I had to make two trips to the Compleat Sculptor for all this silicone. Seven more mold boxes and seven molds means I’m ready to cast the final birds!

I tested the seven birds using my trusty Canon Rebel T1i and Dragon software. I highly recommend both.

All seven bird bodies are cast. When I sculpted the first bird I made marks on each side of the body to indicate where the wings would go. This made it easy to sculpt plasticine wings onto the bodies and line them up properly. After I made sure all the wings were fairly uniform I posed them.

Here’s some of the seven bird bodies I cast in plastic. I cast a square brass tube in each that will be used for holding the bird upright and also for registration.

I made a silicone mold of the bird’s body. I didn’t do the best job opening the mold so it’s a little messy. I need to get better at that.

The main “character” in my film is is this guy. He will be a flying bird. I will be adding his wings later. I sculpted him in non-sulphur plasticine because I will be making silicone molds later. Silicone and sulphur do not mix! If you work with silicone a lot don’t even keep clay with sulphur in it your studio because it will ruin your day eventually.

I hope this is the first post of many to come. I’m an animator and designer two years out of film school with a decent amount of professional work but not enough personal work to show. I have ideas for my own projects, but never get around to finishing them, if I even start them. This makes me sad, so I’ve got to change it. I have an idea for an experimental stop-motion film that I’m in the beginning stages of. It will involve sculpting, technical animation and being outside, three of my favorite things. I’ll be sharing my progress here.