MODEL OF EXPERTISE
The creators of a new Thai celebrity at Madame Tussauds Bangkok explain the process of making a lifelike, wax figure
Proportion, muscles, tiny freckles, human hair — the level of detail that goes into replicating a person’s likeness for a wax figure is simply amazing. Over 700 hours of work in the studio is required to make one lifelike wax figure, but the process begins with experts having a sitting with the subject. This is when meticulous measurements and photographs are taken.
Michelle Lewry, a sculptor, and Marie Stone, a photographer, were in Bangkok last week in preparation for Madame Tussauds Bangkok’s latest Thai figure: Lt Col Wanchana Sawasdee, a soldier who’s better known as the lead actor in The Legend Of King Naresuan films (the final episode will come out next month in cinemas). The figure of Lt Col Wanchana will join other Thai personalities in the museum, including actor Mario Maurer, singer Nichkun Horvejkul and action star Tony Jaa.
Lewry was trained in make-up design for film and television, as well as technical arts and special effects. She previously attended a sitting for the Thai star Mario, and has sculpted the head of Dutch producer and DJ Armin van Buuren. Stone, meanwhile, is an experienced photographer, who has captured high-profile subjects for over 20 years, including Robert Downey Jr, Keira Knightley and Morgan Freeman.
Together, the sculptor and the photographer work closely with the subject to ensure maximum accuracy. To ensure precision, they require different sizes of metal calipers, as well as various shades of eye and hair samples. The calipers are placed on almost every bodily surface available, whereas the eye and hair samples are used for crossmatching the colours. Later in the studio, fine details — even down to the size of a celebrity’s six-pack — are sculpted.
Lewry revealed that museum visitors won’t be able to see how detailed anatomy gets underneath the costumes.
“You can’t lift the shirt up,” laughed Lewry. “We don’t want everyone suddenly trying to lift up the figure’s clothes.”
What information do you need to capture a person’s likeness?
Lewry: Over 500 measurements — in total — are needed. We dot the face up at the beginning, and we put multicolour dots all over the face and body. Then we use calipers to measure between the dots, record the measurements, and take them back to the studio. In the end, we’ll use the calipers and place them onto the clay to see if everything’s adding up. For faces alone, it gets to about 200 measurements. It depends on how long we have — the more time, the better.
What’s the checklist of things to be careful about?
Stone: It takes a combination of a technical setting, the use of a camera and knowing how you’re lighting the subject. Sculptors need the profile of the person, not just a flat image. Those working with colours need to see the detail of the colour on the skin and the eyes. As a photographer, you have to adapt to different departments of the studio. We take around 200 photos per sitting to capture all angles. We go all the way round, up, down, and under different lighting.
Lewry: The sitting usually takes from three hours, but we could never get enough information. We just get everything we can get in that period of time. Ideally, we’d always like to have more time. We could do a sitting for eight hours if they’d allow it.
Would you consider figure-making as art or science?
Lewry: I see it as a combination. It can get quite technical. At the same time, we still need to have some creativity in order to get across the personality and feeling of the person.
How has this process changed over time?
Stone: We still need the old traditional way to capture feelings and emotions. But the process of gathering information, if anything, evolves. There are certain procedures that have been tested and worked out, like which lens would be appropriate to use, or which lens is more lifelike. We take a lot more photos now, too, with more angles.
What do subjects wear during their sittings?
Lewry: Usually, it’s tight shorts and a vest. Or, for a male, if they’re comfortable, they can take their top off and wear only shorts. It’s just so we can see as much of the body as possible and get the anatomy correct. The more we can see, the better for the sculptor.
Tell us about your most memorable sitting so far..
Stone: I have enjoyed a lot of the Bangkok sittings we have had — like Sombat Metanee and Petchara Chaowarat. We had a sitting at Sombat’s house. His wife and family were there. He was very friendly and kind. We were with him for a certain amount of time, and he treated us like family. He’s obviously older now, so we were measuring him structurally. Then, back in the studio, they made the model resemble when he was in his prime. It was the same with Petchara — the only sitting we’ve ever had where someone was blind. It was completely different. There was a lot of manoeuvring, touching and explaining. She couldn’t see what we were doing. At the end of the sitting, it was a very emotional experience.