Hi, Josh here.
Sculpting anime figures is a fun and satisfying experience for me. Many times I hear from my peers how they would like to be as "talented" as me to produce a piece or two they would like to have of a character they like which might or not have a commercial figure available for purchase.
Nevertheless, as with many things, I think talent just plays like 10% of being able to make your figures; the remaining being in the lines of 20% research, 20% interest, 20% dedication (i.e. trial and error), 20% patience and 10% money.
One of the first things I hear people want to know about is the proportions and how to get them right. I have no doubt people understand proportions better than others, and they will be able to come up with the right ones by just going with the flow from the start by getting a small section done and they grow the other ones attached to it and so.
However, I'm more of a "I have to see the whole body first" to get the feel it it is right or not. Just as with drawing, I usually build the "skeleton" of my subject by doing the basic shapes stuff I see many people might overlook because they would like to focus on one part first (like the face, or head) and then as they progress they realize the head is too large or too small compared to the rest or the body, or the hands or too big or small, or the legs are too long or short; especially if you want to make a specific character. This is why personally my very first step in drawing or sculpting would be to do what I like to call a "preform".
