Koralon Hydra Diary

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DAY 15

Day 15 was a good day! Well, better than yesterday, anyway. I began by finishing off the muscles on the last arm, which I accomplished without any of the previous day's anguish.

Next came another repetitive job - that of doing the hands. This is a fairly easy task, which entails folding a small piece of putty around the shaft of the weapons, splitting it into two (yes, two) fingers, then shaping it and adding small amounts of detail to the knuckles and creases on the inner side of the 'palm.' I strayed a little from the concept drawing here, because in the concept the Hydra grips its weapons with blade-like claws. However, these would be impossible to cast, and they don't convey the same impression of 'gripping' the weapon.

When sculpting hands, I do the thumbs separately, especially on a model of this size. This allows me to get the fingers in place before folding the thumb across them once they've set. It's one of those satisfying things that makes all the difference - that fleshy pad at the base of the thumb just seems to complete the hand.

The upper torsos are now really starting to take shape. When doing the heads, I begin with a basic oval shape for the skull. Again this provides a firm basis for adding the final layers. Getting the size and position of the heads right is important, and once I was happy, I could continue with the alien-esque details on the skull.

I decide to do two heads with the mouths open and snarling, and one with teeth together in a menacing grimace (well, that's the plan anyway!). I build up the heads in stages: skull, lower jaw, teeth, and finally the leathery lips that give the creatures' mouths their expression. I will also put a tongue in the open mouths. Not because the Koralon necessarily have tongues, but because it tends to look correct and it helps avoid cavities that might cause problems during production.

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