, costs about $100-140 and is well worth it. I’ve burned up seven ordinary $25 glue guns in the past two years. This orange beast can effortlessly put out several pounds of glue a minute. It requires specific shaped glue sticks available in 11-pound boxes. You can find great deals on the web.The Gentle Dragon
I am now about to embark on another great enterprise, The Gentle Dragon. For years I have been waiting for both the time and opportunity to build a large sculpture, this time in concrete so it can become a permanent outdoor piece. My ultimate dream is to rebuild my beloved Tree Troll in concrete, but first I want to test the idea on something smaller.
I am going to be making this new piece this month. Not exactly sure how long it will take, but that will sort itself out.
The Gentle Dragon will be life-sized, and unlike most dragons, this one is intended to be entirely friendly. Imagine a huge, sweet, grandfatherly creature that doesn’t mind in the slightest that children like to play all over him. He should be loving, protective, but slightly frail and very old.
What will make this sculpture unique is his eyes. I’m making them in glazed ceramic, the same color of cornflower blue my dad had. These glass eyes will make this sculpture come alive.
Maquette of The Gentle Dragon
I did this small (7-inch tall) water-clay sculpture in about eight hours. I did it to establish a lot of things, most importantly the gesture. The gesture is more than just the look and position of the figure; it is the feel, the emotional core – the “why” of the piece – and this either connects with the viewer or it doesn’t.
This message must be strong, unambiguous and dimensional. The Gentle Dragon is not merely cute; he is intended to be loving and caring in a grandfatherly way. He is massive, but also frail and slightly arthritic; protective, but quietly so. And he is most certainly intelligent, in the way only those experienced, worldly, and old can be.
To capture the fleeting nature of a clear emotional state, I did the work quickly, in one sitting. It helps to have a particular person in mind when starting. This is my dad. His face was lined with the hard life of logging and injury. He lived to see all his kids grow up strong and happy, and shared a life with a wife both beautiful and loving. He lived into his 80s, and passed on just a few years ago. His wife, my mom, survives him still.
Initial glaze tests on porcelain half-spheres
A local ceramic artist, Allen Ross, was able to build three sizes of heavy porcelain eyes. The small one will be the Gentle Dragon’s; the largest ones are meant for the Tree Troll. I chose five pair for the first tests. I painted them in oxides so it was easy to see what effect I was getting. They are now ready for bisque firing, glazing and final firing.
The results of the first tests and second try
Hmmm – that will teach me to use the precious porcelain blanks on an untried method of painting. The irises came out fine, but I layered too much black oxide on the pupil, so the glaze buckled over that area. Now, sensibly, I’m doing the second tests on simple tiles instead.
There are 18 tests, all different techniques, painting styles, and multiple layers. One of these is bound to look good….
Auckland Dragon Day 7
[Note: For Kim's latest demonstration she is creating a large dragon in clay, live in public, in the center court of the Westfield shopping mall in Manukau City, a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. (Here's the Westfield mall on Google Maps.) Kim will be sculpting every day from June 28th to July 10th, starting at 10 AM daily.]
I have begun on the shoulder scales, so the character of the dragon is becoming apparent. This will be a a brightly scaled figure, mostly because it reads better from a distance. Without color, the detail has to be pretty agressive to make up for it.
A good day’s work!
[Click either image to see a much larger photo.]
Auckland Dragon Day 6
[Note: For Kim's latest demonstration she is creating a large dragon in clay, live in public, in the center court of the Westfield shopping mall in Manukau City, a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. (Here's the Westfield mall on Google Maps.) Kim will be sculpting every day from June 28th to July 10th, starting at 10 AM daily.]
A good day sculpting. The anatomy is nearly established; I am working on balancing the volumes so the legs don’t look too massive or the head too tiny. I started on the spine scales, but they’re not yet pointing quite the right direction.
It’s good to review the pictures at the end of each day. They give me a fresh perspective on the shapes and lines of flow that are hard to see while I’m on the stage.
[Click any image to see a larger photo.]
Auckland Dragon day 2
[Note: For Kim's latest demonstration she is creating a large dragon in clay, live in public, in the center court of the Westfield shopping mall in Manukau City, a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. (Here's the Westfield mall on Google Maps.) Kim will be sculpting every day from June 28th to July 10th, starting at 10 AM daily.]
The dragon after day 2. I have gotten the other arm and neck on the other side done and begun on the head. This picture shows the wrist is still a bit small and the biceps are dull. I’ll fix these tomorrow.
[Click the image to see a larger photo.]
Auckland Dragon day 1
[Note: For Kim's latest demonstration she is creating a large dragon in clay, live in public, in the center court of the Westfield shopping mall in Manukau City, a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. (Here's the Westfield mall on Google Maps.) Kim will be sculpting every day from June 28th to July 10th, starting at 10 AM daily.]
The beginning of the Auckland demonstration. As you can see in the background, the mall management really dressed up the stage very nicely, far moreso than I thought possible.
I’m doing this demonstration by myself. I have two weeks, and that can be done pretty easily alone. It’s a shame — it is so much more fun to have people helping out! But if it’s done too quickly, I’ll run out of work.
[Click any image to see a larger photo.]
Auckland (NZ) Dragon demo – June-July 2010
June 28 – July 10, 2010: Kim Graham has often exhibited the process of sculpting large-scale creatures at science fiction conventions and other public events. For Kim’s latest demonstration she is creating a large dragon in clay, live in public, in the center court of the Westfield shopping mall in Manukau City, a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. (Here’s the Westfield mall on Google Maps.) Kim will be sculpting every day from June 28th to July 10th, starting at 10 AM daily. If you’re in Auckland New Zealand, stop by and watch!
Kim prepared the mall dragon sculpture’s armature in advance. She writes, “The first picture is the welded steel armature built over a rough cardboard cutout version. There will be about half a ton of clay on this, so it has to be pretty strong. It took two days to build.” [Click the photo for a larger version.]
“This is the plaster and burlap covering that will support the clay. I made it small enough that I can fill out the musculature without hitting the plaster. One day to build.” [Click the photo for a larger version.]
Stay tuned for Kim’s updates on her latest dragon!
Digilegs demo II posted on YouTube
After worldwide attention from Gizmodo, Boing Boing, CrunchGear, Neatorama, and many other major sites, Kim Graham’s first Digilegs demo on YouTube has been viewed almost half a million times. Now Kim has posted a second Digilegs demo on YouTube, this time demonstrating how to put on the mechanical leg extensions and move easily up and down slopes while wearing them.
Kim Graham is on YouTube as inventorgal.
Digigrade leg extensions
At last I have finished designing my digigrade leg extensions and am now selling them to costumers, performers, and actors at Kim Graham Studios. Here is a good shot of the finished satyr version, with split hooves. These leg extensions make the wearer 14 inches taller, which makes me 6′ 7″ — and a real crowdstopper!
This one-minute Digilegs video demo on YouTube shows just how naturally they move. The hooves slide on springs; the movement constantly hides the foot mechanism and gives the wonderful impression of an additional ankle joint.
For Steamcon, a steampunk convention in Seattle (October 23-25, 2009), I’m already planning a “steam-powered” version with gears and moving parts. A Jules Verne mechanical satyr — it will be so cool!
If you have questions, please contact me at kimsculptor (at) gmail (dot) com.
Satyr Legs: Casting the rubber feet
I made the original Satyr Legs feet with bicycle tires bolted over the steel feet. The problem with using real tires is they have a lot of grooves and very little gripping surface; this reduces friction on the road. I needed a lot more contact with the ground.
To solve this, I used perforated steel and poured rubber to cast directly onto the steel feet. This is a tough rubber called VytaFlex 60. It is critical you first abrade the steel surface to remove surface oils before casting.
A closeup of the foot after the jump. (more…)
Satyr Legs at Wizards of the Coast
I created a costume with the new Satyr Leg extensions and then went by the corporate offices of Wizards of the Coast, where I used to work. I still have some great friends there. (The photo shows me with Dawn Murin.) We took it as an opportunity to test the leg extensions for comfort and show them off to a company filled with fantasy lovers. It was a terrific hit.
Two more photos after the jump. (more…)
A new commission: Satyr Legs
I’m building the Red Silk Mermaid as a personal piece, between regular work and paying commissions. I’ve just received a very fun commission from a longtime client, Tyrell Littles. I will document this commission here on this site and return to the Mermaid as soon as we are done.
Photos and more about this new commission, a set of “satyr legs,” after the jump. (more…)
Removing the rubber molds
At long last we are removing the rubber molds from the clay. It slips off with astounding ease. This haunting image shows the inside of the face mold. Good, clean, and without flaw.
Two more photos after the jump.
Silk dying technique
We have chosen a stretchable silk that can handle all the movement without too much buckling.
We drew the pattern for the dorsal fin with a light pencil and masked the white areas with a liquid resist, then allowed the resist to dry. Next, we stretched the silk on a wooden frame with bulldog clips and rubber bands. After treating the fabric with vinegar, we drew the two silk dyes, intense yellow and magenta, onto the surface. With the vinegar treatment, it is astonishing how much control you can have with the movement of the color; it is very much like watercolor painting.
After the silk dries, Owen will steam it tonight to set the color into the surface.
Dying the fin silk
[Left to right: Jasmine Gilbert, Kim Graham, Owen Wolf]
We have begun experiments on the silk for the fins. Owen Wolf, who has been dying fabrics for more than a decade, is working with us find the right look for the Mermaid. My good friend Jasmine Gilbert, a fabulous costumer, is helping with the coloring.
This is the first layer of intense silk dyes. We will set these with steam tonight and then do the second layer tomorrow. It may take many layers, and quite a few attempts, to get the complexity of texture we are looking for. But it is a joy to finally be working with the colors.
Symmetry
Here are some tricks for sculptors frustrated by bilateral symmetry.
First, impress a brightly colored string on the exact centerline of the face, then shine a light exactly on the center string. This makes the differences between sides glaringly apparent and consequently easier to fix.
Second, notice the terminus line — the delineation between light and shadow. You can get this line really sharp by bringing the light close to the sculpture. Concentrate on just sculpting along the terminus line. By moving the light up and down along the centerline, you can capture the volumes more accurately.
Last, take a picture of the piece and put it on your computer screen. Even now, I noticed a bunch of problems just writing this entry! Flipping the image horizontally also makes problems, and therefore solutions, really obvious.