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| Revision Log | |
| 20 October 2000 | page first published |
1,887 hits since 20 Oct 2000
©1994-2024 Bill Armintrout
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The guys in the studio grew more interested today as I finally began to add detail to the upper torsos. They have been waiting to see how I handle some of the difficult problems inherent in such a weird creature. I began with the task of building up the stomach muscles. This sets the line of the torsos and establishes the front of the belly. It's a fairly easy, though repetitive job.
I begin by laying on a piece of putty in the rough shape of the belly, before using a sharp-edged tool to press in the outlines of the muscles. This is kind of like sketching in the muscles, but then you have to shape them properly so that they look natural and fleshy. I use the flat edge of a dental tool to gently curve the edges of the muscles until they look right. If the creature were real the skin would crease where the body curves, and it's an easy task to add a few deep creases in the putty to give the impression of folded flesh.
Here's a handy tip for anyone who wants to have a go at sculpting: Do not stick your thumb in one area of freshly sculpted putty while you work on another part of the model! I did this twice today, to which the amount of cursing from the area of my desk will testify. The worst thing is that you don't realise what you've done until you come to let go. Only then do you notice the stickiness of the putty and the infuriating thumbprint, which has just squashed an hour's worth of work.
