My Finished Jack (Sparrow voodoo) Doll - POTC 4 OST

Nice man! For a temp head get a ken doll and do some magic!

There are two different heads, different expressions... The best shot of the head I think is in the last scene, after the credits, when Angelica grabs it out of the water, right? Maybe you can find a screencap?
A clear frontal image is very important to get the proportions right...

Is the doll supposed to be wood? How big is it? The likeness is very much like Jesus. If you could find some kind of primitive religious doll or wooden Jesus figure, I think you'd have a pretty good match.

A lot of versions indeed! The reason why yours has the "pretty boy look" is mainly 'cause of the proportions. The face is a bit to small compared to the head, so you get a baby-proportioned dolls head.
Made you a quick ballpoint sketch from the pic's you showed, maybe it can help you getting a clearer view on the profile.

The pic didn't show up at first and I thought the post read "make a sketch....." and
I'm thinking, "if you think my sculpting is bad, wait till you see my drawing....."

Thanks for the sketch! It helps me see the face better than looking at the pics of the
doll where I can't really "see" the face separate from the whole, even if I clip it out.

Shylaah

Hope it helps ,

Cheers

Shylaah, I think you're on the right track, you just need to work on the likeness. Maybe you could print that sketch to scale and use it as a model. Also, I've seen sculptors texturize clay with wood - maybe that would help your little guy. I'm looking forward to seeing this complete, because the rest of it looks great.

Bizarro Lois said:

---

Maybe you could print that sketch to scale and use it as a model.

That's a good one! I didn't think of that.
All the other parts you made look great, so I'm also looking forward seeing this completed.

Carving it out of balsa would definitely be the easiest way to do this. Have a look at the voodoo doll link I have in my sig, and get a few tips from there. The main thing beside the proportions, is that you are trying to do it too perfectly. The head itself is too round, the nose is too much of a, well, nose , but on the doll it's more of a wedge, the brow must go deeper, the mouth-hole too, and it's way too smooth overall. Give it a couple of tries in balsa, you'll be surprised how a go or two will give you an identical head to the screen-grab

Show us how the first try turn out, and we can guide you on the first as to where you can improve.

you are going on the right way..
i made mine ( as you know )
and the head i carved on a wooden spoon LOL..
some dreamel and a sharp knife.. sand papers

here we go mine: ( sorry if the pictures are to big )











Mine is not exact like the movie cos i didnt have at the time the right fabrics.. but i think looks quite ok..savvy?

jack sparrow voodoo doll - YouTube

By the way, thanks for linking to that wood clay. As soon as I read the term I thought it might be useful for when I eventually start building dummies. It's definitely not what I had in mind. In my ventriloquism book, they mention a substance called plastic wood that comes in a can. Does that stuff still exist, and if it does, is anyone familiar with it? I've heard that it has the texture of wood when cured. If Shylaah ends up going with the sculpted head instead of balsa, is that something she could use to pour into a mold?

Thanks for the compliments ever body, and special thanks for your input and encouragement!

This turned out to be quite lengthy, so you might want to put the kettle on and have a nice cup of tea and a long sit down for this!!

Dutchman: The sketch has helped immensely--many thanks!! I just can't "see" things like that, can't break 'em down to components. I've been working on the head I have, as the polymer is rather easy to carve......I have carved off some of those chubby cheeks to narrow the head up a bit. And have wiped the eye sockets. I am not opposed to starting at square one yet AGAIN , but thought I would try to salvage "pretty boy" as the hair/wig and beads are already attatched. And I carved off the chin--I was originally going to go with the regular mouth as per the El Capitan display doll, but when my friend did the screen caps, all the SU dolls have the "O" mouth, so I gave in to doing the "O" mouth, but for some reason never figured out this left the chin too "long"! I will get a pic of it as soon as I work on it a wee bit more.

Bizarro Lois: I'm not as concerned that it look like wood as I am that it look like the doll! The polymer is easy to work with and at least something I know a little about and is working out okay for me. That wood clay, well, it is a lot different from the polymer. It is an air dry clay and I can't work that fast!! It works good for "take away" sculpting, but it doesn't do good for "adding on" sculpting, well at least not at this wee size-- i. e. the nose fell off!!! I think they do still make that plastic wood. Remember working with it in school. Made a puppet head (small, goose egg sized). It's ....what?...solvent based?--stinks!! It dried rock hard and solid though, very tough stuff after it dries.

Paploo: Thanks for posting the pics of your Little Jack voodoo doll, Cristian. He is much more than just "quite okay", he is so adorable. And you put him together with such ease.....I guess being one of the most knowledgeable persons out there--make that THE most knowledgeable person out there on the subject of Jack and one of the best impersonators and most probably the most SA Jack costume that exists outside of Disney and Cosplay---that might have helped some in making the doll, yes?

Alan Castillo: Yes, I have perused your Indy voodoo doll tutorial at length, particularly how you did the head. I tried two carvings. My friend suggested "just go out in the yard and get a stick and carve it".....and that is basically what I did. Though it was actually a big chunk of pine mulch from my neighbor's tree ring!! I don't really have any proper carving tools (so what else is new!! ) and it just remained too flat, I couldn't manage to get any contour to it. Gouged out some eye sockets, plowed out a bit of a nose and rounded the chin area was about all I could manage with it.

I tried it in balsa wood, but I guess the piece I had to work with was just too soft of a piece. No luck getting anything with that, knife would just go too deep too fast and slice off or dig out too much all the time.

>>Show us how the first try turn out, and we can guide you on the first as to where you can improve. HA!!! Have you actually lived as long as you wanted to, Alan!?! For you will surely DIE laughing!!!!!!!!

BUT, what the hey, I do NEED the help!!! So, here are the heads I made to completion, two or three went right in the trash. Sixer (I'm gonna call him, thanks Terra Nova!?) he's not as smooth as he looks in that pic I already posted with the other heads.....it's out of focus and before I put on the facial hair and eye brows. The face is actually rather rough. (this is actually a GROWTH moment, as it goes against ever fiber in my being to publicly show FAILURE!!, yeah, nutz me!!)

I didn't at first like that "sex doll" mouth and vowed NOT to make it, until I found out that all the SU shots are the "O" mouth, so I finally just gave in to it, and now I have actually come to like it!? Go figure.....But all the other heads I made, I made with the regular mouth and on top of flubbing everything else up, that just never looked right because all the other ref images have the "O" mouth.

From the pic below.......Numbers 1 and 4 went to their final fate at the city dump!! Number 2, the wood clay--Don't shoot till you see the WHITES of their eyes , I find out not only can I not sculpt, I can't paint eyes either!! Number 3, the wood carving--too flat, still can't paint eyes or the mouth or the facial hair.....BUT strangely, "he" does resemble to me a real life Jack that I know?! Which brings up another point that perplexes me. I've been looking at the dear Captain for like 3 years now and I thought this would come more easy to me!!!

Number 5, Mr. Cock-Eyed I call him (affectionately, of course!), is a failed experiment in "cheating"! I was so frustrated with my eye painting abilities, or rather the lack there of, I printed a pic of one of the heads and cut out the eyes and glued them in the sockets. Smile for the camera, CE!!

And that brings me back to baby face, Sixer. This pic after he was "finished", wigged and all. My, he IS a chubby boy!!

Okay, too much typing and not enough working on the doll.....!
Nose back to the grindstone, then.......
Any other suggestions anyone can give me will be most appreciated.

Shylaah

Really awesome dolls, everyone of you... Wish I had the talent to make stuff like that, because the voodoo doll is one of the memorable props next to the chalices in POTC4...

Good work...

THats just brilliant....

Shylaah said:

---

Thanks for the compliments ever body, and special thanks for your input and encouragement!

Bizarro Lois: I'm not as concerned that it look like wood as I am that it look like the doll! The polymer is easy to work with and at least something I know a little about and is working out okay for me. That wood clay, well, it is a lot different from the polymer. It is an air dry clay and I can't work that fast!! It works good for "take away" sculpting, but it doesn't do good for "adding on" sculpting, well at least not at this wee size-- i. e. the nose fell off!!! I think they do still make that plastic wood. Remember working with it in school. Made a puppet head (small, goose egg sized). It's ....what?...solvent based?--stinks!! It dried rock hard and solid though, very tough stuff after it dries.

Did you remove the pics? I can't see them. I'm glad you're still working at this, because I do love doll and toy-themed props.

I'll do my best not to derail this thread, but would the wood clay be something one could make a basic shape from, then carve the details? Just from the size of the package, I don't think I'd want to make a full-size dummy with it, but I might have a smaller project I could use it for.
I think the plastic wood is solvent-based. Do you recall what the consistency was like? I've googled it and all it says is that it can be used as a filler if you use a spatula or similar tool. Is it pourable, because the durability still makes it sound like a viable option for dummy-making.
Ok, I promise next time I have a question about the materials that is not related to this thread, I'll just post a new one

BrundelFly: Thanks!

Onkelpsycho: Thanks! Jump right in there and try something, you just never know till you give it a shot. As you can see always a lot of nice people here on the RPF ready, willing and highly able to help you out when you hit a snag!

Alan Castillo: Yeah, I kinda liked #3 better after I saw them all in a group.....I'll see if I can find a firmer piece of balsa next shopping trip and maybe give it another go---maybe use a duller knife Wood vs clay is like pen vs pencil though, there's no "erasing" with the wood!

Bizarro Lois: No prob, no derail, same theme...........
I didn't remove the pics. If they continue not to show up let me know and I'll post the links for you...........

The wood clay didn't seem to carve too well to me. But I hardly have enough experience to say. I bought it at Hobby Lobby (with the 40% off coupon) and all they had was the two pound package so I have a great chunk of it left with no plans for it. I'd be more than happy to send you a sample of it to try. Just PM me your addy if you'd want it.

Per the plastic wood, I'd say as a putty it was really stiff, as a clay fairly soft.......definitely not pourable. And as I recall, kinda grainy feeling....You might could mix it with something to make it pourable??....some other solvent or something--I have no idea--ask exoray!, he'd know!! But, yes, it's really strong. Will take a lot of abuse. Drillable, but hard/slow to sand by hand.

Shylaah

Shylaah said:

---

.....I'll see if I can find a firmer piece of balsa next shopping trip and maybe give it another go---maybe use a duller knife .........

Nooooooooooooo ! It has to be very sharp. If you use a dull knife, you will find that the balsa will squish down while you are trying to carve it. In fact, use a brand new blade. Just go slow. Once you finish the thing, a coat of matt lacquer will 'harden' it.

Thanks @ Shylaa

I will give it a try in..... uhm.... next year...

I try to get my costume complete, tomorrow my sword arrives, I have to repaint it. Then I have to decide what I start first, map or chalices... I guess the chalices, but who knows...

wow Shylaah that was to much.. thanks !

Alan Castillo: Okay, sharp knife then!

Onkelpsycho: Will grant you a little time since you're working on your costume and all, but not a year.........

paploo: Only what is true, only what is true!!

I've carved a bit on the head. I'd really like to salvage this head for the time being as I don't have a lot of time left to work on him with the holidays pressing in on me.

I got rid of those chubby cheeks, and deepened the eye sockets a bit--I don't know, Alan, was that what you meant by deeper brow?

Does the nose need some 'smalling' down.....?

Any and all hints tips and suggestions much appreciated......

Thanks,
Shylaah

Nom not a year, just said next year, thats only about 3 months...