File puptcrit/puptcrit.0606, message 117


From: =?Windows-1252?Q?Mathieu_Ren=E9?= <creaturiste-AT-magma.ca>
To: <puptcrit-AT-lists.driftline.org>, <PuppetCafe-AT-yahoogroups.com>
Date: Sat, 10 Jun 2006 09:42:25 -0400
Subject: [Puptcrit] Smoothing Plastalina like clay!


Wow. I finally tried using a stronger solvent for the plastalina puppet head originals destined to be molded.

Before, I was using rubbing alcohol (70% is all I could find) with subtle results, but it required lots of time and work.

This time, after my two molds failed, I needed a radical appraoch to save time and re-smooth the heads. I made a test first on a copy of one head (using the bad mold)

I used Citrus solvent and a short, semi firm synthetic brush (taklon fibers) . It really works! It does wonders everywhere, and the eyes which were giving me the most trouble became very smooth and precise.

So I applied it to both puppet heads.  WOW!
It litterally does what water does on waterbased clay, but in a slower therefore more controllable way, and it is only temporary. No apparent stickyness, although I wouldn't know, since I wore gloves. Citrus solvent is still a solvent, and I wouldn't want my hands to be dissolved.

After I was done smoothing out all the little unwanted surface defects, I used a piece of foam everywhere, to give it a soft texture with just enough fuzz. The foam is regular open-cell polyurethane (soft, squishy, yellow, is popular to make patterned puppets...)

It's like a "noise" filter in Photoshop. Makes the skin look more real. It blends the shapes together. I must have remembered that from the numerous sculpture tutorials I've been reading over the years.
This is like magic!




Mathieu René Créaturiste
Marionnettes, Masques, Etcetera...
Puppets, Masks, Etcetera...
www.creaturiste.com
creaturiste-AT-magma.ca
(514) 274-8027
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