What's On Your Workbench? (Spring 2026)
Chris Ellerby
Admin
in General
We love seeing current projects from our community members. Sharing your work on our forums not only gets your work seen by a large audience but also motivates and inspires other artists. We may even feature some of your projects on our social media!
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!
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?
1
Comments
What's on My Workbench?
This section details the items currently arranged on my workbench, highlighting the essential tools and materials that support my creative process.
I have an A4 notepad for taking notes, jotting down ideas, and making quick sketches. Alongside this, there are two sketching pads that offer additional space for more elaborate drawings and designs.
To aid in precision and measurement, an 18-inch ruler is present, which is particularly useful for creating accurate lines and layouts in my work.
There are numerous sketching pencils and markers, providing a variety of options for both detailed and expressive artwork. Erasers are also available, allowing for corrections and refinements during the creative process.
An iPad equipped with headphones is included on my workbench. This device serves as a versatile tool for digital sketching, reference gathering, and listening to music or instructional content while working.
My Mel Gibson, The Patriot, is a little farther along with the powderhorn nearly complete, I have just the metal nameplate to complete. Also, sculpted his buttons from the breeches and coat.
I got a tip on the combat vest for my SG1 Daniel build and am now nearly complete there as well.
Still in the beginning stages for Leslie Zevo.
Kicked out a 2d3d assisted sculpt of Dumbledore's dragon, replicated the deputy badge from Tombstone from screencaps, the metal parts of Bilbo's backack, the upper clasps for Boromir's long coat, and Jareth's necklace. And, after several years, have identified the stitch pattern on Boromir's long coat edging (Janome MC8000 stitch pattern 69) which is no small feat as I see this information nowhere else on the internet.
Lots of little steps but no completions.
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.
So I've been working on my take on an old witch, so I've gone with the concept of Baba Yaga, a witch from old Slavic folklore in you're not familiar.
Recently I ran my silicone prosthetics and pre painted them. This is my first time making anything of this scale, and it's been SO fun
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...
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.
Finish & Paint Process
The head was 3D printed, filled, and sanded smooth to handle a proper chrome finish.
This approach keeps the finish reflective and gives that warm, film-style gold you don’t get from metallic paints.
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:
The biggest challenges weren’t just technical, they were physical:
getting clean audio in a closed shell, avoiding feedback, and keeping everything responsive.
Why Build It This Way
I wanted to push beyond a static prop and explore:
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.
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
Stay awesome 😎
DreamSorcerer