The idea for this vignette came from the figure below.
I always really liked this figure but it seemed a bit bland to me. It just didn't seem to capture the wonder of Napoleon's armies in Egypt. The figure looks so pensive that I wanted to do something with it. I wanted to capture the spirit of a young man looking that the Pyramids or the Sphinx in wonder. Eventually I settled on the idea of an army surveyor and amateur artist ordered to document the Sphinx. Unfortunately, this required some minor adjustments and the creation of the right mood. To this end, I had to completely sculpt an arm with putty-- and I am a lousy sculptor! I also had to create a number of tools and items that an artist and surveyor might have laying around. Below you see the sculpted arm on the figure and a scratch built artist's portfolio and journal.
Let me know what you think. I welcome any and all comments, positive and negative.
Thanks in advance. I hope to update soon and maybe even submit the finished product as a feature.