- Ginger - Chicken Run Egg 1

Today was a very tiring day at work and I
got home late to top it off. I'm ready to pass out and I almost talked myself
into trying to take a small nap and then getting up in a few hours and posting a
blog but I know that probably won't happen and I'll wake up just in tome to
leave for work again. So I'm writing this now... half asleep.

About five years ago I found this really cool
and rare item on ebay and spent way more than I should have getting them. I'll
post a new egg every time I have a day like I had today and need a bailout post.
When I have posted all of them I will post the awesome package they reside in.

First up is one of the stars of the movie
- Ginger. Chicken Run is one of my favorite movies and if you haven't seen it
yet then you should definitely do so immediately. What can be funnier than a
WWII style escape film but staring chickens?

Creating a "buck" and Mountain Lion watch

I'm trying to figure out how to make my own blister packages and this was my
first crack at creating a buck. I believe it's called a buck anyway, It's what
you have to vacuform over so that when you stick your object into it it fits
securely and doesn't want to wiggle around. I spent all kinds of time trying to
find someone who has done something like this before online but was never able
to find anyone to learn from. I made a few mistakes but I think this is going to
work. I sculpted this right over the resin cast so I was sure to have a pretty
good fit. I'll post more about this process and what it's for soon.

On a side note, I heard what I could have sworn were Mountain Lion roars the
other night, both from a mother and a cub. I could tell the difference because
they were right outside my studio door. The next day, I found these prints after
work, they seem to overlap just like a cat's walk would. These were right next
to my truck so it was a little nerve racking.

Dimming the lights

I was able to work on turning some old extension cords into extension cords that
had the ability to dim so that when I hook a light or two into one I can control
the brightness. I hooked one up to the set which I fixed to the frame and one is
mobile so I can use it anywhere I like. They work well and I hope to use them
for some animation as well. I shot a small video to test
this new video feature when I upgraded my site. I hope to try and do more videos
soon.

Tony Merrithew Interview

Tonight I thought I would post about a good friend of mine who has been a great inspiration to my own art and has helped me out a lot by providing tips and tricks and also just really cool stories about doing his own work when he started out at Will Vintons.

Below is a fantastic interview with Tony that's well worth a read, I have taken a small portion from it below.

Check it out HERE

What wisdom could you give us, about being an Artist? Do you have any tips you could give?

Keep in mind that when doing commercial work for a studio it isn’t necessarily the way you’d do it if it were up to you and in your own studio but it still requires 110% of your effort and can be a tremendous learning experience. As far as being a fine artist goes, stick with your own style and don’t try to jump around to what’s hot or trendy at the moment. You’ll be happier expressing what’s in your own heart in the long run.

You can check out more of Tony's work through his Website and also his Facebook page where he is always posting cool stuff

First Post of the 365 Day Blogging Challenge

Hello Everyone, I'm entering a blogging challenge with my good friend Jeff Lafferty and a few others. We are trying to go 365 straight days blogging about something, hopefully it will be related to art most of the time. I always seem to have excuses ready and never end up posting very often. This will be a challenge for me but I also think it will be motivating and fun. I'm sure everything I post will not always be the greatest but I invite you to to follow our blogs and please comment once in a while.

I have always wanted a area set up permanently for animation but I have always had very tight areas to work in and never really had that option until now. I have been trying to design and setup my first permanent animation area. So far it's been going pretty well. I want to be able to do 3d clay animation on it as well as 2D clay on glass animation. I am setting up the clay on glass rig now so this will be what I post about till I finish it.

I have also upgraded my website here and now have more options than I have had in the past. I hope to work on the site more and keep it fresh.

Thank you so much for visiting and I hope you decide to return, comment and keep me in line and posting.

Only 364 days to go...

FoxTrot Clay Comic

Well, This is my latest attempt at keeping a blog and here is my first post. It's a "clay" comic, one of which I have been collecting whenever I am able to find one. This is Foxtrot by Bill Amend. I hope you enjoy it and am looking forward to welcoming you to my new site which is under construction soon, I hope you will stop by again. Thanks for visiting!

Alone In The Dark WIP -> Sculpt Progress

I just started on the sculpt a few days ago due to complications. I had been waiting for the LED's to arrive and had not yet done so when I needed them. I need them to sculpt around so that I get a perfect fit when I'm making the molds. I did start on a quick sketch of the hands but quickly destroyed it simply because of it's size. Carnby would have been huge had I gone with that scale.



Once I got the LED's I started a new set of hands and then worked myself up to the head and have been there for about 7-8 hours now. I am using a buddy's new wax and so I had a bit of a learning curve to contend with. I have really put myself in a pickle in many regards now. I am sculpting with a foreign material. I have about $850.00 of my own money in this project. I have very little time to get through loads of work i.e. Sculpting a human likeness realistically, Molding, Casting, Painting. I have physically demanding day-job. Countless hours of researching and blogging. And of course the huge fear of flipping it all up at any second.... But I'm having a total blast!!! Anyway, here is Carnby as he was a few hours ago. Feedback would be great, Thanks for looking!