Creator portrait: Roman Svarog, from traditional sculpture to the 3D revolution
Behind each figurine creator hides a story. That of Roman Svarog is that of a passion born in childhood, which became a profession over the years. A professional sculptor, painter and avid player, he now splits his time between working at Puppetswar and developing his own project, Baroco Miniatures. Meeting with a creator who has never stopped developing his art.
A passion born from childhood
Roman Svarog, whose real name is Roman Pasichnyuk, is 42 years old. Originally from Ukraine, he now lives in Rzeszów, Poland, where he has lived for over ten years.
His passion for figurines goes back to childhood.
"I have been interested in creating toy soldiers out of plasticine since my childhood."
Like many enthusiasts, he started modestly by sculpting his own soldiers and painting the plastic figurines he owned with gouache.
During his studies, he discovered historical collectible figurines in 54 mm format. A revelation that led him to sculpt and paint his own pieces in order to enrich his collection.
When the hobby becomes a job
Life takes him away from the world of the figurine for a while. An architect by profession, Roman has started a family—he is now the father of two children—while continuing to pursue his passion in his spare time.
A few years later, he lost his job and moved with his family to Poland. That’s when he decided to try to live off his passion.
"I tried to turn my hobby into a job and immediately started looking for work as a sculptor."
His research quickly succeeded since he joined Puppetswar, where he has been working for about ten years as a professional sculptor.
A painter above all
Even though his profession today is sculpture, Roman remains deeply attached to figurine painting.
"I don’t just collect little soldiers: I paint them too."
He paints historical figurines as well as armies from fantastic universes like Warhammer 40,000 or Age of Sigmar. He also likes figurines at 1/72, a scale that occupies a special place in his career.
He often misses time, but tries to devote at least one hour each week to this activity.
The 17th century, a source of inspiration
When we talk about the historical periods he likes, the 17th century immediately comes first.
"My favorite historical period is the 17th century, and maybe also the 18th century."
He also appreciated the Antiquity and the Middle Ages, periods that regularly nourish his inspiration.
The artists who marked him
Like any creator, Roman was built by admiring the work of other sculptors.
He notably mentions the talent of Anton Derbilov, famous for his historical figurines in 1/72 edited by Strelets and Red Box.
"He sculpted entirely by hand, in a traditional way, and his works are magnificent."
Today, he also admires the work of Lucas Luber, creator of Piano Wargames.
"I appreciate its level of detail and try to achieve the same quality in my own creations."
Play with simple rules
Roman is not limited to creating figurines: he also likes to make them live on the game tables.
He practices both Warhammer and One Page Rules systems, but mostly plays his own game, Great 72.
Designed mainly for 1/72 action figures, this system also works with 28 mm action figures without the need to adapt rules.
"I like simple rules and short games."
He also discovered Lion Rampant and plans to try Pikeman’s Lament soon.
Even though he does not officially belong to any club, he regularly attends a miniature game club in his city to play there, notably at Age of Sigmar.
The transition to digital sculpture
3D modeling is now at the heart of its activity, but this transition is relatively recent.
About six years ago, when he was already working at Puppetswar, his employer told him that the next projects would be carried out with ZBrush.
"I started learning 3D through YouTube."
His experience as an architect already gives him some basics in modeling, but learning digital sculpture still represents a real challenge.
Today, 3D has become his main creative tool.
Baroco Miniatures: bringing the 17th century to life
In parallel with his activity at Puppetswar, Roman is now developing his own project: Baroco Miniatures.
This new range is dedicated to figurines intended for 3D printing. The models could be printed in different scales, from 15 mm to 40 mm, even if Roman admits to having a preference for 28 mm and 1/72.
The project is entirely devoted to the 17th century, with an early collection dedicated to the Cossacks and armies of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Other European and Asian armies will gradually expand the range.
His goal is ambitious: to offer a new set every month.
"I will not use a subscription system: everyone can simply buy the models they are interested in."
Where to discover one’s work?
Roman regularly shares his creations on his YouTube channel Warbanda. The videos are made in Ukrainian, but the visual demonstrations make it easy to follow his work, even without speaking the language.
An intact passion
Through his career, Roman Svarog perfectly illustrates what drives many figurine creators: a passion that spans the years, evolves with techniques and continues to renew itself.
From traditional sculpture to 3D modeling, he continues to explore new approaches without losing sight of what has been driving him since childhood: creating figurines that tell a story. With Baroco Miniatures, he is about to write a new chapter of this adventure, to the delight of lovers of historical figurines.
Baroco miniatures in Instagram.
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