What's On Your Workbench? (Spring 2024)

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You can either share images and videos below as comments on this discussion or post your own discussion with your work.  So don't be shy, show us what you've got!

What's On Your Workbench?

Comments

  • Darrell GreenDarrell Green ✭✭✭
    edited March 27
    My current bench includes cosplay builds/improvements for Adam Ant (80s and now), Bard the bowman, and Will Turner. Adam Ant Now had great success with above the waist but I still need the hussar pants and boots before the Ant tour in May (already going but my locale is May). Adam Ant 80s is complete for the costume and props but I am trying to find a Horse Carriage for the Stand and Deliver album cover pose. This will require de-aging processes, so I am excited to show off what I have currently in the toolbox.

    Bard got a bow, quiver and arrows since the original build. For my upcoming set, I will also be adding a wig front. These will be forest photos so very much like his posters for location.

    Will Turner is also complete but has been awaiting my weight loss. I do finally have 5 locations scouted for final pics.

    Here is my finals for Adam Ant 2024 (will be wearing the stage outfit to the May concert):




    Continued thanks to Stan Winston School and our great forum tips. You make this the greatest hobby ever. Included in these builds, above pics, are lighting, photography, makeup, effects makeup, hair enhancements and faux hair, props, and staging. And my heart felt thanks for allowing a hobbyist to obtain the same level of pro input and resources available to industry track students. There just isn't any other place like Stan Winston School.
  • KD VillaKD Villa
    edited April 2
    I'm very new to sculpting. got myself signed up here after watching what was available on YouTube. Bought myself a copy of Beginners Guide to Sculpting plus a variety of anatomy reference books. This is my 2nd attempt with the 1st project in the book; a space girl. I trashed the 1st attempt at this phase, crap armature and struggling with anatomy and used WED clay so of course it dried and cracked. Its. . .  uhhh. . . coming along. I got the proportions wrong on the armature, the torso is longer than I like. I did correct the hip width, though, she was bow legged. Monster Clay (med/brown)
  • Darrell GreenDarrell Green ✭✭✭
    edited April 2
    I'm very new to sculpting. got myself signed up here after watching what was available on YouTube. Bought myself a copy of Beginners Guide to Sculpting plus a variety of anatomy reference books. This is my 2nd attempt with the 1st project in the book; a space girl. I trashed the 1st attempt at this phase, crap armature and struggling with anatomy and used WED clay so of course it dried and cracked. Its. . .  uhhh. . . coming along. I got the proportions wrong on the armature, the torso is longer than I like. I did correct the hip width, though, she was bow legged. Monster Clay (med/brown)
    Welcome!! Your first run seems to show more than a first timer's skill, for sure. 

    I found the Pathways to be super useful in giving me classes in order of skill level. If you click on the Stan Winston logo at the top, then the pancakes (three bars) in the upper left, choose "Pathways" and scroll down to Sculpture basics. 

    I did design first, though, but here is a direct link:

    https://www.stanwinstonschool.com/pathways/sculpture-basics-online-courses-for-beginning-sculptors-to-learn-basic-sculpting
  • KD VillaKD Villa
    edited April 5
    I'm very new to sculpting. got myself signed up here after watching what was available on YouTube. Bought myself a copy of Beginners Guide to Sculpting plus a variety of anatomy reference books. This is my 2nd attempt with the 1st project in the book; a space girl. I trashed the 1st attempt at this phase, crap armature and struggling with anatomy and used WED clay so of course it dried and cracked. Its. . .  uhhh. . . coming along. I got the proportions wrong on the armature, the torso is longer than I like. I did correct the hip width, though, she was bow legged. Monster Clay (med/brown)
    Welcome!! Your first run seems to show more than a first timer's skill, for sure. 

    I found the Pathways to be super useful in giving me classes in order of skill level. If you click on the Stan Winston logo at the top, then the pancakes (three bars) in the upper left, choose "Pathways" and scroll down to Sculpture basics. 

    I did design first, though, but here is a direct link:

    https://www.stanwinstonschool.com/pathways/sculpture-basics-online-courses-for-beginning-sculptors-to-learn-basic-sculpting

    Thanks! I've enrolled, so far, in both Sculpture pathways. As time goes on I'll be diving into the Painting, Mold&Casting, and Mechanics/Animatronics courses. I have a tiny bit of experience playing with foam clay (augmented a craft pumpkin) and I came across a YouTuber who does a lot of work with polymer clay. I've found that to be helpful for learning how basic shapes combine to make something not-so-basic. I flip between working on my space girl (cause she's gonna take some time) to doing some simple thing with the polymer. It gives me that instant gratification feeling cause they don't take a lot of time to do. That being said, I've still only completed 2 polymer sculpts; a simple owl and a replication of something I've seen (Google Pinocchio weather vane under Image search). I had an idea pop into my head a couple days ago that I want to try related to MST3K. If I have time this weekend (family stuff and school stuff are fairly prominent right now, I'm in a masters degree program) I'll see what comes of it.
  • I’ve been working on a few human eyeballs out of clay for concept art for a (fingers crossed!) upcoming project. Painting my first subconjunctival hemorrhage (the watery bloody splotch) has been fun. 

    My dyslexia is off the charts trying to format this post. I hope it is all legible. 😅
  • eyeballs are cool
  • working on some foamy SFX for a new bodypainting series. Learning and remembering lessons from here with every casting. And cracked mould (ffs) 🙈 Milliput for plaster mould repairs anyone? who has some good plaster / stone supply tips in London, UK?
    anyhoo, its a ton of fun and some of my crazy ideas seem to work, others dont. And others are just one tweak or change in material away from working or so I feel.
  • Darrell GreenDarrell Green ✭✭✭
    edited April 7
    working on some foamy SFX for a new bodypainting series. Learning and remembering lessons from here with every casting. And cracked mould (ffs) 🙈 Milliput for plaster mould repairs anyone? who has some good plaster / stone supply tips in London, UK?
    anyhoo, its a ton of fun and some of my crazy ideas seem to work, others dont. And others are just one tweak or change in material away from working or so I feel.
    First, these look amazing. 

    I would suggest the molding and casting courses for sure. Look in the pathways on the main school page or just do a search in the class page for same. The first thing to stand out in your broken mold picture is no binder. The use of hemp fiber or similar string type substance in the mold does the same thing as rebar in concrete allowing the mold to withstand normal stresses and contraction from drying and or moisture uptake. Each of the molds using hard materials has something used as a binder where the soft pore does not usually include the same. However, if the mold, even flexible, is intended for a high rate of reproduction, I would still add some type of binder but I would ask the teachers here before doing so because it might inhibit curing. But hemp fiber or sissal for plaster and concrete is a known winner. Maybe a strap around the upper mold to give it an external strength too?

    I think I just wrapped my brain around what I am seeing in these pictures.... 

    What I thought was the upper is being flipped upside down? If that is true, the rounded surface is sitting on the table? It needs to be completely supported from beneath by either a full fill of plaster to give it a flat surface touching the table or it needs to be sitting in a box of sand that provides the same support. Like put a bunch of something, sand, towels, something that will form to that, inside a box, to keep it from wanting to have all the pressure on a center point expanding outward with no support. I am going to try to sketch something. I don't see in the process where the rounded surface came from, maybe ran out of plaster and just covered the mold with an even layer but it does need to be flat instead or supported from beneath by a bed of sand or similar.

    If the final cast is a material that expands, you will need strapping around the mold during casting so the pressure is released through vents rather than it deforming your mold. If so, vents would need to be present in the design. And now after my rant, the instructors can give us the real scoop.

    Either way, great sculpt. This looks cool.
    Post edited by Darrell Green on
  • Newbie here.  Working on lizard/scarecrow.  (Med. Sculpey clay) I have so much to learn!  And yes, that’s a paper towel dispenser that’s supporting the piece. lol.
  • Larry Dale Sowell nicely done. looks good. Love the use of kitchen roll holder.
    Darrell Green cheers mate. yeah I completely neglected the substrate filling for structural support in the plaster. I am pretty sure the repeated clamping down weakened the mould until it reached fail point. But I got like 12 castings out of it with different recipes so there s that at least. I ve got the full subscription for a long time now, so I ve seen most of the vids but sometimes I forget stuff and / or storm ahead in true ADHD manic creative rush activity  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
    had another mould crack before I even got to casting. it was reinforced but I was too impatient and tried to pry it open before it was ready. argh. good enough to do a quick slip cast in high shore rubber to rescue/copy the sculpt.

    interjected by a quick 6hrs helmet build for an impromptu photoshoot. in which we ended up NOT using the helmet. meh, it was fun


  • Larry Dale Sowell nicely done. looks good. Love the use of kitchen roll holder.
    Darrell Green cheers mate. yeah I completely neglected the substrate filling for structural support in the plaster. I am pretty sure the repeated clamping down weakened the mould until it reached fail point. But I got like 12 castings out of it with different recipes so there s that at least. I ve got the full subscription for a long time now, so I ve seen most of the vids but sometimes I forget stuff and / or storm ahead in true ADHD manic creative rush activity  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
    had another mould crack before I even got to casting. it was reinforced but I was too impatient and tried to pry it open before it was ready. argh. good enough to do a quick slip cast in high shore rubber to rescue/copy the sculpt.

    interjected by a quick 6hrs helmet build for an impromptu photoshoot. in which we ended up NOT using the helmet. meh, it was fun


    Very cool helmet...6 hours only? I would say that time frame requires years of similar work and a lot of creative scrap laying around. I've spent more than 6 hours looking through the hardware store for parts for a single project. Are you the Wolf whose name comes up in the recorded live classes where students were present or linked in?
  • @Darrell Green cheers mate, yeah, I guess I am that Wolf 😁

    And yeah I ve got loads of stuff lying around. Many Many tubs full of found plastic bits n parts, rolls of fabric and foam, off cuts and greeblies and a hardware store across the road. Plus many patterns and decades of sketches and ideas and pre collected project bins. The base for the helmet is the Evil Ted basic Helmet pattern and then just layered foam cord (cut in half) and glued on foam off cuts. And SFX latex test castings that were going to waste otherwise. those corrugated tubes.

    keep us posted about yer Adam Ant. Im curious to the results
  • Working on some medical task trainers. The online courses have been such a huge help with making molds and casting silicone. 

  • Eric S said:
    Working on some medical task trainers. The online courses have been such a huge help with making molds and casting silicone. 

    You are already triggering my adrenaline response when I zoom in to the injury areas. I am super stoked to see the Stan Winston courses reaching into the med classrooms, very very cool.
  • Taillights for my Harley 

    Working on a new set of Taillights for my HD. I'll be removing the cross mounted stock system and mounting dragon heads on the vertical surface of the Fiberglass bags. They'll be lit by ether led's or Light Tape after being cast in red acrylic. Other work includes recasting the faring with dragon scales in carbon fiber.




  • Darrell GreenDarrell Green ✭✭✭
    @Darrell Green cheers mate, yeah, I guess I am that Wolf 😁

    And yeah I ve got loads of stuff lying around. Many Many tubs full of found plastic bits n parts, rolls of fabric and foam, off cuts and greeblies and a hardware store across the road. Plus many patterns and decades of sketches and ideas and pre collected project bins. The base for the helmet is the Evil Ted basic Helmet pattern and then just layered foam cord (cut in half) and glued on foam off cuts. And SFX latex test castings that were going to waste otherwise. those corrugated tubes.

    keep us posted about yer Adam Ant. Im curious to the results
    Finished the pants and modified the boots in time for the concert. Upon arrival the first lady to ask for a photo, clearly said "costume", so I didn't start with "I am not Adam" but it turns out that she had already asked my wife. Since no one else asked and a crowd rapidly formed for photos, which then turned into several people calling out to me as Adam, I had to quickly and loudly say it was just a costume. After a lot of laughter and some hugs, the crowd went back in the building. I received several "Thank you for telling us so we didn't look foolish bragging to our friends", several more hugs, a handshake and a 2 dollar tip. The wife and daughter got most, if not all, on pics and video. I put most in my Adam thread here on SWSCA but these 3 were the rapid progression in under 3 minutes:






    My wife and daughter ended up pushed off the sidewalk, into the street. After I told everyone, it took only a minute to become this, fans taking pics with other fans :) Everyone but maybe 3 people had gone.




  • I really need to start using this forum more. So many cool projects! I just finished this Michael from The Lost Boys bust and I am just starting to make another Char Man from Beetlejuice. 

    Michael is semi rigid urethane resin, painted with Tim Gore’s bloodline, dental acrylic teeth, and a synthetic wig. The base is the same resin on the top with 3D printed lettering. I airbrushed and dry brushed color from the back and glossed it with Alclad aqua to try to recreate light reflecting on water. It ended up being kind of a cool optical illusion and I am pretty happy with the results. 
    I wish I could find a better affordable wig though. It’s hard to tell in the photos but I cut out a lot of volume, painted it with different shades of brown and finished it with matte varnish… it helped but it could be better.
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