Update On Working On The Tree

I hot glued Styrofoam to the dowel and used a rasp to begin to rough out the shape of the trunk.

Next I coated the Styrofoam with mache and drilled holes in the wood block base to accept sections of wire coat hanger. The wire would be the foundation for the trunks roots.

After the mache had dried I began building up the tree trunk in Apoxie Sculpt clay.

I drilled a hole in the trunk where the unlucky sailor would be positioned and inserted a section of brass rod. The rod would serve as a post to secure the armature of the sailor figure.

After the first application of Apoxie Sculpt had cured I applied a top coat which I textured to look like bark. Then it was on to beginning the sculpting of the brontosaur's helpless victim.

Sculpting The Brontosaurus From King Kong

I recently got an interesting commission. I was asked to create the brontosaurus from the 1933 version of King Kong. My client wanted a likeness of the nasty sauropod as it menaced a sailor from the rescue party that had climbed a tree to escape.

I began by cutting a block of wood which would be the base of the tree.I affixed a nut into the wood so the finished tree could be securely bolted to a display base.

Next I screwed a couple of pieces of metal strip to the block which I covered with some Apoxie Sculpt clay. I gently pressed a wooden dowel into the top of the clay to make an impression. When it had cured I attached the dowel which would be the spine of my tree.

After gluing the dowel in place I checked the tree size next to the aluminum wire and Styrofoam armature of the brontosaur.

Finishing The Son Of Kong Model

After gluing the wooden dowel into Son of Kong's paw it was time to sculpt the lower portion of the log. Using Apoxie Sculpt clay I covered the dowel and textured it to give it the look of wood grain.When the clay had cured I primed it and painted it with acrylics.

Using 5 minute epoxy I glued the model to the base. In the near future I will be sculpting a cave bear to menace little Kong.

Son Of Kong Update

The Son Of Kong model was sprayed with Krylon Clear Matt to protect the areas already painted. When it was dry I began brushing on a dark grey wash made of thinned acrylic paint.Working a small area at a time I wiped off the wash with a soft cloth.

While the model was drying I set to work on the base. Apoxie Sculpt clay was added where the Kong figure would stand. I then pressed the models feet into the soft clay to make an impression. Now the bottoms of the feet would make solid contact with the base when time came to assemble it.

Dry Brushing Son of Kong

Since I last posted I got little Kongs face, chest and paws painted. Then I dry brushed a light gray color over the fur to give it some contrast. I began work on creating a base from plywood which I covered with mache.I thought a base (besides helping to stabilize the figure) would give it a more finished appearance.

Son Of Kong

Since I last posted I filled in the seams on the Kong model with Apoxie Sculpt and primed it with white lacquer. Here is a photo of the model with the section of uprooted tree I made in its upraised paw.

Son of Kong Project

Recently I was asked by a client to create a Son of Kong diorama using a Tsukuda vinyl Kong model. He wanted Son of Kong brandishing a log as he did in the film to fend off a bear.

The model had a manacle on the wrist of the raised arm that had to be ground off. After grinding and resculpting the area with Apoxie Sculpt clay I drilled out the hand to accept a wooden dowel.

Next I began building up the log by gluing balsa wood over the dowel.After sealing the wood I added some paper mache to rough out the shape of the log.

I then covered the mache with Apoxie Sculpt and gave it a wood texture. When the clay had cured I sprayed it with grey lacquer primer.

Using acrylics I painted the log and gave it a wash to bring out the detail. The final step was gluing on dried moss to the base of the log.