Saturday, December 8, 2012

Here is my interpretation of H. P. Lovecraft, complete and replete with tentacular base.  The sculpture is 13" high.

I started off with a Monster Clay sculpture without the base, then a master cast was made out of a waste mold. I cut the waste mold off, so there is only one seam in the back, which was much easier to work with.  I added the urethane cast to the textured base, then sculpted the Elder Sign on his lapel, sloughed the tentacles over the edge a bit with Apoxie, and a few other clean up areas.  I then remolded the Master in a production pour case mold out of fiberglass and tin-based silicone (instead of the plaster bandage and silicone of the waste mold).  The mold is a 3 piece case allowing for a nice flat inset for the base stamp.  The actual production cast, of which I made 9 for prototyping for technique and material, is hand rotocast in multiple layers.

Sculpture in process.

Prototype out of waste mold, before Elder Sign and other elements.

Unpainted master HPL cast with Elder Sign and finished tentacle work, awaiting shroud for production mold.

Shroud added to wall, right before fiberglass case created and silicone poured.

Production mold, finished and ready.

Unused marble swirl prototype in production mold.

Different material prototypes in homemade lightbox before final marble choice.


I finalized the deal the other day by cutting up the original sculpture, melting it down, and using it for another design.  The ability to be able to release yourself from these pieces is very cathartic.  Sculpture for me is very therapeutic, and addictive.  I usually only work on the sculptures 1 hour a day or less, so it helps me release tension and do what I love.  Meditative.  Oh, and it's fitting that the HPL clay went to my new Cthulhu sculpture :)