Mon 20 Aug 2007
Satisfied with modelling job from the previous evening, I gave Pete a quick coat of paint. Using inexpensive craft paint purchased at the dollar store, I first primed Pete with a coat of white, and then applied successive coats of various colours until I had blocked in his basic features. I emphasized some of the highlights in his clothes by lightening the original shades and dabbing them atop the original colours until I was satisfied with the coverage ‘ my goal was to use paint to distract from some of the modeling defects.
Finally, I watered down some burnt umber paint, and washed it onto the figure ‘ paying particularly close attention to the facial features ‘ and dabbing the excess with a paper towel, until Pete’s features were clearly visible.
I’m happy with the way the figure turned out. While I can only see his flaws, I do know that from a comfortable distance he looks good, and is somewhat more believable because of his muted colour scheme, and dull sheen.
If time permits, I’ll attempt to add some additional figures to the railroad, perhaps even a scarecrow. Until that time, I have dozens of pumpkins to model!
Firstly, I used a wire armature for the body rather then tinfoil as it was more rigid and allowed my to pose the figure more easily. Using a proportional template ensured that the basic dimensions of the figure were correct. I systematically sculpted each detail starting at the feet, baking and re-baking the figure each time I added new details. The polymer clay tended to darken each time I baked it, so you can see how I started with the feet and worked upwards. Each time the figure was in the oven, I sculpted several heads in an attempt to come up with a suitable visage. By the time I had finished the body I had created about a dozen mediocre heads. I selected the best of the bunch, and attached it to the body with a bit of clay.
