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dragonsculptor — a girl and her dragon
Published: 2007-08-20 14:27:40 +0000 UTC; Views: 2334; Favourites: 28; Downloads: 20
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this is a work in progress measuring 36"long X 18" wide X 16" highunfortunately, do to the prohibitive cost of molding and casting it may be a long time before it's completed
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Comments: 41
I hope you post the finished results! Judging by your other works, This will be incredible!
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when it is done it will be posted, but it will be some time before I can afford the molding and casting
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I bet! 
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the best price i could find from a master mold maker is $4500
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Geeze! 
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the only way to defer the cost enough is to make thousands and I don't know if I could sell enough to
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I understand that completely! 
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yeah, I've had three commissions fall through, car accident on two, family home flooded on another. but they were willing to pay 1200, 1400, and 1600.
strange that the ones willing to spend the money aren't the ones to afford it.
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It can be so disheartening some times. On the brighter side, the less pieces you sell, the more you would have to show in a gallery. I really want to get into a gallery somewhere. I think that is the only place to get seen by the most likely persons to be able to afford the price.
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except that now I have more pieces than I have space for.
I don't know, when someone goes to a gallery they expect to pay more, but I don't think galleries really sell all that much.
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That may be true, but at the very least you get seen and if anyone does purchase, You get what the piece is really worth!
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The structure and anatomy looks believable, and it really feels like a body in motion. I love seeing dragons realized so well!
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it had been done as a project for a sculpture class in collage, and I was very fortunate that my instructor was Gary Staab, one of the leading dinosaur sculptors around to give advice. "the trick is to make it look like it could get up and walk away" was the one that I went with. I had already figured out the skeletal and musculature system for it to function in my head
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Oh man, luckyyyyyyyy! I wish I had someone that accomplished for a professor.
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you know the old saying, those who can't do teach, he wasn't one of them, he taught because he wanted to give back, he's done allot of work for the National Geographic, Disney, museums all over the world as well as countless private collectors
he no longer teaches at that school, but he is always open to doing guest spots at various schools [link]
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Can't wait to see the finished product
~Sylver~
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thanks, I've kinda put that piece on hold till I get the $4500 together for the mold and casting before I get back to the detail work. So it may be a while unless I start getting more of my pieces sold.
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lets see, it'll cost me about $4500 to get the first one made
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epoxy clay?! n1 thats great!
no baking no heat-smashed sculptures!!!
need this stuff!!!!
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the brand I use is called Magic Sculp, there are a few other brands out there, I believe there is one based in Europe so shipping cost might be cheaper for you, but as it is I bought in bulk to cut the cost a little, 2, 5gallon buckets for $525 US after shipping, when I bought 2 1gallon buckets it was $150 US after shipping
but I figured, if you bought that much supper sculpy it would cost about the same and you have to pay the bill for using the stove that much, that and allot of things just wouldn't fit
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as soon as im back in germany ill order some i usually build with shells but the size is limited...
guess it will take some practise but sculpturing is simply the best^^
thanks! for the information i really appreciate it!
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no problem, any time, I'm always glad to help if I can
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Goodness, that's impressive! *.*
I take it you were/are planning to cast it in resin? [ Fun, fun, fun..!! XD ]
I wish you the best of luck on that! :3 It really is coming out amazingly - I'm entranced by the dragon's muscles and how you've attached his wings... So natural and perfect looking!!
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thank you
actualy my first idea was to cast in bronze, but yeah, a resin cast will probabley be the way to go.
since I was a kid i've been developing a skelital system and musculiture that would work, (wing placement for balance and so on)
I'm glad to hear my eforts are working, as one of my sculpture teachers once told me, "the trick to making it look believeable is to make it look like it could walk away"
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thank you, it's kind of you to take the time to tell me that
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Holy crap that's cool! It looks big too. How tall is it? And how long did this take you 'cause I can't do 3D worth crap so I would have spent... maybe 3 years?
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Thank you. It's sertanly not the largest one i've made, but the ten foot long one was destroid before I had a chance to finish the mold. This one is three feet long, only about a foot and a half tall... (only he says). I've not been working on it full time, only from time to time over the past few years. Actual working time I would say somewhere in the range of about 100 hours or so.
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That is sad. I would loved to see the finished peice. This already looks really awesome!!
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I know how you feel.
my one real comfort is that I've found a new product called magic sculp, it's a two part epoxy clay, very strong, doesn't shrink any, and doesn't require baking, which works well for the size of some of my pieces, it's costly, but it does allow me to bypass the molding/casting process, down side is it's a one of a kind, plus side is the finished product is sell-able
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Well if I had any money I would buy one. That is so cool. I wish I had the patience to do something like that.
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Thanks, now if I could only find the ones with money who feel the same way. lol
To think, this is the third time trying this theme. The first, the armature wasn't strong enough. the second, ten feet long, was destroyed before I got the mold finished. and this one almost met its end in shipping it when we moved to Dallas from Hawaii. The plaster burlap and wire armature under all that clay is cracked and slumped a little, but I was able to salvage it.
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Hey Dallas isnt a bad place to move to. ((not as nice as hawaii)) I used to live just south of Dallas... Still have family living there. I just moved to O.K. so I know how things can get damaged in moving. Glad to hear you could save it.
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cool
yeah, and a recommendation, don't use UPS for shipping unless you are super sure of your packing. when the box arrived, you know the one, says "this end up" all over, and "extremely fragile" on every surface...well it was upside down when I went outside to sign for it. I had been worried the armature would brake loos from the plywood, never imagined the plaster inside the piece would break up.
oh well, live and learn.
though I have heard they will try and break it if it says fragile sometimes
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I dont ship anything. Thanks to my husband's step dad and his truck and trailer.. All of our stuff traveled up here with us when we moved. Of course that would be a little hard to do from Hawaii now wouldnt it? LOL
Yeah I sent a picture frame to my Aunt for her birthday and the glass was broken even though it was clearly marked as "fragile"
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