Making a BB8 head for release night.

[IronManiac]

With Episode VII coming out in two weeks, I need something fun to wear for the release. I'm loving BB8 from the trailers, but I'm not ball-shaped, so I have to think outside the box.



I started with a styrofoam dome I found at Hobby Lobby for a few dollars. Its a good size for BB8's head. I gave it a light sanding to smooth the foam out. I also got the disc for the underside of the dome, I'll get to that later.



Taped the foam together, to make it a little easier to work with.



I have a small turntable i use for working on props, so i tape the dome to the turntable to start making my body panel lines. By setting a pencil (without lead) at the right height and turning the table slowly, i got a perfect line all the way around.



All the horizontal lines drawn.



Using some photo references from the interwebz, I free-handed the rest of the lines. I used a roll of masking tape for my eyeball template.



To make the lines at the top, i used a long piece of masking tape as my guide to make the lines.



Here's all the lines done. I used some random stuff from around the shop to make the circles. These lines aren't super smooth, because the foam isnt always perfect, but it will work for my purposes. I made a mistake in the front there, i drew that bottom line all the way around dome, but it should have stopped at the panels that go around the eyeballs. I used some Kwik-Seal silicone like a body filler. After a few coats of it, the line disappeared.




I can't use spraypaint on styrofoam, it will eat the foam and ruin everything. So I decided a layer of latex would be best to prime the foam. I had this off-white latex house paint in my garage, time to open it up and mix it.



Ready to paint. I put a layer on, let it dry and put another layer down. This will create a skin of latex on the dome, and let me apply acryllic paints.




While waiting for paint to dry, I started on the eyeball. I bought some shatterproof Christmas ornaments. I used the same roll of tape i used to draw the eye on the dome, and traced that circle onto the ornament. Then with a quick trim job with my dremel, it's ready for the next step.

 

[creative stress]

This looks like a great project keep going

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

 

[IronManiac]

Painting update.



Here's my painted and weathered head. Let's go through how i got here.



I started with two coats of white acryllic on top of the latex house paint. There are some brush strokes, but i went over them as the paint was drying so they all went in the same direction. Let that dry over night.



Next up I painted the details. Orange acrylic paint all the way around. I went outside my lines in a few places, so once the orange dried, I went back with some of the white and touched up my edges where necessary.



Silver Testors model paint on top. I also went back over my lines wit a sharpie to make them pop.



Weathering! Its always fun to make a mess. In the trailer BB8 is on a desert planet, so he's not a clean white. I wanted a muddy, red-earth color, So I mixed these three colors: Yellow Ochre, Burnt Umber, and some more Titanium white to lighten it. I also added a good bit of water to the paint mix to thin it out. This helps when weathering because it slows the paint drying and lets you wipe away excess easier.



Here's a section I haven't weathered yet. Here are my steps.



Using a chip brush with ratty bristles, i dab the paint all over, focusing on the places that would get the most dirty. Its very wet and thin at this point.



Then I use a dry section of a rag to dab away most of the paint.



Followed by spreading it around over most of the surface. It doesnt have to be perfect because I'll be removing most of it anyway.




Finally I fold the rag over to a clean section, add a little water to the rag, and wipe away the areas that wouldn't be as grimy like the open faces of the dome. Less dirt can accumulate where there arent joints and seams, so they appear a little cleaner. I did this all the way around. I may go back with a darker color and get down into the crevices a little more to add some more depth, but I'm pretty happy with him so far.

Next I'll be assembling the details, eyes and antennas.

 

[IronManiac]

Just a little bit of work last night. Added the eye and antennae.

First up, some quick and easy antenna. BB8 has two antenna, a thin one and a thick one. I could have used dowel rods, but the antenna have a nice taper to them, as well as rounded tips. I have lots of old paintbrushes on my work bench, and they were perfect.



I just pulled the brush heads off, and cut the brush handles down just a little with my Dremel.



A litte masking tape and some black acrylic paint, and they're ready to install. I just used a drill on very low speed to drill holes in the head. I inserted the antenna for a very snug fit and put a little bit of hot glue on the inside to make sure they don't fall out. Done.



The eye was also very simple, I cut the side off of a christmas ornament, then hit it with a quick coat of gloss black spray paint. I put some hot glue on the back of the eye, and pressed it into place. I also took a small sliver of black craft foam and glued it on top of the eye like a mini-hood.



He's really taking shape now. A few more things to do before it's ready to wear.