The same only more of it

Joe and Ike Buzzard: They continue their emergence from Urethane and PaperClay. Over the last two days, they got new chins (jaws) and ears. Both boys were blessed with ears that stick out pretty far

Otis: I installed a Styrene barrier inside his mouth opening. I secured the plastic piece on all four corners with Magic-Sculpt. Tomorrow I'll fill in the front with PaperClay being careful to define the edges where the castings should be cut for the mouth opening. Then it's on to sealing the trap door.

I might change the subject tomorrow.

I changed my mind

I removed the "Follow By Email" window. I guess I should have tested it before I blogged about it. I signed up myself to see if it would work. Well... it does work.  Too Well. It actually sends the entire blog posting, photos and all, to your email. Which means you don't have to actually come to the blog itself.  I was hoping it would just send an email that would say something like"There's a new posting on Vent Into The Mic! Hey, check it out even though you'll be distracted from whatever useful thing you're doing now", which would encourage followers to go to the blog. But nooooo. It sends the entire posting. 

Now what fun is that?

Speaking of fun, my outlaw brothers are getting some gap control. My friend and figure maker Mike Palma let slip a little secret about using business cards to calibrate the gaps on either side of the jaw. Thought I'd try it, and yes, it works great. Now those 250 free Vista-Print business cards are finally coming in handy.

Finishing touches

My Otis model is almost ready for the mold maker. I did some gap work on the jaw, then removed it. I'll seal the open mouth cavity and then seal the back of the head. I learned a lot working on this model. Next I will try to duplicate the work on a larger 3T head.

By the way, Google repaired the bug that prevented list additions. I was able to add four more names to the "VENTRILOQUIST WEBSITES" list today.

Blog clog

As you may have noticed, I keep adding names and website addresses to my list of "VENTRILOQUIST WEBSITES". But recently I have been prevented from adding names because of a glitch in the Google-hosted blog. At first I thought it might be a setting on my computer or browser. But after checking with a Google-blog forum, it appears I'm not the only one experiencing this problem. And Google says they are working on a solution. Meanwhile my list remains as it is, unable to add Lisa Laird, Rick Morse, or Terry Robinson (aka "Dr. Solar"). 

By the way, if you're a performing ventriloquist and you have a website and you're not on my list, please let me know and I'll add you to my list of ventriloquists who need to be listed.

I have to finish cooking my oatmeal now. Thanks for your attention.

Ugly brothers

I'm doing the dirty, ugly prep work on these two Braylu Standard heads. These guys will eventually become the aforementioned outlaw Buzzard brothers. The one on the left is Joe. He'll be the homelier and more dense-looking of the the two. Ike, on the other hand, will look more dashing and intelligent. Both will have eyebrows that also lower so they can look mean at the appropriate times. I'm using Free Form Air to do the fill work. The noses are Magic-Sculpt.

A collector's item

I'm always delighted to receive photos of my figures with their new partners in their new homes. My cartoony character "Jiggles" was adopted by Italian musician and conductor Giovanni Bartoli. Besides his love of music, he also collects unique puppets as seen in the photo above. It appears that his cute little pup also took a liking to Jiggles. You know the old saying, "If you can't join 'em, lick 'em".

Foursome

I un-boxed four heads today from Braylu Creations. From left to right we have a Braylu Standard head, a 2T Uncle Earl, a 3T Blank and another Standard head. Here's what's to become of them:

• The first Standard head will become a Joe Buzzard outlaw figure. I used my work-a-day Standard head to make a new nose out of Magic-Sculpt that fits right on top of the Standard's nose. I made it wider and flatter like a mug shot of Joe Buzzard when he was an old guy, but still breaking the law. The figure, though will portray him as a younger fellow with a mustache and goatee.
• The 2T Uncle Earl head will turn into a 2T Uncle Earl figure. He'll probably end up on Ebay unless someone claims him before that.
• The big Blank will serve as my armature for a 3T (full-size 40") Otis the Moonshiner. I'll attempt to copy the work I've done recently on the 2T Otis the Moonshiner model. 
• The Standard head on the right will morph into Joe Buzzard's outlaw brother, Ike Buzzard. His nose will be longer and thinner. And under that nose will be a mustache. Both these bad guys will have slight frowns as they apparently were not very nice people.
  
  So now I have to get to work.

What I was doin' instead of what I shoulda been doin'

Made the papers

This was an unusual week in that I was interviewed twice. I was interviewed last night via Skype by ventriloquist Tom Crowl for his upcoming video series. I enjoyed talking shop with him, a true professional and a very nice fellow. The World newspaper headquartered in Coos Bay, Oregon also interviewed me this week. They shot some video and took a lot of photos, one of which ended up on the front page. Better to make the papers for a positive reason, (though I wish I'd gotten a haircut). Click here to read the article.

Interview day

Not much to report today... except I'm going to be interviewed by Tom Crowl today via Skype. Should be fun. Meanwhile enjoy this:

The better to hear you

Otis got some big ears today. They stick out pretty far. I love that. He's nearly at the stage where sanding begins. You may notice some cracking in the forehead. After I sand the first time, I'll go back and repair the cracks, then sand again. I thinking he'll be ready for the mold maker in just a couple more weeks. 

Working a head ahead

Here's today's progress on the Otis head (left). I worked primarily on the forehead. I added the wrinkled forehead and covered the eyes. I also added a smiling crease in the cheeks.I feel I've learned a lot on this project, both in the areas of anatomy and sculpting approaches.

The bizarre-looking fellow in the smaller photo is a Braylu Standard head. I have a project that will result in two figures, each representing one of the famous Buzzard brothers outlaws. A couple of years ago, Clinton Detweiler made the first of the three Buzzard brothers using my 2T Uncle Earl head.

I don't have the actual Standard head castings yet, but I'm using the one I do have in hand as an armature to sculpt some features ahead of time. I cover the sculpting area with generous amounts of Vaseline. Then I sculpt the feature on the face with Magic-Sculpt. I let it dry overnight, then remove it from the head. When the actual heads arrive, the noses and cheek expansions I've sculpted ahead should fit on the castings almost perfectly. (At least, that's my strategy).

Do I look worried?

I keep re-working almost every part of this guy's face. Today I shaved off the sides of his mouth opening to fit the contour of the jaw. Then I re-placed the jaw and closed the gaps on the bottom and sides. I also worked his cheeks a bit. I added some crow's feet to his eyes. Then I smoothed out the first forehead wrinkles I made and decided to work the forehead from the top of the eyes up. The first step was to shape the area just above the eyes. I want him smiling, but with a slight worried look. After all, Otis The Moonshiner will be concerned about the "Revenuers" catchin' him.

I really need to remember to breathe while I'm sculpting.

Otis apple

Otis got an Adam's Apple today. I also worked on his jaw and upper lip. I still have a lot of corrections to do, but I'm pleased so far. I may get to work on him a bit more today, but other matters are pressing. (I have to clean the garage).