Choice FX

It's alive, It's allllliiivvveeeee... well sort of.

2011-05-25T10:15:00.000-07:00

It's been far too long...

I've been putsing and playing and sculpting a bit here and there. I seem to continually run into the same problem though. I get about 3/4 of the way done a project, then I freeze. I'm not sure why?! Maybe I'm afraid of pushing myself and ruining what I've already invested so much time in, or maybe it's a lack of resources to get to that next step. Either way, it's annoying and needs to stop!

I have a pretty large project under way at the moment, more to come on that soon. But for now, here is a sneak peak of a few of the creations that have made their way from my sculpting table to the corner of my spare room. Waiting patiently to be tinkered with again.

Hopefully I can get it together and knock a few out. Admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery, right?!

Werewolf Maquette:
This was just a small project I decided to attempt on the side. The piece is about 7 or 8 inches tall.

-A simple Armature- .................-Some roughed out forms-

-After some refining- .....................-A look at the back-
Not a whole lot left to do with this guy, he's just taken the back seat to some bigger projects. My hope is to cast the finished piece in a hard plastic resin. Someday...

Alien Warrior Head:
This is sort of a dual purpose piece. Originally it was going to be created for use as a shield prop, but I'm designing it so that it can also be worn as a mask.

-Paper Mache is your friend- ............ -The forms starting to take shape-

Still lots left to do on this one, but its slowly coming together.

And here is a group shot of the corner I spoke of earlier:

They'll all get their turn sooner or later.

Thanks for looking.

Paintings

2010-10-04T09:26:00.000-07:00

A bit off topic, but I felt like throwing these up here as well.
I am greatly inspired by an artist named Andrew Pommier.
I hadn't painted anything in a very long time, so I decided to take a stab at a few of my favorite Andrew Pommier pieces, with my own twist for good measure.

"Damn Squids"........................."Bring The Pain"

"Shot Through The Heart"

About a year and a half after these were painted, I emailed pictures of them to Mr. Pommier himself. I expressed that I was a big fan and that I have the intention of getting a half sleeve tattoo consisting of his work. He was kind enough to respond with this:
"Hello Brandon,

Thanks for the email. I'm always happy to hear from people that enjoy my work and I'm glad you like it so much. I look forward to seeing how the half sleeve turns out. You have to send me photos.

I dug your rendering of my paintings. It's interesting for me to see one of my drawings done with somebody else's hand. Thanks for sharing.

I'll do my best to keep being awesome.

a... "

I was pretty stoked to hear back from one of my Idols. He seems like a really cool guy.

I also painted this for a friend once. Just because Zombies are awesome. Who doesn't like Zombies?

Thanks for looking.

Wake Up!

2010-10-04T09:17:00.000-07:00

Alright, so....

September hasn't been a great month, but things are finally getting moving. I haven't touched my sculpt in close to a month, but now that my Latex and UltraCal are present and accounted for, I should have no more excuses!!

This is where it stands right now, all of the teeth, quills, bells and whistles have been removed and some refining and further detailing added. It is difficult to see in these pictures, but it's there!

Predator Update

2010-08-18T12:17:00.000-07:00

So, here is a bit of an update on my current sculpt.
I've had some interest from potential customers of making it into a wearable Latex Mask. I have never attempted making one before, and if their is potential to sell a few copies then hey, why not?

I've started to block out the holes for where the dreadlocks will sit on the finished piece, I've played around with some different sized teeth and experimented with the inside of the mouth a bit more, started shaping the ridges on the outside of the mandibles, and I've begun playing with some of the textures on the crest. I also placed some temporary quills on the brow, again to get a feel of the over all look.

I'm pretty happy with the way it is progressing, but I still have a long way to go. And I'm not looking forward to molding this sucker! It's a daunting challenge to say the least.

But I'm having fun and learning a lot, and that is the most important part.

You are one, ugly mother@$#%*& .... Predator Sculpt

2010-08-06T08:32:00.001-07:00

I hit a bit of a wall with my Splice Sculpt. I found myself just sculpting in circles without accomplishing much, so I opted to take a bit of a break from him and play around with something else for a while.

I decided to make an attempt at sculpting a Predator Head. I'm thinking it will probably end up as a bust because I didn't start out using a proper head cast, but instead a "Mr. Brad" hair styling mannequin which is smaller and not proportionate to a human head. So I don't think I'll be making a mask this time around.

Anyway, this is what I've got so far. Not really basing it on any Predator Character in particular. Just playing as I go and seeing what I come up with.

(The teeth are just placed in as reference, they are not the ones that will go on the final sculpt)

I have to play around with the mouth a lot; add the ridges on the outside, and add some musculature to the inside of the jaws. And I plan to still do a lot more texturizing on the crest, but this is where it sits so far.

Thanks for looking

Out of Kit Effects

2010-07-22T12:29:00.001-07:00

I was going through some old photos and beginning to put together an online Portfolio, and I came across a few images that I felt like posting.

These two were done using some Out Of Kit Techniques which I learned while spending a week at the Vancouver Film School. *Unfortunately, we did not receive a digital copy of the photos, only a Glossy Print out. So upon scanning the images, much of the detail was lost. Oh well.

This was created using Liquid Latex and Toilet Paper. I think it turned out pretty well.

Thanks for looking.

Splice Sculpt- Update

2010-07-15T13:39:00.000-07:00

Here is a bit of an update:
I've been doing things really out of order and concentrating on building up one side of the sculpture at a time instead of having everything progress evenly. Oh well, live and learn. I'm still new at this.

The forms beginning to take shape

And after I added some fake eyes, and built supports for the feet

It's starting to look a little less like a naked turkey vulture!

I'm pretty happy with the way it is progressing, I just need to keep at it! I get distracted and have a tendency of moving onto new projects before I have finished what I started. It's taking a bit longer than it should, but I think I will be finished the bulk of the sculpture within the next week or so. Then it's time to move onto texture.

Splice Sculpt- Work in Progress

2010-07-15T12:57:00.000-07:00

I still haven't actually seen the movie Splice, but not long ago I clipped a picture from a magazine at the Theater. I knew that I wanted to give sculpting a shot, and thought that the picture I had taken looked like an interesting challenge.

Let the experiment begin...

First off, this is the image I clipped from the magazine

This is the Armature that I threw together

and here the clay is beginning to be roughed into shape

Looks a bit like a rotisserie chicken at this point....

Hey There!

2010-07-12T14:27:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty new to this whole Blogging thing but I'm Going to give it a shot!

I have always loved Movies. Specifically movies with amazing creatures and effects. Unfortunately I was born about 20 years to late, as it now seems the digital age is taking over. The time of Puppets and Rubber suits is quickly slipping away but I know it still exists out there and I'm going to be a part of it. I have decided to try documenting my progress as I work my way towards making a dream become a reality.

My goal for many years has been to attend the Vancouver Film School and take part in the Make-Up for Film and Television Program. That dream is still a couple of years and a few Dollars out of my reach. So in the meantime I plan to do what I can with what I've got.

If you feel like following along, then sit back and enjoi the ride.

Brandon.