The Art of Hirst

I was warned, on more than one occasion… They told me that getting some Hirst Art moulds would be very addictive. I didn’t listen,never heeded the warnings… and now it’s far too late. The addiction has truly set in… This is a tale of caution and a perhaps a warning … Hirst Arts moulds are addictive indeed, but for all the right reasons. They let your imagination run riot and the sky’s literally the limit…

So for the uninitiated, what is Hirst Arts? Simply put, Hirst Arts is a manufacturer of a set of moulds which allow you to cast ‘bits’ out of plaster or resin. Bits such as walls, floors, window frames and more, that fit together to make buildings and accessories. Each mould contains a unique set of parts which can be constructed in a myriad of ways to create a variety of of whole buildings, or more dilapidated ruins. The possibilities are simply endless and with each new mould you add to those possibilities.  

The pieces fit together sort of like ‘Lego’ but without the nobbly bits to lock them in place. Another (rather loose) example would be a ‘Minecraft’ building. Now, some may say that this suggests that this may lead to ‘blocky’ constructions but I’d disagree. I think the examples I’ve posted here show that this certainly does not have to be the case. Real buildings have variety and I’ll be using them as examples for my constructions. 

I had first seen the Hirst Arts moulds a number of years ago and always wanted to give them a try. When we did started Project Ligny, I wanted to do some houses with ruined versions for the battlefield (which could have been built to match our base sizes) but ran out of time painting Prussians instead. 

Of course, I’ve just looked at the tip of the iceberg. We’ve looked at what just two or three moulds on the Hirst arts range can do. There’s far more than that… If your particular interest is Egyptian, they do the moulds (including a pyramid). Sci Fi? Moulds for that too! Fancy wooden or stone buildings? Or building accessories? You guessed the answer!

Sure, there may be quite some work involved in casting the parts and making the buildings but the idea of making a range of custom buildings to my own specifications is very appealing. I’ve finally invested in some moulds, so you can expect some more posts showing how I’ve been getting on and any hints or tricks I’ve learnt.