Topic: Predator sculpt (Read 334 times)

troggs · « **on:** September 26, 2011, 09:38:54 PM »

Hi all, this is my first post, this is my second sculpt, my first was a pred bio, this is my take on a slightly different pred. I wanted to do something different with the bony ridges on the sides of the head, so I thought I would have exposed bones/horns.
I haven't done anything to it for a few weeks, not with Halloween taking all my time.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy, any comments, criticisms etc most welcome, thanks for looking, Derek

Lost in the Orient · « **Reply #1 on:** September 27, 2011, 04:24:02 AM »

Looking good. Seems to me that the mandible area needs some refining to make it look more organic. The horns are a great idea. I would say though, that it seems your sculpting form is a bit small. How are you keeping it from tipping over from the weight of the clay?

troggs · « **Reply #2 on:** September 27, 2011, 09:13:12 AM »

Thanks, something has been bugging me but I couldn't put my finger on it - I'll get to work on those mandibles. As to the form not tipping over, I've got brackets at the back the same as the front, with ty-wraps connecting them and crossed at the back. I'm also not sure if I've made the whole thing a bit too big, I've tried to allow for latex shrinkage, but I think I need to make some calipers and take some accurate measurements from a mask I've already got.

Lost in the Orient · « **Reply #3 on:** September 27, 2011, 09:29:40 AM »

Calipers are a fantastic tool that I fear a lot of effects artists, or at least beginners, underestimate the value of. I use them all of the time.

Take your time with it. Also, be sure to add plenty of texture once you are happy with the forms. One thing I notice with a lot of these pieces is they lack that final layer of texture, and it makes them look, for lack of a better word, masky. I would very carefully study shots from the first two films for proportion.

troggs · « **Reply #4 on:** September 27, 2011, 10:13:12 AM »

This will be quite heavily textured, at the moment I'm taking my time to get the shape exactly where I want it. I'm still playing around trying to get the look I'm after, I want the face to look quite brutal, more like the first than the second predator, if that makes sense.

Steve-O · « **Reply #5 on:** September 27, 2011, 08:31:53 PM »

Looking good, keep going

TheKingaSwing · « **Reply #6 on:** October 01, 2011, 05:50:59 PM »

Pred heads are a huge project, kudos for tackling it. Looking great so far !

troggs · « **Reply #7 on:** October 02, 2011, 10:01:23 AM »

Thanks for the comments guys, I can't do much with the sculpt at the moment as Halloween keeps me busy, looking forward to getting back to it soon.

Shegotenshi · « **Reply #8 on:** October 28, 2011, 07:53:56 PM »

It's a cool sculpt, look at refrence pictures of the king-predator, you'll find that the top head is large and bottom jaw more wide at the front and thinner at the cheekbones.

troggs · « **Reply #9 on:** October 30, 2011, 03:27:08 PM »

Thanks for the advice, now my halloween party is over I'm hoping to have the time to get back to the sculpt soon

Lost in the Orient · « **Reply #10 on:** October 30, 2011, 03:47:17 PM »

Another thing I noticed are the forms are good, but they are a tad lumpy. I would recommend planing them with some small rakes, like a wire wrapped rake or a guitar string rake. Just sort of clean them up, and then you can go in and add the smaller forms and finally the textures. This will help with the realism of it. What will you be molding and casting this in?

troggs · « **Reply #11 on:** October 30, 2011, 05:03:24 PM »

Hi, thanks , I will be doing a lot of smoothing out yet, I'm doing this as part of a full suit, so it will be moulded in a hard plaster, then cast in latex for a mask.

Lost in the Orient · « **Reply #12 on:** October 30, 2011, 05:05:09 PM »

I see. Slip latex I assume. Make sure you allow for shrinkage.

What will you be making the suit out of?

troggs · « **Reply #13 on:** October 30, 2011, 05:09:12 PM »

I've already made the skin, it was a flash costume on a duct dape dummy, covered in layers of latex then airbrushed. The hands and feet I bought ready made, I just painted them.

troggs · « **Reply #14 on:** October 30, 2011, 05:20:26 PM »

Thanks for the reminder about the latex shrinkage, I believe I should allow for 5 to 10%, so I need to make a set of calipers so I can use the mask I've already got as a reference, I've never used slip latex before.

Lost in the Orient · « **Reply #15 on:** October 30, 2011, 05:55:05 PM »

That is really one reason why I like starting with a lifecast. I think, to get the perfect mask form, you need to start with a lifecast and then roll out soft oil clay into the correct thickness and lay it over the cast. Smooth it out, and be sure to mark the eyes and mouth. You might have to also extend the neck too. Then mold that in silicone and cast up the final sculpting form. A lot of work and about $400, but it would certainly deal with the shrinkage.