Let the spawning commence!
Hello All!
Last time we left off, I had a semi-successful test cast, though it wasn't quite what I hoped it'd be. Making the mold was a great learning experience, so I then felt a bit better armed to make a second go at it. My fingers were tightly crossed that the additional investment would pay off. To save on cost, I washed the old mold sections and diced it up:
It needs to be washed clean to remove any release agents that would prevent adhesion with the new silicone. I removed all the sections that never fully cured due to improper mixing. These cubes can be tossed into the new silicone mix before it cures.
The sculpture is fairly delicate, likely because of the multiple bakes and repeated use of alcohol to smoothen out the details (alcohol has the tendency to dry things, which can make them brittle). So, when I removed the master sculpt from the mold, the tenacious grip of the silicone removed some of the sculpture along with it. Bummer! The only way I could see repairing it was with a putty that didn't require any more baking. So, I used some kneadatite (or 'greenstuff')a two part epoxy putty often used by miniature sculptors. I was uncertain how seamless a job I could do, and expected to only know once the new mold was finished.
The new mold:
I was pretty happy with how the mold turned out, and I felt good about giving it a second shot. One hitch, however, the original sculpt was irreparably damaged from the grip of the mold:
Ugh! Nine months of design and sculpting, if the new mold didn't work I'd have to start all over again. The green areas, by the way, is where I had repaired it with the green stuff. The blue is leftover bits of clay from the mold building process. With fingers crossed, I attempted a test run with the new mold:
YESSSS!!! Aside from a few pinholes from small air bubbles under the base (fairly typical), I am quite happy with the results. Better than I expected, by far! You can see a fair amount of flash, but it is paper thin and easily removed with an x-acto blade. I then eyed the remainder of my resin supply.....
Muah-ha-haaaa.... soon my children, ye shall spread amongst the world and do my bidding, which happens to be looking nifty and entertaining. *cough* Sorry about that, but I am pretty psyched, I had huge doubts that this day would come. It's huge relief on numerous levels.
So, what's next? Ordering ten gallons of resin, for starters. Then, cleaning all the flash off the castings, developing a couple paint schemes and crunching the numbers to figure out pricing.
In other news, I have experienced yet another very flattering thing. A couple weeks back I got an email from someone that wanted to use one of my paintings as a tattoo. Both he and his artist wanted to get my blessing, which I appreciated. Here's the state of the tattoo after five hours of work:
Yes, it's the very same image that we saw in airbrush format just a couple weeks back, isn't that an odd coincidence? He's endured another five hours and expects one more session to complete the image. It's turning out to be another faithfully executed reproduction in another completely different medium. It's only just now hitting me what's happening, as obvious as it may seem. The idea that someone appreciates my art enough to permanently affix it to their flesh...how can I not be flattered? Wow!
~Paul
Last time we left off, I had a semi-successful test cast, though it wasn't quite what I hoped it'd be. Making the mold was a great learning experience, so I then felt a bit better armed to make a second go at it. My fingers were tightly crossed that the additional investment would pay off. To save on cost, I washed the old mold sections and diced it up:
It needs to be washed clean to remove any release agents that would prevent adhesion with the new silicone. I removed all the sections that never fully cured due to improper mixing. These cubes can be tossed into the new silicone mix before it cures.
The sculpture is fairly delicate, likely because of the multiple bakes and repeated use of alcohol to smoothen out the details (alcohol has the tendency to dry things, which can make them brittle). So, when I removed the master sculpt from the mold, the tenacious grip of the silicone removed some of the sculpture along with it. Bummer! The only way I could see repairing it was with a putty that didn't require any more baking. So, I used some kneadatite (or 'greenstuff')a two part epoxy putty often used by miniature sculptors. I was uncertain how seamless a job I could do, and expected to only know once the new mold was finished.
The new mold:
I was pretty happy with how the mold turned out, and I felt good about giving it a second shot. One hitch, however, the original sculpt was irreparably damaged from the grip of the mold:
Ugh! Nine months of design and sculpting, if the new mold didn't work I'd have to start all over again. The green areas, by the way, is where I had repaired it with the green stuff. The blue is leftover bits of clay from the mold building process. With fingers crossed, I attempted a test run with the new mold:
YESSSS!!! Aside from a few pinholes from small air bubbles under the base (fairly typical), I am quite happy with the results. Better than I expected, by far! You can see a fair amount of flash, but it is paper thin and easily removed with an x-acto blade. I then eyed the remainder of my resin supply.....
Muah-ha-haaaa.... soon my children, ye shall spread amongst the world and do my bidding, which happens to be looking nifty and entertaining. *cough* Sorry about that, but I am pretty psyched, I had huge doubts that this day would come. It's huge relief on numerous levels.
So, what's next? Ordering ten gallons of resin, for starters. Then, cleaning all the flash off the castings, developing a couple paint schemes and crunching the numbers to figure out pricing.
In other news, I have experienced yet another very flattering thing. A couple weeks back I got an email from someone that wanted to use one of my paintings as a tattoo. Both he and his artist wanted to get my blessing, which I appreciated. Here's the state of the tattoo after five hours of work:
Yes, it's the very same image that we saw in airbrush format just a couple weeks back, isn't that an odd coincidence? He's endured another five hours and expects one more session to complete the image. It's turning out to be another faithfully executed reproduction in another completely different medium. It's only just now hitting me what's happening, as obvious as it may seem. The idea that someone appreciates my art enough to permanently affix it to their flesh...how can I not be flattered? Wow!
~Paul
Paul, this is excellent to see. A bit frustrating with perhaps the broken parts on the original, but to see these things spawning is great.
What sorts of paint schemes are you looking at?
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Hello John!
The destruction of the master sculpture was a bit disheartening, I guess it's best to think of it as a sacrifice. As long as I hold onto a decent casting I can always make another mold of it, so that's certainly a saving grace. If that second mold didn't work, I'd be singing a far different song.
For color schemes... one unpainted for those do-it-yourselfer hobbyist types. Though I was tempted to do a rusty iron/steel finish (because I love painting it), I think an oxidized bronze seems more appropriate. Bronze/brass seems more nautical in theme, and the greenish color would fit well with Cthulhu's actual color. I'm considering a more involved finish, a 'realistic' full color approach. If sales go well, I want to look into a cold-cast bronze, but that's a bit into the future.
~Paul
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Greenstuff to the rescue!
Congrats, boss! I knew you could pull it off.
That tatoo is nicely done. Kudos to all the parties involved.
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Hey Duffy,
I'm glad one of us knew that it would work out!
I consider myself to be part of the original Star Wars generation, at least as far as being the target age for it's merchandise. But, I had to google "Desilijic", as I hadn't heard of them before. You learn something new everyday, even if it is made up. I'd have guessed you'd want a Wookie related one.
~Paul
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Glad I could help expand your horizons some. For more Desilijic fun check out this link:
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Desilijic
I have looked for more Wookiee-centric items but there isn't much out there.
I'm sure a computer could have figured this piece out, cause they're smart. So I guess that makes you as smart as a computer!
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Holy crap, the moment of truth and I missed it completely! Well, real life had me slightly distracted.
The casts look great, Paul! Congrats on your success. I really feel your pain on losing the original. It's crushing to see that much work destroyed... even though you've gotten such a good mold out of it.
I have been warned by others, that more often than not you lose the original during the making of the mold.
A question about using old silicon chunks... how does that go? "Paint" on the initial silicon, more or less fill the remaining space with chunks and then pour silicon to fill the spaces in the chunks? So you've got to guess how much less silicon you need. And then doesn't that run the risk of ending up with gaps in your mold?
Just a noob wondering...
Cheers!
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Hey Rich!
Dang that real life!
Once I saw that the casts came out so well, I was quite relieved. So, though I can't really keep the original for nostalgia, progress won't be hindered. The silicone and resin were so sensitive that you can even make out some subtle finger prints!
As for the silicone fill, this was my first attempt, so it's just guesswork. I made sure by eye that I'd have enough cured chunks and uncured silicone to do the job, with the expectation to have more chunks left over (and I now have plenty). I did the 'paint' step, then I poured about 1/4 the way up, "threw" in "chunks" (my this is sounding grosser than it really was) almost to the top. I poked at them with a stick to make sure none were hiding air pockets under them. I then filled to the top with the uncured pour. I didn't want the chunks getting too close to the surface of the master, I suppose it might have been the chance that the newly poured silicone didn't adhere to the old.
I should stress that the cut up mold should be cleaned of all mold release (which is often a bit oily). Any pockets of uncured silicone should be discarded.
~Paul
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I like all of them and most importantly the Art............
Thanks paul!
HarryDsouza
3D Architectural Animation Services
3D Exterior Architect Rendering
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