Finishing Mr. Undercroft (Patreon)

     When we last left this guy, he was mostly done. The fog needed to be painted and touched-up, he needed some detailing, but mostly his base needed to be painted. But it's important to be cautious at this stage (especially if you're as anal as I am), as this is when it's important to be looking for all those needed touch-ups and details. Once it's packed and shipped out. it's too late. Any mistakes missed I'll have to live with. Details include shadows and highlights, making sure those buttons pop, extra coats of gloss on the eyes and mouth, etc.

     Here you can see some of the details on the hand, as well as the fact that I haven't put any gloss on his nails yet (he's rich, so I assume he gets manicures). You can also see that I've shaded the fog to accentuate the cartooniness in the swirl.

     You might also notice--especially if you refer back to my original sketch--that I've substantially changed the position of the arms. The original design wasn't "aristocratic" enough, especially for a guy who really wants you to know how wealthy he is. A plan is essential, but it's also important to remain flexible when changes are needed.

     This angle brings up something I forgot to mention earlier. Both of these figures' bodies are mostly paper clay, but the heads are polymer clay, which is heavier. For the head and neck to jut out the way I wanted, the join between neck and torso had to be strong enough to hold up to the force of gravity.  So not only did I make sure that the screws-in-Apoxy Sculpt interlocking bond was solid, I also rigged a kind of wire garrote that looped around the dowel of the neck and was anchored partway down the back, ensuring that the head cannot fall forward.

     And here he is in his final...I don't know...glory? I must confess that the last few days were spent battling the shine of the acrylic paint. I used a matte varnish which simply did not work, so I had to live in a toxic cloud of Dull Cote while I applied coat after coat, trying to beat back that damned shine. Luckily, after I got it where I wanted, I remembered to go back and reapply gloss to areas I wanted shiny, and silver acrylic to the buttons. I'm never satisfied with my work, but as long as the client is, that's what matters. 

     Then there was the matter of packing and shipping...but that's another horror story. Happy Halloween, everyone!