The Dark Bunny

Iv been playing around with Sculptris recently, I love how intuitive and immediate it is. I often find that using a different medium to sculpt or paint with that the unfamiliarity if the tools gets in the way and distracts from the work itself, but this program seems very familiar to what I'm used to.

I was experimenting with bright colour schemes and markings, trying to create a character that stands out.

A talented chap by the name of Douglas Caldow has made a little film about  Dark Bunny FX (ie me)!

"They call them floating horrors, no one seems to knows where they come from or if they even exist. They have only been rarely reported by sailors, who claim to see them gathering in the mist and solemnly following the ship moments before being hit by horrendous lightning storms. Some claim to hear them wail in unison as the storm hits. Rumours of them emanating from a fractured, glowing rift in the clouds have gone unsubstantiated.  There are very few survivors of such storms, and none who are sober enough to be considered reliable witnesses. It is the opinion of this investigator that they are merely the figment of addled imaginations and do not warrant further time or investigation.”

William Thacker. (East India Company investigator, 1590-1640)

I created the creature on my ipad using an app called 123d sculpt. Its nowhere near Zbrush but very quick, accessible and easy to use.  

Simon has been incredibly naughty... as usual. he knows his mother will be furious when he returns to his dimension, which is partially why he has remained here for the last 15 years.

He enjoys: Scampering through the woods just out of sight giggling. These soft, chewy, pink humanoid things that seem to be everywhere. Holding his little arms up as if he wants a hug. Hiding in baby buggies, high chairs and bathtubs waiting for that moment you realise that the shape you assumed was your child is in fact... not.

This is an entry into the Stan Winston school creature design contest. Created using 123d sculpt.

Do NOT try and hug him back.

I have been working on this creature concept over the last week or so. He started out as a quick 3d sculpture and once that was given the ok i moved onto sculpting a small maquette of a similar design.

It's  been a couple of months since i sculpted in the real world (had a bit of an intense and protracted affair with digital sculpting) and as much as i enjoy digital, its all about the clay iv realised. I don't know how best to to put it, but i like having a physical object to work with.    

It's  also interesting how i reference things without consciously registering i did. For instance, we have some vampire bat creeping in around the nostrils, and a whiff of gill man coming in around the horn like structures.. (the idea is that his head is essentially a wind instrument, and by breathing in throughout the nostrils he then sends the breath through his skull and out of the holes between the horn ridges, creating some kind of noise)

I imagine him to be a friendly chap, albeit somewhat craggy and warty. I call him Sid... And I'm in his debt because he made me realise just how much i truly love traditional sculpting, and how glad/lucky i am to be doing what I'm doing. I've got a ways to go before I'm at the level i want to be at, but here’s to getting better at doing what i love. Cheers Sid. 

Here I go with the big toothy mouths again. Trying to capture something inhuman and horrific. Gave it a slimy look as if it's just been born. Referenced a blue whale for the head shape.

Don't feed the animals kids.

A little while ago i started designing a creature for a talented filmmaker friend of mine, he had a great short film idea revolving around a misunderstood lake creature (can’t give all the details away yet) and he wanted me to design and then build a series of makeups or puppets to show the creature at different stages in its life, from young to old. these are my initial concept sketches for the various looks i thought could work.

It was important to steer away from “the creature in the black lagoon” so i tried to make it as colourful as possible.

I referenced a catfish for the barbel whisker like tentacles as iv always found that look aesthetically satisfying  for some reason (possibly the same reason i love long dreadlocks on a monster/alien such as the Predator or Bib Fortuna)

I also think that a soft fleshy mouth with sharp hard teeth is a nice contrast.

These sketches represent only the very beginning of this project, hopefully the film goes through because id love to  take this creature from idea to reality at some point.

Stay away from the waters edge…

Really enjoyed the colours on this one. Also pleased with the freehand skin mottling.

Grumpy Orc sculpt. Practising my skin tones.

This was a prop commission I worked on, the brief was a post apocalyptic style  power fist in the style of the Fallout games... With a hint of steampunk thrown in.

I built up the shapes using an old camping mat I had lying around, fixing them together with my hot glue gun. Then spent some time on painting and weathering it.

I'm pleased with the result as I didn't design it in anyway beforehand (dangerous) I just built it as I went along. But this kind of old cobbled together style of armour lends itself well to getting stuck in.

It probably took me 3 or 4 hours from start to finish, I could have spent more time on the details but I think it's effective as it is.

I was trying to create something cute without using a face. I imagine this guy is rather lost and confused and in dire need of a hug. 

I was also experimenting with painting rusty metal and glowing effects freehand.

I'm not going to lie... This alien has a penis for a head and balls for boobs. Sometimes you reference strange things in your sculptures.

If it's good enough for Geiger it's good enough for me.