"Real" Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle - Update 5.2.15
- Thread starter Westies14
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Westies14
Master Member
Re: "Real" Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle - Updated 08-09-2011
Some very cool pieces on there! I love the painting of Raph in Northampton. Northampton's a small town about 30-40 minutes west of where I grew up, and it's where Eastman and Laird set up Mirage Studios and did the early comics. The original stories had the turtles living (and fighting crime) in western Massachusetts as much as New York City! Northampton is the town where April's grandfather's farmhouse is supposed to be located - the one they escaped to in the first film.
Some very cool pieces on there! I love the painting of Raph in Northampton. Northampton's a small town about 30-40 minutes west of where I grew up, and it's where Eastman and Laird set up Mirage Studios and did the early comics. The original stories had the turtles living (and fighting crime) in western Massachusetts as much as New York City! Northampton is the town where April's grandfather's farmhouse is supposed to be located - the one they escaped to in the first film.
Westies14
Master Member
Re: "Real" Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle - Updated 08-09-2011
Kurt/chewbaccadoll and I stopped by Utrecht art store on our way back from lunch yesterday, and I picked up some nice sculpting tools which should help me to finish him off more quickly: a much wider and firmer carving loop, a wooden version of one of my favorite plastic tools (which bends too readily for my tastes), and a wire brush to add detail when I get to that phase (soon, I hope!). I'll try to put an hour in and get some pics tonight!
- D
Kurt/chewbaccadoll and I stopped by Utrecht art store on our way back from lunch yesterday, and I picked up some nice sculpting tools which should help me to finish him off more quickly: a much wider and firmer carving loop, a wooden version of one of my favorite plastic tools (which bends too readily for my tastes), and a wire brush to add detail when I get to that phase (soon, I hope!). I'll try to put an hour in and get some pics tonight!
- D
jaybible
Well-Known Member
Re: "Real" Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle - Updated 08-09-2011
Thats so cool, ever think of wandering over to the studios?
I'd love a Utrecht store,i can only order stuff from the site. The wireform is so cheap compared to over here. I dunno how you kept using a plastic tool. Glad to see u are still squeezing in a few hrs
Thats so cool, ever think of wandering over to the studios?
I'd love a Utrecht store,i can only order stuff from the site. The wireform is so cheap compared to over here. I dunno how you kept using a plastic tool. Glad to see u are still squeezing in a few hrs
Westies14
Master Member
Re: "Real" Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle - Updated 08-09-2011
Everything's cheap here compared to over there! :lol
I don't know that Mirage Studios exists anymore, at least not in the shape it used to. Eastman works for Heavy Metal magazine, and while Peter Laird is still involved in Mirage, they don't produce the comics as far as I know. I think they were last on Image comics...
For a short time, at the height of the turtle craze, Eastman & Laird had a sequential art museum in Northampton! It was small, but wonderful. Near the end of the walk through, there was a display window which looked into a top down diorama of the turtles' sewer lair, with the movie splinter puppet (picture everything stuck to the wall, so it appears that you're on the ceiling).
Everything's cheap here compared to over there! :lol
I don't know that Mirage Studios exists anymore, at least not in the shape it used to. Eastman works for Heavy Metal magazine, and while Peter Laird is still involved in Mirage, they don't produce the comics as far as I know. I think they were last on Image comics...
For a short time, at the height of the turtle craze, Eastman & Laird had a sequential art museum in Northampton! It was small, but wonderful. Near the end of the walk through, there was a display window which looked into a top down diorama of the turtles' sewer lair, with the movie splinter puppet (picture everything stuck to the wall, so it appears that you're on the ceiling).
jaybible
Well-Known Member
Re: "Real" Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle - Updated 08-09-2011
Im moving to Australia next month so everything is going to get ever more expensive!
Heavy metal have some interesting and weird titles, i didnt know Eastman was part of that..cool. I just saw "bodycount",looks crazy, definately buying it
You'd think it would have been easier to put in a basement
Im moving to Australia next month so everything is going to get ever more expensive!
Heavy metal have some interesting and weird titles, i didnt know Eastman was part of that..cool. I just saw "bodycount",looks crazy, definately buying it
You'd think it would have been easier to put in a basement
Westies14
Master Member
Re: "Real" Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle - Updated 08-09-2011
Alright... I've started detailing him! Very slow going, but I think he's going to come out really well. I also committed financially to a few other courses of action:
I ordered my ultracal yesterday. I had considered going to a local shop that specializes in mold-and-mask-making and soliciting their advice and potentially professional help with the execution. It's been a long time since I've made a plaster mold; I did it only a few times in college. Ultra Cal 30 is a whole 'nother beast, anyhow - and I've never pulled a latex mask. Still, I've read and re-read a couple of great tutorials, watched some videos, and I think I can pull this off.
I also ordered a good full-size mannequin, on which I can finish the rest of the suit. As described earlier, the shell (front, back, and sides) is being carved from foam rubber and worn almost like suspenders with straps that will go underneath the bodysuit.
The bodysuit is another thing I've never tried before, but I think I have a good plan for it. I'll put a compression shirt and a pair of compression pants on the mannequin, and then I'll roughly carve out some muscle pieces from foam rubber, without a lot of definition. I'll spray some adhesive on the back of these pieces, and mount them to the shirt and pants on the mannequin. Next, I'll pull another set of compression gear on over those foam rubber pieces, sandwiching them between the two layers of clothing. At this point it will look a bit bulkier, but it will lack definition. To create a sharper look, I'll be sewing through all three layers, shaping the foam rubber pieces by sewing into it at low points and creating natural bulges next to the stitches. Once it's all looking good, it will be skinned with latex and painted. The way I'm executing the final look, only the chest/shoulders, upper arms, and thighs will need the full skinned and painted treatment. The forearms and lower legs/feet are going to be wrapped in tattered cloth (they'll still need the shaping, just not the skin/paint), and of course the middle of the torso is covered by shell.
Sorry I haven't snapped pics in a while. I'll get some after my next detailing session, if there's time!
- Douglas
Alright... I've started detailing him! Very slow going, but I think he's going to come out really well. I also committed financially to a few other courses of action:
I ordered my ultracal yesterday. I had considered going to a local shop that specializes in mold-and-mask-making and soliciting their advice and potentially professional help with the execution. It's been a long time since I've made a plaster mold; I did it only a few times in college. Ultra Cal 30 is a whole 'nother beast, anyhow - and I've never pulled a latex mask. Still, I've read and re-read a couple of great tutorials, watched some videos, and I think I can pull this off.
I also ordered a good full-size mannequin, on which I can finish the rest of the suit. As described earlier, the shell (front, back, and sides) is being carved from foam rubber and worn almost like suspenders with straps that will go underneath the bodysuit.
The bodysuit is another thing I've never tried before, but I think I have a good plan for it. I'll put a compression shirt and a pair of compression pants on the mannequin, and then I'll roughly carve out some muscle pieces from foam rubber, without a lot of definition. I'll spray some adhesive on the back of these pieces, and mount them to the shirt and pants on the mannequin. Next, I'll pull another set of compression gear on over those foam rubber pieces, sandwiching them between the two layers of clothing. At this point it will look a bit bulkier, but it will lack definition. To create a sharper look, I'll be sewing through all three layers, shaping the foam rubber pieces by sewing into it at low points and creating natural bulges next to the stitches. Once it's all looking good, it will be skinned with latex and painted. The way I'm executing the final look, only the chest/shoulders, upper arms, and thighs will need the full skinned and painted treatment. The forearms and lower legs/feet are going to be wrapped in tattered cloth (they'll still need the shaping, just not the skin/paint), and of course the middle of the torso is covered by shell.
Sorry I haven't snapped pics in a while. I'll get some after my next detailing session, if there's time!
- Douglas
CB2001
Master Member
Re: "Real" Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle - Updated 08-09-2011
Pretty great design you've got. This is the second best Turtle design I've seen recently, especially since I saw the Fight the Foot fan film. Can't wait to check out the end result.
Pretty great design you've got. This is the second best Turtle design I've seen recently, especially since I saw the Fight the Foot fan film. Can't wait to check out the end result.
Westies14
Master Member
Re: "Real" Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle - Updated 08-09-2011
Thanks! My ultracal and mannequin arrived yesterday, along with several large packages of equipment for a shoot in Maine next week. When I got home, it looked like someone was moving in or out with the front porch literally filled with giant boxes. I'm really going to try to buckle down this week now that I have all my supplies. Screw sleep!
Thanks! My ultracal and mannequin arrived yesterday, along with several large packages of equipment for a shoot in Maine next week. When I got home, it looked like someone was moving in or out with the front porch literally filled with giant boxes. I'm really going to try to buckle down this week now that I have all my supplies. Screw sleep!
Westies14
Master Member
Re: "Real" Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle - Updated 08-09-2011
Great news! My one-year-old now loves this thing, and all he wants to do is "work on the turtle." He started sculpting next to me in a high chair with some play-doh. He carved it up with my tools; he pushed some texture stamps into it. Eventually, he decided that his blue lump was "Daddy's" and the ninja turtle was "Ever's," and so now he works on it alongside me. The clays pretty firm so he doesn't do much damage to an undetailed side while I work on the opposite section, and I love working on it with him. He imitates me, and it's hilarious. He'll "consider" a spot, make a thinking face, and then make a few marks with a tool. Also, if any of you are parents of a young child you know that his interest means a lot more time to work! He spent over an hour in that chair yesterday, and an hour the day before.
Texture stamps aren't gonna cut it for this clay or for this sculpt. They just don't add deep enough definition for a latex mask, in my opinion. The marks that they do make are too repetitive, too blurry, and too uncontrollable. My first pass at sculpting every wrinkle and scale by hand is going pretty well though! I'm carving - sorry, "we're" carving - the pattern in for a few inches at a time, then going back and sculpting depth and detail into each scale created by the pattern. Doing it by hand this way is slower, of course - but you have complete control over depth and the flow of the lines. Well worth it. Here are some progress pics!
Once his wrinkles and scales are patterned and shaped over the entire sculpt, I'll be brushing it with Isopropyl Alcohol to blend and soften the shapes and get rid of any obvious tool marks. Then I'll sculpt some sharper detail and fine lines back in on top of it. I still hope to mold him up over the holiday weekend, so there's a lot of work to do this week. I'm heading up to Maine for a shoot from Wednesday to Thursday, and I'll be bringing Leo so I can stay up and sculpt in the hotel Wednesday night.
I think that if I can get the head molded successfully over the long weekend, then I'll be in good shape to have the entire costume completed in time for Halloween. I think I'm on track - but wish me luck!
- Douglas
Great news! My one-year-old now loves this thing, and all he wants to do is "work on the turtle." He started sculpting next to me in a high chair with some play-doh. He carved it up with my tools; he pushed some texture stamps into it. Eventually, he decided that his blue lump was "Daddy's" and the ninja turtle was "Ever's," and so now he works on it alongside me. The clays pretty firm so he doesn't do much damage to an undetailed side while I work on the opposite section, and I love working on it with him. He imitates me, and it's hilarious. He'll "consider" a spot, make a thinking face, and then make a few marks with a tool. Also, if any of you are parents of a young child you know that his interest means a lot more time to work! He spent over an hour in that chair yesterday, and an hour the day before.
Texture stamps aren't gonna cut it for this clay or for this sculpt. They just don't add deep enough definition for a latex mask, in my opinion. The marks that they do make are too repetitive, too blurry, and too uncontrollable. My first pass at sculpting every wrinkle and scale by hand is going pretty well though! I'm carving - sorry, "we're" carving - the pattern in for a few inches at a time, then going back and sculpting depth and detail into each scale created by the pattern. Doing it by hand this way is slower, of course - but you have complete control over depth and the flow of the lines. Well worth it. Here are some progress pics!
Once his wrinkles and scales are patterned and shaped over the entire sculpt, I'll be brushing it with Isopropyl Alcohol to blend and soften the shapes and get rid of any obvious tool marks. Then I'll sculpt some sharper detail and fine lines back in on top of it. I still hope to mold him up over the holiday weekend, so there's a lot of work to do this week. I'm heading up to Maine for a shoot from Wednesday to Thursday, and I'll be bringing Leo so I can stay up and sculpt in the hotel Wednesday night.
I think that if I can get the head molded successfully over the long weekend, then I'll be in good shape to have the entire costume completed in time for Halloween. I think I'm on track - but wish me luck!
- Douglas
JackAce
Active Member
Re: "Real" Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle for Halloween 2011! Update 8/29
looks amazing so far. do you already have the other parts of the costume done or in the works? if you plan to have this much detail in the rest of the costume i can't see how you'll ever get it done in time for this year's halloween! lol
best of luck though its AMAZING
looks amazing so far. do you already have the other parts of the costume done or in the works? if you plan to have this much detail in the rest of the costume i can't see how you'll ever get it done in time for this year's halloween! lol
best of luck though its AMAZING
jaybible
Well-Known Member
Re: "Real" Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle for Halloween 2011! Update 8/29
Best of luck!... Thats so cute having him considering what to do next haha. I used to do the same as a kid, and im still sculpting now so im sure he'll be taking after his dad.
The textures are really coming together, I really want to get a copy of that bust! What kind of texture are you going to do on the beak? In the first pic the bust looks smaller than your head, is it just the camera angle?
Would it be ok if i used the head for a full scale model in Zbrush? You've ignited my need for everything TMNT it'd be a long while before i get to start it(other projects and emmigrating come first haha).
Best of luck!... Thats so cute having him considering what to do next haha. I used to do the same as a kid, and im still sculpting now so im sure he'll be taking after his dad.
The textures are really coming together, I really want to get a copy of that bust! What kind of texture are you going to do on the beak? In the first pic the bust looks smaller than your head, is it just the camera angle?
Would it be ok if i used the head for a full scale model in Zbrush? You've ignited my need for everything TMNT
it'd be a long while before i get to start it(other projects and emmigrating come first haha).
Westies14
Master Member
Re: "Real" Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle for Halloween 2011! Update 8/29
Thanks for the kind words, guys! I'll try to answer a few of the questions:
I've started carving the foam for the shell. I plan to do more of that this weekend when I work with Kurt (chewbaccadoll). It's become a bit of a tradition for us to work on our Halloween costumes together each year, because we've made the holiday something of an event where we work. That said, the rest of the costume will hopefully be very convincing, but won't be created in such a painstaking way. Not for this Halloween, in any case! The rest of the turtle - what's visible, anyway - will be a combination of latex-skinned foam and compression fabric. He'll also have leather knee and elbow pads (already have these), leather waist and shoulder belts, cloth-wrapped forearms, lower legs and feet, and a very tattered hood/cloak around his neck. This was conceived of to hide the join between the neck and the body.
The mask is definitely bigger than my head, though it does look smaller there. I have concerns that it isn't bigger by enough, or that the neck will be too short. I padded the armature a bit for size, but it did begin much smaller than my head. Mask latex can shrink a bit, and I hope I've built him big enough. I'll definitely need a slit in the back to have any chance of getting my giant noggin through the neck. If the pulls end up too small, I may try casting one in a material which shrinks less or which stretches more. Worst case scenario, I wear it as a 3/4 mask with the aforementioned tattered hood up.
You want to 3D model my mask sculpt?? By all means, please do! I'd love to see that.
Thanks for the encouragement, fellas!
- Douglas
Thanks for the kind words, guys! I'll try to answer a few of the questions:
I've started carving the foam for the shell. I plan to do more of that this weekend when I work with Kurt (chewbaccadoll). It's become a bit of a tradition for us to work on our Halloween costumes together each year, because we've made the holiday something of an event where we work. That said, the rest of the costume will hopefully be very convincing, but won't be created in such a painstaking way. Not for this Halloween, in any case! The rest of the turtle - what's visible, anyway - will be a combination of latex-skinned foam and compression fabric. He'll also have leather knee and elbow pads (already have these), leather waist and shoulder belts, cloth-wrapped forearms, lower legs and feet, and a very tattered hood/cloak around his neck. This was conceived of to hide the join between the neck and the body.
The mask is definitely bigger than my head, though it does look smaller there. I have concerns that it isn't bigger by enough, or that the neck will be too short. I padded the armature a bit for size, but it did begin much smaller than my head. Mask latex can shrink a bit, and I hope I've built him big enough. I'll definitely need a slit in the back to have any chance of getting my giant noggin through the neck. If the pulls end up too small, I may try casting one in a material which shrinks less or which stretches more. Worst case scenario, I wear it as a 3/4 mask with the aforementioned tattered hood up.
You want to 3D model my mask sculpt?? By all means, please do! I'd love to see that.
Thanks for the encouragement, fellas!
- Douglas
