I preferred a nerd

Well. the next experiment is turning a full-size Otis head into a full-size nerdnik. The first cosmetic steps are to give him buck teeth and (non-moving) eyelids. As you can see, I only have one eyelid in. More nerdiness to follow.

Touch-up

I did a bit of touch-up on my "Jack" figure and recorded a new video.

All done

Otis is ready to take the stage. Well...he needs a body. His new partner is providing that. I just had to make his head.

Goof proof

Here's the most recent look at Otis. He's going through the paint touch-up stage and getting the last of his mechanics installed. Tomorrow he'll get strings and triggers for the animations. After that, the trap door gets sealed and he'll be fitted for his wig.

Won't be long now.

Wong done right

I'm building two figures using my full-size Otis head for my good customer, Wayne. But he's been bitten by the "do-it-yourself" figure-building bug. He purchased my "Mr. Wong" head design from Braylu Creations and built the character pictured above. He named him "Bill". I think Wayne did an absolutely splendid job. I love what he did with the mustache and eyebrows. Beautiful subtle shading on the figure, too.

Take a bow, Wayne. Nicely done!

He needs a shave

My second full-size Otis is now at the point where he needs a shave...permanently The jaw and eyes are in place temporarily just for the photo. He actually needs another coat of paint before we move on to the shading. That's always a fun task. He really comes to life after his "stage make-up" is applied.

The final mechanics don't go in until all the painting is completed. 

DIY

Many of the heads I've sculpted over the years have been available for purchase through special arrangement with Braylu Creations. Some folks like to "do-it-yourself" like I did when I built my first figure from a Mike Brose "Fred" head. Dozens of ventriloquists have bought and built figures from my head designs.  I'm proud to say that includes the late Clinton Detweiler, who purchased, built and sold several figures from my heads before his untimely passing.

One of my most loyal customers who has purchased several complete figures from me has been bitten by the "do-it-yourself" bug. He's made his own full-size Mr. Winkle (re-named "Al"). The figure is pictured here with a Lovik figure I recently repaired for him.

My only caution to the DIY folks out there is that once you've built one figure, you may not be able to stop (as in my case).

Paint-ready...almost

My full-size Otis figure is almost ready to paint. I have just one more head-prep task to do. And that would be to form his eyelids (non-blinking). I like the eyes set in place before I make the eyelids so I can mark the right spots. I want them to cover the very most upper portion of the iris so he looks a bit sleepy, dense (or intoxicated with white lightenin'). I'll use Magic-Sculpt to make those drowsy eyelids.

And yes, I do know that each eye is a different color. That's the way Otis' new partner wants him.

Uncle Herman

This goofy old guy is now for sale on Ebay.

I dig the wig

This Mortimer conversion figure got some hair today. I used a faux-fur wig sent to me by Braylu Creations, sewn from a new wig pattern for 2T figures. It worked great. I have been using a wig pattern of mine that required hand-sewing nine darts. The wigs worked really well, but took a lot of time to sew. This pattern has only two darts. By folding and trimming, you get the same good result, but with a lot less hassle.

Flappin' his jaw

 

Moving right along, I installed Otis' jaw today. I like to get that set so I can tend to any gap correction before I start painting. His jaw swings open and closed freely, but I'll need to close up a small gap between the jaw and neck area. Overall, though, the initial fit was pretty good.

You may notice the jaw's interior has some Magic-Sculpt around the tongue. That's because I sculpted the jaw with a full set of lower teeth in case I wanted to use the Otis castings for different characters. But Otis only has one lower tooth, so I had to convert his teeth to gums.

Mortimer

A while back I mentioned that I still like making conversion figures from to time. I had a couple of Goldberger Mortimer Snerd dolls in stock, so I thought I'd put them to good use. This fellow has moving eyebrows, side-to-side eyes and moving mouth. Conversion figures are fun because it gives me a chance to try out new approaches with mechanics and painting. Eventually this toy Mortimer will be become a fully-professional working figure at an affordable price for a ventriloquist.

Head on a post

Yesterday I drilled a series of holes around the perimeter of the area on the neck where the headpost will go. Today I drilled more small holes around the opening I created. That's so the Magic-Sculpt I use to secure the headpost will seep into the tiny holes for anchoring the post (a PVC pipe). Now that the Magic-Sculpt is dry, the headpost ain't goin' no place.

Otis got some holes drilled into his forehead, too. (Sounds downright barbaric). Eventually eyebrows will flip-flop in those openings.

Cuttin' up

Yesterday I began slicin' and dicin' the urethane Otis casting. I drill small holes around the perimeter of the areas I want to remove. Then I use a pair of small wire clippers to cut an opening on each side large enough to accommodate a hand saw. I use a hack saw to cut the trapdoor in the back of the head. I drill large holes in the eye sockets, then use the wire clippers to cut out more plastic. I smooth the edges of the eye sockets, mouth cavity and headpost hole with a Dremel grinding bit. I also round the edges of the trap door opening. I found that the edges are really sharp otherwise, and as often as I'm sticking my hands in there, it's safer to smooth the sharp edges.

Lastly I use a round Dremel cutting bit to rough up the head's glass-smooth interior so the Magic-Sculpt I use to secure mechanics will firmly bind to the head.

And of course, I sign my work.