My Shrunken Head (or Jack Sparrow's mom...)

[Dutchman]

I love sculpting things, so Jack Sparrow's mom is a great oppertunity to finally do some (instead of sewing and rollin' dreads).

I used an old dolls head as a base for the sculpt and acrylic kit to do the sculpting.It is usually used for bathroom tiles, and although difficult to sculpt with, I wanted to stretch leather on the finished head and pin it down. So I needed it to stay a bit soft and rubbery.

Stretching the leather went far from okay, especially 'cause of all the detail I wanted to put in. So I took some stretch cotton and put it on with wood glue. A few layers of wood glue made the thing more solid, but still soft enough for the pins I need to work with.

The sculpting part is done, but I'm still in doubt whether or not
I should stitch the eyelids...

 

[Vlair]

That is epic. and kinda creepy. And I vote yes on stitch the eyelids. Looks great though.

 

[Dutchman]

Thanks, shrunken heads are kinda creepy indeed!! And one yes on stitched eyelids, I might have a go on that

 

[Dutchman]

I've been doin' a second attempt putting on the leather. A very thin piece, with a little stretching.

Although it is starting to look like some pissed off Freddy Krueger, I truly believe this can go somewhere eventually...

 

[Fenris]

That...

is...

so...

creeeeeppppyyyyyy!!!


But great work nonetheless.

 

[Dutchman]

I'm getting the creeps myself to be honest LOL!!
We'll see how it goes.

If anyone has some advice on making shrunken heads (not real ones off course!), advice or feedback on this is very welcome!!

Thanks

 

[CatfoodRob]

I'm getting the creeps myself to be honest LOL!!
We'll see how it goes.

If anyone has some advice on making shrunken heads (not real ones off course!), advice or feedback on this is very welcome!!

Thanks

Thats absolutely incredible ... it looks really "real" ..and incredibly creepy .

Keep us posted on anymore work you do.:thumbsup

 

[Dutchman]

Thank you CatfoodRob! It's funny how this thing is developing at the moment, I'm gonna show new pic's soon,
Cheers

 

[paplooo]

sculpting in clay.. make a mold with plaster .. and cast the final product in latex..rubber.. easy.

( make the mum a bit bigger cos latex can be shrink a bit )

 

[Dutchman]

Paplooo!!!... I understand your point. Rubber is probably what has been used for the ones on screen.
But still, if this IS going to work, I'll have myself a real leather shrunken head!!!

And although the way I'm working now is definitly a good example on "how to make things difficult for yourself", I'm very much enjoying this little adventure and where it is taking me.

But thanks,I can always fall back on casting in latex

 

[sparrowed]

I think yours looks great.




Vincent Price used this: :lol

 

[Soulinertia]

Lovin the progress. Excellent technique!

 

[Dutchman]

I think yours looks great.




Vincent Price used this: :lol

That is awesome!! Includes the "Shrinker" (apples not included) LOL
Vincent Price is funny, thanks for this

 

[Dutchman]

It took a while, but I have an update on my Shrunken Head Adventure.
Although it still needs a lot of work, I must say I'm very surprised by the results so far.
Never thought it would be possible to shape and model leather like this.

The back of the head, ears and mouth-part are made of separate pieces. Next will be punching in the hair and eyebrows and some colour adjustment...

 

[sskunky]

I love it! In a creepy kinda way.....:lol

 

[Dutchman]

Thank you! I know it's a bit creepy, but still, also think it has a certain serenity about it. Almost like: "I'm in total peace with my destiny to be a shrunken head..." :lol

 

[Maelina]

@Dutchman, Have you ever worked with Genesis paint? It gives amazing results for face and skin texture. I know it's a bit pricy, but geez I love the results.

However, I am so impressed with what you achieved. Thank you for showing your technique

 

[Dutchman]

@Dutchman, Have you ever worked with Genesis paint? It gives amazing results for face and skin texture. I know it's a bit pricy, but geez I love the results.

However, I am so impressed with what you achieved. Thank you for showing your technique

Thanks a lot! The technique is just developing as I go along, it's really a first time experiment:lol

Just googled the Genesis paint. I'm not sure if oil paint is okay to put on leather, I would have to put on a preparation-layer on it first. Perhaps some darker shades of shoe cream could do the tric?

Thanks again for the feedback

 

[Maelina]

Genesis Oil Paints can be used on a variety of surfaces - canvas, Wood, Metal, Ceramic Bisque, Porcelain, Pottery, Gourds, Fabric, Polymer, Clay, Paper, Vinyl.

In theory, it should work on leather. I was just amazed how beautiful the results are. My only concern with your prop is that you used a plastic head as a base and this paint needs to be "cooked" a little to dry using a heat gun.

The bad thing about this paint is that it's kinda pricy. But totally worth it. I paint my polymer clay miniatures with it.

I think you can achieve something great with the shoe cream.

Keep up with your good work, it's amazing!

 

[Dutchman]

This DOES sound interesting though, a paint that can only dry through heat.
I'm an oilpainter by profession, but never heard about this stuff. So thanks for telling me about it, I will definitely check it out some time!