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Post by mttbrilhart on Sept 12, 2012 12:08:55 GMT -5
Time to wake the dead here in this graveyard of a forum!
I've got an awesome new project I'm working on in Sculpture class that I think everyone here will be interested in. You can view my entire gallery of images tracking the progress of this project here:
www.flickr.com/photos/mbrilhart/sets/72157631520283075/
I'm creating a miniature version of the iconic Bat! ;D Miniature it may be compared to the original work at our beloved attraction, my version is far from small itself. I don't have room (or transportation) for a full scaled version, but at over two feet tall, with a wingspan of over two feet, he's a prefect mantel or coffee table display size.
Originally, I was thinking of going with a wall mountable design, but then the idea of a display stand came to mind when my friend who's family does a lot of scraping for cash showed me an old desk lamp in the back of his truck. I incorporated it into the model, and even with only the skeleton complete, it looks awesome hovering off the ground. I just hope the counterweight on the underside of the stand will maintain balance once the weight of the plaster skin is added.
Comments, questions, and feedback are always welcomed!
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Post by spookyrider on Sept 12, 2012 15:42:31 GMT -5
Ugh...I never liked working with wire! Good for you! I looks really great so far! I can't wait to see it completed!
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Post by nickanap on Sept 12, 2012 16:11:51 GMT -5
Looks like it will turn out awesome! Good luck!
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Post by Brandon on Sept 13, 2012 20:05:17 GMT -5
I love it Mike. You'd give Tracy a run for his money.
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Post by mttbrilhart on Sept 26, 2012 10:02:48 GMT -5
Thanks Everyone!
So I have some updates on my Bat; no pictures though. I forgot to bring my Camera to class, and, well... plaster makes a huge mess, so I'm not sure I plan on doing so until the plaster process is complete.
Mr.Bat began to receive his plaster skin yesterday. This process would have begun last Tuesday, but our professor realized only to late that they had run out of casting plaster, and we had to wait until next week. When we began plastering yesterday, I realized right that this could not possibly be the same stuff used on the one in the ride, as my bat now requires at least two hands to move, because he's gotten so heavy. (Not to mention he's in a delicate drying and balancing state) I'm pretty sure my sculpture had to be the hardest one in the class to plaster, and it showed afterwards; I was covered in plaster residue; and I think I destroyed my Beast shirt I got at Kings Island this summer in the process... hope that plaster crud comes off and out.
I'm going to need to install more weight underneath the base to counterbalance him. Though there's already a weight under him, it looks like I'm going to need more. He's not coming out exactly the way I had hoped, but he's not looking terrible to say the least. You can tell he's a bat. Also, I added a tongue similar to the one added to the real on in 2010.
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Post by mttbrilhart on Oct 4, 2012 12:06:12 GMT -5
Okay, so I have another update...
Sometime between last Tuesday and last Wendsday, Mr. Bat took a fall. A fall that was about 7 or 8 feet from the top of the shelf to the concrete floor of the workshop. Thankfully, Mr. Bat himself didn't receive that much damage. I can't say the same for his base though.
The concrete counter-weight cracked and crumbled, and the metal got bent and twisted up in the fall. I knew I should have added some extra support before leaving.
Anyhow, I continued working on him this Tuesday, and basically finished the plastering process. The next step will be to sand him down, and then paint him.
I don't think I mentioned before that I had to do a miniature clay "sketch" of the larger Bat before starting as part of the project. My clay mini came out very nice, but I didn't expect him to make it through the firing in the kiln. I was wrong! Surprisingly, nothing broke off this delicate and detailed piece! Normally, these sort of things are the kinds of sculptures that explode or fall apart in the kiln.
So I had to buy some paint and finish the mini-bat up of course! He's not finished being painted yet; I still need to fix the eyes and add some detail here and there.
You can check out more pictures of the miniature bat in the same flickr album as the Big Bat. (See the link in the first post)
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Post by mttbrilhart on Oct 9, 2012 16:54:33 GMT -5
Another update; and this time, I have pictures of the Big Bat! I started painting the big bat today after sanding him down for nearly 4 hours. I had to stop painting for the day because I had to let the red and black dry; plus I ran out of red and need to go buy more. He's currently basking under a lamp in my room so he'll dry off quicker. It looked like it was going to rain, so I couldn't leave him outside. I also touched up the little Clay bat again; I think he came out really nice. As with the previous updates, the rest of the photos can be seen in the link found in the original post.
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Post by mttbrilhart on Oct 12, 2012 11:09:55 GMT -5
Still needs a bit of touching up, but he's almost finished now!
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