(Sean Valentine - The Hogwarts Staircase)
The Magical Mystique of Hogwarts
by Pam North
Harry Potter lovers, here’s something just for you. Straight out of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is Sean Valentine’s rendition of those hallowed halls, imbued with the ambience and touch of spookiness that was conjured up in every reader’s imagination. All those hallmarks from J. K. Rowling’s beloved books are portrayed in Sean’s whimsical creation: the ancient staircases, moving portraits on the walls, heavy books of magic spells, multi-paned windows, and the wonderful owls. Soft lighting accents the stone walls with the magical aura of a time of fantasy and spell-casting.
A United Kingdom resident, Sean first became interested in miniatures in his mid-30s, after watching a television program about them. He decided he would try it himself as a hobby. “I love making miniatures, as you can let your imagination run wild and create your own little masterpieces with no restrictions,” he said. With no formal training in the miniature field, he is self-taught, learning the craft through YouTube videos and reading materials. Now he is adept with such helpful aids as his much-used Dremel multi-tool.

The idea for the Hogwarts Staircase piece took shape after he saw a Harry Potter movie. As the concept began forming in his mind, he was unsure exactly how to make it, and it took seeing the movie again to help him clarify his vision. He decided to construct a miniature scene inside of a proclamation box (a small, glass-fronted cabinet). The project was made using real sandstone and also plaster moldings. About 70% was handmade by Sean, with some addition of other artisans’ work. “There are so many creative people out there whose work just amazes me,” he commented. He had wanted to make the staircase, but he was hesitant, feeling it might be too plain, but after deciding to put it inside of a proclamation box, he found it looked more interesting and unique. Slightly unconventional in his methods, he even mixed 1:12 and 1:24 scales together. His favorite part about his piece was how he had constructed it, with a quite different appearance than usual compositions. He cited one aspect of the piece as particularly fun: “The moving portraits were my favorite. I had contacted a company in regard to making the images; they were more than happy to help. as they never had done anything before that related to miniatures.”

The Hogwarts Staircase didn’t stay in his possession. “All of my miniatures normally are sold before they are ever completed,” he recounted. “I had made this one with the intention of keeping it, but when a VIP celebrity asked to buy it, I said yes to its sale.”

Sean shared some of his experience. “My best advice is to always have a few practice goes at making the miniature before you start gluing and painting, I have made quite a few mistakes on some of my projects, but it’s what I call a learning curve so when I use the same materials the next time I will know how. While I had many difficulties when I first started doing miniatures, my skills developed through the mistakes I made. I always have basic plans for all of my miniatures, and then my imagination does the rest as I go along. What I tell new and experienced miniaturists is that the world of miniatures is at our fingertips, and we all have the ability to create masterpieces of our own. All it takes is a little imagination and our dreams, no matter how small, can become reality, and there is a world-wide community of miniaturists out there for help and advice. I believe that the world of miniatures always will be fascinating to others and will continue to grow.”

New projects are in his future. “My next creation is another Harry Potter cabinet but this time it will be a 3-roomed cabinet. I like to push my imagination and skills a bit farther on each project, 
so I will continue to make Harry Potter miniatures and whatever pops in my head

Contact information:
Business name:Valentine’s Miniatures
Email: Kostromin1979@hotmail.com
Website:www.valentinesminiatures.co.uk
Phone: +441792472987
Address:10 Madison House
34 Orchard Street
Swansea  SA1 5AW