troyboy wrote:I've gotta ask you though; what material are you working in, and how
do you get it so damned smooth?!! I swear, it's uncanny how pristine these things are! If someone
didn't tell me otherwise, I would have sworn they were 3D prints from the computer.
And the paintjobs?!! Don't even get me started on the paintjobs! Talk about guilding the lily!
Anyway, thanks for posting these dude, you really made my day!
hey troy, what can i say - your praise made MY day. no, really. much appreciated. thanks.
regarding materials: i start out with 'chavant autostyle light' for the more blocky stuff
and a mixture of some of gary's willow waxes (like 360, ice and ether) for the smaller
more detailed parts. like so:
once all the proportions and poses are spot on and the artist is happy with the transformation to 3D
in every aspect we make waste molds and cast the figures in a mineral-filled resin that doesn't shrink
as much as the usual run of the mill resin and that sands really well. and then it's my old credo over and
over again: sand, fill, primer, sand some more, primer some more, keep sanding and sand some more.
then primer one last time and make the master mold of what has by then become virtually 'smooth as
a baby's bum':
it's a curse though, sometimes. i love the feel and look of toys/statues that are pefectly smooth
especially when it comes to cartoon characters like these but it means you spend a few 'happy days'
with nothing but wet-sanding and primering. it can bore the isht out of you. still, the end result is
worth all the extra effort.you know, some of the so called designer toys look great
at arms length but don't stand close scrutiny and i hate that. so, i at least want to do all i can on my side
to make the sculpts i/we deliver as perfect(ly smooth) as possible.
my hero when it comes to absolute über-smoothness: Takashi Murakami. that guy (or rather the platoon
of people that do all the hard work for him) is the bees knees when it comes to surfaces...
