Head progress

Here are some process photos of a head I was working on last week. I plan on casting this, which I haven't done for a long time. I'm having to learn the process all over again. Luckily, it's a pretty simple shape.

I am using a K'NEX piece that I cut down for a ball and socket joint. It starts with wire and foil to fill it out before the Super Sculpey is added. The eyes are just plastic beads.

The odd hairstyle is just an extra piece for the casting process and won't be visible in the final.

Way to go Will!

I am very proud of my big brother Will Turnbull tonight. He was featured on WGAL News in Lancaster County this evening for his efforts to raise money for restoring Speedwell Lake. Will has been selling chocolate covered pretzels he makes to raise $500 for the lake that was damaged during a flood two years ago. Speedwell is one of Will's favorite places to go, even since the lake has been drained due to a damaged dam. The Save Speedwell Organization thanked Will by planting a tree in his honor this morning. You can see the video on WGAL's website here.

Puppet for M'aidez

I'm starting to work on a new section of the movie. It is going to have a different look (obviously). Hopefully everything will mesh together alright in the end.

Photo from Dave

Here's a picture my friend Dave took of me while we were visiting MICA's campus. We were enjoying our annual Shamrock Shakes we get on St. Patrick's Day.

Space Knife

Here is a little prop I made combining an old discarded clipper blade, a dummy credit card (I love getting those in the mail for just this purpose), and some reclaimed electronics screws. There is a piece of card on either side of the blade, so it does collapse into itself like a pocket knife. I will do a bit more detailing to it, but the basic shape is there.

Making messes

Deanna puts up with me sprawling all over the floor very well. It's hard to work at my desk when it's full of junk.

Back in the trenches

I got to jump back into my stop motion short today. I haven't spent time with it since early December. I think its going to take a day or two to readjust. I started off slow today with some pattern making.

 

I'm still here...

I've been working on a couple private commissions lately that I can't really share images of, thus the lack of posts. I need to wrap up a couple more things this week, but hopefully I'll be back to working on M'aidez again soon. My wife and I are expecting our first child this summer, so I have a bit of a deadline now to try to get the short wrapped up. We plan on taking a couple months off after the little guy is born to get use to the new family experience ahead of us .

Here is something amazing to look at.

 I came across this book Automaton by Paolo Ventura over the summer when we were in Paris. I was floored by its beauty. Paolo immerses you into his world. The details kept me staring at the same image for long stretches of time. The story is simple, but very striking. Here is a video of him reading the text along with all of the images in the book.
I am still not sure exactly what his process is. I know he constructs his background, but I'm not sure if the dolls and clothing he uses are scratch built or modified from existing models. In any case the photos are beautiful.

Gizmos and Gadgets Show

Deanna and I drove up to Brooklyn yesterday for the opening night of Bottleneck Gallery's Gizmos and Gadgets show. I made it to the show with my sculpture about five minutes before the doors opened. We had traffic and got turned around on the way up, so it was a race against the clock. Everyone at the gallery was super understanding and extremely helpful. We got the piece put up just in time. The show looked great and the gallery was jam packed the entire time we were there. Big thanks to Josh, Bob, and Chris for coming out and supporting me. It made the night a lot of fun. Prints and my original piece from the show are now available on Bottlneck's website. There is a lot of fun stuff to check out.

More Data photos

Here are a couple more angles of the final sculpture. It measures about 10.5 inches tall by 6 long and 6 wide minus the Pinchers of Peril. I'm looking forward to the opening tomorrow night at the Bottleneck Gallery in Brooklyn.

Click photos to enlarge

 

Oh Data...

I finally completed my sculpture of Data from The Goonies. The piece was created for the upcoming Bottleneck Gallery show Gizmos and Gadgets. The piece will be on display and for sale at the gallery.

Gizmos and Gadgets

Bottleneck Gallery
60 Broadway, Box 8
Brooklyn, NY 11249

Friday, January 18th - Thursday, February 3rd

Opening Reception: Friday January 18th from 7pm to 10pm 

Online Sales Begin Saturday January 19th ~ 12 noon est.

I will also be selling 11x17 inch prints of this image: 
 

 

Data gadgets

I've been working on a sculpture of Data from Goonies for the past month or so. It's just about wrapped up. Here are a couple details of some of the gadgets that will be strapped to him.

New sculpt update

Here are a few progress photos. Forgive me for the first face being horrifying.

New sculpt

I have been taking a break from my short film the past week or two to work on some other things. I just finished coloring a short comic project and I am working on a sculpture for a gallery show coming up. Here is the first stage of it. I'll update as it progresses.

Brandywine River Museum Visit

Deanna and I took our MICA classes on a tip to the Brandywine Museum today. They had a great exhibit up on illustrations done for Edgar Allan Poe stories. We got to see some originals by Barry Moser, Aurthur Rackham, and Harry Clark, among many others. As always, the permanent collection was incredible. I am floored by the large NC Wyeth paintings every time I see them.

Animatronic hand

Here is a hand I made for some close up shots. I used this wonderful tutorial as a starting point, modifying for size mostly. Forgive the sloppiness here, it is now covered with white fabric.

Happy Halloween

via The Chive

Peace!

A candid behind the scenes shot of Lincoln on set; from the last batch of M'aidez shots.

Space folk

from Things Magazine

Proceed with caution

the set is coming along...