A Professor on the move

Thought you might like to see Professor Lobenschnicker pontificate via video. He's now seeking tenure on Ebay.

The Professor is in

Meet Professor Lobenschnicker. He's a confused brainiac whose IQ re-defines the term "dummy". Soon he will be lecturing with the assistance of an "intern". Look for him to be seeking an academic position soon on Ebay.

Measured response

I've been asked to provide measurements for the fleece wig pattern below. So here goes. First of all, these are measurements for half of the pattern. You have to print out two of them, each on an 8-1/2 x 11 piece of paper, then tape them together down the center-line. (If you print out my sample on the right, it ought to be pretty close. Click on the photo, choose "Save Picture As", save it as a jpeg, then open up the jpeg and print it.) From top-center to the bottom dart measures 10-1/8". From centerline to sideburn measures 5".

I use thread the color of the wig to handsew the darts together. It's important that the bottom of each dart line up with the dart next to it. (Don't sew together the two pieces on either side of the rounded part. That's where the ear goes).

You'll find that the wig will require adjustment. The sideburns are too long (purposely in case you're making an Elvis) and you may need to trim them shorter after installation. The back also may require trimming. I use hot glue to tack it down on top of the head, the sideburns, behind the ears and along the nape of the neck. I use Elmer's Glue to glue down the hairlines (it's more precise). I usually give the guy a haircut after applying the wig.

One other trick. If you're going to make a receding hairline, best to fold the front excess under rather than trim it off. The hairline looks better that way.

Paper airplane? Stealth bomber plans? A Rohrshach test? A sleeping albino bat?

Nope.

This is a pattern for a fleece wig for a typical Charlie head. I lay it over the back of furry fleece and trace it on the back of the material by dotting with a marker. Then I cut it out and sew the darts together by hand.

Furry fleece, particularly the curly style, works great as a wig. It's very soft to the touch. It comes in white, red, dark brown and black. It also comes in odd colors for hair like blue, light green and a bone color. Though I also use hair wigs, I like the looks of curly furry fleece.

Coupla guys

As the auction for the Lovik figure comes to a close, I'm getting close to finishing two more conversion figures. The fellow on the left will likely become "Professor Lobenschnicker". He'll eventually get white eyebrows and a white wig. The bucktoothed feller on the right will get the name "Augie" (at least until the new owner renames him). I'm undecided on his hair color. (Red?)

What's next for this little guy?

This is my first "refurb", and it was an excellent experience. I think the result was well worth the effort, too. I have him up for auction on Ebay. There's a video of him, too.

Dig the wig

So now the wig has been set in place. Sometimes I prefer to turn the wig around so that the back of the wig is in the front. That's what I did this time. With the hair upside down in the back and because the hair is sewn in to lay forward, the wig may show more of the scalp. So I painted the scalp dark brown so the scalp color would blend with the hair color.

I also decided to use well-placed hot glue anchors to secure the wig in place. (I'm getting better at this hot gluing.)

Next step is to rosey-up the cheeks.

Ears or flaps?

Because the Lovik figure is so cartoon-like, I made the ears without a lot of detail. I plan to paint in some detail, but not much. To make the ears, I cut the shape from a rubber-like foam, hot glued them to the head, then covered the foam with Magic-Sculpt. Using a foam underlayer helps keep the weight down.

I've also covered the brass eyebrow rods with Magic-Sculpt. Usually I score the Magic-Sculpt to mimic the texture of hair, but in keeping with the smooth cartoon character theme, I left the eyebrows smooth, too.

Next, I choose and apply a wig.

5,778 miles away...

One of the great side benefits of making vent figures (and blogging about it) is meeting people online that I'd likely never meet in person. Such is the case with Imre Gelei from Hungary. He sent me an email with several photos of a figure he built. He carved the figure in styrofoam, then covered it with papermache and toilet paper. He used foam pipe insulation for his arms and legs, and round styrofoam balls at the joints. Using tips from reading blogs, he built the mechanics. His resourcefulness paid off as he built a very durable and expressive vent figure. He named it "Professor Otto".

Okay, now where was I...

After much travail, I'm back to where I was when I realized that the eyes would have to be replaced. That task has been completed and the eyes now move smoothly and easily side to side. I have reattached the eyebrow cords and the jaw cord (which I also had to cut), and I've reattached the back of the head. Now I can proceed with the detail "make-up" painting, form the eyebrows and choose a wig. Oh... and about those missing ears. They're still missing. I think I'll have to make my own out of foam and Magic-Sculpt.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year

from Kenny & Joyce (the people),

Tasha, Betsy & Boris (the dogs),

and Dickens the Cat (who was too bummed out

about the new puppy Betsy to pose for the photo).