William Johnson's "Warrior Chieftain", 1755

[Roy]

Hi again Gary..as you can see from the photo this piece of Super Sculpey is straight from the box...after baking it was left for 30 minutes to cool but still there is scaling..do you think it is past it's sell by date.

Many thanks

Roy.

 

[btavis]

Gary, the bust is looking superb. You are such a prolific artist.

 

[zyclyon]

Hi Gary,

he's shaping out to look awesome! I really love the attitude. Bless that you'll finish him up soon cause' I'm really anxious to see how he finally turns out.

Calvin

 

[garyjd]

Roy, I've had the same thing happen to me. I have a small bottle of sculpey diluent that is used to restore the sculpey so it's usable. A little dot of it on a piece about 1" in diameter is normally enough to bring it back around. If not, use it for armatures and such or throw away. I rarely use the diluent for this, normally it's wiped over the initial layer of sculpey with my finger. When I add an additional layer of sculpey on top it really helps it to grip the layer underneath.~Gary

 

[garyjd]

Bob, Prolific? Thank you very much. I guess the latest projects have been moving along without many problems. A few things have been reworked, but not to the point of frustration. I'm finding that observation is one of my most important tools. It's one thing to sculpt a coat or build a cartridge box, it's quite another to really get them to look like the real thing.~Gary

 

[Roy]

Thanks Gary..your advice is much appreciated...I will use what I have only for bulk work and armatures and get some fresh supplies...I have the diluent so I'll keep that in mind too.....and I've also removed that photo to restore your thread to it's previously unspoilt condition...

Thanks

Roy.

 

[garyjd]

Roy, please leave it up. It's was a great subject to discuss, it in no way spoils my sbs.~Gary

 

[Roy]

Gary...consider it done.

Thank you.

Roy.

 

[LCoote]

garyjd Posted on Mar 24 2005, 04:00 PM
I'm finding that observation is one of my most important tools. It's one thing to sculpt a coat or build a cartridge box, it's quite another to really get them to look like the real thing.~Gary

Gary, I couldn't agree more, observation is by far the most important tool in my book. I think being able to sculpt is all about how well you observe things in the first place.

 

[garyjd]

Gorget These were typical items that identified an officer in most if not all European armies. These were also given to native chiefs as presents. In addtion to military gorgets there were also a variety of trade ones also available. The gorget for this bust represents one given to chiefs and white officers in native units recruited/raised by William Johnson. These gift also had Johnson's initials engraved on them. I have made a few attempts to do this but I'm not quite happy with the results. The Aves does not engrave as easily as A&B, maybe I should have used this instead.

 

[garyjd]

Construction I rolled out a ball of sculpey to use as a form for the gorget. The gorget is curved across the front and is semi-rounded when looking at it in profile. A sheet of Aves was rolled out and draped over the form. I then took a scan of a gorget and scaled it down so it would be scale in size. When the Aves had cured I lifted it off of the form after pouring hot water over it. A big problem with Aves, even after curing is that it's almost rubbery. I reinforced it it by placing som A&B behind it and pushed it back down on the form. I then transfered a tracing of the gorget onto my rounded sheet. I the trimmed out the shape so I would not have to spend a lot of time getting it down to the basic shape. I then blacked in the outline with a permanent black marker.

In the future I'll most likely use a child's marble for the form as they come in various sizes and are perfectly round.

 

[garyjd]

The basic gorget on the figure. Aside from the engraving some brass wire will also be placed around the outside edge of the gorget. I have also started work on the headband and the scalplock was moved more towards the back of the head.

 

[garyjd]

I'm also working on left eye number 5 or 6 and right ear number 2 or 3.

 

[Ernest]

I have no comments, beutiful work!!

ER

 

[Guy]

awesome work Gary..............I hope you go commercial with this one

 

[fsdesimone]

Very nice Gary - the face is turning out beautifully.

Question: how come you use Aves instead of MS? Does it have other properties that you like better? If it's a matter of color, MS comes in white now; and it's not rubbery.

Francesca

 

[garyjd]

Francesca, I've reworked the eyes and ears several times to get it right. It would have probably been best to do it (the gorget) in A&B (although it can be brittle when in thin sheets) as it would be easier to engrave Johnson's initials. I may do another gorget in A&B and see how it works.~Gary

 

[y_wong]

Dear Gary,

Excellent sculpting. I like the look of arrogance on his face. I am enjoying your postings very much. There is so much to learn.


regards

 

[Anders Heintz]

Hey Gary!

Great work as usual!!

If you let Aves air dry it is a tad brittle, cure it under a lamp or in a crock pot and you will see it is much better consitence to carve and sand.

 

[garyjd]

Anders, Thanks. I have baked it before and agree that it definitely cures faster that way. My latest efforts to bake it hower have resulted in blisters and bubble forming on the sureface. I was careful not to mix anything with it that would cause this to happen.