the war simply flowed around. An element like that does a scene an enormous service: it gives it a geography that palm trees alone would otherwise have to carry, and at the same time it creates a tension between a calm statue and the vehicles driving past it. The viewer also has something to hold on to, because the eye needs a fixed point in a scene.

The package consists of seven plaster castings. Plaster behaves differently from resin: it is softer, can be sanded and scraped back, but it is also more brittle and will crack if dropped. The surface absorbs strongly, so before painting the castings should first be sealed with diluted PVA glue or a base coat, otherwise they will soak up an unreasonable amount of paint.

How to set the statue in a scene

• at the edge of the road, turned slightly toward the viewer rather than square on
• in the shade of mature greenery, where light stone stands out
• on a low plinth, so that it stands higher than the surrounding figures
• with small offerings at its foot, which gives the place a sense of regular care

A stone look comes about better by layering than with a single color. A light base, a dark wash into the recesses and a dry brush on the edges work well, with a greenish tint added where water runs down. Everything is made for 1:35 scale. A plaster surface is exceptionally well suited to this kind of layering, because a wash soaks into it evenly and leaves no sharp edges as it does on smooth resin.