Creepy Mouth Monster

[moonmin82/]

I've added the first spikey bits to the back legs and have started work on the tail. I'd normally have more or less shaped the tail by now but the way I have it currently pinned (to allow easy removal) means it's a bit wobbly until it sets.

[moonmin82/]

Today I started work on the tail (which will be cast as a separate component). Each leg now has its first lot of spikey bits. I've been shaping the torso a little and have added a stud fitting to the tongue and been working on the arms.



As ever, more photos on the Facebook page.

[Deleted]

Totally mad and totally superb sculpting   Love it  

[moonmin82/]

Thank you! I certainly feel that it is pushing my sculpting (and poor little brain!) to its limits!

[Leon]

That is looking insane,and i love it.

[moonmin82/]

Thanks Leon!

Just thought that as I'm being asked this more and more often I want to make something very clear... There is no 'graphic' imagery or symbolism behind this sculpt. Although the intention is to create something creepy and unsettling, it is merely a mouth on legs and nothing more! I have no problem with the artwork of HR Giger or indeed some of the recent Kingdom Death miniatures, but there are certain motifs which I am in no great hurry to incorporate into my work.

There were a few things which inspired me to create this sculpt.

Firstly I wanted to improve upon this figure which I sculpted (poorly!) in 2006:



Secondly I keep seeing very cool squig-like sculpts. I always think "how hard could it really be?!" but never get round to it...

Finally there are plenty of monstrous creature sculpts which capture my attention, such as this one:



There was a recent one which was truly grotesque but very well excecuted. I can't find any photos and I'm not sure if it was a Thomas David? Anyway, more progress soon!

[moonmin82/]

Here's today's progress, arms and legs:



I've added more spikes and bulked out the legs a bit more. Whenever I set them up they just looked a bit flimsy I guess.

[deafpanzer]

Looking good... looking forward to your next update!

[Leon]

Ditto what Andy said.

[moonmin82/]

Thanks guys! Fortunately you did not have long to wait!

Legs so far: awaiting laces and "inbetweeny bits" for its left legs...



I have temporarily glued the arms to the torso to allow me to work on them. I added wires for the fingers yesterday and set about bulking them out today:



Here is the progress so far:



The upper section of the arms will get two spikes in fitting with the legs.

I have an important question for you all... Do the arms need frilly cuffs for the cuffs, like the bits on the legs? Part of me thinks they need it to remain uniform. Another part of me thinks it may be overkill. What do you think?

[Leon]

Tough call MM.I would say put cuffs on them to keep it uniform.

[moonmin82/]

A bit of time spent tonight on the arms and the tongue. The collars are starting to become second nature. Much quicker and easier. Results slowly progressing but at least the process is much less painful. The arms look much better in person!

[Leon]

That's what i'm talking about.Looks good MM.

[moonmin82/]

Thanks!

Spent a while (longer than expected) working on the tail tonight. Also added the zip along the spine, started the shoe laces and worked on the tongue.

Tomorrow I will texture the torso, finish the zip, tongue and hands. On Thursday I should just have a little tidying up to do along with the ball and socket joints for the arms/legs/torso.

[Leon]

Nice work on the zip and tongue MM.This is going to look totally cool when finished.

[moonmin82/]

Should anybody be at Salute this weekend be sure to say "hi!". I will be wandering around aimlessly (and later moving on to the pub) looking something like this:



I should be easy enough to spot wearing a League of Gentlemen "Hello Dave" t-shirt!

[`Boots`]

Been a few days since i looked in on this MM but i gotta say...............WOW!!!!

This is insane, bizarre, crazy, mad.............but in a brilliant way!! , your attention to detail is excellent, the spikes, the tail and even the boots (including shoelaces ) are fantastically made!.................you`ve definitely got a great sense of imagination and talent thats for sure ...............if i was anywhere near Salute i`d shake ya hand mate

[moonmin82/]

Thank you! It's comments like this that often motivate me to keep going, especially when I am stuck in a rut or simply feel that my abilities are totally inadequate. I've been made to feel very welcome on this forum so thank you all for your interest and constructive comments. Wish me luck in this challenging journey!

[Leon]

Have to agree with Boots MM.Don't think you need any luck feela,looks like you have everything well at hand and doing a fine job.

BTW if you do need it.GOOD LUCK FRIEND.

[moonmin82/]

Tonight I started to texture the body as I had with the tail. I also started work texturing the underside of the tail. This is just the beginning, as once I've finished the whole torso and tail in this manner I will start on secondary textures along with final details and protruding spikes etc.

[Leon]

Just keeps getting better MM.Always glad to see some new progress.

[moonmin82/]

Thanks!

A little more work on the torso.

[deafpanzer]

You are getting there... almost there! Looking good!

[`Boots`]

Lovely detail work once again MM, i can appreciate just how time consuming this must be............certainly worth every minute you put into it tho fella , great work as per usual fella

[moonmin82/]

Can't believe it has been a month since I last posted on this project! Admittedly it lost a little momentum following Salute, but I'm now back and working hard. Sadly pictures are currently under wraps as I wait to reach a superficial 125 likes on Facebook, haha! I anticipate the casting could be rather expensive so am trying to get as much exposure as possible in the run up. Speaking of which I have been in talks with a number of casters regarding this. I can't wait to see it cast :-)

I spent some time sculpting the texture of the torso. What started off as material folds has developed into a skin which I imagine it would shed. I have added the peg fittings to the end of the legs (where they will fit into the torso) and have since been working on the edges around the socket fittings on the torso, just to make the join as seamless as possible once the figure is assembled. This has involved bulking out the torso further which has resulted in me essentially having to re-sculpt the texture I had added to the torso!

Hopefully I will be able to share a WIP very soon. In a way it'll be nice to have a big *reveal* for a change rather than lots of minor uninteresting updates ;-)

[moonmin82/]

Thank you and great idea! I have a thought of how I can incorporate it into one of my future monster sculpts ;-)

I've been working hard and spending a lot of time ensuring the join between the legs and torso is seamless once assembled. As all of the individual components are on separate corks I've been working on me knees, just so everything is more or less at eye level.

[`Boots`]

Now ya just teasing with us fella.........no pics/under wraps !!!!!, no probs MM we understand , look forward to seeing it tho

[moonmin82/]

Thanks! I'm not stubborn and can imagine giving up and sharing before reaching 125 likes (just 8 remaining)!

I keep saying "nearly done" and although it feels that way, I guess I keep moving the goal posts...

The torso / leg fittings are now looking snug. They fit together fairly seamlessly and the body texture is coming along well. I have decided to go for an 'orrible grub-like body, like Earth Worm Jims nemesis, Queen Slug For A Butt:



As I work on the body texture I am filling out the torso to achieve an even shape. It also dawned on me a few days ago that I need to complete the actual mouth. I'll have to pay this some serious attention with it being the focal point of the miniature...

[Leon]

WOOP, glad to see this back MM .I will watching for more updates and pics.Your doing a fantastic job on this.

[moonmin82/]

Thanks guys! I decided to forget the arbitrary "125 likes" situation and share.

As for the progress, it's nearly done! The plan is to finish sculpting over the coming week and hand delivery to the caster at the weekend. The caster I'm looking at has some rather impressive credentials, but more of that to come when it's in the bag.









You may be able to (just about) see the zipper (sorry, pic's aint great). The pull turned out alright, but I may resculpt the actual zip, just so it is raised up a little higher, closer to the surface of the torso. In the end I opted for a grub-like texture for the torso, much like this classic video game villain:



It's all just tidying up from here really: texture on the torso (especially the tail), the bell, legs & mouth/lips. As much as I've loved it and happy as I am, I'm keen to get some closure on this project. With that in mind I'd love some feedback as any glaring errors / omissions with have to be put right over the coming five nights!