Explanation Page
For advanced artists who have never attempted the Eckman Method®, we strongly suggest buying and viewing our “Creating Prairie Edge Hunt” DVD or an animal Project Lesson™ together with, or before purchasing, any Starter Cast™.
Starter Cast”™ is a trademark of Eckman Fine Art™ (EFA) and the raw cast sculptures or “Starter Cast”™ are all copyrights© of Eckman Fine Art Inc.™ These are all raw, unassembled casts (in EFA pulp) dried and ready for trim and assembly. They are in scaled-sizes, but not all casts are in every scale. These Starter Casts™ are for advanced artists to complete, using Eckman Method® DVD instruction and EFA papers. Advanced artists can use EFA “Project Lesson”™ DVDs, or the “Creating Prairie Edge Hunt” DVD to learn how to finish these Starter Casts™. The “Creating Prairie Edge Hunt” DVD is not a Project Lesson™, but it is quite revealing. We have found many advanced artists are quite successful in their work just from viewing this DVD.
NOTE: The Starter Casts™ are not finished pieces, they are rough casts (not posed, assembled, or detailed). The bear photos shown here are finished pieces to illustrate the results artists can achieve with the Eckman Method®. The title of this piece is “Dinner Time” and is a one-of-a-kind creation by Allen Eckman.
Examples of pricing for Starter Cast™ costs and types (e.g. full or complete cast or head cast, as well as size of cast) are illustrated here with the bears. You can also purchase some of the items on this page, but we have a separate page for each kind of Starter Cast™ available (including pricing, sizes and types) following this explanation page. Please keep this in mind; if you order the bear casts, you will need a full–sheet of thin or ultra–thin EFA hard paper for the fur, and a full–sheet (#3 Soft Paper) for chasing, and half-sheets for cubs. Also, 1/4 cup of bonding agent is required. You can order those materials on their specific pages of this website (e.g. EFA Soft Paper, EFA Hard Paper and Board and EFA Bonding Agent).
Bears
Mature Bear 1/4 life-size
Starter Cast size 16” long by 10” high
Complete cast $50
Head cast only $15
Bear Cub 1/3 life-size (can be modified as a 1/6 life-size adult bear)
Starter Cast size 6.5” long by 4.25” high
Complete cast $15
Head cast only $5
Human Casts
The human Starter Casts™ are in scales ranging from 1/6 life-size, to life-size and include men, women and children. All the Starter Casts™ are done in scales from Allen and Patty Eckman’s original drawings, then sculpted and molded for paper casts. The casts are simple standing figures that are minimal in detail, to be posed into an “articulated armature,” then detailed to completion—creating a one-of-a-kind sculpture. This process was invented by the Eckmans, who are master artists and the only teachers of this process. Their fine art materials sold with instructional materials are known as Eckman Method®. Below are the work-in-progress shots, from sketch, to finished work. This is one of Allen’s pieces titled Traditional Dancer. The first set of photos is from his original scaled-sketch, all the way through molding. This part can be expensive, quite difficult, and not much fun. Allen has done this tooling for your benefit. You can do this if you want, but imagine all the work you will have with many different scales, figures and animals. The real fun and sense of accomplishment are in the finished work. You can truly create your own one-of-a-kind sculpture (like in the second set Starter Cast™) through to the finished piece.
