tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75532573022222674012024-03-08T10:25:53.571-05:00The Dawg PoundKdawg59http://www.blogger.com/profile/04808300095912244861noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7553257302222267401.post-50594990012126844452011-10-21T11:30:00.022-04:002011-10-21T15:22:54.013-04:00Kraven the HunterThe latest "in-between" project is the third in my Spider-Man Rogues quest... Kraven the Hunter.<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/kh007.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/kh007a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br /><br />Like most folks out there that love Spider-Man, for me, Kraven became a very serious contender when he decided to engineer his last hunt. This character took a turn for the disturbed and decided to hunt Spider-Man down, bury him alive, assume his identity, do it better, blow his own brains out.<br /><br />This story is still today one of my favorites and the character is easily one of the coolest Spidey villains there is/was.<br /><br />So I knew that at some point I would be sculpting him. Turns out I am working on him for two different pieces so far. The version you see featured the most here belongs with Vulture and Rhino and is more of a pensive, proud, noble, yet dangerous iteration of the character. <br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/kh010.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/kh010a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />The other version shown is the smaller 1:5 scale Bat-shit CRAZY version of him directly from this story. <br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/5k001.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/5k001a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />I've never shown the full size WIP before... so you saw it here first kids... even if it is only a wax portrait with photoshopped hair.<br /><br />So the big things that I want to accomplish with this head sculpt are<br /><br />1) make it easily recognizable as Kraven<br />2) it is only a head sculpt, so I want a ton of character in there<br />3) tell a story<br />4) load it up with detail<br />5) compliment the Rhino and Vulture pieces<br /><br />I plan on doing a ton of these when I am in-between other projects, or need a break here and there.<br /><br />Kraven has seen a lot of changes compared to the others so far. I think the fact that I like the character so much has made it harder to decide what I want on certain things. At first I wanted the smile... the smile was all about madness. After I finished Vulture and Rhino, I knew I wanted to change directions... <br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/kh005.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/kh005a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br /><br />I'll hold off on the smile and give it to Electro. Even though he's crazy, Kraven needs to have contrast compared to other villains who are far more "loony tuners". I made his head point up in the air more as if to see he's better than the rest and gave him a head turn. This will enable me to position the eyes so that he is looking down his nose at you.<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/kh011.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/kh011a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />Now that I finally have those things decided, I am not too far from finishing up. Hair and fur in wax is not a quick process and that seems to be taking the most time. Bald people simply require a lot less attention... no offense to the cue balls out there... Stay bald, stay beautiful.<br /><br />I used the same process on this one as I have the others. I roughed the piece out in pink Super Sculpey first, baked it, and then made a pressure cast wax copy to tool and refine. I'm still scraping and refining... and scraping... and refining... <br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/kh009.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/kh009a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />My goal with these is the same as before... they are meant for art directors. Eventually their desks will be too full to forget who I am.<br /><br />Maybe.<br /><br />Next week... I'll put together something for those who are looking to get set up with wax for the first time...<br /><br />Thanks,<br />KKdawg59http://www.blogger.com/profile/04808300095912244861noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7553257302222267401.post-69095013739217029672011-10-10T15:34:00.009-04:002011-10-10T16:27:54.257-04:00The Re-Entry EntryYou know... I haven't blogged for a long time. I have wanted to, but a lot of things have prevented me from doing so. things like not having anything to show, not being allowed to show what I have, not having any rhyme or coherency to the thoughts I could talk about, a general feeling that no one is paying attention, etc. You name it, and these are the reasons I have been missing since March.<br /><br />I'm here now though and I suddenly got an urge to ramble on and catch up. What has been going on since March when I last blogged?<br /><br />I was on a pretty disastrous path for a while there last spring. I was backed up, not taking anything else on because of that back-up and trying desperately to get back to even. No professional pieces on the docket, burnt to a crisp, commissions up to my eyeballs, and a steady stream of bigger priorities was fast diminishing sculpting time. One word to describe this comes to mind as I type this...<br /><br />RUDDERLESS. <br /><br />I was moving, but who the hell knows what direction. My biggest fear is that this was permanent and that I couldn't get a grove back.<br /><br />Well around May something shook loose thank God. I began to feel that familiar itch and motivation that I'd been bled dry of. It didn't come back in full force until very recently mind you, but it came back enough for me to realize that sh*t happens and that I needed to get over it. <br /><br />The motivation and creativity will be always come back around. So I picked up the clay, wax, and other fun stuff and started to grind though it and commit to clearing my desk.<br /><br />I think I have figured out the "secret" to staying motivated as a sculptor. FINISHING. Finishing pieces and the feeling of accomplishment that comes on the back end of that really gets you excited for what comes next. Like a tidal wave that builds on its way to shore, gaining momentum and mass, you build confidence and enthusiasm. <br /><br />I just finished another piece yesterday. Something completely outside of the norm for me. This piece doesn't have overly jacked up muscles and snarling douche baggery as its selling point. It's a pissed off DC Comics character in the form of a "RAGE KITTY"<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/D0011a.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/D0011.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />Now all of the sudden with this piece being finished I am pumped about working on the next piece that needs to be finished. I feel like I just paid off my student loans or something here...<br /><br />So I'm going to do better... at least for now... in updating this blog. Some stuff is clearing up, I don't feel like I suck right now, I have some stuff I can show, and most importantly I feel like I have some things to say again.<br /><br />So I owe a lot to "RAGE KITTY" right now... Thank you, you 3 inch long, tiny ass, head the size of my thumb nail, brittle little f*%$ing cat...<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/D007a.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/D007.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/D008a.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/D008.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a>Kdawg59http://www.blogger.com/profile/04808300095912244861noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7553257302222267401.post-16882321940563665552011-03-09T14:15:00.009-05:002011-03-09T15:53:29.971-05:00Spidey RoguesI've been a busy boy. I am currently working on no less than 6 pieces. <br /><br />90% of that work is being spent on my various Green Lantern characters<br />4% of that work is going toward my Thor piece and <br />1% of that work can be traced back to a little project with big intentions<br /><br />That little "project that could" is the topic of today's rant.<br /><br />Every now and then you get rocked by an idea as a sculptor. You may have dozen's of ideas rolling around in that massively random artist brain at any given time. Usually your clients projects and a sense of responsibility to them, help quiet the noise and help you stay focused on the task at hand. Sometimes though, however hard you try, there is an idea that dwarf's all focus, responsibility, and any willpower your right-brain has a hope of imposing on you. These are the ideas and projects that further you as an artist and take you to a different level, wherever you stand in your career.<br /><br />Back around the holidays, I was burnt out. I was coming off a straight year of deadline work. It was all fantastic stuff to be working on, and I am more than thankful for every minute, it's just a long time to go not having fed my own creative itch. Every now and then, I like to tell myself I am a creative guy.<br /><br />Not only was I experiencing a little burn out, I also started to doubt myself as to why more deadline stuff wasn't on the tail end of the projects I had now finished up. I started to think that maybe I wasn't good enough, or maybe nobody even knew who the hell Keith Kopinski was. After a verbal lashing like none other I have received, Tony Cipriano had convinced me that maybe it was option 2 and not option 1.<br /><br />So if people don't know who I am as an artist, how do I change that? I have sent pictures with varying levels of responses to art directors. They are some of the busiest folk on the planet, and receive 200 emails every day with hopefuls wanting to join their dwindling roster of freelance talent. There has to be a different way than that to increase the odds of getting those busy "decision guys" to raise their eyebrows at my stuff. I decided that first and foremost, it had to be the work. I have to keep improving every day and make the work something that is undeniable. This is the only aspect that I am in control of. Beyond that, there's nothing I can do to manipulate how busy they are, timing, how many emails that are in their inboxes.<br /><br />So the match was lit, I was rocked by an idea of which I will not completely share here and in turn give you faster guys some water to dilute the gin with:)<br /><br />But I will talk about the work. <br /><br />Spiderman has some of the most visually fantastic looking villains in comic book form. They are all so expressive and different that if done right, could really turn a few heads.<br /><br />So I started roughing in a set of three 1/4 heads. These three characters are very far apart in their appearance and that is something that I wanted very much. <br /><br />Rhino = Big Bruiser, thug, lots of texture<br /><br />Vulture = Old, wrinkly, huge nose, grump-ass<br /><br />Kraven the Hunter = Hansome, hairy, lions mane, evil and happy about it.<br /><br />The pics here are all quite rough still, but I love the in-progress stuff. I have been trying some new techniques for me with these. I am roughing everything in with clay first. For those who know me, it's not my norm. I usually just pour myself a "blank" and then do it all in wax. If I were doing that now, these would never get done because there's not much time. Clay is fast and while harder to get a feel for since I haven't sculpted a face with clay since 2004, it opened my eyes enough to question my previous method. Wax is bad-ass when it comes to finishing, but clay is liberating and you can get way more out of it in terms of having stuff look more organic.<br /><br />These will not be the last pieces I do in this series. They will come in waves. I am on a mission and all I can tell you is to stay tuned and I hope you like where it goes. For now enjoy the progress shots.<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/vulture1.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/vulture1a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/kraven1.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/kraven1a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/rhino1.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/rhino1a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/rhino2.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/rhino2a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/rhino3.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/rhino3a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/rhino4.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/rhino4a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/rhino5.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/rhino5a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a>Kdawg59http://www.blogger.com/profile/04808300095912244861noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7553257302222267401.post-11872383893249635932010-12-23T09:42:00.001-05:002010-12-23T09:44:10.677-05:00The Wrecking Crew: Part 2So with the Wrecking Crew mini busts shipping from Bowen Designs, I figured it would be a great day to revisit and round out the previous Wrecking Crew entry where I went on about Piledriver and Bulldozer. This blog has been a long time coming, but as time slipped away from me there for awhile, I decided I would just get back to this when the pieces were released. Well here I am bitches!<br /><br />While I think visually Bulldozer is the coolest member of the the Crew for a sculptor to get his hands on, certainly Thunderball and Wrecker are probably the most exciting of the foursome for fans of the Crew.<br /><br />These two pieces presented their own unique challenges. With the many sculpts I have worked on, I've never had the chance to sculpt an African American face, even if it is based on a comic book. Thunderball presented that opportunity and I think I did his portrait the fastest out of all of these guys. There's something to be said for sculpting something you haven't before. If you are excited about it, the inspiration tends to flow. <br /><br />On the other hand the Wrecker was a bit of a problem child for me. I say this not because he posed difficulty in actually sculpting his portrait, but more in the expectations that were had with the sculpt. These characters have been around forever, but the Wrecker is the most popular and everyone has their own vision of how he should look. Some think he should look exactly like Kirby drew him. Some feel he should be more inspired by Byrne or Buscema. Neither of these options completely fit with whatever the hell it is, that is my style. I tried to not let all of that get to me though and instead opted to just make him look mean and nasty, beefy and cool. Everyone can agree the Wrecker is at least those things. The rest is up to me to just make a great looking piece.<br /><br />Thunderball is the brains of the outfit. He has tried on several occasions to screw everyone over in the Crew and take all of the power and "glory" for himself. I wanted to give him a different look than the other sculpts, even if it was a bit more subtle. He does not have an open mouth, a sneer, a growl, or the need to be ferocious. He knows he's gonna beat your ass, he doesn't need to talk about it, even if he at times chooses to. Also, Thunderball has a slightly different musculature in my mind than the others. He's huge of course as they all are, but he's not thuggish like the Wrecker. He's not as big as Dozer and he's not as shredded as Piledriver. This was my distinction... He has enormous muscles, he's just a bit smoother and not as ripped. I don't think anyone else on the planet but me will think of things like this, or even care, but hey, whatever works for me as an artist right?<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/tball1.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/tball1a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/tball2.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/tball2a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />I had a lot of fun on Thunderball. Like I said before, it was something new and that can always get your creative juices flowing if you embrace it. Randy sent some chain for his wrecking ball and I had the ball itself "in stock" as I had some Styrofoam balls left over from my Hawkman sculpt. If you spray a little primer on... emphasis on LITTLE... it will eat away at the foam just enough to appear like scuffed up iron. I love it when a plan comes together.<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/tball3.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/tball3a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/tball4.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/tball4a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />The Wrecker... the biggest douche bag on the planet... how fun is the idea of sculpting someone that has absolutely zero in the redeeming qualities column? I even sculpted his head twice on my own, even though Rand liked the first one because I didn't feel the first was douchelicious enough. The Wrecker is not a ripped guy. At least in his earlier appearances he wasn't. He's this giant and thick guy, like a 1940's dock worker. He's also covered in something that I can only compare to a mechanics jumpsuit with a welding flap and a ski mask. These make for a visually exciting piece that stands out due to him being the only one with folds and wrinkles in his costume. The challenge was to add these elements without making him seem like less of a bad ass.<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/wrecker1.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/wrecker1a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/wrecker2.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/wrecker2a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />I actually borrowed a mechanic outfit from my brother and had Marie shoot pictures of me in it, in the Wrecker's pose. These pictures will never ever surface mind you, but having the proper reference material is always a good thing. Not only that but I actually have access to a 4 foot crowbar that came in pretty handy as well.<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/wrecker3.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/wrecker3a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/wrecker4.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/wrecker4a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />Overall I had a blast working on the Wrecker. I took steps backward just as much as I took steps forward because I was looking to impress with him the most. I can only hope that I delivered on that once these guys start hitting collector's shelves. It seems many folks only want the Wrecker and could care less about the other three. Of course a sculptor never goes into a project hoping that people could care less about their work, so I gave it my all on all four of these guys. Again, I truly hope that it shows and that collector's love them as much as I loved sculpting them.<br /><br />How could you not love irredeemable bastards like these guys?<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/crew41.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/crew41a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />As always and until next time, thanks for lookin'<br />KKdawg59http://www.blogger.com/profile/04808300095912244861noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7553257302222267401.post-85424984577739334812010-12-13T14:41:00.006-05:002010-12-14T08:31:13.384-05:00Rage of the Red ArmatureThe other day I was looking down at my hands and more specifically my fingers. I made the realization in my brain that my hands felt pretty good, and that it had been awhile since I have nicked, sliced open, or scraped any skin off my digits. Everything is nice and healed... must be time to tie a new armature and cut the sh*t out of my fingers and hands all over again.<br /><br />... and here we are today.<br /><br />I am getting ready to begin building up a new piece for a most excellent friend of mine. The piece I will be working on is a character from the Green Lantern comic book series and more specifically, a character from the red part of the emotional spectrum. Red in this version of the visual spectrum signifies the emotion of rage... <br /><br />It's time to test the limits on how angry I can make clay look and I am excited beyond belief. This is one of those pieces that I can cut loose on. There are no rules to a character that is this pissed off, except that he has to look like he is pissed off.<br /><br />I think I can handle that.<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/atrocitus2.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/atrocitus2a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />I thought it might be fun to blog about the process here a little bit. <br /><br />Before the clay, before the wax, before anything else, you have to have an armature. I thought it might be fun to blog periodically on this piece as it progresses from bent 10 gauge galvanized wire, with smaller floral wire wrapped around it, into something that resembles a pissed off Red Lantern.<br /><br />This character is a pretty big fella, but not the biggest fella there is. He's somewhere between the monstrous Arkillo sculpt I did and the more "average" human sized Kyle Rayner piece I also sculpted.With that said, I know that the piece will be around 6.25 inches tall from waist to cranium, and so my first step is to bend some wire to those specs.<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/atrocitus3.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/atrocitus3a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />After I have bent the wire into shape, I mark certain points on the wire that can later serve as landmarks to make sure that certain body parts are equal length on both sides. You don't want 1 forearm to be half an inch longer than the other right? These "tick" marks I leave are only the beginning, but for a good portion of the build up, they keep me in check until the time comes to use calipers instead.<br /><br />After I have bent the heavy wire into the desired "M" shape, I then use smaller, finer, easier to bend wire to wrap the thicker wire with. I try to spiral down the wire and when I have hit certain "tick" marks like the waist or the wrist, I wrap it a couple times and spiral back up whence I came. This creates nice and tight little "x's" to which the clay will stick to the armature as it gets lumped on. I always leave myself room (extra wire) at the spine, and the hands. It's very easy to go in after you have your figure built up and clip the wire shorter. The alternative is having something too short and needing to start over 20 hours in. <br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/atrocitus1.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/atrocitus1a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />The next step in the process will be to put some apoxie putty around certain parts of the wires to kind of bulk up and at the same time strengthen and solidify the armature. Using apoxie this way creates the ribcage area as well as locks in the additional wire I tie in for the neck to a point where the armature is bulletproof. Another thing I always make sure to do with a bigger piece like this is, when I build my apoxie rib cage, is to shove a piece of square brass tubing in the back. When the apoxie cures, you now have a means of further anchoring the piece and having it be stable while you sculpt. More on that bit with the next round of work in progress shots which I will post soon.<br /><br />For now however, I have a little mini update on the 1/5 Thor piece I am working on. I have been spending a little bit of time progressing this piece after it has been sitting on the shelf since July. I have been working on his legs this week and have affectionately dubbed it, the "quad of thunder" sculpt.<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/thor2.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/thor2a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />More to come, and as always, thanks for lookin', <br /><br />-KKdawg59http://www.blogger.com/profile/04808300095912244861noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7553257302222267401.post-17212745592549285652010-12-01T11:59:00.008-05:002010-12-01T13:30:40.587-05:00Sculpting with Wax: I love you, I hate youI have used hard tooling wax in my sculpture for years now. Somewhere along the way I was able to strike a balance in using it though. Recently I have decided that I am in a "I hate you" phase with it. <br /><br />Why do I hate wax you ask?<br /><br />It's an evil temptress with pouty lips blowing you kisses with one hand, and in the other hand holding a prison shank, waiting to stick a sculptor where it hurts the most... His ticking clock.<br /><br />I've had this discussion quite a bit lately with a sculpting pal of mine Tony Cipriano. Why is it that somewhere along the line, I decided to use wax to sculpt? I haven't attempted to sculpt a head or hand with clay in ages, but why is that? What made me think that I couldn't achieve what I wanted in a medium that is faster and easier to alter? Those damn pouty lips I tell you... they made me do it.<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/lips.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><br />When I started learning wax and how to sculpt with wax, I was a relative sculpting noob. I had no skill, I had no touch with clay. I saw the wax work that these top tier sculptors were doing and listened to them go on about the control they had with it. Much like a damn informercial playing non-stop at 3AM Sunday morning, I was sucked in to that temptress blowing kisses. What I wasn't clearly paying attention to was all of the other top tier sculptors that were still using clay to do pretty amazing pieces in their own right... Enter that shank waiting to stick me under my ribs.<br /><br />In truth I have learned wax and how to manage it somewhat efficiently. I have molds laying around of heads and hands in all of these different scales and for a time it was easy enough to pour a "blank" and just spend a bunch of time modifying the blank into the new piece.<br /><br />There's some hilarity to that statement though. I said "easy enough" and "spend a bunch of time modifying" in the same breath.<br /><br />Why would I spend all that time dripping and scraping and changing a portrait from Thor to Surtur? That makes little to no sense, but at the time it sure beat building one from scratch in wax right? Time is money isn't it? There I go again... how is this method a time saver again? Lots of guys work this way, it's not a new concept, it's just part of the process... The incredible detail and clean surface you get at the end make all of the dripping and scraping worth it.<br /><br />Never again will I pour a blank and modify it. If a project is worth that much work and effort, why not focus that on building up the head in clay first and then if needed finishing in wax? It's a much faster method, you can still get amazing detail and polish, but aren't frantically scraping and dripping to somehow sculpt the unique features that the "blank" doesn't have? Why not grab some mushy Super Sculpey and rough out the head and features with clay? Need to add a helmet? Bake the rough, add more material and bake again?<br /><br />What you are left with is something that looks a lot more like the particular character you are working on, something that you can mold and cast in tooling wax, and ultimately add all of the finishing touches that wax is known for. Art directors won't know or care how you got there, only how good it looks and how many they can sell.<br /><br />So that brings us to the "I love you part" of wax sculpting. <br /><br />I still use it, I still love what I can do with it, I still love the look and the feel of it. I've gotten pretty good at delivering the quality I want to be with it. I am merely dropping the tedious effort it takes to get a piece looking like there is life in it. I am ditching the act of annihilating one sculpt to create another. Thor is NOT Surtur so the work it takes to get there is stressful and time consuming, so why not trust in my ability to rough one in instead of using the "Hot" material that has been brought in to save all of sculpture? Wax will be that much more powerful when you use it to refine and detail rather than create. If it's worth using, it is worth making it easier on yourself when you get there.<br /><br />I understand now what Tony C, has been telling me for years. Feel free to give the temptress with the pouty lips a smooch, just make sure you see the prison shank coming.<br /><br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/shank.jpg" class="floatlft" />Kdawg59http://www.blogger.com/profile/04808300095912244861noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7553257302222267401.post-29624277336868034292010-11-30T08:44:00.007-05:002010-11-30T11:31:07.570-05:00The Return of the Dawg BlogI honestly don't know where the hell to begin, so I'll just dive right in and tell y'all some of the pieces I've been working on since the last time I've barfed my thoughts out in to cyberspace for all to see.<br /><br />It's been a busy 2010. It had not been full of as much output as I would have liked, but I have been pushing clay, dripping wax, and all of the usual goodness that comes with sculpting characters from the funny books. Since I last blogged there have some cool projects I have worked on that I haven't been able to share. These projects are all wrapped now and in truth one is going out to Oregon today to that Randy Bowen guy!<br /><br />I've completed two pieces for Randy this year and as always, it's been a pleasure working for and with him. The first of these pieces was a little outside of what most people are used to seeing from me. The character is Avalanche and he is a classic X-Men villain from way back. Normally I tend to gravitate to projects that have expressive faces and a lot of anatomical work, but Avalanche has a mask that only shows his mouth, and armor that covers 3/4 of any anatomy that was sculpted. I rather enjoyed the challenge of making this character look bad ass without all of the usual weapons I use to make a character look bad ass. To do this, I had to make what little face that was exposed full of pissed off attitude. Not only that, but the body language and the hands became super important as well, given that his torso wouldn't really show any tension from his muscles. Overall I am very pleased with the way it turned out and I can't wait to see it all painted up and ready to order.<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/av1.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/av1a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/av2.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/av2a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />The second character that I sculpted for Randy this year was Surtur from the pages of the Thor comic. This gigantic fire demon, hellbent on the end of all things. Now this piece was more in keeping with what people have come to expect from my desk at this point. Randy shipped me the base and sword for this piece that already existed and were sculpted by another super talented guy named Helder Moreira. At the end I had to add more flames to Helder's existing base to match the fire on Surtur's head, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention how awesome Helder's stuff is here. There is a certain amount of freedom to sculpting a musclebound fire demon and I think this piece will surprise some people after it's been cast/painted and looks all fiery. This is one piece that will benefit from how it looks post production considering how much the special effects/element of fire comes into play. Sculpting fire is about the most liberating thing there is to sculpt. Swooshing around pink, mushy, soft super sculpey is about as fun as it gets.<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/surtur1.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/surtur1a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/surtur2.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/surtur2a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />Aside from these Bowen Designs pieces, the line of Green Lanterns continues as well. I only managed to work on two this year, but given everything else, I'll take it. I love sculpting these characters. There's a lot to be said for sculpting stuff you are in to. It's a lot harder to motivate when you don't care as much, or don't know that much about the character you are sculpting. I know it can't always align this way, but when it does, it makes for some incredible inspiration.<br /><br />A fan favorite Lantern was a lot of fun for me to sculpt. Not as fun as sculpting Hal Jordan himself maybe, but Kyle Rayner was a great example of where my sculpting techniques are headed. I've started to use clay a lot more on parts I have sculpted painfully slow in wax for years now. I've started to stage bake a bit more, and I've also started to cast and sculpt over small resin pieces more as well. With Kyle I did exactly that. I sculpted his face in wax, cast it, and then sculpted the mask and hair over the top of the resin, which made for quicker, more believable structures. Kyle's also a "skinny buff" guy that has more of that swimmer build than the overly muscled hero has.<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/kyle1.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/kyle1a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/kyle2.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/kyle2a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />Next up is Soranik Natu... a return to the Lanterns, and another deviation from the norm for me. I haven't sculpted a female in about 6 years and I have to say it's a shame. Sculpting a female is forcing the muscles of my brain to work differently and observe things in new ways. I think that is very important for a sculptor to do. If you are content to not push yourself and aren't moving forward, you aren't improving as an artist. I never say I can't do something, I instead ask myself, "how can I figure this out". Successfully sculpting a female piece will always get more attention than anything male and that is the way of the business. Now that I have the Bowen pieces off my desk, this is the one I am most looking forward to completing.<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/natu1.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/natu1a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />Last up for now is my pet project. A character that I have been wanting to sculpt from day one... The God of Thunder himself: Thor. I was actually able to start this piece this year, but have had to shelf it for months. That is about to change. This piece is a departure from the many busts that I have worked on recently and it is a treat to be working on a full bodied piece. I have a specific look I am going for with this piece too while somehow trying to retain his classic look. Thor is a warrior. Warriors don't look like body builders. Most of their thickness is in their torso. Their arms and legs are proportionate, but not overly bulky like they have been training with the iron pile. So my feeling for this piece, is a thick and burly chest, middle, with leaner, toned appendages. I've gotten pretty far along, and I am really hoping to take it to the next level very soon. I have taken it off the shelf, conditioned the clay a bit, and am ready to rock.<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/thor1.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/thor1a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br /><br />I have a lot more in store in 2011 and while I may not get to them all, there WILL be a lot more output, and a lot more blogging insight into the mad stylings of my own process which has evolved this year. After I get ahead of some of the pieces that are in the queue, I am going to go for it and have some pieces in the portfolio that people can't help but take notice of. I feel like the best is yet to come and I'm just warming up. <br /><br />As always, thanks for looking,<br />KKdawg59http://www.blogger.com/profile/04808300095912244861noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7553257302222267401.post-29461814935273261392010-03-10T14:53:00.013-05:002010-04-20T10:04:00.270-04:00The making of The Wrecking Crew Part I: Piledriver and DozerWell I finally have some stuff I can show. My newest works have been sneaked from Bowen Designs and Randy was kind enough to let me post work in progress art for this 4 pack of busts. The minute I saw these busts painted I was extremely excited. I put my heart and soul into them during a time in my life that played out like the opening line from Tale of Two Cities – "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... ” <br /><br />The best of times = Our first son was born and he was magnificent<br />The worst of times = A month after he was born he had to have stomach surgery to correct an overdeveloped Pylorus muscle that wasn't letting him digest any food.<br /><br />Despite a little bit of turmoil, I never missed a beat nor my deadline and I completed 4 works that I am extremely proud of. The Wrecking Crew for Bowen Designs was a dream gig... No BS. We had actually talked about me working on them for him back in 2008 after I finished the Super Skrull, but he had contract renewal delays with Marvel and they were taken off the table as an option.<br /><br />Cut to 1.5 years later and the opportunity came up to work with Randy again and of course I took it. It was just a bonus that he asked if I wanted to work on the Crew. <br /><br />Hey Keith, would you like to sculpt 4 of the most expressive, massively muscled, coolest looking d*ckwads, to ever be Thor villains?<br /><br />WHERE IS THE ARMATURE WIRE!?!<br /><br />So I took the gig and I don't think I stopped smiling the whole time I was sculpting these guys. <br /><br />I thought I would break this blog down in to 2 parts. The first being about my work on Piledriver and Bulldozer. For some reason most people who like the Wrecking Crew only care about the Wrecker. It was my intention going in that I would do my best to make the other guys in the group just as appealing visually as Wrecker. The best way to do that was to really have expressive faces and personality to each of the pieces.<br /><br />Piledriver was my hillbilly redneck a$$hole that I knew had to have a grin on his face as if someone told him that he was allowed to break stuff. He loves to pound sh*t to dust... He doesn't care who gets caught in the crossfire and he does it with a smile.<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/pile1.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/pile1a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />I surmised that because Piledriver had the least going on visually that he might be the hardest sculpt to get motivated on. My best solution for that foresight was to work on him first. I wanted to use some of that energy and excitement you get on any fresh assignment to propel me through what could have been considered the most visually boring character of the group. I was determined to not let that happen. Piledriver doesn't need weapons to be intimidating. He just wails away with his meat hooks and that is all he's ever needed. I don't think you need accessories to look cool either, as a sculptor it is your JOB to find a way for a character to look cool regardless. <br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/pile2.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/pile2a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />He ended up being a lot of fun to sculpt and I had a great time working on his anatomy. In fact his anatomy really set the tone for the others in the group. He was a bit more tapered in the waist, with massive shoulders, traps, and arms. These are his weapons, they should look the part.<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/pile3.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/pile3a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />Dozer was and is still probably my favorite of the bunch. His mask hides his entire face except his mouth and throwing a snarled, curled lip was something that I thought would look really bad ass if I could pull it off. I almost abandoned that notion and went with more of a scowl, but when all four of these guys pretty much just scowl, there had to be something to set Dozer apart. Luckily I stayed true to the vision I wanted, gave the sneer one more try, and thereby achieved what I wanted and a look that Randy luckily really liked.<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/dozer1.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/dozer1a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />Dozer was the character that I "kind of" roughed in after Piledriver. I say "kind of", because I really worked all four of these at the same time. This is a technique/method that I use all the time now. I find it really helps break through any stress and/or barriers that you sometimes hit with a sculpt. If you spend all of your time stressing about the deadline and why you can't seem to get something right, things will not go well. Better to set one aside and work on something else and usually the answers present themselves naturally while working on a different piece... enable your focus to step outside of itself and come back fresh, to see things clearer, if you will.<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/dozer2.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/dozer2a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />Anyway... Dozer... Yeah, I knew he had to be quite a bit thicker than Piledriver body-wise. Bulldozer is the bruiser of the bruisers. You can't please everyone all the time, but I think people will be really happy with Dozer. He looks like he is about to plow through a bank vault wall or take a shot at Thor himself. On top of that he looks as if he could do it with ease and only mild annoyance at getting dirty.<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/dozer3.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/dozer3a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />I also had a lot of fun with Dozer's costume. All of the studs are glass beads of various sizes and the ear pieces to his helmet are nothing more than chopped up thumb tack/push pins. Using found items to help a sculpt is far quicker, easier, and way more mechanical than my wax pen could do. :)<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/dozer4.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/dozer4a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />The Crew are in the same scale as the Buzzsaw Gladiator bust that Randy put out, and they are about 7 1/4 inches tall. That's no slouch in the mini bust world. <br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/scale.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/scalea.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />I gotta say... that working for and with Randy Bowen is top notch. I'm not sure how it works, but it's easy to get geeked and fired up working on a project for him. The guy seriously has seen it all when it comes to sculpting and it's almost as if you learn from him by just having your name attached to a Bowen project. I could not have had more fun working on a project than I did here... despite all of the stress and uncertainty of expecting a baby, trips to the ER, the doctor, sleepless nights etc... The Crew was just one of those things that was never a concern, and that makes for a successful endeavor... if it hurts... don't do it... and all that stuff:)<br /><br />More to come (part 2 and the part that everyone WANTS to see... the Wrecker) and thanks for looking,<br />KeithKdawg59http://www.blogger.com/profile/04808300095912244861noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7553257302222267401.post-59112930380526719672009-12-07T08:24:00.010-05:002009-12-07T10:57:52.903-05:00It's quiet around here isn't it?It's been a good 3 months since I've last posted anything here at the Dawg Pound. It seems every time someone promises to "post more often" something happens to squish that small glimmer of light shining through a pin hole at the end of the tunnel. I can honestly say however that in this case there are a couple of rather stellar reasons for the lack of new posts.<br /><br />1. My wife and I had our first baby October 9th. We went on an absolute Hell ride to get him here too. I think he's my finest WIP yet . Born at 10lbs 3oz and 22 inches long, he's taken a good many hours worth of work in the past couple months, but I hope to have him completed by the time SDCC 2010 rolls around.<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/ant1.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/ant1a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />2. Right around the time I last posted on this blog, I started to have dialogue with a fella by the name of Randy Bowen. I'm sure that you might have heard of him if you enjoy super hero collectibles. I enjoy the hell out of working with Randy Bowen. The guy is just as much of a fan of this stuff as we are and it's easy to lose something like that, when you think about the fact that his company has been doing this longer than anyone else. He asked me if I wanted to sculpt a 4-pack, more specifically the Wrecking Crew. Let me think about that for a second... 4 giant muscle head, thuggish, Thor villains.... yeah okay, I'm in. <br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/crew1.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/crew1a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />So the thing about #2 above is, when you are are working on a piece or pieces for a pro company, you can't really blog about them, or show progress photos to the masses... unless you never wanna work in this town again. I can say that the project is drawing to a close and there will be a time soon enough that Randy shows the pieces and I can post pics in a future blog.<br /><br />What I've decided I can blog about and not give anything away is a little thought process as well as reference material as it relates to that thought process.<br /><br />As I mentioned above, The Wrecking Crew are about as thuggish as a set of Marvel villains could be. All villains and heroes have physiques that make the rest of us feel pretty pathetic while sculpting them, so the anatomy of these pieces is a given... Huge muscles.<br /><br />Where there is a chance however to shine on the Wrecking Crew, is their individual personalities. Half the fun is finding and translating their personas into a single moment in time captured with an expression or mood. There is no better way to do this than pick a person out there in the real world that comes close enough to base their look on. I had a lot of fun to say the least and I'll go one by one and what I was thinking here now.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Piledriver</span><br />He's the red neck, hillbilly, flat top, smug bastard of the group. Not a lot of depth or complexity to his character. He loves to break stuff with his hands. He's got one of those faces where you know that he's really enjoying the fact, he's about to pummel something.<br /><br />To me, when I think of Piledriver's portrait, I see the body builder Jay Cutler. I'm not saying that Jay Cutler is a redneck hillbilly, I'm just saying that there is something in his look that feels like Piledriver to me. Massive guy, blond hair, blue eyes, a smile like he knows he's better, etc. I went with it and tried to capture a little bit of that expression and I feel it worked pretty well.<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/crew2.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/crew2a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Bulldozer</span><br />Dozer is the brute of the brutes. He's the big guy of the group. Most of his face is covered and so to me, the best way to get across his attitude was by using a great expression with his mouth to tell the story. I knew all along that I wanted to have Dozer with one side of his lip curled up into a snarl. Let's face it the guy uses his head as a weapon and a nice sneer before a headbutt seems perfect to me.<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/crew3.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/crew3a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Thunderball</span><br />Thunderball is pretty ruthless. He's turned on his own pals to get ahead and he's actually a genius, who hides behind a large wrecking ball. I pretty early on decided that I wanted to at least base his "look" on body builder Ronnie Coleman. Ronnie has that intense look like he could crush you if you got in his way, and that is what I wanted for Thunderball. The face was tweaked a bit to not be such a harsh look, but overall the intention is still there.<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/crew4.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/crew4a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Wrecker</span><br />The Wrecker is the most different in the group. He's not really the ripped up, super massive steroid looking villain. While still quite thick and brutish, he's more like the big burly bouncers and bruisers of early cinema. After quite a bit of research and thought, I settled on using Lenny Mclean as inspiration for the Wreckers portrait. That tough old boxer with gnarled appearance captured the spirit of what the Wrecker should look like 100%. The original head I sculpted, while decent, to me just didn't represent the most important aspects of the Wrecker's character... he's the dirtiest, toughest, meaniest SOB in the group.<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/crew5.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/crew5a.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />So there it is... maybe this doesn't make the most sense now, not being able to see the end result of these random thoughts. But this is how I do things. I have to almost get to know the character, before I can deliver a sculpt of them. I have to get inside and see what ticks as a fan before I can create... otherwise it's just sculpting something without anything special to it.... a blank soulless piece. The minute I start sculpting like that, is the best time to say goodbye to sculpting altogether.<br /><br />More to come and thanks for looking,<br />KeithKdawg59http://www.blogger.com/profile/04808300095912244861noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7553257302222267401.post-37748030414080517982009-09-01T09:37:00.007-04:002009-09-01T10:32:17.256-04:00A feather in the cap.So here we are again. I've been away longer than I care to be. Being able to sculpt only part-time is both a blessing and a curse. <br /><br />A blessing because I can walk away and clear my head sometimes with a motorcycle cruise or a round of golf. <br /><br />A curse because when I am out riding on that motorcycle, or playing golf... well, I'm not sculpting. <br /><br />I figured today's blog has to be a little bit about what has been consuming all my time lately when it comes to sculpting... FEATHERS!<br /><br />I FINALLY am feeling like my Hawkman sculpt is reaching a point, where I can share a bit of my process on the most dreaded part of the sculpt... the wings.<br /><br />When I first started to sculpt the wings I was adamant about using clay to sculpt them. Quickly I changed my tune as nothing seemed to be working for me with the clay. If I had a feather I liked, I would look as I was on to the next one and the first had been ruined by a hand, a errant tool mark etc.<br /><br />I had to rethink and go to a place I did not want to go... WAX. I thought to myself, I have just added double the amount of time that this was going to take. Luckily, I was wrong and I hit a grove. They have been tedious to work on, but it has gone much better than I had thought.<br /><br />So the plan was in place. I printed off some reference of wings in a folded position to a size I liked. I cut out this shape in wire mesh. <br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/hawk054a.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/hawk054.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />After that I proceeded to lay down a thin layer of Aves Apoxie Sculpt to both lock the mesh in place as well as give the wax something to bite on when dipped into the crock pot.<br /><br />After the apoxie had set up, I had a sufficient armature for the wing. A nice rigid structure underneath to both help me keep the shape of the wing, but to now also help the wax from breaking every 5 seconds due to being brittle.<br /><br />People Have asked me, how I am sculpting these feathers and I simple say "One at a time" (no sarcasm intended)<br /><br />You can see from this pic below, the first layer of wax adhering to the armature and the first of the many feather to come.<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/hawk055a.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/hawk055.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />Right around the second row of feathers, I knew that this was going to work out pretty well and I hit my aforementioned stride. Lots of fine lines carved in to look like the little hairs that make up the feathers sometimes nice and uneven to prevent the wing from looking too symmetrical and static. If you do this enough times what eventually happens, is that it actually starts to pass for a wing and not just an ugly apoxie coated mesh.<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/hawk063a.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/hawk063.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/hawk067a.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/hawk067.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />This sculpt in particular would either be made or broken by the wings. I am so glad I was able to learn on the fly and figure out a great way to sculpt these wings. I was more than a little bit petrified that I would have this sculpture with excellent details all the way down to facial stubble, but then have two lumps of poop where the wings should be. So far, I think I have managed to get over that fear by just diving in and doing it. Sitting there and overanalyzing has never been my style anyway...<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/hawk064a.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/hawk064.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />Until next time... thanks for stopping by.<br />--<br /><br />KeithKdawg59http://www.blogger.com/profile/04808300095912244861noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7553257302222267401.post-80290444089879130732009-06-05T10:20:00.010-04:002009-12-10T14:54:07.765-05:00Time flies when you are having funWell I looked at my last blog entry and I realize what a schmuck I am. Has it really been since February? It certainly hasn't been laziness that has kept me away. That much is for certain. So why haven't I updated my blog? Well for starters, I have been blessed with a pregnant wife who is carrying my unborn son. This has set off a chain of events in my household to say the least. I have been scrambling to get a nursery ready for Junior's arrival come September, and I have been remodeling other pieces/parts of my home as well. I think time will be a bit tight when the little guy gets here.<br /><br />Does this mean I have been not sculpting in the mean time? Hell no... I have been toiling away dripping wax, pushing clay, and all things sculpture almost every day. I have updates to a now finished Sinestro bust as well as an exciting new piece I started working on a week or two ago now: Hawkman.<br /><br />I think that Sinestro came out really well and I found myself learning a lot about torso anatomy by the time he was finished. The human body is an amazing piece of science, when you actually break it down with how everything all knits together. I am continually amazed with each piece, how much I see something new in the human body to appreciate and/or frustrate me as I sculpt it... *cough* forearms *cough*.<br /><br />So I have some pictures to show of what's currently going on in the Dawg Pound. My hope is to blaze through the figure work on the Hawkman OOAKO, so that when I reach the inevitable brick wall that will be sculpting feathers on those wings of his, it will still be something that can be powered through and come out as a true portfolio piece.<br /><br />First I give you a finished Sinestro, of which until I started the Hawkman, I believe was my best piece yet.<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/sinestro028a.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/sinestro028.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/sinestro029a.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/sinestro029.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />Now the Hawkman, which is yet another commission piece. The head was sculpted in wax and then cast in resin, so I could in essence has a "save" for my work. On the resin head I sculpted the mask in wax far enough along to see the personality of the piece. I won't finish the mask now until the rest of the body is done.<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/hawk007a.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/hawk007.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/hawk004a.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/hawk004.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/hawk005a.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/hawk005.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />Next, it was time to start hammering out the anatomy of the body. Like I said, the human body is amazing and I'm picking up some nice knowledge as I go here.<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/hawk008a.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/hawk008.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/hawk009a.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/hawk009.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/hawk012a.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/hawk012.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br /><br />Well until next time... which will be soon I promise you... thanks for stopping by.<br />--<br /><br />KeithKdawg59http://www.blogger.com/profile/04808300095912244861noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7553257302222267401.post-53142652632327896202009-02-26T08:49:00.008-05:002009-02-26T10:55:04.888-05:00The comic book portrait IThrough the years I have really come to love sculpting faces. I think a great face sculpt can carry you a long way in this business. If the face looks incredible, then you are willing to accept certain things with the rest of the sculpt that you might not forgive if it were the other way around. <br /><br /> If a sculpt had 100% perfect anatomy and a terrible grill... the piece is more likely to get thumped by fans. I'm not saying that I don't try to bring my A game to the table when it comes to sculpting anatomy... in fact I love it... I'm just saying that if the heroes don't look regal and handsome, if the women don't look as gorgeous as Salma Hayek, and if the villains don't look like they could scare the holy hell out of you, then it might not have the success it is surely worth. <br /><br />This is a business of blood sweat and tears and MANY HOURS worth of work can turn to a nightmare for an artist, the second that fans put on their art directing caps and say " MEH!". I've seen it happen to many sculptors whom I respect, admire and look up to, and I have felt the cold sting of it myself.<br /><br />Does that mean the fans are evil? Hell no... The fans are dynamite and you as the artist have to weigh the comments and opinions, and always take them as they are.<br /><br />Your best bet out of the gate to win everyone over, in my humble experience, is to give them a head sculpt that is a stand out. Some of the absolute finest sculptors in this business are able to blow you away with their portraits first and foremost. When the dust settles, I would love for people to look at my sculpture and see that I try to create something as visually stunning as I am able... starting with a kick-ass portrait.<br /><br />I always pour a blank wax cast of a piece I have previously molded and start there. It is much easier to have a lump of wax and alter it, than it is to drip and build wax from scratch. <br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/logan000a.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/logan000.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />Recently I have started a couple of new pieces. They are commission pieces, as well as portfolio pieces for DC Comics. I always start with the portrait. Many sculptors do not do it this way for fear of not getting the body properly in scale with the head. I think it is 6 of 1, and half a dozen of the other as it all has to match up eventually. By doing the portrait first, I can really begin to get inside the personality of the piece, and really find the mood and pose.<br /><br />I am very excited about these new portraits, especially of the character called Sinestro. He is an old-time Green Lantern villain and he's got that great weathered, and arrogant look, like all good bad guys should have. You throw in those features, with a little Vincent Price vibe and you have a great project that people get excited about seeing.<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/sinestro001a.gif" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/sinestro001.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />I did my usual, and poured a wax blank, of a head that was sculpted and previously molded. I let the wax cool and then I proceed to scrape, carve and drip hot wax where needed, to start fleshing out the new portrait. I get the piece close enough to send a picture or two of the WIP to the commissioner to get his reaction and we continue from there.<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/sinestro003a.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/sinestro003.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />I then go to town to bring a professional finish to the portrait, by putting in the fine details as well as polishing the wax to an incredible smooth state. At this point, I again fire off pics to the client to make sure he is as happy as I am with how the piece is progressing.<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/sinestro002a.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/sinestro002.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />Now the portrait is finished... I am very excited to tear into sculpting the anatomy. I can set the head on the workbench, and stare at it any time I need, to continue to get inside the personality and I want to convey into the final piece. <br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/sinestro004a.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/sinestro004.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />It was a long one today... thanks for hanging in there and letting me ramble.<br /><br />--<br /><br />KeithKdawg59http://www.blogger.com/profile/04808300095912244861noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7553257302222267401.post-33542241944622014862009-02-16T09:39:00.007-05:002009-03-11T15:43:25.473-04:00ArkilloNow this is a piece that was a blast to work on. DC Comics has been tearing it up with their Green Lantern stories. They have opened the door to a wealth of new possibilities, stories, and more importantly for sculptors, a deep list of new characters. One of these cool characters is this ugly monster Arkillo. He's all teeth and muscle... Some of my favorite stuff to sculpt by the way.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/arkillo_001.jpg" rel="facebox"><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/ark001c.jpg" class="floatlft" /></a><br />click here to enlarge image<br /><br />I really wanted to play up the muscles this time around. Every time I sculpt a piece, I learn something new about anatomy. My wife happened on this great book awhile back. (She works for the home office of Borders and gets occasional freebies). This book was tricked out with pictures of men who clearly have a lot of time and performance enhancing drugs at their disposal. Having all of the reference a guy could want, I was ready to dig in. <br /><br />My buddy Troy told me something that I constantly reminded myself of while sculpting this piece. "Everything has a peak." I really tried to pay attention to that mantra because it made me pay attention to the shadows and topography of the photo reference I was using. I am pretty happy with the way that stuff came together and like I said... I learned something new, yet again. (Thanks to Troy and a <a href="http://themcdevittstudio.com/" target="_blank" / >shameless plug for his web site. </a> )<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/ark001a.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/ark001.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/ark002a.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/ark002.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/ark003a.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/ark003.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />Another set of challenges that I knew I had to keep in mind this time was possible molding of the head. Let's be real... the head alone is a nightmare for anyone looking to mold and cast this piece. Teeth are everywhere as are the undercuts. I had to separate the jaw and cranium from each other as well as the body in order to make it a bit easier to mold. The neck of the piece becomes a shelf in which the cranium tucks into, and the lower jaw rests on the shelf and under the cranium. A little bit of apoxie and you'd never know it was in pieces. <br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/ark009a.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/ark009.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/ark0010a.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/ark0010.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/ark004a.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/ark004.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br /><br />Like I said... I am fairly happy with how it went and I cannot wait to wrap this guy up and see Jesse (the guy I am sculpting it for) slap some paint down on it and bring it to life...<br /><br />Thanks for looking,<br />KeithKdawg59http://www.blogger.com/profile/04808300095912244861noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7553257302222267401.post-17497390238055599532009-02-06T11:02:00.002-05:002009-02-06T13:40:04.230-05:00Getting a leg up on thingsOne of the wonderful things about being a sculptor is that while you are waiting for one piece to bake, set, dry, whatever, you can noodle around on another piece. Well I haven't done much with Batman recently, because I have been busting ass finishing a Green Lantern villain "Arkillo" piece for a bud. I had to create some keys for that piece and needed to leave the piece alone while the apoxie putty was setting up.<br /><br />With that, out came the wax pen and alcohol torch. I took to the task of welding legs on Batman. When I originally sculpted this piece it was decent enough I guess, but looking back now that it is in wax, I have a bunch of things I want to fix. The legs are chief among the wish list of tweaks yet to come. I find that with every piece you get better and you learn something about anatomy that you wish you had figured out earlier. I almost cringe when I realize what I need to do to correct my mistakes. You can see from the full body shot of the piece, that I am raising the calf up, as well as the knee, and fixing the proportions to be better than they were before. (right leg of piece)<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/batwax005a.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/batwax005.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />I've already done a lot to fix other things on this piece... the ribs and the abs were a "mess", as were his deltoids. But I am quite please with these now. I am even going to fix the brow line a bit to create some cleaner furrows. By the end, my intention is to have a piece that I am happy enough to use as a portfolio piece and show to art directors.<br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/batwax004a.jpg"/><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/batwax004.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />There's a lot of work left to do... it seems there always is, but who cares? It keeps me from spending money at the bars :) <br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/batwax006a.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><a href="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/facefiles/batwax006.jpg" rel="facebox">click here to enlarge image</a><br /><br />Next time, I'll probably show show the Arkillo piece I mentioned and that is nearing the point of completion.Kdawg59http://www.blogger.com/profile/04808300095912244861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7553257302222267401.post-71456437995247613872009-01-21T14:02:00.000-05:002009-01-21T15:12:08.444-05:00Batman: Year Two in Year Two...What was old is new again in 2009... <br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/alandavis.jpg" class="floatlft" /><br /><br />Back in early 2007, I started a Batman:Year 2 piece inspired by the great art of perennial comic book giant Alan Davis. This is actually the 2nd attempt at a Batman sculpture, but we'll say the first doesn't count as I was about 4 months into sculpting and I didn't know my elbow from my ass back then. <br /> <br /><br />I originally did the piece in my usual mixed media approach (wax head and hands, and clay body). I shelved the piece for bit as I was sick of looking at it. After a while I started to get the itch again to work on it and decided to transfer the entire piece to wax. My interest in the piece was renewed and I molded and wax-casted the piece for re-work. Literally a day later I got a note from industry goliath Randy Bowen asking if I wanted to do a piece for his company, Bowen Designs, and Batman was shelved again. The choice is simple... when Randy Bowen asks, you answer. <br /> <br /><br />I finished up my Super Skrull assignment for Bowen Designs, and moved on to a couple other sculpts. Ultimately however, Batman called out to me again and I am beginning to noodle away on the piece once more. <br /> <br /><br />It's a pet project of mine at the moment, and I am only working on it while the paying work sits drying out from being brushed down with lighter fluid. I have a long way to go, but I figure it will be a fun piece to post here and share as it moves forward. I hope to have the piece done by SDCC this year as a portfolio piece. You can see the new wax "rough" as well as the original mixed media work in progress. <br /><br /><image src="http://www.pwb.com/beta/keithtest/batwax001.jpg" class="floatlft" />Kdawg59http://www.blogger.com/profile/04808300095912244861noreply@blogger.com1