NO COMICON FOR US THIS YEAR!

It’s that time of year again. Right after the 4th of July San Diego Comic Con fever kicks into high gear. This year will be the first time that Lisa & I have missed SDCC since 03. We have a good reason though; we are running off to the mountains of Colorado to get hitched. It was difficult to pick a date that worked for family and friends as well as our own schedules. July 26th just turned out to be the perfect date. I will miss seeing everyone at the Con, but there’s always next year!

I LOVE SKULLS!

A majority of my art has a fairly whimsical tone. It may not seem obvious, but I’ve always been a big fan of skulls. That’s why when I discovered “I Want Your Skull” I was thrilled and even more so when they included some of my work on the site.

Since I was very little I always remember being in love with skulls, skeletons, anything anatomical.



Around my studio there’s a variety of skulls.



This is a ceramic sculpture my Dad made when he was in high school art class, it kind of reveals his state of mind around 1951.
This used to be at my grandmother’s house. It was used as a doorstop. When I was a wee lad I was equally freaked out and fascinated by this piece. I will always treasure it.

NOW WHERE WERE WE?

I think several months ago I had finished the demo of making the molds for the Angry Clobber Monkey. Go back to Monday, March 10, 2008 that was the last entry on mold making. Now the silicone has been poured, most of the time it takes 12 hours or so to set up depending on how much catalyzer you mix in. When it’s good and solid tear away the foam core and gently pull apart the mold halves. Pop out the clay sculpt and powder the mold. Now it’s ready for resin.





Resin is a pricey material, and on small budget projects we want to waste as little as possible. Here’s a technique for getting a good estimate of how much resin will fill the mold. Some people like digital scales, I’m a fan of the old school 3 Beam scale. Easy to use, I’ve had this one since 1995 it was around $200 then, and that was a big investment! It’s paid for it self many times over



Rice is a good filler for guessing weight. Fill the mold with rice, weigh the rice. I am casting the masters so I want the pieces to be solid.
When I make the prototype it will be hollow. Whatever the solid weight was go with 50% for the hollow weight.



Mix up your resin. I always add black pigment, the gray color helps to see imperfections, seems, ect. Even when casting a solid piece I always turn the mold. This action forces any air bubbles onto the center of the casting.



On the body piece the resin gets hot while curing. The hot air bubble creates a bulge, making a little hole to release the air while the resin is still soft then smoothing it down.



The finished body ready to be trimmed and sanded.