Before making a figure it must be decided in which part of the attraction it is to be placed, what its pose should be, and possibly how it should relate to other figures. If the person chosen to be portrayed is available, he or she will attend a ‘sitting’ in purpose-built rooms at Merlin Studios, Acton, West London. If not, Tussauds sculptors travel all over the world to come to the stars! Bahamas, New York, LA, Mumbai, even The Ivy Restaurant – these are some of the locations! We discuss pose, expression and the image of the figure with the sitter and take detailed measurements and photographs in, ideally, a 4-hour, but sometimes just 15-minute sitting. Sittings are hard work – even four- hours isn’t much time to gain all the information needed to create a figure which could take up to six months to make.

The sculptor usually has an assistant and our in-house photographer at ‘external’ sittings sessions, but when they take place at Studios the sculptor can also expect assistance from additional Merlin Studio’s artists - experts in assessing hair, eyes and skin colouring and discussing wardrobe requirements. Members of the Merlin Studio’s mould team are also available to take hand casts and teeth casts, if necessary. The sitting offers the sculptor the opportunity to get to know his/her subject a little, gaining an insight into the ‘real person’ behind the media image – Madame Tussauds endeavours to reflect this in the final figure.

For further information please contact: Liz Edwards 020 7487 0264 or liz.edwards@madame-tussuads.com Visit the website: www.madametussauds.com/london