KU's The Lord of Dreadwaste - WIP [Update: 14DEC2008 - Burned and Broken]

[KingUnicorn]

[Edit: I've been reminded that my last three pieces were Fantasy-oriented, and a request has been made for something more Sci-Fi. So, I've made some minor changes to the style of this project without having to revamp the entire composition I'm after. As I'm a terrific fan of Sci-Fantasy, I'm certain we'll see something of that sort manifest here.]

Well, friends, it appears there are all sorts of great WIPs underway here, so rather than sharing my latest project at the end, I figured I'd join in on the fun and contribute some step-by-step progress.

This project will be broken into three separate components: a female adventurer, The Lord of Dreadwaste, and a base on which their encounter occurs. As you might expect from my previous work, there will be all sorts of armor, weaponry, scary bits, and grotesqueries.

To help add to the drama of the scene, I'll be working at roughly 1/10th scale. This will put the female figure at approximately 6' tall and the male figure (the subject of this piece) at just over 10' high. I've already posed the female armature to kick things off, but have included the start of the male armature below for a size comparison.

Away we go...

~KU515158

[Artastic]

I'll be watching...:D Can't wait to see what you do here friend. :D

[maddmaestro]

I look forward to your posts all the time, KU. This boths looks and sounds very cool so far. I love getting a glimpse into the work process! Keep on pushing forward my friend!

Maddmaestro:afroboy:

[dreamsorcerer]

Hey Master Unicorn buddy,

I must say that is the most tidiest, neatest armature in my life! Mine is a complete mess lol Anyway, really looking forward to seeing the progress my friend, and the sizes that you're sculpting sounds perfect. Let the show begin! :D

[Wiggins]

I'm watching the new WIP post popping up all over here that I'm forgetting I still have a sculpture in the fridge waiting to get clothes...

Can't wait to see when it gets into the scary bits...oh man I love bits.

[original willow]

I agree with dreamsorcerer, those armatures are beautiful. Mine always have bits of tape, bends where I didn't want them, wire ends, and usually some of my own blood.

I love wips. Thanks for sharing.

[KingUnicorn]

Sorry for the slow progress here. No sooner did I kick this off that work ramped up and I had to set this aside for a bit. I'll have an update tonight: new photos and progress made.

Armatures: Haha! These are perhaps the cleanest I've worked up. I have some real monstrosities haunting my past experiences. Of course, it's whatever works best for you. If you need something that looks like an abstract metal sculpture, go for it. A bad armature - no matter how cleanly built or roughly constructed - can create some real headaches.

The anchoring of the feet is a new process I'm trying out for this. I wanted something that would hold firm during the bulking out of the base of the figure and then be easily unfastened and cut away during the clothing/detailing phases. We'll see if this method works out any better for my process in the coming days.

~KU

[maddmaestro]

Sweet work on this, KU. I find myself doing the same with my pieces sculpting them nude and then adding clothing and features. Nice progressso far...

Maddmaestro:afroboy:

[dreamsorcerer]

Hmm.. I dunno about the head though.. it's a bit stumpy isn't it? Heh heh.. only jokin' matey. :P Really good so far dude, anatomy's good everything's in it's right place. And I really like the pose, it looks very interesting. Looking forward to seeing more :D

[KingUnicorn]

Hey, guys - thanks for the comments. I went to bed last night believing I was happy with the progress, but that didn't last.

Some time in the wee hours of the morning, I decided the figure was a bit too "Muscle Babe Amazons From Planet Nebulos!" so I started the process of really slimming her down. I want her to appear more like an intergalactic wanderer/scavenger and less like a beefy warrior. For this, she needs to have the build of someone that spends a lot more time wandering through craters and space caves than lifting at the colonial gym or popping strength boosters. There's time for that later on.

So the slimming process began with hacking off everything above the waist. The next update should reveal some exciting changes.

D-Sorcerer: Gee, my An Android's Explanation of Human Anatomy reference book clearly reveals that men and women have a stumpy, metal rod implanted in the center of the cranium. Be glad I'm not using that book for reference of internal organs. A TOASTER OVEN GOES WHERE?!?!?! :D

~KU

[KingUnicorn]

Okay, my freaky darlings - we're finally moving forward again now that a few other commitments are out of the way.

For our latest update we have a slimmer, trimmer female adventurer. I've tooled over most of the areas I wasn't happy with, but am reminded that this isn't going to be an anatomical study. It's time to move on...I'll clean up a few loose bumps, smooth out some rough areas, and get this girl into some appropriately adventurous attire...

Work continues...

~KU

[maddmaestro]

Nice work my friend, it definitely looks softer and more feminine. I think the thighs look a bit unusually long...i could be wrong though. Looking forward to the next update...

Maddmaestro:afroboy:

[KingUnicorn]

Hey, Madd-M. I measured off her left leg and it's a bit too long. I've back it up and reset the knee to shorten it up. Thanks for the catch.

~KU

[maddmaestro]

No problem, King Unicorn. After all the advice and help you've given me, I'm glad to return the favor. Keep on amazing my friend!!

Maddmaestro:afroboy:

[Flipnastywebby]

i like the adjustments you've made to the muscles and proportions

excited to see more
:pirate:

[KingUnicorn]

Well, friends - holiday madness aside - we're live again...

Here's a small update on the progress with the female adventurer. I'm working out the armor and hardware and baking things according to the slow build up of elements. By identifying the areas that need to be built out first and planning ahead, I can avoid creating some problem areas that I'll need to fight with at a later point.

The "Gun Arm": A few years ago, I found a great tutorial on the process of a Japanese garage kit builder working with epoxy. He roughed out a lot of the key elements in epoxy and then worked over the shape and details with small files to create the hard lines and "tech look" of his weapons. I'll be following the same process on the gun arm and the rest of the armored features.

[Edit: I'll see if I can locate the filing process to share with everyone.]

Work continues. Thanks for looking.

~KU

[guggemmaneuver]

is she standing on a hatbox? a hatbox full of ass-pats?
speaking of which:

very freaking cool KU... Keep going!

see ya soon hopefully! I wanna order my KU self portrait bust!

m

[maddmaestro]

The armor bits are looking pretty sweet! Can't wait to see more...

Maddmaestro:afroboy:

[nofingers]

This is looking mighty awesome. Are those little ball bearings in the armor? If so, where'd you get them? My only concern right now is that she appears to be on the verge of falling backwards.

[KingUnicorn]

G-Gem: A hatbox of ass pats. Haha. It's just a little box I had on hand. I like being able to quickly adjust the height of the piece by taking the top off or putting it back on.

Mad-M: Lots more armor to come. The silhouette I have in mind for her has a lot of bulk around the shoulders and head.

Nofingers: I keep a box of "bits" on hand (something I learned to do back in my old miniature days) for adding details to the clay. I believe the "ball bearing" you're referring to is at the top of her left leg. That's actually a ball from the end of an earring I had. Most of the spikes and balls in my work are from piercing hardware. A cheap (and abundant) substitute might be BBs found at your local sporting goods shop.

As for your comment regarding her being on the verge of falling over, you are correct. It's a compositional element that will be better expressed when the two figures are completed and interacting with each other. Fight or flight, my friend.

~KU

[Aseyngel]

Good thing you slimmed her a bit. That is so much better.
Nice armour/gun, interesting with the small files-method (please do share) - but her feet are still very ugly ;-)

[rvbhal]

Very good so far ! I love those heavily armed Sifi female characters.
What scares me is the sculpting of armor and weaponry. All those artificial elements with perfect straight planes and lines. Must be terrible to do.
And to do it convincingly. The inclusion of real screws and parts is a good idea!
Post some close ups later on , Yes?

[Flipnastywebby]

i always said that if i lose my arm i want an arm cannon
sick up date man
keep it up

.....ARM CANNON!

[Breath of Life]

"grotesqueries" .... haha... Looking good so far. Am I the only one who can't see the first several images?

[KingUnicorn]

Aseyngel: Haha! I have to agree. Slimming her down made all the difference. As for her feet, we'll just have to see what happens...

rvbhal: I'm working to cultivate a level of comfort with certain elements I'd typically avoid. As a passionate fantasist, I spend a lot of time away from high-tech, mechanized details. By doing so, I'm cut off from an entire arena of possibilities. This project has been a learning experience and I'm learning a lot from my mistakes. I'll provide some detailed shots once the first figure is wrapped up.

FlipNasty: Hey, man. Thanks for stopping in. I appreciate your support.

Bo'Life: Ah, grotesqueries. I have a strange fascination with things that appear beautiful, but are actually quite rotten (and vice-versa). I don't know what's up with the images. I've got another update coming soon, so I'll reload the pics and see if that has any effect.

All: Slow progress. I'm juggling a few projects and this is the one I work on during the in-between times. I'll have an update this weekend that will be a decent jump forward from the last.

~KU

[dreamsorcerer]

Oooooh.... nice work matey :) (short but sweet message.. hope it says it all?! lol)

[KingUnicorn]

All: I've reupped the images in this thread. Here's hoping that whatever interrupted their showing previously is dead and gone.

D-Sorcerer: Thanks for stopping by. I hope the move passed without incident and you'll be returning to the sculpting table for updates soon!

Bad News: I typically do my baking in the late hours of the day to avoid any conflicts with meal preparation. Yesterday, I broke my long-standing habit and decided to commit to a long bake late in the morning. I told my wife that I had sculptures in the oven, but failed to remind her that they would need to cool through the afternoon. So, when I caught the distinct scent of burning wood and scorched SS, I realized my error.

Fortunately, she was just preheating the oven and the 350 degree temperature had not been on long enough to cause any serious harm.

Unfortunately, pulling the sculpts from the oven and removing them to the brisk temperatures outdoors to prevent any toxic gases from filling the kitchen caused a rapid reduction in temperature. So, aside from some minor scorching along the top of the sculpt, there's now a nice crack straight through the midsection.

I'll do what I can to repair this and continue. I'd also advise that if you live with a roommate/spouse/etc. that you hang a sign on the oven reminding anyone who might want to ramp up the temperature that there's art at stake...Here's where she stands today...

~KU

[Kilh]

Ohh that's really bad news, but I'm glad the damage is not as big. Filling the crack with some soft sculpey or epoxy putty should get everything right again.

I'm looking forward to seeing more progress (and I really like what I see so far :) ). Will she get some huge steampunk-ish boots?

[sculptingmonsters610]

man that does suck if i were you id wait 'till the rest of the sculpture was finished and fix up the crack with some air dry clay or epoxy putty

[maddmaestro]

Looking good though even with the crack! Keep plugging away my friend. I am definitely looking forward to your next update.


Maddmaestro:afroboy:

[Breath of Life]

I say give her a flowing sash or something that will cover the crack and add a little contrast to all the techy parts.

[KingUnicorn]

All: Thanks for the comments and suggestions. I'm quite familiar with the slings and arrows of cracking. My first sculpts were made with the most horrific of armatures: sad, single lengths of 16 gauge steel that couldn't support the weight of the baked clay. I sorted the armature issue out first. The cracking seemed to follow suit. I keep a few epoxies on hand for such sour occasions. To be honest, I was quite proud I had worked so carefully through so many bakes before this happened.

Sadly, I discovered another crack running behind her right leg (left in the photos) and across the top of her articulate armor plate. A massive section of her thigh came off in my hands today. So, I'm going to move on with this and set her aside. She's not the focus of this project and I've been dragging my feet working on her.

It's on to bigger and better villains!

~KU

[tiger76]

god god god

[Mariahc]

so sorry, it's very frustate when after a hard work piece decides breaking, but don't worry you are a great artist, you could remake this proyect again if you want. The errors are the best teacher and teach a lot but sometimes are cruel teachers. Thanks for expose the progress, I want to see your next work!