~pinkertonFX

The Mammaliens were conceived on December 31rst 2007 basically from extra parts in my basement shop. Some of you may know that the first was the bug eyed Angry Monkey, well... it hasn't stopped there. I had so many people wondering what it was and where they could get one that I had to add to the litter. Here I will explain to you what goes into one of these little guys and to let you know when one is available for adoption ( I have to make them in between other projects )

The first step in creating a Mammalien is to decide on what he (or she) will be or look like. Yes even the Angry Monkey went through this design process. I will sketch it out on paper if I don't have a clear vision of what it may look like but, usually the first step for me is a clay sketch (a very rough clay version of the final product)

Now that I have a design (mostly) locked in I refine the clay piece with my fingers and a few choice tools. The refining step may vary for different people because everyone has a different vision on what they would like to see. With the Mammaliens I wanted to be able to use some parts more than once basically giving me what I like to call the Mr. Potato Head effect. Mixing and matching different parts gives me looks I may have never thought of in the first place( this step almost falls back into the design step). Each character usually consists of multiple sculpted parts attached to a custom fabric body. I like to go with eyes (separate) mouth, nose (sometimes), ears, butts (yes they have little butts), legs and arms. Now I haven't done it with these yet but I will be adding little nipples, belly buttons and other fun little tiddly bits ( no not those) The goal it to just be weird and have fun!

With all of the parts refined I am now ready to make a silicone rubber mold so I can reproduce each piece in a durable two part resin. The pieces are secured in a leak proof box. These boxes can be made from just about anything but I like foam core... easy and quick. The reason for the box is to hold the silicone in place around the sculpture.

OK... the pieces are in their mold box and glued in place ready for silicone. Silicone is a two part rubber that is available in two main versions (yes there are more than two but not used for this type of project) I use a platinum silicone... I use this because it will last much longer than the other type (tin based) but it does have its problems if your not used to working with it I would suggest the tin based as it is more forgiving. You can find all types of information on silicones at web sites like Smooth-on.com. Once you have the silicone mixed to the manufactures instructions I d-air the mix (put it under a vacuum to expel all of the bubbles) This step is not needed but will make a much better and longer lasting mold. Silicone is self leveling so the next step is to just slowly pour the mix over the pieces. The silicone should be pored to at least 1/4 inch over the top of the highest piece... more if you can. Set aside to dry overnight. Once cured the molds will peel right off the original (sometimes it may take a bit of effort) usually coming off clean. If some bits broke off in the mold just pick them free and powder your mold to remove any crumbs or residue(I use baby powder).

Your molds are now ready for resin. I use a translucent two part resin that I add pigment to to give me a realistic skin like finish. Basically if you hold the ears (something thin) up to a light you can see through them slightly giving them a natural look. I also put them under pressure while the resin cures to give me a bubble free piece. This step is optional but again the quality of the final piece will be much better if done this way. Once cured the resin pieces will pop out of the mold with a simple flex, like an ice cube tray. I sand the backs (the non detailed areas) of the pieces so the glue bonds better (more about this later)... rinse in soap and water and set them aside to dry...they are now ready for paint.

I'm going to leave this here at the moment but as you can see there is allot of work into each and every piece. Stay tuned (yea I'm sure your on the edge of your seat ) for part two where I will talk about the painting and the fabric portions o the piece.