::Intermission::
I've been getting a few nudges about how ol' squidhead is progressing. Busy work, mostly, but nothing too glamorous.
I added a little 'signature' along side the bottom of the base, which was a fun challenge. The lettering reminds me a little of the tags on the bottom of gaming miniatures, a la "ORK WITH SPEAR", and it gave me an appreciation for those that can do the tiny lettering. I tried a newish product called (get ready to laugh) 'Procreate'. Instead of yellow and blue components, it uses white and black to create a neutral grey. It claims to be better than greenstuff by being less sticky and holding detail better, but I don't think this was enough for me to confirm the claim. The grey is easier to read and It's a lot more expensive, I can say that!
I did the sculpting under a large light-up magnifying glass with dental tools. With that magnification, I started to see a number of tiny fissures on the model. I would guess this is most in part to the multiple bakings. So, over the last few days I have been filling the tiny crack with milliput (a two part putty that is easy to sand, carve, and is water soluble before it hardens). I chose milliput because it is easier to get rid of the excess putty that is hard to remove with a tool. I first wipe at it with a wet brush to soften it, then I brush at it with a toothbrush. This seems to feather it out nicely. Whether these fine cracks would even reproduce in the molds, I don't know, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.
Next up is to fill in the eyelids with the suggestion of an actual ball, then I wanted to adhere a thick sheet of plasticard to the bottom side of the base to give it a nice smooth surface.
In other news, I finished a private commission of a nightgaunt. Many thanks to Barb for her super-angelic levels of patience:
It's 8x10", acrylic on masonite. Next up is another private Mythos commission, this time of Cthulhu, but with some interesting artistic license. I'll be sure to keep everyone posted.
cheers!
~Paul
I added a little 'signature' along side the bottom of the base, which was a fun challenge. The lettering reminds me a little of the tags on the bottom of gaming miniatures, a la "ORK WITH SPEAR", and it gave me an appreciation for those that can do the tiny lettering. I tried a newish product called (get ready to laugh) 'Procreate'. Instead of yellow and blue components, it uses white and black to create a neutral grey. It claims to be better than greenstuff by being less sticky and holding detail better, but I don't think this was enough for me to confirm the claim. The grey is easier to read and It's a lot more expensive, I can say that!
I did the sculpting under a large light-up magnifying glass with dental tools. With that magnification, I started to see a number of tiny fissures on the model. I would guess this is most in part to the multiple bakings. So, over the last few days I have been filling the tiny crack with milliput (a two part putty that is easy to sand, carve, and is water soluble before it hardens). I chose milliput because it is easier to get rid of the excess putty that is hard to remove with a tool. I first wipe at it with a wet brush to soften it, then I brush at it with a toothbrush. This seems to feather it out nicely. Whether these fine cracks would even reproduce in the molds, I don't know, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.
Next up is to fill in the eyelids with the suggestion of an actual ball, then I wanted to adhere a thick sheet of plasticard to the bottom side of the base to give it a nice smooth surface.
In other news, I finished a private commission of a nightgaunt. Many thanks to Barb for her super-angelic levels of patience:
It's 8x10", acrylic on masonite. Next up is another private Mythos commission, this time of Cthulhu, but with some interesting artistic license. I'll be sure to keep everyone posted.
cheers!
~Paul
Keep up the good work Paul! It's pretty disheartening when you put in hours of work with no real visible result, but it'll pay dividends in the long run.
Reply to this
I appreciate the encouragement, James, thanks!
The gap filling isn't too romantic, but I see it as an investment. Otherwise, I'd be pretty bummed to discover the little fissures in my first test cast. That'd mean I'd either have to accept it, or go back and fix it and re-do the mold. I'm sure there'll still be a few little irregularities here and there, but I think I've taken care of the major ones. They mostly appeared in crevasses where to forms meet, like where a tentacle runs along an arm.
~Paul
Reply to this
I know I have been wondering on your sculpture progress, Paul.
The name at the bottom is a nice touch. Crack filling sounds prudent (and funny). Keep up the good work.
The new pic is a nice one too.
Reply to this
I'm boring with a vengeance, Duffy.
I'll be sure to share upcoming work.
Reply to this
Ah Born to Mild, eh?
Reply to this
It's nice to see an update even if you don't feel like much substantial has been done. The lettering is impressive. If you hadn't explained how you'd done it I'd have assumed you stamped it. Patience is clearly an asset at this stage. With the latest face pic, I can see all the detail I wasn't seeing before. So whatever you did to take that pic is a winner.
I've heard of Procreate (somewhere a Marketing dweeb is laughing) before, but not tried it... nor does it sound like something I will. I mean who needs something that's even more expensive than greenstuff.
I like the nightgaunt. Oddly enough though it's the sky I like most. You seem to have a way with skies in your paintings.
Cheers,
--rrb.
Reply to this
The lettering was a fun experiment. Perhaps if it were a lot more letters it might not have been. But,yeah, patience is definitely an element if you want the letters "tight". It's a lot of pushing and pulling to get everything spaced well, then to be sure that everything is parallel or perpendicular, and then with even thicknesses. I pretty much needed the full "life" of the putty before it cured.
I guess I'll post a full-on shot in the next update, though it's starting to look strange with all the milliput and other putties. Procreate claims that adjusting the black/white ratio will also affect the hardness (i.e. ability to be better for organic or machined textures... like brown kneadatite, I guess). I still have a bit left, so I might as well experiment.
You're the third to comment on the sky! I really enjoy painting skies and clouds, perhaps because it is very free-form and somewhat lacking any rules.
~Paul
Reply to this