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DaVinci41 — Wicked Witch of the West
Published: 2007-11-06 20:58:28 +0000 UTC; Views: 9188; Favourites: 61; Downloads: 3531
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A full-scale commission depicting Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West in the "Wizard of Oz". 2000.Related content
Comments: 52
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This is so stunning!! Wish I knew how to make this stuff. A friend is making an exact replica of her hat for me. Would look awesome to put it on. Great job.
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Thank you very much for the kind word. She was a lot of fun to create!
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Hello DaVinci41, I must say your Margaret Hamilton Wicked Witch is beautiful beyond anything I've ever seen. I was wondering what did you do it for, and where is it now?
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Hi:
Thank you for your exceptionally kind words. This piece was commissioned by Gemmy Corporation as a full-scale mannequin they produced for Spencer Gifts way back in 2001. Although the plasticene original was destroyed in the mold-making process,I still retain several castings in resin and plaster. Take care.
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At the end of my last post I meant to say nice to see your work again, not nice to see you work again.
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Hi Gary:
Great to hear from you after all this time! That's okay, I know what you meant and all that counts is the thought. Take care.
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Hello Curt,
I've always wondered where you ended up when you moved from Santa Rosa Calif.I hope you are doing well.It was this sculpt and the Dr Smith bust that led me to have you sculpt the munster wolfie bust for me.I'm still really interested in purchashing a copy of this bust from you.At the time I asked you before you could not sell me one.If things have changed Email me at sondrini@comcast.net with details.Nice to see you work again.
All the best
Gary Sondrini
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Hi Gary:
Please check your messages, you have a note.
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WOW! I absolutely love love love this! I'm a figure sculptor myself, so I know the pain of having someone else ruin your work. But regardless, this is probably the best WWOTW I've ever seen. Do you still have the molds? AMAZING work
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Hi Chad:
Thanks for your message. I have an excellent quality first generation cast in urethane resin of both the head and the pair of hands. My client has (or did have) the molds. That was ten years ago, so I'm assuming that the silicone has rotted by this point if they were kept at all. Once again, thanks for stopping in to share your comments! take care.
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haha I knew who this was the moment I glanced! Well done!
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I love everything about this!
What did you use to make the skin texture so well?
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Hi:
Thank you! The skin texture was primarily achieved using hand tooling and then punched up slightly with a little texture stamping on the neck.
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Awesome. Well it looks amazing. I just got into sculpting a year ago and I can tell this took a lot of time, effort and skill. how long have you been sculpting?
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Hi:
Thank you again.
I've been sculpting consistently since I was 17 years old. My first sculpting attempt was when I was 7 or 8, but that effort (a portrait bust of composer Ludwig van Beethoven) was brutally shot down by my dad. So, there was this 10 year interval where I didn't touch clay. But I eventually hopped back into the saddle, and that's what counts most.
Actually, the head and forearms of the W.W.O.T.W. was accomplished in 45 hours of work.
Until next time, take care.
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Well im glad to see it all worked out for the best. Im turning 17 this month. I think my first one was when I was 13. I just got back into it about a year ago because im learning to become a SPFX artist for movies. Have you done any film work at all?
Also, if you dont mind, do you have any tips for sculpting. where I live these no teachers or any sources for learning how to sculpt. so ive pretty much just been teaching myself as I go along.
Once again, great stuff.
I would love to see some more.
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Yes, if you read my short bio on my homepage you'd see what some of my movie credits are.
I find that experience is the best teacher when it comes to being an artist. Almost no two artists will completely agree on favoured techniques, tools or materials. Quite frankly, it's impossible to communicate effectively the full learning experience over a media like the internet (BEWARE OF ANY SCHOOLS THAT OFFER ONLINE ART CLASSES - they are cheating the students and pocketing huge extra profits because they don't have to pay full-time instructor salaries and such overhead as model fees, equipment, space rental/heating/electric bills, etc.)
However, on a project by project basis I'd be happy to give you some guidance. But first you must decide upon a project and start it. Remember, an artist makes art - he doesn't talk about doing it. No art, no artist. Sounds so elemental doesn't it? But the fear of the act of creating (and the attendent possibility of failure) is often so overwhelming that we look for any excuse to procratinate, to put off that moment of truth where our mettle is tested. However, it's all a part of the game and you have to accept this if you're to succeed as an artist. Develop your own strategy in overcoming fear and doubt and begin making art NOW.
On the subject of doubt inculated by others: jettison ANYONE within your circle of acquiantence who tells you that what you're doing is a waste of time. Do it ruthlessly and conclusively and never mourn the loss of those people from your life - they are acting negatively and selfishly. People who do not support your dreams and aspirations (and creating art is amongst the most noble and life affirming of these)are NOT your friends.
Get onto a good search engine and find the website for The Complete Sculptor, one of the best online suppliers of sculpting materials and tools. Start out using an excellent modeling plasticene like medium firmness Chavant. Buy one spool of each of the different gauge armature wires available and a small selection of tools that you think you might work for you. But most of all, begin NOW.
I hope this has helped you somewhat. Take care and stay in touch.
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Hey, thanks a lot on getting back to me. every sculptor Ive tried to talk to about help and guidance with this stuff never wants to discuss it. so really thank you for getting back to me on this. Oh and do you have a myspace or email? I don't mean to take up your time but Ive got so many things Id like to ask you about sculpting if you don't mind.
The only things Ive had to help look over is a few videos on sculpting and Ive watched a bunch of vids on youtube of people sculpting. I'm going to try and get into Tom Savinis art school once i graduate. Ive tried almost all courses with SPFX art, but i think i want to stick with sculpting.
But your right, that's good advice. Im always procrastinating. saying ill get to my work but then push it off. I don't even know why really because as soon as I start I enjoy it so much I don't want to stop. maybe it is because i think it will turn out bad.
Yeah, I understand what your saying. Ive had a few people put me down for what I do but I don't let it get me down because I enjoy it so much. My parents, especially my dad, loves what im doing so they've always been supportive.
I think Ive been on that website before. never bought anything on it though. Ive got and worked with wed and medium chevant clay but I have to say that im hooked on super sculpey though.
Do you think its better to buy armatures online or make them yourself because Ive tried making one and it didn't come out too well and was extremely hard to work with. I cant find anything on how to make them so do you have any advice?
Oh and if you have the time, do you think you can look over some of my sculptures I have on here and maybe let me know some things to maybe work on next time? id really appreciate it. Ive pretty much got everything since I started to what I just finished on here.
I think the next one im going to work on is a bust of John Merrick (the elephant man) once i get some more clay and Id really like it if I could get some advice about it as i go along.
But thanks again, really.
I hope to hear from you soon.
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Hi:
That's a real problem in this business. Many colleagues are extremely competitive, jealous and arrogant (which is to say that they're very insecure) and, thus, feel very threatened by a novice's inquisitiveness. It's completely absurd: it's not about proprietary tools or materials, IT'S ABOUT THE TALENT AND CRAFT OF THE PERSON WEILDING THEM. They're not secret weapons or magic talismans, but merely the tools of our trade. If you need to rely upon a secret wax formula (like the much-touted, over-rated "legendary" Hasbro wax in the toy/collectible industry) as a crutch to prop up your wobbly image as an artistic wunderkind then perhaps you should get a job as an accountant instead. You're even lower on the totem pole if you're easily threatened by a beginner. I could name names, but professional discretion restrains me from doing so.
Onward.
I'll help you as much as I'm able, when time permits (which, as you no doubt can see from the date of my response, is rather limited), but you do have to develop your own critical eye towards your own work and progress. You also should develop your own resourcefulness in researching techniques, materials and tools. Sleuthing is half the fun!
That having been said, feel free to e-mail me image files of your recent work of no more than 100K total per message and I'll be happy to give you feedback. (My e-mail address is posted on my profile page here on DeviantArt.com.) Until then, take care.
Best Wishes,
Curt Chiarelli
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Your WWof the W is so beautiful. I own the Spencers one...nothing at all like this.
Got any heads lyin' around???
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Thank you for the compliment! Yes . . . . the Spencer's final product . . . . What a travesty of the original! When I saw what they'd done to my work in a Spencer's Gift Shop in Santa Rosa Shopping Mall I felt nauseous. Luckily, I retained three sets of unpainted solid resin castings of the head and two arms. Take care.
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Would you consider selling a set??
I'm a huge Wicked/Oz fan and would luv the opportunity to own your work.
Thanks,
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Hi:
Yes. Please send me a private note and I'll respond with a price quote. Thank you for your interest.
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Once again, many thanks for your kind, supportive comments!
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She was truly incredible as the WWotW...you captured her likeness very well. It must have been a bitch to do without a full set of ref photos.
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Thank you! How did you know that I had only an old video tape to use as reference? Good reference materials or not, she needed to be finished for the client in a short five day turnaround. Well, as I've always said, fear of starvation is the mother of all motivation . . . . Take care and stay in touch.
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It's really a terrific piece! I'll be watching to see what you do next
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As Hugh Downs always said at the end of "20/20": "You stay in touch, so we stay in touch."
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Looking good
What finish are you doing the heads and hands in?
Resin casts or silicone or wax etc?
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Hi Andy:
Good to hear from you again. The original finished sculpt was done in Chavant N.S.P. and the final was cast directly from it in urethane resin after making a silicone mould.
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Nice! Got any pics of the finished item? I'd quite like to see
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No, unfortunately I have no photos of the finished item and for a very good reason. Good old Margaret was produced for Gemmy Corporation and distributed through Spencer's Gifts. So I took a trip down to Spencer's one day and was appalled at how thoroughly the manufacturer in China had degraded my work. Trust me, it wasn't pretty!
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That's a damn shame. The sculpt was spot on!
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Hazards of the biz, I'm afraid!
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