Tuesday, September 1, 2009

A few more pics

A few more (larger) pictures of Henry - I initially planned on making 3 casts of the head for safety's sake, but since the head rigging became much more simplified (just a jaw bone) I'm wondering if one will suffice.
Henry, posing with the backside of a canvas.

If you click on the image below to enlarge it - the light really catches the texture on the silicone. It's going to be fun to light (or a headache, will find out which!)

Translucence shows in the cheekbone - Henry looking contemplative.
Eyelashes might need some trimming based on this one.
Showing off his plugs..

9 comments:

Darkmatters said...

Yeah!! That's what Im TALKIN about!!!!

Thanks for the bigger pics! Wow, I love the fine skin texture and the way the hair looks even this close up. Great job on the puppet making... this is high def worthy!!

Hey, in one of these pics you can really see the fine fuzz on his shirt. I don't know if you want to keep that or not, but if you want to get rid of it you could either

A) get one of those fabric shaver thingies... not sure they make them for such small garments.

or... (this is the way I
'd go, but my aesthetic is a lot grungier than yours):

B) torch it!!! Literally, just aim a torch at the shirt (preferably while Henry is NOT wearing it!) with the nozzle set to wide and just very lightly play the flame over it, keeping it moving. I figured this out when I was making some rigging for my Ahab project and the ropes had this giant scale fuzz on them. Torching them not only burned off the fuzz very handily, but also just slightly darkened the rope here and there, adding a very realistic touch of aging. Not sure you want Henry's clothes all that aged, but if you experiment on a piece of the cloth first you might be able to find the right distance/amount of time to scorch off the fuzz without affecting color.

Of course be sure to observe common-sense fire safety precautions... a big cup of water or a fire extinguisher close at hand, maybe a big piece of folded-up blanket for if you need to thwap something. But I never had to do anything like that, and I've used a torch quite a bit. It just gives good peace of mind to have the precautions in place.

Shelley Noble said...

I love the delicacy of Henry. Very sensitively rendered. Well done. And a dead pan ringer for my English father-in-law. (If Henry also had a handlebar mustache!)

Uncanny! http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/200/2623/1600/pearl-and-LEn.gif

jriggity said...

wow...these pics are really cool!

jriggity

Emily said...

Thanks Justin! Following your site makes me feel like I'm working so small, love it :)

Mike, the advice about burning off the fuzz is great, I'll definitely give it a go. I was planning on aging the shirt a bit with some dark washes but this sounds like it could do both with one go.

Shelley, that picture is uncanny! I was expecting some similarity, but that's just unreal... wow!

Aravind.J said...

it's amazing!!! wow.. the wrinkles and hair look soooo good!! like the eye's too.. so much detailing.. would like to see him move soon.. nice work emmy!

Emily said...

Thanks Aravind! I can't wait to see him move as well - having soo much fun finishing up his little props - a dozen new paintbrushes and a music box tonight!

Damien said...

Fabulous! I love the texture and slight translucency you've achieved with the skin and hair.
Goes really well with the sense of scale and realism you've got with the clothes and set...and that lends everything a consistent look.

Out of interest, what type of silicone do you use and how do you tint it?

Emily said...

Thanks Damien! Henry's made out of Dragonskin silicone. The painting is done with DS as well - mixed up small batches that are tinted with ground up soft pastels, then painted on and dusted with corn starch to avoid the shininess.

a guy in a gorilla suit said...

congratulations on your character/puppet.the skin and all the wrinkles and the texture and then the hair and the look on his face, like: 'hm, quite interesting. what might happen next' but in a very - how to say - interested but not over-excited way, but with heart and soul involved in the wrld around him.
he's very alive. wow.