Evasive Species: Creating the Sasquatch
Over the course of the past year and a half, in order to keep myself busy during the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, I embarked on the most technically demanding project of my artistic career. Before the lockdown, I was invited to create an original sculpture for an exhibition titled Enchanted: A History of Fantasy Illustration at the Norman Rockwell Museum (link below). On March 13, 2020, lockdown issues had been ordered in Ohio and the exhibition was delayed for a year. Over the course of the next year, I would gain a new appreciation/disdain for the term "social distancing" as I began spending more time with Bigfoot than any member of my immediate family/social circle.
https://www.nrm.org/2021/05/enchanted-a-history-of-fantasy-illustration/
The finished piece, titled Evasive Species pushed me well past my comfort zone and forced me to become a stronger (and much stranger) artist. During this time, the tutorials from Stan Winston School of Character Arts provided much needed guidance and company in the studio. It is my great privilege, to share the finished piece with the SWSCA community now!
And now that you've seen the final product, here's a glimpse into the creative process that brought him to fruition . . .
The early foam armature for the head, next to death masks from a gorilla and orangutan. The maquette to the right was the initial concept for a full figure, which was later changed to a bust due to space restrictions at the venue.
The full-size clay bust, in-progress.
And a shot of me posing with the clay sculpt for scale reference . . .
Next, a fiberglass mold is made. 
After many layers of resin and glass the mold is pried apart. 
The original clay sculpt was destroyed in the process, but the mold was successful.
After demolding, cleaning, and patching seams, the paint job begins.
The tedious process of hair punching took 117 hours.
You can take a look at a 360 video of the final sculpt here, as well as more videos and process photos at Dan Chudzinski Studio on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CQHnnJyjiAU/
Thank you to everyone for taking the time to view my work!
Best of luck to everyone in the competition!
-Dan Chudzinski
https://www.nrm.org/2021/05/enchanted-a-history-of-fantasy-illustration/
The finished piece, titled Evasive Species pushed me well past my comfort zone and forced me to become a stronger (and much stranger) artist. During this time, the tutorials from Stan Winston School of Character Arts provided much needed guidance and company in the studio. It is my great privilege, to share the finished piece with the SWSCA community now!
And now that you've seen the final product, here's a glimpse into the creative process that brought him to fruition . . .
The early foam armature for the head, next to death masks from a gorilla and orangutan. The maquette to the right was the initial concept for a full figure, which was later changed to a bust due to space restrictions at the venue. The full-size clay bust, in-progress. And a shot of me posing with the clay sculpt for scale reference . . .Next, a fiberglass mold is made. After many layers of resin and glass the mold is pried apart. The original clay sculpt was destroyed in the process, but the mold was successful. After demolding, cleaning, and patching seams, the paint job begins.
The tedious process of hair punching took 117 hours.
You can take a look at a 360 video of the final sculpt here, as well as more videos and process photos at Dan Chudzinski Studio on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CQHnnJyjiAU/
Thank you to everyone for taking the time to view my work!
Best of luck to everyone in the competition!
-Dan Chudzinski
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Comments
Already saw this beauty on Insta and really love it!