Okay, time to move on to the next character in my series..."Silverback with a Jet-Pack". Here are some sketches I kicked around, just to get poses figured out.
Once I had the basic idea down, I began with the mechanical bits first...made from assorted found objects...plastic pens, parts from an old computer, nails for rivets, clasps from a clothes hanger. After I pieced together the jet-pack, I gave the whole thing a coating of Elmer's glue to unify the surface, fill in gaps, and give it all a bit of texture so it looked aged. Then I painted on a base coat of brown acrylic.
Below are a few views of the finished paint job.
After the Jet-Pack was done, I focused on the base. I did work on the Gorilla sculpture some while developing the base sculpt, but will wait til next time to show that part. My intention was to make the base look like a blast of smoke, just after the Gorilla takes off. I used "original" white Sculpey on the base, because it was softer, and I could blend the shapes a bit easier. I then painted a coat of "turpenoid" to "melt" the Sculpey and get a smoother blend on the surface. You want to make sure to let the turpenoid set up for a day before you bake it...don't want a house fire!
My first idea was to have a single column of smoke coming from the jet-pack. But it soon became necessary to make a "tripod" of smoke to support the heavy weight of the Gorilla. I added a bit more to the base with "Super Sculpey" to give strength farther up the main support wire. I used Plumber's Epoxy Putty to fill out the smaller support wires. You have to work fast with the epoxy, as it sets up in about 3 minutes.
I coated the finished sculpt with Elmer's glue, then painted all of the base with gray acrylic.
I began to build up layers of dry-brushed lighter grays and white...then glazed the smoke with a thin wash of brown to warm up the cool grays. Below is the finished jet-pack!
Next time...making the "Silverback".
-W
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