Best Of

Hi everyone! I'm fairly new here, I wasn't sure where to post my work originally, so I posted on the general thread. But I think here maybe more suitable. I have past projects to show you and I'll be sure to post newer ones too. I'm really very slow at creating stuff. So I've been creating my own mythology through illustration and sculpture since the early 2000s and I wanted to share one of my characters called 'The Sagittarian.' It's made from Super Sculpey, Apoxie Sculpt and mixed media. I made some videos showing the process:
https://youtu.be/rejhFJtBPyI?si=qak_swd8Z5vd9AgD
https://youtu.be/J4NO9uVn0VI?si=ejvj8s02QMXEeZh_
Stay awesome 😎 
DreamSorcerer

Beautiful work, thanks so much for sharing it with us!   I love seeing the creation process as well. Great video!

/Chris

My real-life working C-3PO project (Spring 2026)

Hey everyone, wanted to share a recent project: a physical AI C-3PO head that you can actually talk to.

The goal was to treat this like a real prop first, not just a tech demo.  Something that holds up visually, then adds interaction on top.

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Finish & Paint Process

The head was 3D printed, filled, and sanded smooth to handle a proper chrome finish.

• Basecoat: Gloss black lacquer using Dupli-Color, followed by a 1K gloss clear to build reflectivity

• Chrome: Airbrushed Alclad chrome, applied in very light passes

• Gold Tint: Transparent candy layer using Tamiya clears (yellow + a touch of orange) to tint the chrome while keeping its reflectivity

• Final Clear: Sealed with a 2K automotive clear for durability and depth

This approach keeps the finish reflective and gives that warm, film-style gold you don’t get from metallic paints.

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What Makes It Different

Inside the head is a compact embedded system (Raspberry Pi-based) with a mic, speaker, and voice model, so it’s not just a display piece.

It’s essentially a physical AI system:

• You speak to it
• It processes and responds in real time
• The voice is shaped to match the character

The biggest challenges weren’t just technical, they were physical:
getting clean audio in a closed shell, avoiding feedback, and keeping everything responsive.

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Why Build It This Way

I wanted to push beyond a static prop and explore:

What happens when a character isn’t just something you look at, but something you interact with?

All of the finishing techniques I used (especially the chrome + candy workflow) were heavily influenced by what I’ve learned from this community, so I wanted to share how that translated into a full build.

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Would love to hear any thoughts or feedback, especially from a finishing standpoint.  Heres the video essay/demo video of it in action:  https://youtu.be/wB2CJm4sHcM

Hi folks, here's a project I worked on for five months. It's a double sculpture project so it's in two parts: 

https://youtu.be/lnn2ayKEqB0

https://youtu.be/dGwToFkKYgI

I could go down this rabbit hole for quite a distance as my favorite effects are disguise makeups. First, Margaret is a master. She created techniques that belong in every spy movie disguise montage. Quick, transforming, and fully possible for self application. That said, take the course linked above, you will load your transformation toolbox with tricks.

More to the question at hand, I think Colin Farrell as Penguin was just a truly different person. Hard to leave that one out of a conversation on disguise.

Hi Dave, I'm in GA and would love some more information on this. If email is easier for communication, I can be reached at leslierosadofx@gmail.com

In honor of the release of our new course, "Out Of The Kit Makeup: Prosthetics, Paint & Hair Work," which focuses on character transformations, we would like to reach out to our community here and ask....

What is your favorite disguise makeup?

Disguise makeups have given us some of the most memorable character moments in film and television, from subtle identity shifts to full-on unrecognizable transformations.

Drop your favorites below and tell us what makes them stand out.  We can’t wait to see what inspires you!

/Chris

We all have to start somewhere, right?

This project was practice for a variety of artistic skills.  My background is in electronics/robotics and I'd like to venture into animatronics, but I have a lot of creative skills to learn.  Watching plenty of SWSCA videos is helpful and inspiring.  Actually working on a project makes it real.

Skills I worked on: sculpting in Sculpey, prototyping in cardboard/hot glue from a reference, paper mache (wrong way and better way), 3D modeling in Blender (a long way to go), learning which end of an airbrush paint is supposed to come out of, using air dry clay and wood filler to add texture and detail to 3D prints, patterning, working with faux fur, deciding when to make changes/re-do and when to move on.

Go ahead and run the video at a faster playback speed - I won't hold it against you ;-)  Video production is not one of the skills I'm working on yet...

https://youtu.be/xIvvsLzJDLQ?si=HCnz_Y9jWlURgKym

Do you know how many projects I could get out of this upholstery foam? Anyone? I'm trying to decide if I'll have materials left over from my dragon.