You probably don't consider action figures art.

But Adam Beane's intricately detailed, highly expressive figurines just might change your mind.

While Beane took sculpting classes in high school and college, the 35-year-old had only attempted the human figure four times when he got the opportunity to sculpt sports figures as a freelancer for McFarlane Toys.

"I immediately took to it," Beane told Aslyum. "And by the end of the year I had become one of their top freelance sculptors.

Since then his portfolio has grown to include lifelike miniature reproductions of characters from movies, comic books and television (like Kate from "Lost", pictured). He invented the plastic compound he now uses, CX5, and he recently made his first foray into politics with a rendering of Barack Obama for Esquire magazine.

Beane shared more images of his work with us and talked about his creative process. Read on to check it out.


Luca Toni, Italian soccer star
"Sports figures are fun because they offer the most dynamic poses a sculptor could ever hope for. I enjoy capturing the sense of motion and exertion; the musculature, the balance and the complex clothing folds of mid-action."

Simon Pegg, "Shaun of the Dead"
"My yearning to capture accurate likenesses (often with interesting expressions) is satisfied when I'm asked to work on movie properties because in that realm, the portrait is of paramount importance."

X-23, "X-Men"
"When I am asked to sculpt pop culture characters, say from a comic book, I am usually asked to sculpt them as though they were real people (since I'm best-known for my realism). I am given a tremendous amount of latitude when it comes to these projects and I basically make up a realistic portrait from my head, incorporating features from people I've seen.

"Those projects are enjoyable to me for the free hand I am given and for the vastly different results each one generates. I have no generic, default face that I find beautiful or handsome, so as those projects progress, they take on real character. The portraits and bodies all come out unique."

Barack Obama, president
"Political figures are new for me and I'm very excited to have been given the opportunity to start doing them. I was honored to have been asked by Esquire to sculpt President Obama for their 2010 February "People Who Matter" issue. It was by far the tightest deadline I've ever had, but I was eager to complete a full figure for the article. I worked hard to capture an expression of resolve and I hope the president is pleased by it."

Willie Stargell, Hall of Famer
"I do not paint the sculptures. The companies I work for paint them. I personally have little interest in painting my sculptures. Painting them turns them into something else, something other than what for me is essential classical figure sculpture taken to the ultimate level: dynamic compositions, anatomy, portraiture and interesting drapery work are my daily fare.

"I prefer seeing them monochromatic, but I suppose this is because I am a sculptor. A painter looks at my work and itches to get at it with a brush. To her, they are canvasses."

Johnny Cash, American legend
We asked Beane about what he thinks of Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000-hour rule.

"Yes, I read that book. Not sure about Gladwell's conclusion ... I am better than I was 10,000 hours ago, it's true, but I started off pretty well, you might say. No idea why I picked it up so fast. I think some people's brains are just wired in such a way that certain endeavors come easily to them.

"The details I am able to achieve in my work are of course a result of experience, but they are also due in large part to the sculpting material I invented. I call the material CX5 (for Compound X, Generation 5). I will be making it commercially available in a matter of months."

Stone and bronze castings of Beane's Obama sculpture will also soon be available. Check out his Web site for more details. All images courtesy of Adam Beane.