JonKross' 2014 Jan-Feb Sculpture Contest Entry

[JonKross]

Hey guys! Jumping in a bit late for the challenge but it's things like this that gives me a chance to sculpt! I got into sculpting a couple years ago and although I don't have have a lot of experience, I love it. I'm a gas technician by day, and luckily it's a slow month. :thumbsup

So, last night I started a few sketches, decided I should have time to do a 1:1 head sculpt. I'm using Monster Clay, which most people know the great thing about it is that you can throw it in the oven to soften it up over and over again, than harden on ya.

My tools are just ones I've picked up at the local art store, and i'll be slapping it on a piece of gas pipe screwed down to a kitchen counter top piece that I bought at lowe's for about ten bucks all together.

my sketch is a simple one in which I plan to add onto later in the sculpt, just wanted an idea to go on.

I've got more time tonight and tomorrow, so hopefully I can get some photos up of the rough sketch. I look forward to seeing more sculptures, so far everyones are looking awesome! Lets get some sculpting done!

 

[JonKross]

Got a good base down, I ended up chipping away more than I wanted, so I gotta get back in and add more clay.!
I'm liking where it's going, not sure if i'll add horns or not, I do want to do a cool head piece…just not sure what yet. lol

This is the second head bust I've done. my first was an old man I did two summers ago, and last halloween I tried a face prosthetic which the finished product wasn't a real success.

back to sculpting!
I'll add another pic in the next couple of days if I get further.

 

[jackdaw]

Good start, just keep an eye on the skull shapes and how far things like the zygomatic bone protrude in your reference. Keep going

 

[Mr Mold Maker]

It looks like you have a good start!


I hope you don't mind a quick observation.
One thing that I see a lot of newer artists do is jump right into tools a lot earlier than they should, rake tools especially.
You want to build up forms and then focus on refining them later.
It also looks like you're sculpting where the picture was taken, and the lighting looks a little too concentrated on the top of the head. I'd look into a posable light to look at in it all different angles for the best results.

Good luck, and I can't wait to see progress!

 

[JonKross]

Thanks for feedback guys! I'll start focusing on the anatomy and do some more blocking, try not use the rake tool as much. I tend to jump steps and always end up going back to correct. lol

As for the lighting I've got a hanging light bulb above that I use and usually one on each side. once I get more down i'll take a few more shots from other angles and play with the lighting. Thanks again, hopefully I can get a pic up tonight on the progress.

 

[JonKross]

still quite a bit to go but i'm liking where it's going. I added somewhat normal eyes to him for now until I go back and play with it a bit more. The head piece i've
somewhat shaped up to what I had in mind, but for now i'm gonna focus more on blocking out around the mouth fix the eyes.
slipKnoT I may have went back on what I said about the rake tool. lol
Let me know what you guys think.

 

[Mr Mold Maker]

I'm really liking it!

At the end of the day, you've got to use what works for you. If you're getting the results you want, by all means jump right into a rake.
Where you sculpture is in that last picture is a more appropriate place to use the rake, where as in the first picture the shapes were very basic and didn't really need to be smoothed and raked.

 

[JonKross]

Thanks SlipKnoT, it's getting there….slowly. lol
A small update, I figured out the basics of my headpiece and worked on a few details. Again, I might still change the eyes but so far I am liking how it's turning out.
The horns I might remove and work on them separately. I'm also thinking the middle part of the head piece will have little horns and a shell like texture.
Ah crap, I still gotta do texture. :facepalm
This will be my last update until I finish…..maybe. lol

 

[JonKross]

8 days left, still a bit more to go! thought i'd update one more time before the final, which i'll take better shots than with just my phone. :thumbsup

I've been trying a couple different things to get texture, I still want to add a bit of clothing to him, had an idea that involved melted clay and a plastic bag. lol

I also gotta do the eyes(i had a new idea with them), shine the horns up, add more detail on the other side and whatever else I can think of before.


I had a lot of fun working on this this guy, he gave me some good ideas for some projects in the future. Just need to find more time.

 

[Mr Mold Maker]

I really like how far you've come with this!
I know it doesn't matter but you'd totally have my vote for this contest!

 

[Nygiant]

Very nice sculpting skills!
I am very far away from this

 

[Tubby Tusken]

Great job can't wait till it's done. Do you have any pics of the back of his head I see a lot of nice things going on back there just wanted to see more.

 

[JonKross]

I had an awesome friday where I woke up, made coffee and went on sculpting. Amazing. :thumbsup

SlipKnoT - Thanks for the support and advice, you're awesome! Hats off to you.

Nygiant - Thankyou!

Tubby Tusken - I didn't take any pics of the back because there's nothing there. lol This was all the clay I had, I actually started to pick at the back just to get enough to finish. lol he's just got a nice, chunky bald spot.

Here's the final shots



I used a heat gun to give the horns a more glossy look, and made the cloak by just melting and pouring clay onto a cooking sheet with a plastic bag on it for a neat texture. the skin texture was done by using a dog brush, sponge and fine embossing tools.
I figured since it's not going to be molded I could use thin pieces and make a interesting head piece.

Final shot for the competition



This was a lot of fun, Thanks RPF for running this and I'm looking forward to seeing everyones final shots and good luck to everyone in the competition.

 

[Tubby Tusken]

Fantastic work! That is one hell of a piece I love the character design. BRAVO "hands clapping" :thumbsup

 

[jackdaw]

Came out great, lots of character and nice details. Nice work

 

[garlicbread]

Love the textures and feel to this original piece

 

[MadCityHaunt]

This is crazy awesome! It looks like some type of creature you would see in a Hellboy movie, I really love it. Can I ask what your background is JonKross and if you have any tips for people just getting into sculpting? I really like your style!

 

[Rens]

Really beautiful work! I love all the little attention to details; it's really incredible. Good job

 

[JonKross]

Thanks guys, this was fun!

MadCityHaunt - My background is lame.
Basically i'm a big fan of prop/monster makers, always liked to draw so about four years ago I wanted to try sculpting after seeing so many cool figures and bust online. I can honestly say this is probably the fifth finished sculpture i've done and probably the only one I like. lol

My tip? Research and reference and always ask questions. You're already doing an awesome job and I can see from your thread that you've taking in quite a bit.
Make sure to constantly look at ur sculpture from different angles. It can look right straight on, but not from the side. You can catch those errors quick if you work around your sculpture at the beginning instead of focusing on one part first. I'll throw more tips at you as I learn them. lol

 

[garlicbread]

Great piece JonKross. Good luck pal