Dreamwalker: Construction

This guy was supposed to be for the MEPSA Extreme Makeover Custom Contest....but I decided that he'd be better for the Breyerfest Fantasy Customs contest (after my family convinced me to either cast him or sell him as an original art piece - he'd probably be a sales piece). I had been passively contemplating entering the contest, and in true form, decided at last minute. I actually got the body over Christmas/New Year's, but I didn't work on him until the first week of January. No offense to anyone who likes this mold, but the longer he was standing there on my desk - the more I realized why I was never attracted to the mold. It's a combination of how he stands, the pose he's in, and the way his mouth is formed. Interestingly enough, is the fact that he's sculpted by one of my favorite Breyer sculptors, Kathleen Moody (who's known for her crazy hair molds).

Who is the model?

Yeah, you're not going to believe this one!

He's Molokai, the 1999 Breyerfest Celebration model.

And he's weird!

I mean, how in the world did this guy get past quality control?

Not even the lady who I got him from even knew. She had two models on the same mold and suggested that Molokai would be a better choice to customize due to....

Wait for it!

His weird eyes!

Check out his picture here 

(I honestly have no idea just HOW I forgot to take some close-up pictures of his eyes!)

He literally has cat eyes!

But of course, before I grinded off the eyes - I decided to save the ears and whopp off the tail!

I Grind

You Grind [your teeth]

And the Creepy Eyes

Go Bye Bye!

(Don't know my reference? Watch the movie Spiderwick).

My plan was to have him laying down, sleeping.

Here's my original sketch. Keep this image in mind as you watch how he morphs into something I didn't plan on.

I didn't put spray foam inside him since it is not designed to be used only a little bit at a time and then stored. I was going to try the aluminum foil method, but decided that it would take too much foil. So, he's hollow all in there with the sticky side of the tape open to catch any loose stuff inside. After I completed sculpting him, I drilled a small hole in an inconspicuous spot.

I quadrupled twisted the wire for his lion-like tail...

I also covered that with the painter's tape so that the Apoxie would actually adhere to it.

When I was sculpting his "under" side, I used a piece of glass with a protective layer of wax paper so that I could get this side to be as flat as possible.

The body's ready for the hair embellishments.

This is what would be the mane - which is actually sculpted on apiece of painter's tape. The underside was sculpted first, then formed to the model's neck and left to dry before working on the other side.

I made the horn completely from scratch. It's not bad, could use some practice. However, I found that sculpting any size smaller that's magnetic like this one would have to be bought from someone who makes them from a mold or 3D printing.

Stay tuned for the next installment of Dreamwalker's progress!

Color!!

And just in time for NaMoPaiMo, too!!!