Jam # 93 Monster/concept Cars and Anatomy: Torso

[amusedjester]

Here's a frontal side of the piece. pretty much finished from the abs down to the knees except for some minor details. i was debating of whether doing a realistic look of fabric over muscles but decided in the end to go the S-hero look.

[Tim-Osullivan]

the heads count up nicely. looking good Jnr. looking at the trunks and belt, i'm thinking Cloonerman! lsst son of Lake Como am i right?



atb --tim

[jedideni]

Jr., I hate to be a stick in the mud, but to me, something looks off with his superhero shorts. Like he's wearing a diaper, it's too poofy. Maybe thinned out some with a little more definition?

You're not doing Clooney-Batman are you? He killed the franchise!




Dennis

[amusedjester]

Tim - Sorry, Cloonerman it is not. I was thinking of using this head for a batman but decided to use it for a Cap figure. It should go well with my Superman figure, since I made sure the height is the same.


Dennis - Well, we can't have Clooney kill off Cap, since he just returned from the dead. You are right about the the trunks. I will fix that later on tonight and I will try to get the back done, also the boots.

[jedideni]

Van Zan is on a little vacation. Meanwhile; back at the ranch.......



Gotta luv the craft store!




Dennis

[Tim-Osullivan]

Auto-Man rides again!!! 90 degree turn? yes sir, as standard!!



atb tim

[amusedjester]

Dennis

Whoa! It's Skele-car!!

[jedideni]

Skele-car,

Ribs 2-3, 3-4 and 4-5 are mostly filled in with Y2Klay now. I'm going to have to get out the heat gun to melt the stuff quicker. My little hot plate just barely gets it sort of mooshy.

That is some mighty hard clay!



Dennis

[Tim-Osullivan]

bored. so noodling jam ideas....

FRAZETTA TRIBUTE JAM??? going round in my head.


30 mins till hometime.


atb --- tim

[clayman1976]

I like your jam idea Tim!

[Tim-Osullivan]

yeah jeremy, i reckon more folks would wanna jam on that theme.



atb ---tim

[jedideni]

Tim wrote:

FRAZETTA TRIBUTE JAM???

FRAZETTA TRIBUTE JAM!!!

That's why they pay you the big bucks, T-Man! Jr., what say you?


Small update:


I've discovered that a larger chunk of Y2Klay softens up on my little heat plate (candle warmer), but once it gets down to a certain amount, it won't hold the heat anymore without the mass to keep the heat contained.



Dennis

[Tim-Osullivan]

i....get ..paid??? then why an i potless?



car is looking interesting Den. that clay real tough huh? you say you got some kinda hot plate warmer; can you post a photo and some info? sounds interesting. My tool time geek is curious!



atb --tim

[jedideni]

Something like this:
http://www.candlewarmers.com/ProductDetail.aspx?prod=74

It's a little hot plate that melts the wickless candle wax inside of the jars to release the scent without having to use an open flame. They also make them to set your coffee mug on to keep the java hot. I have a bunch of little tin lids that I put the clay or wax in to keep it neat and tidy and set those lids on the plate. Easy-peasy!

The clay is hard as nails. When it's warmed up, it speads like warm butter and gradually cools nice and hard. It will hold a sharp edge and polishes up real nice. I have to use an industrial strength paint scraper to cut slices off of the billet "log". It's about 3" in diameter and a foot long.

I'll snap a pic the next time I have everything out.



Dennis

[amusedjester]

A jam tribute to the great Frank Frazetta is most certainly possible. Maybe we can do that for the next jam.

Dennis - So you have designed the top then? I think when I try for the car part it will be just a rough sketch to get the most out of the theme. I'm not sure if it's y2klay but I know I have a few bricks of industrial clay they supposedly use for car designs. I don't know if I'll use it though.

The recent changes on mine: I rearranged the abs, by lowering it and defining the upper part of the abs where it meets the chest. Put more definition and wrinkles on the underpants. Still working on the belt...something seems missing. As for the boots design, i decided to depart from the comic look and reference an actual boot but it is a stiff type and wouldn't really show those wrinkles.

[Tim-Osullivan]

Dennis, that thing is super cool! and £5.99! the wall socket version looks precarious!! (FIRE!!!)

Jnr- so you are doing a Classic Cap?
Torso looking better. i note that some folks do 2 abs from the parting of the ribs (epigastric depression) then the Belly button. you got 3 which is bang on. the best example i have seen is Tony C's Gambit torso . 3 abs, belly button then lower loins.
when i do a twist in the abs, i sculpt a neutral pose then twist the piece like Kath's book shows; should make the abs follow suite. works in pink s/s as its softer , not tried the grey in that fashion.
legs seem overly defined and as a result some areas seem missing, flesh mostly. the sartorus is still to be added i see so that will fill in some flesh between the medialus and adductors which you got real nice-not overly defined. angle the R Femoris near the top of the hip in the similar direction as the sartorus. it attatches at the inferior Iliac spine ,sweeps in then the straighter part is the tendon which is long and flat. then bulk out the inner knee where the tendon and fat are. its that bump i used to miss off. i still do and have to go back and add more clay at the end till it looks right.
hope its cool to say cos i do get embarassed point stuff out mate! after all, i am no Master me-self!! but becoming a little obsessive i note!!

i ll post mine shortly so i can get some eggs thrown at me too. only fair.

atb--tim

[Alfred Paredes]

I've been away from this JAM for a bit. It looks like you guys are really making some strong progress. I actually managed to get in some sculpting time using the wife as a model. Only about 5+ hours so far, but I've got most of the figure well blocked in an proportioned (it's a half life figure, I'm sculpting in water based clay - I'm trying to get some warm up before the competition next week). If I get around to taking photos, I'll post what I've got. Gonna try to get in another two hours if possible.

Dennis, I've got about 30 Lbs. of Y2Klay in my studio. It was intended for a surf commission that ended up falling through. I was going to use to create the board and the mobius strip that surrounded the surfer. I use a heat box to warm mine up. I cranked up the heat and liquified the stuff, so I could paint it onto the substructures. It needs some heat on the surface when you go to smooth it, but here's a little trick. Go to the hardware store and pick up drywall sanding screens http://www.amazon.com/3M-9089NA-Drywall ... B00004Z4AI Cut it into small squares (about 2" x 2" or slightly smaller). Roll up the pieces in different directions to knock off most of the grit (if you don't do this, it ends up in your clay). You'll end up with a more flexible screen that you can use to smooth the hell out of that clay. As the screens get filled with clay, set them aside and use a new one. Once you've smooth it pretty far, go back to using the screens with clay on them, it'll be like moving up in sanding grit.

Jr. that sculpt is coming along nicely. Tim does have a point with the muscles (although I believe the Sartorius attaches to the anterior SUPERIOR illiac spine - The inferior spine of the anterior illium is lower and deeper in the pelvis - as opposed to the Posterior inferior illiac spine which is closer to the surface. It can be seen as the two dimples which are typically found on the lower back of females) Sorry about the anatomy lessons... I get carried away sometimes. Anyway, have a look at that, and I would also say that the right pectoral (his right) is too full on top. There's a depression caused by the attachment points of the deltoid and pectoral to the clavicle. There's also a small gap between the muscles where they attach on the clavicle - That's actually what causes the depression in that area. Lastly, I would advise to spend some time studying the knee. It's an area that very few people understand, but with a little studying, makes a lot more sense. People tend to sculpt the knee as if it was a large rigid shape, when in fact the patella is rather small, and it's only the fat and tendons which make it look larger. Understanding what the patella does (in both a straight and bent leg) will help you make that area more clear. Seeing that the tendons that attach from the quadriceps to the patella and down to the top of the tibia are what cause the protective fat under the knee (patella) to push out.

Anyway, good luck with the rest of the JAM guys. That Frazetta JAM sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun.

Cheers!!

[Tim-Osullivan]

correct Alfred! i was referring to the rectus femoriswhich attaches below and dips under the sartorus and hip flexor.

just watching the end of 300. post shortly!


atb --tim

[amusedjester]

Hey! Thanks for the input guys. I know there's a lot of terms thrown around but it really is great because it is easier to identify the ares being referred to. While making the thigh muscles I was looking at some reference pics of Arnold S. and some body builders which is why those muscles are highly heightened. The Sartorius sometimes gets lost or become too subtle. In my case, I actually didn't put them on. Which now makes sense as to why the area of the V.Internus, top knee joint, Gracilis and semimembranosus doesn't makes sense as they all taper off to the knee area. I think it confused me as the left leg is twisted at a 45 angle and muscles become more displaced. I will look at that area more and add in some muscle definition. Sadly, the case is the same with the knees. I will look up the anatomy part and bulk up the top joint to get a better grip on it.

Alfred - Glad you can drop in. I thought the competition was already on the way and that you were already in attendance. Keep us posted when you can about the whole shebang. Personally, I am excited to hear about the whole experience. Is you wife going with you? Maybe you guys can keep a video log of the whole experience? I wonder if the competition will have their own video to post? The clavicle tip makes sense now, especially the spacing in between the pectorals and clavicle. What materials are you going to use at the competition and do you have options on the material?


One thing I am currently debating is how much detail i will go into the chest area as I will cover it up in scales anyway. Still the foundation has to be solid for the whole thing to work. For some reason, in this particular sculpt I seem to be working from bottom up. Which is really weird for me. I think it has to do with the fact that I decided to work on the gloved hands separately, to get better angles while working on them. Which leaves everything from the chest up pretty much at the initial rough stage.


BTW - what is up with that name "Rectus Femoris" it always confuses me because I keep thinking it should be a name for a back muscle thigh because of the first word. Maybe some drunk professor thought, "wouldn't it be cool to screw up anatomy students by naming a front muscle thigh, rectus femoris?"

[Tim-Osullivan]

so true Jnr, so true!

here is where i am, not finished cos work butted in! ..






still got stuff to do, right leg, back, feet, hands..... darned work! been sooo tired since yesterday. shift work is a killer. hope to finish by tuesday.


fire away! atb --tim





atb --tim