"skekMal - The Hunter" - 1:2,5 scale model

Lisa Riegel · July 2021

As I am a huge fan of "The Dark Crystal" and the skeksis I got highly inspired when the series came out. The impuls I felt while watching it was, oh WOW I have to rebulid the costume of skekMal! I totally felt in love with this character and as I am a part time cosplayer, THIS was what I wanted to create next. To challenge myself again to the next level.

I am a professional sculptor and fabricator from germany. Beneath the work I do for film I sculpt my own little creatures or do fanart. This model of skekMal (scale 1:2,5) was the first part I wanted to finish, to start with the progress of rebuilding the (wo)man-in-suit character. I will use it as a model for the big head I will wear with the costume. And as a fine-art artist this was just the perfect piece to get into the project.

For sculpting I used monsterclay and loads of tini-tiny tools to get the details as close to the original as possible. I sculpted him shortly after the series came out, so it was really hard to find good reference pictures. Another challenge I enjoyed. For the cast I build a silicone matrix-mold. Final material is PU-resin. For the paint I used airbrush and WICKED colors from createx. Finishing the paint with Liquitex matte medium. The eyes are handpainted in several layers and so freakin' small ^^

For scale I took a picture with my FAVORITE tool! THE TOOTHBRUSH! Master of smoothness ♥

I can highly recommed to get a collection of them, when working with plasticine, haha (and when you feel the need of brushing your teeth after working days and night without sleeping)... This is the way!

>>>original sculpt done for "The Dark Crystal - Age of Resistance" by Greg Polutanovich