Thursday, March 25, 2010

SCULPTURE - "Space Gator!" pt.5

Finally finished with the head of Space Gator. In my last post, I showed how I made some "gator bump" textures. Below is one more stamp that I made for the small areas on the head. I used "Sculpey Firm" to make the stumpy little tool (about the size of a short pencil). I also made a tiny hole in the pointed end for single bumps.

The process is very much the same as on all my other sculpts. I began with a very rough head for proportions. I cut off the helmet, since the shapes were all going to change. I started forming the mouth first. The eyes are ball bearings from an old "Lazy Susan". Next I form the eyelids. I kindof liked the pointy eye ridges and cheeks...felt more stylized for space travel!

Now comes the texturing phase. I cut some grooves under the chin, then cut some perpendicular lines from those. I made the tool from a piece of wire that I hammered flat and stuck in a dowel handle...one of my favorite things to sculpt with. I moved on to the bumps over the rest of the head, followed by the standard glazing with thinner.

I then baked the head before proceeding to the helmet stage. I didn't want to mash the details. This also allowed me some flexibility while figuring out how the helmet would be designed. I could sculpt, then peel off the parts I didn't like, then start again.
With this part done , I'll reattach the head to the gator body and work in more details as I refine one area at a time. See ya back here next post!

5 comments:

Christopher said...

That's one awesome Alligator!

Warren said...

Thanks, Christopher. Ever seen a gator out your way in Maryland? Maybe some saltwater crocs?

Mike Adair said...

Ooooh! Liking the gator head! He's cute but means business, too!

Warren said...

And I'm sure by using the word "cute", you meant like when the swooning gator-girls say "He's CUTE!" when referring to a rough and tumble space adventurer who saunters by on his way to save a planet from imminent destruction. Yeah...that's what you meant.

Mike Adair said...

Did I write "Cute"? I meant "Cut" like ripped. Not the drunk kind of ripped I mean ripped like "cut", like hard-as-nails, field-strip a shiv kind of ripped.

But now that I think about it he is kind of cute in that adorable, ripped (drunk) kind of way.