Long Beach NY Zombie Walk & Pub Crawl

This August 22nd at 5:30 pm the zombie hoards are descending on Long Beach NY to celebrate the annual Zombie Walk & Pub Crawl.

Inspired by visions of the approaching zombie apocalypse I created this sculpt of a zombie wearing a  "Zombie Walk & Pub Crawl" shirt and photographed him with the Long Beach Boardwalk in the background.

The zombie is currently stalking my Etsy shop waiting for a new home :   https://www.etsy.com/listing/244518804/zombie-walking-dead-horror-art-sculpture?ref=shop_home_active_1


 If your in the area and are interested in catching a sight of the zombies you should visit the events FB page : https://www.facebook.com/LongBeachZombieWalkandPubCrawl

When I asked what route the undead would be taking the pages administrator answered :

" The route is pretty simple. Start at Kennedy plaza, walk up park ave, first stop is Sutton Place for a drink. We turn down Magnolia to get to the boardwalk and follow it to the end. Afterward we head to Shines. Followed by the Jetty, J.w. Trainors, and we'll end at A Whales Tale to try and catch TJ's band ".

Sounds like it should be a fun time. I'm definitely going to be zombie watching  - from a safe distance of course!

The Cupcake Killer Horror Art Sculpture

I finished up work on my horror sculpture this weekend. This was the character I was making the mallet for. I dubbed him the Cupcake Killer. Like any  romantic at heart he's hoping he can find a date for Valentine's Day.

But you better think twice before you reach for that cupcake!

Skeleton Zombie Cowboy

I haven't had much opportunity to update my blog lately. In between sculpting some new walking dead cowboy pieces I've started cleaning out my studio.

Here is one of my latest walking dead cowboys. I named him Sinister Slim. There are a few other photos of him posted at my Etsy shop:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/111396420/skeleton-zombie-cowboy-horror-art

Getting back to the studio cleanup. I'm sure I'm not alone among my artist friends when it comes to hanging onto "treasures"! You know what I mean. That special something that would be just perfect for some project that you have planned in the future. Well I bit the bullet and started giving stuff I haven't used the heave ho. My goal is to have one of my work tables set up for just photographing new artwork!

Bad Santa

I thought I'd share a few work in progress photos of this nasty little fellow I just listed on Etsy: Clubba The Bad Santa by BlacknickSculpture on Etsy

If you missed my earlier blog post this is the armature I made for the sculpture.

I like to wrap the armature with floral wire to help the clay stay in place.Once the armature was completed I began adding Apoxie sculpt clay.

Here the final pose is taking shape. The legs are done but I can still reposition the arms and head if I choose.

Adding some detail to the face with a needle tool.

Adding the bat to the figure and sculpting the sleeve.

The finished sculpture and base outside being primed.

Beginning painting the face.

Giving the figure a wash to accent the details.

Putting the finishing touches to the gift box my bad Santa will be holding. I named this guy Clubba because, well, what do you name a character holding a Louisville slugger?

A Bad Bunny!

I've been working on a new dark art themed piece for my Etsy shop OOAK Bad Bunny by BlacknickSculpture on Etsy and thought I'd share a couple work in progress photos with you.

This naughty character started out as an aluminum wire armature. After padding the armature with foil I added a coating of Apoxie Sculpt clay which I allowed to cure.

After the clay had hardened I began adjusting the pose of the legs to give the figure the stance I wanted.

Here is the figure roughed out and posed on its wood base.

Remember what your Mother told you about taking candy from strangers? It goes double for naughty rabbits!

One Bad Egg Finished!

I had fun creating this piece of dark artwork. It was a departure from the more complicated sculptures I usually work on.

Run afoul of this bad egg and your head could be decorating his Easter basket!Here are a couple different views of this rotten character.

A Really Bad Egg

With Easter around the corner I decided to do a dark art themed egg. At Michael's I found the perfect sized styrofoam egg for my project.

I began by making a cardboard template of the shape I wanted for the sculptures base. After tracing it on to a piece of plywood I cut the base out and drilled holes for my characters legs.

Next I cut 4 steel rods for the arms and legs. After embedding the legs in my egg character I bent the arm rods and ground one side of the rod flat.

Then I inserted the arm rods in brass square tubing which I had filled with Apoxie clay. Flattening one side helps prevent the rod from coming loose and turning once the clay cures.

The photo shows the styrofoam egg covered in mache with the steel leg rods mounted in place. It is temporarily mounted on the wood base as it dries.

After the egg dried I marked the location for the arms.

I cut an opening for the arms, packed the hole with Apoxie clay and pressed the square brass tubing into place.

Now it was time to cover the mache with Apoxie sculpt clay. This provides a much more durable finish than mache alone.

I have more sculpting to complete on this after it cures later this afternoon. Tomorrow I'll have some new work in progress photos of the bad egg.

Sea Serpent WIP Update

I haven't had much chance to work on the sea serpent piece due to the rotten weather we've been having! I'm painting the serpent in acrylic washes and I need to protect the finish with clear lacquer before progressing to the next step.

We finally had a decent day here and I was able to get outside and spray the serpent so I could finish the painting. The serpent is now done, the fisherman and boat are 99% completed. All that remains to do is create the waves washing over the base.

On past projects I've sculpted the waves in clay, made a mold, and cast the waves in resin. It is a time consuming process but provides a dramatic effect! Here is a post with photos of my sculpture of The Old Man And The Sea for a look at resin water : http://blacknick-sculpture.blogspot.com/search?q=resin+water

On this piece I'm going to use Apoxie Sculpt two part clay to create the water. The first step is marking off the direction I want the waves to flow using a marker.

Next I begin using foil to form my waves. The core of foil will save on weight and material. This weekend I hope to have the foil waves set in place so I can begin my wave sculpting.

Monster Wonderful Monster

Tarayvonne my teammate on Etsy Dark Team has assembled a wonderful collection of monster themed artwork in this treasury: Monster Wonderful Monster by tarayvonne on Etsy

I'm honored that she selected one of my monsters for inclusion in her unique treasury!

If you have a minute you should pop into Tarayvonne's Etsy shop for a treat. She has a wonderful assortment of shadow boxes and other miniature creations: :19th Day Miniatures bids you welcome by tarayvonne on Etsy

Dark Art Horror Sale

http://www.etsy.com/shop/BlacknickSculpture I'm having a 30% off sale in my Etsy shop from Dec.11th through Dec.15th on my horror art and dark art sculptures. With free shipping on purchases over $100. So have a look if your searching for an unusual gift for someone.

Dark Art Goblin Tree Ornaments

I recently finished this set of three Goblin tree ornaments and listed them in my Etsy shop.

They are modeled in Apoxie Sculpt clay and polymer clay. Handmade Goblin Dark Art Ornaments by BlacknickSculpture on Etsy

Between Christmas shopping and fishing the last weeks leading up to the close of the striped bass season I haven't had much free time to work on my new sea serpent piece.

I thought I'd share these photos showing the beginning of the armature and adding the tongue and teeth.

After gluing the aluminum wire into the wooden skull I began sorting through my teeth.

I glued the individual teeth in place. And then sculpted Apoxie clay around them to form gums.

Next it will be time to create the eyes and paint the jaws.

Black Friday to Cyber Monday Dark Art Sale

I'll be having a 20% off sale and offering free shipping on sculpture purchases of over $100 from 11/26 - 11/29 : BlacknickSculpture - Etsy On Sale Many of my fellow artists on Etsy's Dark Team are also holding weekend sales. They create a wicked selection of gorgeous dark themed artwork! Be sure to check them out if you have a free moment: Etsy Dark Team: Black Friday to Cyber Monday 2010 EDT Specials!

New Horror Artwork

After going without clay for several days I finally got my shipment! I was one happy camper. Nothing worse then being near completion of a piece and not being able to finish it!

This gnarly looking vampire was fun to make. In the near future we are having an exhibition of artwork by the Etsy Dark Team members. The theme will be non-sparkly vampires and this fellow will be my entry.

I wanted my sculpt to be a depiction of an average joe type of bloodsucker. Like if a groundskeeper or villager were to become one of the undead. I just listed him on my Etsy shop this morning: http: OOAK Dark Art Clay Vampire Figure by BlacknickSculpture on Etsy

Speaking of the Etsy Dark Team a number of our members are having great Black Friday sales. Some running through to Cyber Monday. If your looking for the perfect dark gift pop over to check it out: http://etsysdarksideteam.blogspot.com/2010/11/black-friday-to-cyber-monday-2010-edt.html