Fantasy Figures

Personal Project 2003: Fantasy Armor
By Glenn Hetrick
(Click on any image for a larger view!)

Hello again art fiends! Let me start by apologizing for my absence. I have been away from my artwork for the past five months while working on a film here in LA. To try to make up for my hiatus, I will be detailing a larger project for you in this article. If you haven't had a chance to read my previous articles, I encourage you to get a hold of them and give them a read because I won't be repeating info in this article that I have already covered in previous ones. This project was rather advanced, so the details may be confusing if you are not familiar with some of the techniques that I have covered in the other articles. With that, let's get started!

The whole point to this project was to demonstrate an ability to handle and supervise a major project from design to application. I began with multiple sketch versions of possible designs. I then picked the best sketches and laid them out using Adobe Photoshop to solidify the design ideas (see photos). Once I was set on a basic design concept, it was time to go to work.

Firstly, let's look at the preparation steps necessary for this piece of work. I started by having two of my artist friends help me get a life cast of my entire torso from my mid thighs to my neck just below my chin. We did this using Johnson and Johnson plaster bandages. There was no need for a full alginate impression because we did not need surface detail, just the form. There are many good books and videos on life casting out there if you would like more info on that step. I then fabricated a fiberglass version of my life cast mounted on two threaded pipes and attached to a solid working base. I also took separate life casts of my arms and legs and fabricated stone (Ultracal) positives.

I sculpted the chest piece and cod piece first. I used Wed clay because it is an extremely easy medium to work in when sculpting large pieces due to the facts that it is soft and water-based but can also hold detail and offers some really cool abilities when its surface is heated with a hair dryer. For many of the more complex symmetrical designs I came up with a timesaving shortcut. I sketched out the shape, photocopied it, cut it out, and then laid the finished stencil on a slab of 1/4 inch clay. I then followed the stencil and cut the clay to the exact shape. It is important to note here that I left the paper stencil on the surface of the clay until I applied the shape to the main sculpture! The reason that it is important not to remove the paper is that the Wed clay is too soft to hold its form, particularly the thin, long, sharp points common in this design. The clay would break off and the shapes would fall apart without the paper. However, the moisture of the clay helps the paper to stick to the clay very well and the paper in turn holds the exact shape. Once the piece is applied to the main sculpture, the paper can be easily peeled from the surface without damaging the detail.

When the sculptures were finished, I coated them with a couple of coats of Kryolan Crystal Clear to seal the clay, being careful not to fill in details while building up the coats. Too few and you will never get the clay out of the mold; too many and you find out later that you have lost much of the fine detail that you worked so hard to sculpt.

I then made Ultracal molds of the two pieces. The reason I went with stone molds as opposed to silicone was quite simply cost. This was a personal project and I financed the entire thing myself. The problem with using rigid stone molding techniques was that I wanted to get rigid armor plates out of the molds; rigid molds are not generally capable of producing rigid positives, but the cost of flexible molding materials is extremely greater than that of stone. By spending a few days on Research and Development (which is the fun part anyway), I found a great new alternative answer to this problem that allowed me to use the more cost-effective Ultracal to make my molds.

I found that I could cast my parts in a newer urethane product called 2011: New by Vagabond, Inc. By mixing this product off ratio (increasing the catalyst to base ratio to 1 part catalyst {A} to 1 1/2 parts base {B} as opposed to the normal 1 part catalyst to 2 parts base formulae) and adding cabosil to the mix as a thickener, I found that I could brush the resin up into the molds and still get all of the surface detail without air bubbles. I still had a solid 2 minute working time, and by working with multiple small batches I could get the entire piece, even in very large molds, and all of the material bonded to the previous batches as long as you did not let too much time pass between layers. The trick is to not let any of the layers fully cure before going in to the next batch. Thus, having all of your materials on hand, measured out and ready to use before beginning the casting process is of the utmost importance.

I pulled the piece out of the mold, beginning with the most cured (first poured) area of the piece. Getting the entire piece out of the mold completely while it is all still "green" (a term used to describe the brief time when a material is in a semi-flexible form between it "kicking off" and being "fully cured" into its solid form). The Vagabond 2011: New had a 5-15 minute green time when mixed according to my off-ratio formula. The people at Vagabond are beyond helpful and I encourage you to try their products if you are working on a project that requires solid castings.

You really have to watch this stuff and stay on top of it. If it sets up too much you will NOT be able to get it out of the undercuts of the rigid stone mold. If you pull it too soon, you are at serious risk of tearing the piece. *** You must experiment with small amounts of any new material before beginning your casting process or else you WILL waste large amounts of materials.*** While "green," it resembles a thick castable vinyl. I then placed the still very flexible piece back onto its positive form, the life cast of my torso, and using tape "tweaked" (made minor final adjustments to) the piece into its final shape. Within an hour the piece was fully cured to a wonderfully solid, rigid casting.

Using tape, I positioned and attached the cured casting of the chest to the life-cast. I then sculpted the neck/pectoral section of the armor on top of it. This process, which I used on the entire suit, ensured that the final pieces would all fit together and move properly. It was indeed much more time-consuming to do things in this order, but was more than worth the time investment to get the final product to fit and move exactly the way I wanted it to. I find that it is very important to balance your shortcut techniques with detail-oriented techniques in order to produce the best results, it all comes down to basically "picking your battles," if you will.

I repeated the "sculpting, molding, fabricating and then sculpting the next piece on top" technique for all of the pieces to my suit of armor. Separately I poured up Silcast resin castings of the Vampire Skull and horns for the shoulder piece from silicone molds. Once I had the final pieces cast up, I trimmed and seamed all of the pieces using mainly my Dremmel tool and either 5-minute epoxy or small batches of the 2011 material for patching. Next, I vigorously cleaned all of the pieces first with dish soap and hot water and then with alcohol. Residual chemicals and separating agents on your finished castings will ruin your paint job every time, without fail, and you may not even know it until your paint job is finished and the whole thing starts rubbing off because your base coat did not bite into your material.

Finally...on to the painting!! The inspiration for my armor comes from fantasy art and the concept of this suit was that it is constructed from the hide of some subterranean monster's exoskeleton and then trimmed and decorated with a mystical metal hybrid. In order to achieve this, I decided on a paint scheme that resembled a reptilian color pattern (spotty and mottled browns, greens and blacks) for the "monster hide" areas and a weathered copper-like finish for the metal areas. To add a mystical feel to the whole thing, I represented the magical quality of the armor by utilizing color shift iridescent paints and high quality ultra realistic metal finishes by AlClad II. I started my paint job by applying a solid base coat of Black Acrylic Spray Paint to everything. I then mixed up all of my colors. Using acrylic paint, Iwata Airbrush Medium, alcohol and water, I mixed up a very Dark Red/Brown, a very Dark Brown/Green, a Light Brown/Green, a Med. Brown/Flesh, a Light Blue/Green, and a Dark Brown/Black.

I applied a very random and blotchy dry brush layer of the Med. Brown Flesh to break up the surface and create varying areas of differing tones to paint on. This step goes a long way in adding realism to a three-dimensional paint job. Next, I loaded my HP-C with the Dark Brown Green and began to break up the surface even more by using the mottling techniques that I discussed in my previous articles. I repeated this process with the Dark Red/Brown but with a much more conservative approach, only hitting 20%-30% of the surface area of each piece and fading those areas out into the other colors.

Using tiny figure eight patterns (also previously discussed in detail) and my Micron CM-C loaded with the Light Brown/Green I broke up the entire paint job further. I then switched out the color and repeated the process using the Light Blue/Green in the highlight areas. After sealing the paint job to protect it from the very chemically "hot" paint that I was about to use, I loaded my micron with AlClad II Sapphire Prismatic Color Shift Iridescent paint and very sparingly added some blotchy patches to the darker areas of the paint job and even more sparingly all over. The thing to remember with these incredible paints is "easy does it." Too much of this stuff and you risk your paint job looking completely unrealistic. It also looks very different in different light sources, so you have to keep changing your light source and looking at your paint job from different angles while working with it. It is very easy to let these powerful colors get away from you. What looks like a cool shimmering dark purple inside can look like a screaming (almost neon) Aqua Blue under daylight. Check out their informative website for more information at www.alclad2.com.

I switched up colors again to the Med. Brown/Flesh and repeated the tiny break-up patterning all over the painted areas. Lastly, using my HP-C and the Dark Brown/Black, I shaded where necessary and broke up any areas that needed it and faded the "monster hide" areas into the "plated" areas. To tie the whole thing together and dull down any areas that were too contrasty, I misted light coats of the Light Brown/Green and the Med. Brown/Flesh where needed.

I started the plated metal areas by using a rich Red/Brown automotive spray paint (after properly preparing the surface, of course). Then I dry brushed a very Dark Bronze acrylic over that when it was completely dry. Another dry brush coat of a brighter Copper acrylic followed that, sticking to just the highlight areas this time. Next, using a Dark Brown wash I weathered it all down. I then very sparingly applied a patina chemical to enhance the weathering effect and to add some more realism to the overall effect. Finally I used AlClad II Copper metallic and Jet Exhaust paints in my HP-C to detail and punch up the metal. I also applied a few very light mists of these colors to the entire plated areas to tie them together and to add that shimmering metal look.

I sealed all of the pieces with very light coats of spray sealer. I could easily write three more articles on all of the finishing work: the leather work, leather painting, studding, trim, and furring on all of the rest of the armor, weapons and undersuit; but that is a story for another day. All in all I completed this suit of armor over the course of 7 months, working on it nights and weekends when I could.

If you have any questions or comments, as always, feel free to contact me. I hope you enjoyed this article and until next time, stay frosty! Glenn Hetrick - E-mail: mr.crowley@hauntedmansion.com.

On the Bench... and Beyond: The Gathering 2002
Reported by:  Tom Grossman
Tom's Model Page www.hummingline.com/toms.html
(Click on any image for a larger view.)

The Gathering/IPMS Region X Convention
September 27 & 28, 2002
Ogden Union Station
Ogden UT
Richard Engar rcedds@inconnect.com

Fourteen years ago, a coalition of three Utah model clubs conducted the first Gathering. There were 199 models the first year. There were 622 last year. This year, The Gathering hosted the IPMS/USA Region X Convention. All the hard work of the Utah clubs was rewarded with a larger than hoped for event. When the dust settled from registration, there were 1048 models on the tables.

Registration started Friday morning and closed for the day at 6 PM with the count already rivaling last year's attendance mark. The festivities moved to the Ogden Marriott for the Friday Social and Auction. After a great meal and brief intermission, the bidding began. Auctioneer Dick Engar and company went through a huge pile of models and surprise packages, most of which were provided by Douglas Models of Salt Lake ((801) 487-7752). Surprise package had at least two kits in them, mostly popular current issues. Lots of great armor, aircraft and automotive kits were won for bargain basement prices.
Registration began again early Saturday morning and closed at 1 PM. The exhibit hall soon closed for judging.

The dealers area was open during all show hours. There were several tables piled high with kits for sale. Besides new plastic, attendees could treat themselves to Iwata airbrush products from Ogden Blueprint and Art Supply (www.ogdenblue.com) or choose from the huge selection of decals from Great Models Webstore (www.greatmodels.com) . As usual, there were lots of treasures to find in the form of older, less common kits.

Besides the growing collection of models on the tables, Saturday had some great educational attractions. There was a good list of seminars presented by a noteworthy list of Rocky Mountain modelers. A Model Make-N-Take and Airbrush Test Drive for first time modelers was run during judging. The models and building supplies for the event were provided by IPMS/USA. Participants also got to use an Iwata Revolution Airbrush (www.iwata-medea.com) to paint their model with Model Master Acryl Paints (www.testors.com). Since all the materials are donated, these event are always free to all.

As you may have guessed, the judging took longer than expected because of the huge number of entries. The sheer number models on display was staggering. The level of craftsmanship was humbling. There were lots of splits in the usual categories and a good showing of entries for The Gathering's new category, the Triathlon. Each entry had to consist of three models, each of a different subject. In each category, the judges chose the usual gold, silver, and bronze winners. Embracing innovation, The Gathering 2002 was able to honor the work of more modelers in each category with the additional presentation of pewter awards. Gold winners received plagues. The others received smaller marble blocks with an appropriate colored plate. Entrants in the Junior categories were also treated to kits donated by Polar Lights. The list of sponsored awards had over 50 "Best of" prizes. Each received an engraved acrylic plaque with the name of the award and the sponsoring organization. It took quite a while to get through the list of winners.

The success of the show has brought attracted the attention and support of hobby industry. National sponsors include Iwata Airbrushes (www.iwata-medea.com), Excel Hobby Blades (www.exceltools.net), Polar Lights (www.playingmantis.com), Classic Warships (www.classicwarships.com), Xuron (www.xuron.com), Revell-Monogram (www.revell-monogram.com), Kalmbach Publishers (www.kalmbach.com). Such support made possible the great selection of items among the raffle prizes. Lots of great products were available for a $1 a ticket. The big drawing at the end of the day was for an Iwata Eclipse Airbrush set.

The Gathering 2002 was a huge success and a good time for those who attended; very inspiring sights and talented people to meet. Like every year, some of the best parts of the show were the result of time given by generous people. Like every year, there was a huge collection of great scale model build-ups to see. Like every year, there were lots of great things to find in the dealer's room and win at the auction. Events like this are great to attend. Events like this will only grow better if more modelers are willing to give some time to the effort. Like every show, The Gathering will always need more registration staff, more judges and more people willing to share their talents with seminars and Make-N-Takes. There's momentum growing in Utah to make The Gathering 2003 even bigger and better. Building a model and bringing it might make you a winner. Helping to make the show happen will guarantee your success.

The Gathering is proudly produced by Utah Scale Modelers Association Utah Miniature Automotive Guild IPMS/Salt Lake City

IPMS International Plastic Modeler's Society www.ipmsusa.org/.

 

 On the Bench and Beyond: Anime Modeling at NDK 6:
Reported and photographed by:   Tom Grossman
Tom's Model Page http://www.hummingline.com/toms.html
(Click on any image for a larger view.)

NDK Model Show
Nan Desu Kan 6; Sept 20-22, 2002;
Holiday Inn DIA; Aurora, Colorado

Subjects for anime models are based on characters and vehicles found in Japanese comics and Japanese animation The comics are called manga. The animation is called anime. These art forms have developed further and become a larger part of the culture in Japan than in the United States.

Anime kits are available in resin, vinyl and styrene. The popular series have names like Macross, Evangelion, Ranma, Cowboy Beebop, and by far the most familiar in America, Gundam. Anime Web Turnpike (http://anipike.com/) is an excellent reference to the anime and manga universe. Companies like Bandai, Hasegawa, Imai, Musasiya and Volks make the kits. Have you ever seen a styrene model with individual parts injected in more than one color? An excellent source of anime models can be found at HobbyLink Japan (http://www.hlj.com).

There are figures, planetary vehicles and spaceships. You can choose between civilian or military subjects. You still have to hide seams and apply good finishes. You can choose to make "factory clean" vehicles or "right off the screen" figures, using a limited pallet like the actual anime or manga. Or paint them to look real by giving them the color depths of the real world. Weathering, wear-n-tear and life-like skin tones can give the finished piece a very nice look. There are standards for the finished appearance of some subjects and a higher degree of artistic freedom with others. Like all modeling subjects, the possibilities are limited only by the imagination and practice of the builder.

The western states are blessed with Nan Desu Kan (http://www.ndk.cc/), a very successful Japanese animation convention that also has a great model show! The Art and Model Show at Nan Desu Kan is run by Sean Kneeland of Aurora, Colorado and a team of local devotees. Sean maintains the show's website (http://hometown.aol.com/ndkartmodelshow/index.html). This was the 6th year for the con and the model show and Sean's third year at the helm. The attendance has been higher each year. Holiday Inn DIA, near Denver International Airport, is the fourth and largest facility to house the con. The NDK Model Show is said to be the best at any of the major US anime cons. Even though NDK is an anime event, the NDK Model Show accepts any fantasy or scifi subject. Some new names appeared on the list of 21 NDK 2002 Model Show entrants. There were 70 competition entries and 14 for-display-only exhibits. This year's collection included super heroes, TV monsters, dragons, a Star Wars villain, Warhammer gaming vehicles, The anime hardware entries included a hand gun replica, a scratch built house, several of Hasegawa Macross Valkyries, Bandai Gundam mechs and a very creative Lego spaceship of anime fame. There were aliens, barbarians, TV & movie monsters, anime vampires and, of course, a delightful collection of anime girls. The whole range of possibilities of anime modeling was represented in the field. There are even candidates for next year's entries to be found in the dealer's room.

The Art and Model Show has interactive and educational offerings, too. A work area is set aside in the room with tables and chairs. In addition to the airbrush classes, this year's featured event was the Gundam Model Make-N-Take and Airbrush Test Drive for kids and other first time modelers. Participating con members got to build a model and paint it with an Iwata Revolution CR airbrush (www.medeaartool.com) and Model Master Acryl paints (www.testors.com). The donation of Bandai First Grade RX-78 kits by HobbyLink Japan (www.hlj.com) made it a no charge event. Thirty-one con members built Gundam kits at this year's event. The fun continued through the day and into the evening Saturday night. After the event area closed, several of the more devoted modelers at the con got together at the make-n-take tables for some modeling and camaraderie. It was a good time to share tips and try new techniques.

Sean has posted a complete listing of the winners and more pictures of the models at the show at the official NDK Art and Model Show web page (http://hometown.aol.com/ndkmodelshow/ndk6/2k2_msw.html). Lots of prizes were given away thanks to the generosity and support of Colpar Hobbies of  Denver (www.colpar.com), Lucky Neko Anime and Hobbies of Colorado Springs (harinezumi@earthlink.net), Excel Hobby Blades (www.exceltools.net) and HobbyLink Japan (www.hlj.com).

The 2002 show was a great time for all. Thanks to the participating members of the hobby industry who supported this event and came together to help promote modeling and the NDK Model Show. We've got something really special here. Nan Desu Kan 7 and the 2003 NDK Model Show are set for September 19-21, 2003 at Holiday Inn DIA. There were new names on this years attendees. Sean and the NDK Model Show Team hope that there will be more new names next year. Make plans now to be part of the excitement!! http://www.ndk.cc/

 

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