Happy New Year

Thanks to all who followed my blog as I meandered through the nutty world of vent figure building. I sure appreciate all of the good advice and compliments that came my way. I wish for you, your friends and family a happy, healthy and prosperous 2013.

Peer at the ear

This is the first step in making an ear for my new full-size Mr. Winkle sculpture. I cut out the shape I wanted in Styrene. I drilled two holes in each Styrene ear so the Magic-Sculpt would poke through. Then I smoothed out the protruding Magic-Sculpt so it would anchor the Styrene. The Magic-Sculpt behind the Styrene ear is what attaches it to the head. 

After the Magic-Sculpt dries, I'll use Paperclay to sculpt the true shape of the ear. That'll be fun to do tomorrow.

A grouch emerges

No ears yet. But that's next. I'll draw them out on a piece of Styrene plastic, then cut them out. I'll attach them with Magic-Sculpt. After that, I'll use Paperclay to sculpt the ears on top of the Styrene.

I have a Jackie jaw that I plan to cut down and place in the head so that it opens and closes freely. Then I will use more Paperclay to shape the jaw so it meets the upper lip area.

Then comes crack sealing, wrinkle gouging and light sanding to mellow and blend the features.

Diverse characters

A lovely note from Gary P. Green

"As a part of the Justice Institute of BC teaching faculty I use ventriloquism for role plays, storytelling, and sharing experiences from characters I've met over the years as a police officer. These characters come out as vent figures. Kenny has been fantastic to work with developing my characters. He delivers on time, always keeps you informed during the process, and producing professional figures. Here are the three characters that I will be using in my diversity in policing class - Yin Lee who came to BC to work on the railway and in the coal mines of Vancouver Island, Rasmus who came to Victoria in 1858 and was one of the first members of the Victoria Police, and Mazie who is from the street and is a recovered alcoholic and drug user. I look forward to bringing history alive with Kenny's figures."

Turn the other cheek

Over the Christmas holiday I made progress on my full-size Mr. Winkle sculpture. He has a left cheekbone. He'll get his right cheekbone and his left jowl today. Now he has bags under his eyes and crows' feet in the corners. His upper lip area has been filled in and I finished his forehead wrinkles. 

I plan to put wrinkles in his neck similar to the way I made them on my full-size Uncle Earl.   

What about the jaw, you say? Hmmm. Good point.

'Tis the season

Keen on mean

My full-size Mr. Winkle sculpture continues with some new facial features. As I anticipated, I added a bit more Paperclay to the end of his nose. Now it hooks down. I bordered his upper lip area with the beginning of his cheeks. He received another wrinkle in his forehead and a "chicken neck".

More fun around the corner.

Albino boy

I'm building a couple of figures for a client in Australia. One of his choices was a Jackie figure unpainted. He wants to try his hand at painting the little fella himself. As he said in a recent email, "Why should I (meaning me) have all the fun?"

Since my client is an excellent visual artist, I'm sure he'll do a superb job. I did apply a coat of primer on the head and hands so he'd have a head start.

He's getting angrier

Day 3 and now Mr. Winkle is showing signs of annoyance. He has a couple of frown-influenced  forehead wrinkles with two more to come. He has nostrils now, but as I stated earlier, his nose will be further deviated to make him look even more... shall we say... uncooperative.

I'm enjoying this immensely.

A nose by any other name

Mr. Winkle now has a nose. Well... part of a nose. I still need to add nostrils. The nose may be altered further as other facial components are added. But here's a look at Day 2.

Guess who

Just as I've made a full-size version of Uncle Earl, I've started a full-size version of Mr. Winkle. He's been one of my most popular characters in the 2T rendition, so I hope he continues to generate interest in a 40" model as well.

I'm using a full-size blank from Braylu Creations. The blank was based on my original Jackie sculpture, so the eye tray measurements will be similar.

I'm using PaperClay for the additive sculpture. Before I lay down the PaperClay, I smear Tacky glue over the area so the PaperClay will stick.

Better?

New website graphic

The right bite

I have a commission to build a full-size Uncle Earl with some alterations. My client wants him to resemble a well-known Australian comedian. So I've installed a set of "Austin Powers" upper teeth. I'll sculpt some teeth to fill the space on both sides of the choppers. I plan to use an altered Jackie jaw to create a severe overbite. I'll also narrow the eye sockets.

You might notice that I removed the wrinkles in the upper lip and changed the way the cheeks meet the upper lip area. Again I used Free Form Air. And again I'll emphasize that it's an exercise in "speed sculpting" because the stuff gets gnarly after about 10 minutes of manipulation. But because the result adds much less weight than Magic-Sculpt, I like using it whenever possible.