Puppet Monster

[moonmin82/]

Whilst bed shopping last week my mind was elsewhere and I started brainstorming sculpting ideas. I liked the idea of creating some monstrous clowns and started with some sketches:





Tonight I started a basic armature:



I will probably use this as a practice sculpt (without the rider...) and if it turns out well I'll scale it up in line with the second concept sketch.

Disclaimer: In the first sketch I was going for a Gonzo the muppet nose... not a phallus (as my brother so kindly pointed out on my Facebook page)!

[moonmin82/]

Here are the arm-atures(!):



On the sheet of paper I drew a very crude template in pencil, just for proportions.

[TRM]

Pretty cool so far!! Interesting to see the processes you go through on these!! Keep up the great work!!!

[deafpanzer]

You have my attention as it should be fun to follow... good luck!

[bullardino]

Quite interesting, the second concept is the one I prefer too. Have you ever tried sculpting with other mediums than green stuff?

[moonmin82/]

Thanks all :-)

Dec 2, 2012 3:51:17 GMT -5 bullardino said:

Quite interesting, the second concept is the one I prefer too. Have you ever tried sculpting with other mediums than green stuff?

I have sculpted with Procreate, 'brown stuff', Miliput, Fimo and Super Sculpey. I'd say I prefer Procreate and certainly find Miliput too messy for my liking. I'll bulk this armature out with green stuff and sculpt the details with Procreate.

[moonmin82/]

Here is a shot of the torso so far (still as it was on Friday night):



Torso still has a bit of shaping to do (forward lean, arched back, as discussed). You'll see I've started some socket joints as the arms and head will be seperate components.



The left hand illustrates how I used green stuff to secure the finger joints and create the basic form of the hand. The fingers should now be farly well secured as the finger wire was looped around to secure to the armature. The right hand shows how I've started to position the fingers.



Here you can see the base layer of the head and the initial shapes of the hand. Although the rest of the sculpt will largely be Procreate the fingers will entirely be GS (maybe with a bittle 'brown stuff') as I would have little to no faith of Procreate sticking to the wire! Having said that I may attempt it as I would expect better results from Procreate. We shall see!

[spud]

man they are strange

[`Boots`]

Love seeing how these come to life from scratch............a skill i could only ever dream of !!!................look forward to seeing more of this ;D

[moonmin82/]

Dec 2, 2012 15:43:03 GMT -5 `Boots` said:

a skill i could only ever dream of !!!

You'd be surprised! With a little research and a lot of practice you'll be sure to get results. I'm a long way from the level I'd like to be but am finally reaching a point where I can finally create something that I'm remotely happy with.

Thank you all for your kind words Hope you'll like the eventual outcome!

[bullardino]

Thanks for the reply

Nice progresses, the way you're developing the character is quite interesting

[moonmin82/]

Last night I continued building the basic form of the hands:



I've been using the good old fashioned "sausages, balls and sheets" of putty method but (to ensure symmetry) have been rolling shapes in duplicate and applying to each hand in turn.

Tonight I added the shoes:



These will be smoothed and shaped as the Procreate cures. Once set I will add the laces and sculpt the trousers (followed by the frilly trim around his trousers).

I've started shaping the face (apologies for the blurred photo):



As you can see I work very slowly! Little and often... :-p

[`Boots`]

No need for rushing fella....................looks dam good what ya done so far and i dig those shoes...............great work MM ;D

[moonmin82/]

Thanks guys!

Hands are coming on well: basic shape complete and ready for detail:

[bullardino]

Nice progress. I think the thumb's a little on the thin side, but the rest looks great

[moonmin82/]

Agreed. The thumb and fingers are by no means finished! The basic shapes are all there I just have to refine the forms in addition to adding the details (such as knuckes and veins) :-D

I'm still debating whether to have finger nails / claws or simply pointy finger tips...?

[bullardino]

What about something like Freddy Krueger's gloves?

[moonmin82/]

I have something similar in store for my next clown monster!

Here's my progress on the underside of the hands:



There is still a fair bit of shaping (fingers and thumbs) to do before I can add details.

...and some token progress on the torso:



I've bought a second pin vice as I'll be needing one very soon... As I start sculpting the frilly wrist cuffs I'll be relying upon the pin vice. To ensure symmetry I'll need to work on both arms simulataneously (hence the need for a second vice). I opted for the local hobby shop (supporting local business!) and was pleased to see the range of drill bits on offer (I lost one of mine some time ago).

[`Boots`]

That is looking very neat indeed MM....................the details are really starting to take shape, looking forward to the adding of the frills and stuff fella...................great work ;D

[moonmin82/]

Dec 8, 2012 15:09:52 GMT -5 `Boots` said:

looking forward to the adding of the frills and stuff fella

Me too! It just feels like so far away...

A moments work on the laces...



...and a bit more on the hands:



I've been working on knuckles and finger joints and working on alternating fingers to avoid silly accidents. Tonight I started with the middle finger, little finger and thumb. Slow going!

[`Boots`]

It may be slow going MM but it does look extremely good i have to say...........painstaking detail work involved in this for sure and getting it all into perspective must be a real challenge..............i can`t wait too see this as the finished article..............great work buddy keep it going, the laces and hands look terrific ;D

[moonmin82/]

Dec 10, 2012 17:19:55 GMT -5 `Boots` said:

painstaking detail work involved in this for sure and getting it all into perspective must be a real challenge

Cheers! I'm certainly feeling my ability progress with this project. I think the constant looking, checking and making comparisons is paying off. I've been looking and working at all angles and holding the arms 'in situ' with the torso to make sure it looks correct.

You know what this thread needs? Yet another WIP shot of hands:

[`Boots`]

LOL...........nothing like a few hand pics , they look extremely good and you can see the improvement on the definition quite clearly on the fingers.....keep pluggin` away buddy, there`s absolutely no rush whatsoever on this site...........we all appreciate the amount of time,effort and work that goes into these type of builds

[moonmin82/]

A little more work on the hands today. I've neatened up the inside of the index fingers:



...and shaped the fingers some more:



I can only see a small amount more progress between now and New Year as I'll be visiting family over Christmas.

[deafpanzer]

Hands are looking real good!!! Didn't realize its a long process to make them look real good...

[moonmin82/]

Dec 15, 2012 11:10:41 GMT -5 deafpanzer said:

Didn't realize its a long process to make them look real good...

It probably isn't, lol! I'm sure next time I'll be able to narrow it down to just 2 or 3 sittings but for now I'm just taking my time to make sure it looks right. Glad you like though!

This old old WIP is probably my only other "proper" hand to date:



...as you can see, significantly less preparation and time were devoted in this case!

[moonmin82/]

As I wont be around to work on my Puppet Monster over the next week I thought I'd fill the void with a tacky greetings card from myself...



Merry Christmas to all on the forum :-)

The pictured mini' was converted from my Pie Clown miniature:

i496.photobucket.com/albums/rr328/moonmin82/pieclowncast03-jun-2012nobase.jpg

[moonmin82/]

In the absence of my sculpting gear I've been doodling with some watercolours. The original is in colour but this WIP shot has been ran through an "antique photo" filter.

[moonmin82/]

Hi Kenny and thanks! Green Stuff and Procreate are both two part epoxy puttys (one part resin one part hardener). When mixed together you have a few hours work life and over night it should set fully. Green stuff is also known as Kneadatite but is called so as when mixed it is green (blue hardener, yellow resin). Both are widely used in the industry for sculpting minis :-)

www.coolminiornot.com/shop/green-stuff-kneadatite-blue-yellow-epoxy-putty.html
www.coolminiornot.com/shop/procreate-blister-25-oz-70g.html

[moonmin82/]

Colour versions can be seen on my FB page.