Dear walbur-ga,
I?m not sure which part of the Madame Tussauds web site you looked at,
but the first four links below are from their Hong Kong site and I
don?t think you will get more detailed than this. The sculptors are
using the same techniques as used by Tussaud 200 years ago with the
exception of small points such as instead of using watercolors as
cosmetics, today they use oil paints.
The models are made ?in-house? by Tussauds own sculptors. I have
identified some of them. These are currently employed by Madame
Tussauds, or have been in the past: Jeni Fairey, Stephen Swales,
Martin Hamson and Stuart Williamson. I have found information on two
of these sculptors: Swales is a self-taught sculptor and is a member
of Society of Portrait Sculptors - he no longer works for Tussauds.
Jeni Fairey started at Tussauds direct from completing a Fine Arts
Sculpture Degree at Loughborough University.
http://www.madame-tussauds.com.hk/eng/schools_studiosecrets.asp
http://www.madame-tussauds.com.hk/eng/schools_studiosecrets_wax.asp
http://www.madame-tussauds.com.hk/eng/news_2002_2410.asp
http://www.madame-tussauds.com.hk/eng/news_2003_0404.asp
This article also gives some useful background information.
http://www.travelandleisure.com/invoke.cfm?ObjectID=708FE525-1934-4F60-898003190074718A
Society of Portrait Sculptors
Stuart Williamson
?Stuart is ostensibly "self taught" though fortunate to have had the
help and guidance of some excellent sculptors in the past?
?He was Senior Sculptor at Madame Tussaud's Baker Street studio for
many years and now offers workshops in the making of waxworks.?
http://www.portrait-sculpture.org/register/sculptor.php?sculptor=12&page=0
A day in the life of Jeni Fairey is detailed in a newspaper article
from 2002. The rest of the article is subscriber based but you can
subscribe for a free trial. I have accessed to it through a library
database I have access to. It may be worth accessing.
Day in the life of a sculture.
The Mirror (London, England); 10/26/2002
?Jeni Fairey is a rare breed. She manages to make the famous - from
pop stars to world leaders - stop their chaotic lives and sit still
for two hours or more while she measures every feature of their faces,
bodies, hands and feet so an accurate model can be made for display at
Madame Tussaud's in London, New York and Las Vegas. And Jenny's done
celebs from Shirley Bassey (`amazing body') to the Spice Girls (`great
fun').
`I didn't have a clue taking celebrities' measurements would be what
I'd end up doing, but I was interested in figure sculpting from ...?
http://www.highbeam.com/library/doc0.asp?DOCID=1G1:93388911&refid=holomed_1
I hope this answers your question. If it does not, or the answer is
unclear, then please ask for clarification of this research before
rating the answer. I shall respond to the clarification request as
soon as I receive it.
Thank you
answerfinder
Search strategy
Explored all of the various Tussauds sites. Then tried variations of
"madame tussauds" wax portrait sculptors and the sculptors? names |
