Friday 23 March 2012

EMP Vinyl Toy - Small Town Folk - Axe Killer (not quite finished)

Killer Mask Guy from Small Town Folk. If you don't know the movie you should check it out, it was shot in my hometown.
This is made using a 4inch glow in the dark DIY Munny toy which obviously I've customised by cutting the ears & tail off, painting & sewing the mask. There's also an axe to go with this but it's not painted yet, I may add some detail underneath the mask and I'm also going to make a second mask as this one is removable. I tried some different techniques to paint this from last time. I used fewer colours for a start which proved to make it a lot easier as you don't have to constantly be waiting for it to dry. I also watched some tutorials on painting vinyl toys and was convinced to use a wash. I painted the dungarees in a cerulean blue, then washed over that a couple of times with an ultramarine to pick out the detail, and then once more with a brown to give a muddy appearance. Then I did a little dry brushing to a couple of areas in a white to make the clothing look worn. After inking in the outlines I added a really light splatter to the front & the hands. The key to painting blood splatter is to be sparing, otherwise it looks really unrealistic.

Face zipped up.


Face unzipped.


Left hand side.


Back with buttons on mask.


Right hand side.


The point of getting the glow in the dark vinyl was so that it would shine out of the eyeholes & mouth. Unfortunately taking photos of this has proved to be fairly difficult. I will sort this out.

Thursday 22 March 2012

EMP Poster 1: Big Trouble In Little China - The Guardian

Sees All, Knows All. 
The Guardian.
 
Squishy ball man with an eyeball in his mouth and tubes and things. Looking at this now the eye in the mouth needs sorting out but it's being fiddly and I can't make it work.

Wednesday 21 March 2012

EMP Vinyl Toy - Big Trouble In Little China - James Hong

Shape It, Bake It, Paint It.
Here's a timelapse (with some significant sections missing) of me creating my first customised vinyl toy. 


Music: Crystal Effigy by Our Time Down Here.

The subject is James Hong's character from Big Trouble In Little China. I used a 4inch Trexi model as a base and sculpey to add extra details. Also used a couple of screws as I felt that'd be preferably as a visual compared to trying to create a similar effect with the sculpey. Turns out this is actually really, really difficult & very time consuming but a lot of fun. Sculpting the right shapes without leaving marks is really awkward but it's a very versatile tool and holds a lot of strength in a thin sheet. I left the model in the oven for about 30 seconds too long and some sections of the vinyl started to melt which had to be rectified with a knife. Something to look out for if you make one yourself. Painting it was a delicate procedure which I completed in one colour at a time, luckily the model separates at various points which makes it considerably easier. Finished him up with some black ink details. One the paint is fully set (tomorrow) I shall be spray varnishing him for a nice shiny finish. I've already started my next one. Stay tuned.




It's all in the reflexes.

EMP Poster 1: Big Trouble In Little China - Wicker Hat Man #2


The second Storm from Big Trouble In Little China. It's all about enormous wicker hats.
I'm not as happy with this one as with the other characters, I may go back and re-work a lot of the detail and colouring. Just seems to be lacking something, maybe I forgot something. Don't know. I used the same colours for the face as the last Storm to keep it consistent. Next up I've got the third Storm to illustrate, then the guardian. Also I'm going to start work on my Troll Hunter poster and I'm halfway through painting my vinyl figure of James Hong. Photos to follow.