New eyes

In a previous post I told you about my refurb project of a converted Charlie McCarthy doll I bought. The original maker used cylinders instead of spheres for eyeballs. I repainted the eyes and attempted to reinstall them. However, when the refurbished figure was sent to the new owner, the eye mechanism shook loose during shipping. The buyer sent the head back so I could make a repair. Rather than try to re-install the original eyes, I opted to start from scratch. I built a self-centering mechanism using hand-painted wood balls. The result is that the eyes look better and work better. I used furniture feet pads to quiet the mechanism inside the head. Today I'll install the new eyes using glue and Magic-Sculpt to anchor them solidly and permanently.

A new beginning

Though I may make the occasional conversion figure by request, my intent is to stop. I'm slowly and methodically working on sculptures that I can use to make molds. I plan to work on three or four character models. I plan to specialize in 34-35" figures, though I may eventually work on a couple of 40" figures, too.

While the vitriol from the Ventriloquist Central forum took some air out of my balloon (even though I didn't think it would), the other reason for going to molds and castings is weight. While some folks (perhaps they could be called "purists") objected to my figure-building approach, there was one critique they never mentioned that would have been completely legitimate and justified. Conversion heads with new faces using Magic-Sculpt or like products tend to be heavy. They are still relatively easy to manipulate atop the bodies, but mine are still heavier than heads of similar size made from urethane or some other plastic casting material.

It will probably be quite a while before another new Kenny Croes figure hits the Ebay marketplace, but I'll still be working on figures and blogging as I do it.

Convention video blog

Though I've had some recent disagreements with a few forum contributors at Ventriloquist Central, I still very much like Dan Willinger's site. He is filing online video reports from the VentHaven Convention. He summarizes the day's activities, the performances he's enjoyed, and previews upcoming activities. He does a very nice job. Click HERE to go to the convention reports.

I caught a break

You may recall that I refurbished a Charlie McCarthy conversion figure that I bought on Ebay. My primary purpose was to examine the mechanics. The little fellow came to me in pieces, but I was able to repaint him, remount his original eye mechanics and provide a good wig. After his clean-up, he was purchased by a fellow who had earlier bought my "Carlisle" figure.

Unfortunately, the eye mechanics were shaken loose from his head during shipping. But the damaged figure will actually provide me with an opportunity. Though I offered to refund the buyer's money, he prefers that I repair or replace the eye mechanics and send him back. I think I'll replace the original eye set-up.

The original eyes were actually cylinders rather than spheres. I plan to replace the cylinders with spherical eyes; wood balls purchased at a craft store. I will very lightly rout the eyes for an iris. I will drill a hole straight through the eyeball where the cornea would be. I'll fill the cornea side with wood putty and mount springs on the back side. Then I'll paint the iris inside the lightly routed circular area. I think the new owner will like the look of these new eyes better the old ones. Plus, they will be mounted more securely. The remounting of the original cylinder eyes was difficult and apparently ineffective.

Meanwhile, I'm excited about the Smooth-On Molding Kit on the way to my workshop. I hope my first molding project will be hands.

Hellllooooooo... anybody there?

No news is sometimes good news. And sometimes no news is no news. This post is somewhere in between, I suppose.

I've been reading and viewing videos about moldmaking. The Polytek site has an online video that demonstrates three techniques for moldmaking with their products. Click HERE if you'd like to see it, too.

I've read Mike Brose's book "Figure Making Can Be Fun", but as good as it is, there's nothing quite like seeing the process demonstrated right before your eyes. Viewing the video helped to demystify the process somewhat.

I've decided to order a small Starter Kit from Polytek and build a mold of a small object. If successful, I'll move up to vent parts. The thing is, you want to make sure you know what you're doing, because silicone rubber mold materials are very expensive.

This may be too ambitious a technique to perform in an upstairs bedroom, but I'm edging ever closer to giving it a try.

Two sides

The jaw has been reshaped to fit the jaw opening in the head. I still need to sand the jaw here and there to get the mouth to close perfectly, but you can see the direction this guy's heading. To Assisted Living! I also added ears with giant ear lobes. Again, it's that cartilage thing. I want it to appear as though he has no teeth, so I etched little wrinkles above and below the mouth opening.

I am toying with the idea of adding a new animation. The "devil" on my shoulder is urging me to make this figure stick out his tongue. The "angel" on the other shoulder is advising me to "keep it simple, stupid". The "devil" side knows that great consternation will ensue and a stunning variety of bad words will come flying out of my mouth as I attempt to make the tongue animation function and the jaw to open in coordination with tongue extraction. Even the "f-word" might sneak out (though I will, of course, substitute the consonant with the soft "th" sound).

I believe the "angel" is also aware of the dire possibilities.

A matter of degrees

My wife Joyce is a trained illustrator and sculptor. On occasion, she'll inspect my sculpting and make constructive suggestions. For instance, see the way the nose and upper lip connect on the profile photo? I originally had the nose and upper lip connect at a 90-degree angle. But Joyce pointed out that as we age, we grow cartilage in our faces (probably elsewhere, too. But we won't get into that). At a certain advanced age, the connection between nose and upper lip is more of a 45-degree angle. So I added Magic-Sculpt and indeed, the guy looked better and older!

"jimmy from kansas city" (of Smith & Jones fame) commented on the picture below that this fellow resembled Bella Lugosi. I had to laugh because he was right! Now that the Charlie hair has been covered in Magic-Sculpt, I think he looks less like Dracula, but I really giggled at jimmy's observation.

Which side am I on?

I have scuplted the left side of this guy's face. I had to cut down the jaw more than I ever had to before to fit the jaw opening. I'll be adding Magic-Sculpt to the jaw piece as well. It will get some addtional treatment on the lower sides to match the contours of the jowels. The jaw's pivot points will be higher in the head than the original spot, so I'll extend the jaw's bottom portion to cover the jaw opening in the head.

Schnozzola

Take a look at the schnoz on this guy. My intention is to make him an old fart. (They say our noses grow as we age. He must be ancient!)

I want to make him ornery looking, too. We'll see how close I get.

Kinda scary lookin'

Awhile back I was asked why I saw away the entire eye area rather than just cut out eye sockets. As I mentioned, the larger eyes (1.5" in diameter) usually don't fit that well when the eye sockets are cut into the head. I prefer to sculpt my own eye sockets so the eyes fit and operate properly. Here's a look at the progress of my current project.

I lightly glued the eye tray in the head and sculpted around the upper portion of the eyes. I tried a new technique on a flat surface where I used a round plastic washer about 1.25" in diameter and formed the Magic-Sculpt around the washer to make the eye socket very round-shaped. Then I lifted the Magic-Sculpt off the flat surface away from the washer and applied it to the head. I left some room above the irises because I intend to add an eyelid flap across the eye just above the iris.

The next step is to sculpt the lower portion of the eye sockets. I'll use the same new technique with the plastic washer to form a nice rounded lower socket. Then comes the nose, cheeks, etc. I intend for this character to be an old-timer. More progress reports to come!

A night at the museum

If you've never explored Bob Albano's website, "A Tribute To Ventriloquism", I highly recommend spending some time there. It's like walking through a wonderful museum of ventriloquil relics. You'll see every manner of vent figures, from ancient to modern-day. I was also amazed at the number of local and regional ventriloquists pictured on the website. It makes me feel like... well... like I'm not alone.

I've also streamed many of the videos. Very cool and very educational. Treat yourself to an inspiring tour. Click on "Tribute To Ventriloquism" in my Links section.

Trevor is clever

I dub thee "Trevor". He looks like a "smarty-pants" to me. Hopefully, he'll be trading witty barbs with someone soon. He's on Ebay looking for a partner.

Repair

I had to make my first repair on a vent figure I built. Luckliy, the repair had to be made before I sold the little fellow. The jaw cord slipped off the pulley inside the head after the head was sealed and the wig was attached. When I sell the figures, I include a photo of the inside of the head with instructions on how to get inside the head if a do-it-yourself repair is attempted. I finally had to follow my own instructions.

I "permanently" seal the head with dabs of Magic-Sculpt in three places. The seals can be easily sawed through, which I did. Then I had to peel up the wig, which as you know from the previous post, is glued down with Elmers Glue. I peeled up the wig without too much difficulty and no damage. (I left the wig still firmly attached to the trap door, however). Once inside I analyzed the problem. I decided the slippage could be fixed by reducing the play in the lever on the control post. A touch of wood putty in the lever slot tightened the cord. Problem solved.

I've reattached the trap door with three more dabs of Magic-Sculpt and I'll re-glue the wig around the head later tonight. By tomorrow, he'll be ready to rock.

Still, I think my new approach to the trap door on all future figures (as explained in an earlier post) will allow me to use screws to attach the trap door. I'm considering a couple of approaches to accomplish that. More later! (maybe with photos!)

Cutting down a wig is pretty hairy

I'd show pictures, but frankly it's a mess. It's never pretty. But here's how I cut down an adult wig to fit my Charlie projects:

1. First, I buy the wigs at thrift stores. Goodwill usually charges $5.99. Salvation Army has 'em the cheapest... usually $2.50. And these are high-quality adult women's wigs.
2. Secondly, lay out some newspapers to catch the flying gobs of hair.
3. I start by lining up the hairline on the forehead. Then I glue (with Elmers Glue) the wig to top of the head only. I glue the hairline down, too. Then I let it dry fully. Remember, I haven't cut down the wig at all, so yes... it looks ridiculous.
4. After the wig is firmly attached to the top of the head, I take a good sharp pair of scisssors and start cutting toward the ears. I cut the sideburns and around the ears. IMPORTANT: The trick is to cut the webbing underneath the hair rather that the hair itself. Some of the hair will fall away on it's own. I don't cut the hair itself just yet.
5. After I cut one side, I go after the other side in the same way.
6. Then I cut the back of the wig shorter to the desired length. Again, I try to cut the webbing rather than the hair.
7. I fold the back of the wig over on itself to tighten the wig to size. Then I cut a dart out of the folds from the bottom of the wig to just about halfway to the top of the head. Be very conservative with your cut! You don't want to cut away too much. After the cut, you'll have a split in the shape of an upsidedown "V". But when you pull them together, they close up and fit the head right. Trim away a little more if the wig is still a bit loose. Remember, try to cut the webbing first!
8. Then I do some moderate hair trimming, but not a lot.
9. Last step is to glue each section to the head one section at a time (upper left side and left sideburn, upper right side and right sideburn, left back, then right back). To hold each section in place, I roll a towel and lean the glued section against the towel to keep the pressure on it. As soon as one section dries, I move on to the next section.
10. After the wig is glued, I do the final haircutting. Again, go slow and be conservative. If you cut too much, it ain't growin' back!

I may be crazy, but that's how I do it!