MV-Team: Val

Name: Valérie Bruère

Nickname: Val, if you like

Job: I’m working in a consulting firm. I coach people to do skills assessments and I help them find a job back

Years of painting & sculpting: Had to check those infos, ‘cause keeping track on time is not my best! :D I painted a little bit before, but I’ve really made my very first mini in 2009, for the French Games Day, so it’s already 5 years from now, now, wow! And I nearly never painted a mini (except one!) without transforming it or sculpt additional stuff on it before. :P But I had the chance to sculpt my very first full mini under the supervision of Allan Carrasco in 2010, so 4 years ago. I instantly loved it :)

Media (painting/sculpting): 

Painting: I have a huge collection of Vallejo paints

Sculpting: the different common putties, depending of what I’m doing, but I’m now mainly using a 50/50 mix of Super Sculpey firm and soft that fits me very well, while I begun learning sculpting first with fimo. Milliput and Greenstuff of course for specific uses. And I also have some BeesPutty and Uro at home for ages that I never really took the time to test seriously (but I will! one day. :P ).

Brushes : I have several brushes, of different sizes, but in the end, I’m doing everything with a Raphaël 0/8404 Airbrush : Infinity Evolution. It can be very useful for specific purposes, but I’m using it very rarely, I prefer to paint with brushes

Tools: Pfiouf… I now have SO many great tools for sculpting, that I got little by little. Wood, metal, rubber… I’m changing regularly while sculpting, using them differently depending of what I’m doing at the moment, but most of the time, I’m using more or less always the same tools... With a good multi-purpose tool, you really can do nearly everything if you want.

Scales : Any scale. Don’t care.

Project: Jungle Calling

Speed: Speed? What is it??! :D …aaah, the thing you do last minute, before the contest, to end up your mini, that’s it? ;-) No, I’m kidding... :P I don’t think I’m a fast painter or sculptor, it depends on what, btw. I’ve still definitely gotten better on this through the years, of course. But in fact, it’s not really what I’m particularly looking for, by doing mini, as it’s just a hobby for me. It’s more about enjoying and taking pleasure doing it. So, it takes the time necessary, and that’s all :) But that’s why, also, it’s good to have dead lines like contests and all! ;-)

Favourite Miniature Painters and Sculptors: Of course there’s some sculptors and painters I like a lot and admire work, but I don’t like to drop up names as if there were some rules that had to be set. Plus, I’m more attentive to the mini itself than the person who did it. Even if, at moment, you easily recognise the different styles and of course end up knowing who did it anyway ;-) 

Project: Beauty in decay, rebuild of a book cover

Project: The S(h)el(l)fish 

So, what else to tell you about me?
I live in France and met up with the Massive Voodoo team members quite a while ago, many years for some. It’s a very nice gang, and I really consider them all like my real family, in the mini field. :-) That’s really how it feels, and it’s really nice to be a part of it. :-) I enjoy it a lot and feel it like something really worthy and precious.

As said here above, I begun painting and sculpting about 5 years ago, and since, it’s taking quite a lot of space in my life. Even if there’s some recent periods of time I was less active because of… well, LIFE :D, even then, mini always remained a part of my life. It’s always very satisfying to finally have in hand the mini I’ve done, and see my idea put “alive”. Together with upgrading skills and discover new techniques, think about how I could do this and that. I like to resolve complicated matters for which I have to find a personal solution and I can show really extraordinary patience to reach my goals. Moreover it’s a very engaging and passionate community, in which you can quickly share your passion with others, and that, for sure, plays a lot in keeping motivation about doing mini. I love nothing more than see a mini or an idea I like, or which touches my heart. And meet people and buddys there is always nice. :-) So, I enjoy painting, I enjoy sculpting EVEN MORE, and more important, I enjoy having my ideas grow alive. Doing mini is really a way for me to express things, ideas, and my own personal creativity. It brung a very important “plus” in my life and plays for sure a part in my everyday general happiness and satisfaction. :-)

I like it, and unless I don’t have a choice, I think I could not go without anymore, ‘cause I would miss it a lot! And I guess I could have my whole days long doing mini! :D But more surely, I just want to go on doing projects I like and that have a meaning for me. And of course, continue to hoola hoop, Massive Voodoo style!! :-) I don’t post much on dedicated forums, I do that more naturally on facebook, but have a look here on Putty&Paint if you like, for a few projects that I showed here on Massive Voodoo.