Base detail and a question
I have a quick update and a question about a detail...
Here's the front side of the base, showing the broken elder sign:
turning clockwise, there are jawless skulls on the other sides of the base:
another rotation:
The final skull is just the teeth, as a tentacle covers the bulk of the skull. I am now adding angular points into the crook of the trim. I can't decide whether to leave it as a simple point, or whether to us the more stylized version with the circular cutaways. There's something nice about the simple points, though it occurred to me that it might look too much like an Iron Cross... does anyone think that would be an issue? It's a charged icon for some, and I don't want to cross (no pun intended) signals. The second style is a nice shape, too.
Here we see one of each along the bottom border:
What do you think??
~Paul
Here's the front side of the base, showing the broken elder sign:
turning clockwise, there are jawless skulls on the other sides of the base:
another rotation:
The final skull is just the teeth, as a tentacle covers the bulk of the skull. I am now adding angular points into the crook of the trim. I can't decide whether to leave it as a simple point, or whether to us the more stylized version with the circular cutaways. There's something nice about the simple points, though it occurred to me that it might look too much like an Iron Cross... does anyone think that would be an issue? It's a charged icon for some, and I don't want to cross (no pun intended) signals. The second style is a nice shape, too.
Here we see one of each along the bottom border:
What do you think??
~Paul
I think I like the simple point better then the one with the circular cut aways.
It's hard to tell but just looking at it as it stands now the circular sections look a tad out of place. It could just be that I'm looking for the uniformity of all four corners and the one section that is different is drawing my eyes. If I focus on the round bits I like the look of it. But when I lean back and drink in the whole base..not so much. That make sense?
Also in casting will the circulars have more of a chance to develop air pockets? I don't know much about casting but that looks like a fiddly bit there.
However I can see your concern over the iron cross. What about adding two small points on each side of the main point? I tried to mock it up in paint however the best I could do was a rectangular type shape. I don't know if it would work.
Well if nothing else I should have at least succeeded in not answering your question and confusing you more!
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Good point, it is perhaps hard to envision the circular cutout design on all four corners.
re: air pockets- I don't think that particular shape will be a problem. Now, some of the larger shapes of the tentacles... I am tempting the air bubble gods in that case, and will have to be rather crafty when it comes to sculpting the final layers and the mold design. Pounding on the work bench as the resin fills the cavity helps jiggle some air out as well. I'd love one of those fancy vacuum setups that suck all the air out.
~Paul
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I think that it looks fine with the simple points- if you hadn't mentioned the Iron Cross resemblance I wouldn't have seen it. The fact that it's based on a trapezium (not a square), the fact that the focus is on the skulls and that they're largely obscured by the tentacles means it's not too obvious at all. I think it looks fine, and adding the extra details in the corners would just make it a bit too busy, making it less of a contrast between the clean lines of the original pedestal and where it is dissolving away into chaos.
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I like the circular cut-outs. A bit more gothic. Also if the Iron Cross analogy occurred to you then it's going to occur to others. The death's head in the center hammers home that imagery too.
If I can suggest a small tweak... in the third picture you have two small tentacles ending on one face of the pedestal. Seems to me it would be eerily menacing to have one of them end with its tip in the eye socket of the skull.
Now a technical question. Is the texture on the faces of the pedestal from carving out the images or were the images built up (i.e. the texture was there initially)?
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I appreciate everyone's feedback on this, as I was hoping to lock this part in and bake it so I could hold the base and work on the upper features. My hopes were as NTMBK said, it being a trapezoid might negate the Iron Cross idea. I went ahead and filled all the nagles with points, and the one side with no tentacles seemed very I.C. like, regardless of it not being a square. I was showing the sculpture to my girlfriend and before I even got half way through my question, she mentions "Iron Cross". I think that's that, then.
Rich- that's a cool idea, let me mull that over for a bit. thanks!
The skulls were added material, not carved. Much easier, IMO, as it's easier to make the flat backgrounds first. And, it is a fiddly shape, so working with the soft clay allows for quicker adjustments. The only downside, I guess, is that it is a little trickier to adhere the soft clay to the baked surfaces. Seeing that I want it to look like carved stone, I will take ait asa compliment that you saw that it might have actually been carved.
~Paul
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I like the plain edging - the points make it look a bit too ornamentalized (if that is a word) and I don't think it fits the feel of the piece. But of course it is not my piece - so I defer to the greater knowledge of smarter folk...
I love the look of the elder sign and skulls with the tentacles all over, it is conveying a great story.
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"Ornamentalized", whether a word or not, works for me- I know what you mean. I liked the simplicity of the points, too, but the glaring Iron Cross seemed too distracting. As it stands, I have cut the holes on all of the angles. I am seeing if I can get used to it, though I am still on the fence.
~Paul
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