Inspiration and original 3D sculpt
The original inspiration for this project came from Star Wars - Episode II: Attack of the Clones. In the film, the digital creature is known as a Reek. The model I sculpted in Mudbox is loosely based on the creature, with some obvious stylistic changes.
Original 3D prints
In Order to 3D print the model, I worked through Maya to seal off the models, and used Rhino to convert the .obj files to .stl.
Prepping for Casting - Cutting off tusks, and coating with XTC-3D
After 3D printing the the models I prepared them for silicone casting. To cast the bust model I had to cut off the tusks with a hobby knife, ad fill the holes with a small amount of clay. The models were then coated in XTC-3D to seal the surfaces.
Molding Relief
The relief model required about 7 layers of silicone, especially to build up a cut seam beneath the horn.
Molding Bust and Tusks separately
A small separate mold was made for the tusks so that they could be cast apart from the main model. The main model was cast using metal flashing, and the tusks were cast using a clay boundary.
Casting, first failures
The first casting I attempted, I unfortunately didn't mix the two parts well enough and after 30 minutes the cast was only partially hardened. It took several more casts and a good amount of scrubbing to finally get it clean.
Casting, success
Casting, Antique pair
For this pair of casts, I used eyedroppers to pour bone white resin into the mold to fill the horns and tusks first, and then cleaned any spill out with a knife. Then I filled the rest with black resin and painted them. I chose to emphasize the ivory color of the tusks and horns, so I painted them with a yellowish undercoat, with some orange and green highlights, finishing with a good amount of dry brushing with white paint.
For this pair of casts, I chose to cast the entire models in clear resin, while setting a pair of LEDs in the mold before pouring the resin. The LEDs were wired into a small watch battery pack which I suspended at the top of the mold for later access. To paint the models, I first primed them in black, did a wash in grey, added some yellow and brown highlights, and then drybrushed with white. To finish the horns, I used a copper colored sharpie and a cotton swab to apply the finish gradually.
Casting Stain-Glass Pair
For this final pair, I poured several flat pools of colored clear resin and allowed them to harden mostly. I then broke these thin flat plates of mostly hardened resin into small chips. To fill the molds, I poured a small amount of clear resin with a slight blue tint and slushed the mold so that there was a sticky layer around the inside of the mold. I then took the pieces of the broken colored plates and strategically placed them inside the mold, fitting as many as I could to fill them entirely. Then I filled the molds with more blue tinted resin to finish the stain glass look.
Painted Series
