Vader Sculpt

I thought I would share some of my other work with you here beginning with what started it all. Back in May (2008) my interest sparked in costuming and I wanted to make a vader costume. I decided to sculpt my own mask to try and cut costs and have a greater sense of pride in my work.

The first attempt was in drywall which I quit once I went back to school and had no place to work.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...derhead001.jpg

Here is the story of the new sculpt after around 15lbs of clay. This is my first time working with clay and or sculpting and I have learned a lot along the way.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6.../Vader2nd1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6.../Istset004.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6.../2ndset002.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...er/next001.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...opright001.jpg

Here are the most recent pictures today.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...ghtfill001.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...ghtfill002.jpg

I'm doing the sculpt in sections to try and keep the sculpt from becoming lopsided and its been working fairly well. I believe I need to add a little more height to the forhead and add the top ring and then begin on the left side. I may have to order more clay soon as well so we'll see how long this will go.

I also have a Master Chief costume I'm working on and my Boba Fett but being at school I do my projects in the order I can in my dorm room. The Boba Fett is in the bondo and fiberglass stage and the Master Chief is on hold until the vader sculpt is done or I run out of clay.

Enjoy friends and Cheers!

Great start so far man, sculpting is really hard, so keep at it!

I'm also loving the pep masterchief gear started over there, working on it myself!

Keep up the good work, see you're using klean klay!!

Hey nice work! A thing, I've been wondering about alog time is the following: Isn't the helmet a bit too heavy if made with clay? Looks really massive!

anyway, really nicely done! :)

Well I've had a marathon tonight apparently. I've exchanged 10lbs of clay for some very sore thumbs and palms. A lot of the mask has been filled out and now comes the task of sculpting for accuracy and also another wait for more clay. I hope everyone has enjoyed this most recent sculpting run and I would appreciate any feedback to help me make this as accurate a ROTJ as I can.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...ullfill002.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...ullfill003.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...ullfill004.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...ullfill005.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...ullfill006.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...ullfill007.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...ullfill008.jpg

Main things I see are that the forhead needs to sweep back more and perhaps a little more height on the top. The cheeks can be sculpted with a bit more curve and probably some more material added to the back. The neck isn't anywhere near close but once I get more clay that will be given attention.

It also looks to me like the head looks a little bulbous and maybe needs to be a litle more narrow. Well thanks for watching!

Cheers!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Thath0r

Hey nice work! A thing, I've been wondering about alog time is the following: Isn't the helmet a bit too heavy if made with clay? Looks really massive!

anyway, really nicely done! :)

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Heres the process for those that are unfamiliar.

First the clay sculpture is created and mastered.

Then a silicone mold (Rebound 25 - SmoothOn) is applied as a skin in a couple layers with mold release put on.

Then a hard Mother mold is made on top of the silicone mold and sculpture (fiberglass or plastipaste) to hold the silicone mold in a rigid orientation.

Next the fiberglass mold is removed and the silicone mold peeled off. The silicone mold is layed into the fiberglass mother mold and then a plastic resin (Smoothcast 300 - SmoothOn) is mixed and sloshed around in several layers to coat the inside of the silicone mold (with a mold release)

Finally the hardened resin copy can be removed, sanded, painted, and finished.

Well I hope that helped and that I didn't over answer your question.

The simple answer is yes... as of right now the sculpture is 20lbs and I have no desire to transport it any great distance.... especially not on my noggin :lol

that's so cool, never really seen a vader progress thread

You really rock with the clay. I am going to have a lot of fun seeing the progress of this project. I was also wondering if you could tell me where you got your master chief templates from? keep up the good work

Matt

A vader helmet must be one of the hardest objects to work on from scratch. There are so many angles and such to get right and size wise its a tough one.

Good luck with your projects, i look forard to seeing what you get upto.

This is a very difficult undertaking and I applaud you. :thumbup

You should definitely go to The Prop Den and look at some of the helmet pictures there (if you have not already). There is also a lot of analysis being done there that will be invaluable to you as you continue with your project.

There are some issue in the shapes and the proportions that you have going currently (as I am sure you know), but I am confident you will resolve them all.

Best of luck with the sculpt!