Greetings to everyone. I have been hard at work on my new figure project, inbetween my 9-5 job among other daily pursuits. As for my new head casting, I have done a bit of re-sculpting to the development casting, followed by what seemed to be endless amounts of sanding.There are a few more areas to attend to on the head, a bit more sanding and then I will make a new silicone mold and then pour myself a fresh new casting. I will post some pics of my latest progress very soon.
During some of my more idle moments, waiting for things to dry/set-up, I have been attempting to compile as much as I can on the subject of mechanics for figure making. I am always interested in new ways of doing things. I would love to graduate to using push rods over strings for running my mechanics.
One obstacle which I have been running into is finding help. I have found that many figure makers can be a bit secretive about sharing their ideas on constructing mechanics. Although, I have found some select few, such as Al Stevens, who have been helpful with advice on the subject.
I truthfully hope that others will realize that this art survives due to the gratitude of others who have passed the baton on to the next generation.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Weekend Work
Inbetween Sox games, I have been working on a development casting for my new project. Incidentaly, I haven't gotten around to naming this little guy yet,but I am open to suggestions.
So, the first casting is complete and I plan to take care of anything questionable which I did not catch on the completed clay model. After I perfect this development casting (a little Magic Sculpt goes a long way), I will make another mold/mother mold and re-cast; this will insure a perfect final casting for me and then the work really begins!
And now, back to the Sox game...
Thursday, October 11, 2007
The Smooth in "Smooth Cast"
I just purchased some great mold making products from the people at Smooth Cast and I am very impressed with their Silicone rubber and Feather Lite Urethane resin. The silicone is particularly nice and very user friendly; it's basically a two-part mix ratio and what a relief. Most Silicone RTV's require careful measurements. As for the Urethane resin, the stuff exhibits a nice consistency upon first pour and is very easy to work with.Mixing is the same for this product as well--equal parts A & B.
Another plus for using Silicone RTV is that you don't need a release agent, but if you plan to make several castings, you might want to try it in order to extend the life of the mold. As for me, I may only make a few castings for this recent project.
I wanted to give a big thanks to Joe Smith, a very talented sculptor, for his Smooth Cast products suggestion!
Another plus for using Silicone RTV is that you don't need a release agent, but if you plan to make several castings, you might want to try it in order to extend the life of the mold. As for me, I may only make a few castings for this recent project.
I wanted to give a big thanks to Joe Smith, a very talented sculptor, for his Smooth Cast products suggestion!
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Newest Project
This little guy is my newest creation. Since taking this pic, I have added & subtracted a bit of clay here and there. Otherwise, he looks pretty good. I spent about two weeks on him, sculpting mostly in the evenings after work.
Actually, this will become my second original figure and I am very excited about him. As for sculpting, give it a try. Chances are you may just surprise yourself with some nice results! Thus far, I certainly have.
As with figure making, like anything else, repetition is the mother of skill. I also just completed a nice silicone mold for this guy, which just produced a nice development casting.
Oh, and the ears--they come last.I never was much of an undercut fan.
In the coming days, I will post some more pics of my progress.
Keep venting!
Gotta start somewhere...
...So I am off! First and foremost, I decided to start this blog for my own sanity and possibly the sanity of others with regard to ventriloquist figure making. Ventriloquism is an art which is not new to me. In fact, I first started (like many, I am sure), when I was in grade school with a "Willie Talk" ventriloquist doll. I did mostly birthday parties, school talent shows and the like.
Somewhere along the line, my interest in Ventriloquism seemed to dwindle and once I started high school, the idea of using a ventriloquist dummy seemed quite embarrasing for me. So I stopped, for 25 years in fact!
Now, the events which led up to my recent rekindling of this fantastic art are a bit hazy. The only thing I can recall is that I suddenly became interested in purchasing a ventriloquist dummy a few years ago, but had no idea where to start.
So, I decided to start hunting around on E-Bay and located a particular figure which really interested me. As a result, I placed a bid and then another, and another, and--well, you know the auction drill. Needless to say, I won the figure. After receiving the little guy, I was on cloud nine. But, there was only one problem--character! Over time, I discovered that I could not nail down a voice nor a character for this little guy. Apparently (I learned), this was a pretty common experience among novice vents. Rather than asking myself what I was looking for in a character, I am afraid that I went into the whole endeavor backwards.
Unfortunately, a few months later, that same figure was placed back on the auction block and sold shortly thereafter. After this experience, I told myself that I would never orphan a figure ever again.
Okay, so I learned an important lesson. The only unfortunate thing is that I was still "partner-less." So, I ventured further and began educating myself on some of the various figure makers (past & present). First off, the work of the McElroy brothers really spoke to me. The only problem was that these figures are few and far between with regards to actually locating one; these really are like the Rolls Royce of Vent figures. Also, I discovered the magical work of the true daddy of figure makers--Frank Marshall. Another figure maker, whose work really spoke to me, was the great Jack Coats.
Further searching revealed the fantastic contemporary works of Tim Selberg, Alan Semok, Conrad Hartz, and Brandt Gilmer.
So, I located some wonderful leads for locating a great figure. I also had a definite character in mind, and a bit of money.
The next hurdle was the wait time and the amount of money it would take to get a custom figure built. So, I was back at the starting gate.
Now, I understand that good things take time, but the stark realization that they can also take quite a bit of money seemed to sink in quite quickly.
As a result, I decided to make a figure. "What man has done, man can do" sort of mentality played across my mind at that moment. Once I made my decision, there was NO turning back. In doing a bit of research, I quickly came upon the Mike Brose site which was a revelation to me. And once I received Mike's fantastic book on figure making, I truly realized that I had arrived.
Mike also offers the wonderful "Fred Head" kits; this was one of my first pursuits. The kit itself is a great introduction into this art and for many, it is a means to an end. But not for me. I still longed to sculpt, cast, and build my own figure which has landed me here.
So, I will document (pics included) my trials and tribulations of building an original ventriloquist figure (among other things) on this blog.
More to come...
Somewhere along the line, my interest in Ventriloquism seemed to dwindle and once I started high school, the idea of using a ventriloquist dummy seemed quite embarrasing for me. So I stopped, for 25 years in fact!
Now, the events which led up to my recent rekindling of this fantastic art are a bit hazy. The only thing I can recall is that I suddenly became interested in purchasing a ventriloquist dummy a few years ago, but had no idea where to start.
So, I decided to start hunting around on E-Bay and located a particular figure which really interested me. As a result, I placed a bid and then another, and another, and--well, you know the auction drill. Needless to say, I won the figure. After receiving the little guy, I was on cloud nine. But, there was only one problem--character! Over time, I discovered that I could not nail down a voice nor a character for this little guy. Apparently (I learned), this was a pretty common experience among novice vents. Rather than asking myself what I was looking for in a character, I am afraid that I went into the whole endeavor backwards.
Unfortunately, a few months later, that same figure was placed back on the auction block and sold shortly thereafter. After this experience, I told myself that I would never orphan a figure ever again.
Okay, so I learned an important lesson. The only unfortunate thing is that I was still "partner-less." So, I ventured further and began educating myself on some of the various figure makers (past & present). First off, the work of the McElroy brothers really spoke to me. The only problem was that these figures are few and far between with regards to actually locating one; these really are like the Rolls Royce of Vent figures. Also, I discovered the magical work of the true daddy of figure makers--Frank Marshall. Another figure maker, whose work really spoke to me, was the great Jack Coats.
Further searching revealed the fantastic contemporary works of Tim Selberg, Alan Semok, Conrad Hartz, and Brandt Gilmer.
So, I located some wonderful leads for locating a great figure. I also had a definite character in mind, and a bit of money.
The next hurdle was the wait time and the amount of money it would take to get a custom figure built. So, I was back at the starting gate.
Now, I understand that good things take time, but the stark realization that they can also take quite a bit of money seemed to sink in quite quickly.
As a result, I decided to make a figure. "What man has done, man can do" sort of mentality played across my mind at that moment. Once I made my decision, there was NO turning back. In doing a bit of research, I quickly came upon the Mike Brose site which was a revelation to me. And once I received Mike's fantastic book on figure making, I truly realized that I had arrived.
Mike also offers the wonderful "Fred Head" kits; this was one of my first pursuits. The kit itself is a great introduction into this art and for many, it is a means to an end. But not for me. I still longed to sculpt, cast, and build my own figure which has landed me here.
So, I will document (pics included) my trials and tribulations of building an original ventriloquist figure (among other things) on this blog.
More to come...
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