Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniil Leonov.
Hi Daniil, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
For over a decade, I have been immersed in the world of art, starting from my high school days when I began sculpting my favorite characters from movies, games, and cartoons. At first, it was just a fun hobby, reminiscent of the days when I created my own toys and controlled my own characters. But I soon realized that I lacked the realism I craved in my works, especially when it came to sculpting recognizable faces!
Determined to improve, I set a goal for myself: with each work, I must strive for excellence, and every subsequent sculpture must surpass the previous one. I changed my approach to modeling, becoming more meticulous and disciplined, focusing solely on portrait modeling!
Although I took my first order in high school, it wasn’t until a few years later that I opened my own store on Etsy, where I received positive feedback and even custom orders from other countries. But my greatest accomplishment was creating a full-fledged statue, complete with a stand, based on the Angel of Death Haserot sculpture. It was a challenging project that pushed me to new heights and tested my skills!
What I love most about modeling is the ability to create something that brings joy and beauty to others. To see the look of delight on someone’s face when they see my work is the ultimate reward. I am passionate about my craft and committed to perfecting my skills, always striving to create pieces that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also emotionally impactful. Art has the power to connect people, and I am grateful to be a part of that connection!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Of course, there were a huge number of obstacles; for example, in the beginning, when I started posting some first works that I had already worked hard enough on, people on the forum where I posted were criticized quite sharply. This went on for quite a long time, but it did not prevent me from continuing to develop; perhaps it motivated and tempered me!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As I said, I am engaged in portrait modeling of people, and I can also make a sculpture from another genre; for me, it will not only be a test but also an invaluable experience! Perhaps I am most proud of the work not in the genre of portrait – the Angel of Death, which I also mentioned earlier; for me, it is really a monumental work, where I gained unrealistically much experience and even managed to burn out since such things do not pass without a trace. Despite the points that I would have corrected in this sculpture, I think it turned out to be quite similar to the original; this is the most important thing! Doing every job, I understand that I still have a lot to strive for, and for a very, very long time! But it’s good, so just keep improving! Perhaps my style can distinguish me if we talk about people’s faces. I make portraits with a bias towards realism, trying to convey as many facial features and details as possible; I did not study at any school or university, I developed a style, a process of work, an understanding of portraiture and modeling, as such, through my own trial and error, and this path continues to this day, and will continue always!
What do you think about luck?
This is a very good question because I believe that luck plays an important role in everyone’s life! But, most likely, everything is predetermined, and there is no luck as such, but this is already a moment for a separate interview, ha-ha-ha! Seriously, luck helped me a lot in business; now I will explain this chain: having enough experience to bring my creativity to the masses, to start earning, I fashioned a small bust of Heisenberg from the famous TV series, with removable glasses and a hat, it was a very dreary project, but interesting! I posted it on the social network and received the first order, people liked how I did it! After I had already completed this order, I used the photos to further promote my craft, so I got to Etsy, where a few months later, people made their first order on this site, and so the number of requests increased and continued to increase! I even created a price list. Can you imagine? That’s how, thanks to a small bust, I came to what I had; it’s incredible! But there are failures in life; not everything can last forever. Due to the situation, at the moment, I can’t do business with Etsy, my store is blocked, and therefore I lost my earnings, so we spin as we can!
Pricing:
- 300-350$ (5-6 inches) smallest bust with or without stand
- 400-450$ (7-8) inches
- 500-600$ (9-10) inches
- 650-700$ (11-12) inches
- 800-….$ (13- any size you want)
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/rex_sculptor?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniil-leonov-82364b269
