While I was at the studio picking up the head sculpts, I was introduced to Alice. She specialised in painting fine art sculpture — everything from tiny miniatures to massive pieces, all of it exported around the world.
She was my age. Really lovely person, down to earth. It was in her blood. Both her parents were artists — her dad a painter, her mum a sculptor.
We arranged to grab a coffee in Greenwich. I showed her what I had, told her what I planned to do, and she agreed to take it on. She liked the delicate features of the character. I wasn't too precious about the paintwork. She asked how I saw them. I gave a bit of direction, then left the art to the artist — solid skintone, accents on the lips, cheeks and eyelids. Strong makeup.
Tradition says the paints should be oil-based. She came back and said acrylics would do the job — durable, punchy.
She named the price, took the heads, and that was it. Lightning Hamsters are go!
Another project came up in the meantime and the heads went on the back burner. I didn't mind. It was always agreed there was no rush. They'd only ever be worked on in the downtime.
Then, sitting at work, the photos came through. Exactly what I was after. The makeup was on point and the skintone was fleshy.