Bringing Realistic Likeness Miniatures to Life
My name is Juliana LePine and I'm a Brazilian sculptor. I currently live in Canada and I started modeling with clay and papier-mâché as a child. Nine years ago, I finally had the chance to settle down and dedicate my time to my truest calling: figure sculpting.
The First Steps
After making my own wedding cake topper and getting lots of attention from my guests, I tested and created different techniques that allowed for many realistic features that were never achieved in cold porcelain before.
(Our first time at "The Wedding Fair" in 2013. It was a great show, organized by Kathie James at the BMO center.)
Driven by Freedom & Passion
Driven by freedom and passion, I'm an impulsive sculptor. My miniature pieces stem from the necessity to create and capture the form and soul of what speaks to me – be it a gleam in someone’s eye, a bashful smile, or the gentle resignation of a hand that touches one’s head. The focus of my artwork lies in portraiture.
More Realistic Pieces
In 2011, I started teaching my innovations on YouTube and attracted a large base of fans and followers from all over Brazil. In 2013, I switched from cold porcelain to polymer clay in order to create more realistic pieces with lively attention to detail – my most remarkable trait. I have gained international prominence, building a fan base of more than 800K followers. With a loyal audience, many of my videos have gone viral, one of them reached more than 86M views worldwide. In addition to commissioned work, I take part in several projects and continues to teach live online classes both in English and Portuguese. My current projects include a series of 30 famous musicians, as well as tackling the theme of domestic violence.
My Motivations
Whenever asked about my motivations, I have a hard time answering. How does one explain why one takes a breath? Exploring the nature of perception – so inherently human –, some pieces are commentaries on themselves, some are experiments; some are requests by loved ones or people that will cross my path. I avoid defining myself as an artist. My style changes along with my emotions, which are pure and unstable. I am alive, and so is my art: organic, chaotic, beautiful and ugly, reflecting my unique and diverse outlook on the world.
"Let the Women Speak"
I was invited to work on the “Let the Women Speak” project in partnership with CADVA, a non-profit that aims to combat domestic violence by activist Dianne Madray. I've produced five sculptures to illustrate the power and voice of different women and victims of domestic violence: Babita Sarjou, The Angelas, Abayomi, Red Flags, and The Phoenix. I sculpted Babita so her family and her young son, who never got a chance to actually know his mother, could have an image of her at her funeral. Sculpting Babita felt like bringing back the voice that was taken from her. The piece tells not only Babita’s story, but the stories of many other women, and is now in an exhibition traveling around the world. I gathered people interested in learning sculpting in order to teach them online lessons as they would contribute to the project by sharing stories of domestic violence victims across the world. Angela was one of my students, and she shared with me her own story.
(Young Angela had her childhood innocence stolen from her, whereas grown up Angela forever feels like that wounded child. That’s why The Angelas see each other’s reflection whenever they look in the mirror. After the project’s experience, Angela could finally face the man who abused her, and she became a successful sculptor herself.)
Abayomi is named after an African doll which is a symbol of resistance. The woman who inspired the sculpture, who preferred to remain anonymous, suffered brutal violence from her ex-husband. She had her both arms cut off – arms that now keep her upright in a powerful image of strength. Abayomi represents the power in every woman I know. Her facial expression conveys serenity and lucidity with signs of quiet sorrow. It is both heartbreaking and ironic that she is better off without arms than with an abusive husband. Her physical disability is accompanied by her spiritual and psychological freedom. The piece is about overcoming an atrocity: it is about hope.
(Abayomi gazes at the horizon, at the future. The arms that sustain Abayomi represent her inner strength, her consciousness: rooted in Mother Earth, they lift her up above a world of injustice.)
Red Flags is a message of awareness, displaying the see-through blindfolds that so many of us wear, unable to properly identify signs of abuse. People, and particularly women, must be educated to see and understand the signs of an abusive relationship – many of which have been normalized by a sexist society. Blindness, whether caused by love or fear, can be reverted. The young Red Flags bride is surrounded by thorns, standing on a frightful stage and heading towards an unhappy ending that she could avoid if only she could see clearly.
(The Red Flags bride looks down in resignation and innocence, representing every woman who is a victim of an oppressive culture.)
The Phoenix is inspired by the story of Jasmine Yilmaz. It represents resiliency, pain, and endurance. Even though she lost her family in the Syrian War, even though she was forced into having an abortion, even though it led to severe health and emotional issues, including the unlikelihood of another baby, and even though she was discriminated for being a single divorced woman, Jasmine is not only searching for help, but she is willing to help others: rising like a phoenix from the ashes.
(Jasmine Yilmaz’s kindness and strength serve as an inspiration to us all.)
My Music Idols Series
These are all 1:10 scale figurines, made out of polymer clay and painted with Genesis heat set paint.
Slash: I have been a huge Guns n' Roses fan since I was 13. Slash was coming to my city with his new band and I decided to make him and maybe get him to sign it. It worked out very well. The sculpture gained popularity on the internet and Slash invited me backstage to sign it, making a dream come true for the 13-year-old girl that still lives inside of me.
(Left: My finished Slash sculpture. Right: Me with the amazing Slash.)
Axl Rose: Well, after having my Slash figure signed by Slash, Guns n Roses got back together and obviously I decided to make Axl as well.
(I made Axl the same size as Slash so they could be displayed side by side.)
Freddie Mercury: Having Slash and Axl on my shelf inspired me to sculpt a series of music idols. I love Freddie! So he was the first legend that came to my mind. Besides loving him as a singer, I really like to make people with strong features! I recorded the making of the process of sculpting him and the video went viral, I got 86 millions of views on my Facebook page.
Sculpting Freddie Mercury:
John Lennon and Paul McCartney: We can’t have a Music Idols series without The Beatles so I made John and Paul.
(My John Lennon and Paul McCartney sculptures.)
Lady Gaga and Madonna: After making all these guys, I felt like adding some strong females to the team. Gaga and Madonna are both very talented and they are such a strong woman, a great example for a female that needs strength.
The Making of my Madonna Sculpture:
Sculpting Lady Gaga:
Bob Marley: Now I’m just finishing Bob Marley to add to the series. Bob is the best representation of Reggae and I want to have a good variety of musical genres in my collection. Besides, sculpting him makes me feel very positive because I always listen to artists while sculpting them.
Sculpting Bob Marley - Making of / Stop Motion:
Amy Winehouse: Amy is my only caricature. I still plan to make her realistic for the other series, but this sculpture was to teach likeness for my students.
(The focus was on the face, so we made a bobblehead style.)
Movie Characters
These are all 24 cm figures, made out of polymer clay and painted with Genesis heat set paint.
Dr. Emmett Brown: After taking some Stan Winston School courses, I’ve learned a new technique from Jordu Schell and wanted to apply it to my work. The best fit would be an older person. I was watching all the Back to The Future movies with my daughters at the time, and we all love Doc, so I picked him.
(After I was done, I found out that Christopher Lloyd was coming to the comic con in my city and I brought the sculpture for him to sign. It was really nice to meet him and show him my work.)
Dracula: Still Inspired by what I learned from Jordu Schell, I decided to make a monster. I’m not into horror movies, but I do love Bram Stoker's Dracula…so… I made him!
(My finished Dracula sculpture.)
Beetlejuice: The reason I chose him was my daughter. We watched the movie during Halloween last year and she fell in love with him. She was 6 and wanted to marry him. Ok, that’s weird, but I will support her! So I made him.
Sculpting Beetlejuice:
Me as a Stan Winston School student
After my Freddie Mercury video went viral I got a lot of attention from the media, everybody wanted interviews, etc. As a self-learner, I felt pressured and insecure and I wanted to raise my skills so I joined the Stan Winston School.
(My favorite Stan Winston School teachers: Jordu Schell & Adam Beane.)
I took Jordu Schell’s and Adam Beane’s online classes, and I was amazed! I could watch them work for hours and still wanted more! Jordu’s class besides being very informative and full of different techniques, it is also very fun to watch. He is very funny and such a great teacher! Adam Beane is a sweetheart! He is so calm and makes sculpting look so easy! He showed me how to work with a live model and the advantages of using Cx5 clay! I still didn’t try it out but I have plans to do as soon as I can! I wish I had the time to take all their classes, but I will.
- Juliana LePine
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You can follow Juliana on the following pages:
- Website: julianalepine.com.br
- Instagram: @julianalepine
- Facebook: Juliana Lepine Sculptures
- Twitter: @JulianaLepineS
- YouTube: Juliana LePine Sculptures