Koralon Hydra Diary

DAY 16

Well, another day of pain and strife bites the dust! I just hope the damn Hydra appreciates the agony. Yes, it's me moaning again.

The day actually started really well. I continued working on the heads and they came together just right. Like all the Koralon the Hydra has no eyes, and the combination of this with the numerous sharp teeth gives the heads a menacing appearance, though I have to say the overall effect owes more than a little to Geiger's alien (so thanks to Mr Geiger).

In keeping with our sculpting tips, I will give you a quick overview of the way I do teeth. (Try to contain your excitement.) Like so many stages of sculpting, it is best to work against something solid, so once I have the jaws in place I build up a small wall just inside the line of the jaw. Once this has set, I place a small roll of putty against this and work it until it is flat and even against the supporting wall. Now you have a line of soft putty into which you can press the shape of the teeth.

Doing clenched teeth is even easier. All you need is a small straight blade (try sharpening the blade of a small screwdriver to make a tiny chisel). Press this blade into the putty at an angle, then alternate the angle to give a kind of zig-zag pattern which will resemble interlocking teeth. The surface tension of the putty rounds off the edges of the 'teeth' and gives a pleasing result.

With the heads almost finished, I started working on the carapaces that will finish the upper torsos. I had been looking forward to this, but could I get them right - no chance! It's one of those deceptively simple things that can be really troublesome. As I have said before, the only way to get through these awkward bits is to keep working at them and try not to tense up.

By the end of the day I was starting to make some progress, but I was glad when it was time to leave. I will start afresh tomorrow. As you can see, I am not one of those sculptors who can just breeze through a model (lucky swines). Sculpting is a difficult job, so if you have problems yourself don't be disheartened - just persevere. When a model comes finally right it is very satisfying.

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