As a reward for a bunch of other work that was not quite as enjoyable I did some preliminary sculpting on the Tortoise Beer sign for the Fox and Hounds Pub. Rather than advertise real beer brands we are creating some fun signs for the establishment that simply are fun!
I did a little research on the net and found some great reference material... then I set to sculpting. I roughed in the head first for I knew I wouldn't be able to do it in one go. Sometimes it works better to build up a foundation shape and then go back to add a detailed layer later. This was one of those instances. Then I roughed in the shell and lastly I switched to the feet. It went pretty quick.
He will be realistic but with a great deal of character added to make it a little more fun. The scales of his legs are just balls of Abracadabra Sculpting epoxy pressed on. Lastly I smoothed out the shell, then added his eyes.
The whole head and neck will get another layer of sculpt tomorrow, with lots of character, wrinkles and laugh lines too. The side view shows just how dimensional this sign really is.
This is so much more fun than actually working!
-dan
