SCULPTING AND CARVING

THE BLACK DOG OF HERGEST HEAD SCULPT

Clay sculpt of the hound’s head for my ‘Black Dog of Hergest’ puppet. As it is a mythical dog, I didn’t want to make it look like a specific breed so pulled inspirations from different hound breeds. I also tried to make it look quite skeletal and ghostly as well as a bit menacing.

I formed worbla over the sculpt to create the puppet’s head.

Click here to see more about the making of the Black Dog puppet.

Some references of hounds i used

laying down the clay to create the general shape before details.

Beginning to make the snout details, with the muscles in the jowls, and gums and teeth.

Split open the head to make it wider as hounds have quite square heads

The armature was too big to start with so had to cut it down after starting sculpt.

Final sculpt before worbla. Deep cheekbones, big jowls, muscles showing a slight snarl.

Goblin Head and feet Sculpt

Clay sculpt of Bucket the Goblin’s head and feet to put worbla over to make the puppet. As Bucket is a goblin from folklore, I didn’t have a real life reference to use, so used my drawings and designs, and experimented with the clay to find the shapes and expressions i wanted.

Designs for Bucket

  • Experiments with clay to warm up and to start finding the shapes and expressions of the goblin.

  • Laying on the first layer of clay onto the armature

  • Starting to create the shapes of the head.

  • Replaced the eyes to be bigger. Beginning to round out the features so they look friendlier.

  • Made the brow smaller and rounder, and the nose bigger and more upturned and cute, and smiley cheeks.

  • Final sculpt before worbla. Big round smiley face that looks friendly but still has a neutral expression. Added a little fang to add a little goofy and cute detail.

  • Foot sculpt, as Bucket is a goblin with bare feet, I wanted them to be pretty knarly.

ANIMAL MASKS

Costume Assistant/Mask Maker

Image Of An Unknown Young Woman - Caird Theatre

Richard Burton Company 2024

Director - Selma Dimitrijevic

Costume Designer - Grace Rumsey

Set Designer - Srishti Vaideeswaren

Costume Assistants - Rosemary Underwood, Robin O’Connor Lowe

Production Photography - Jorge Lizalde

I worked with the costume designer to develop and create carboard and paper animal mask/headpieces for a hostage scene in the play. They had to be off-putting and menacing

  • Costume designer Grace Rumsey’s mask designs and reference images.

  • Cardboard and paper maquette of boar mask.

  • Starting sculpt. Taping on pads of paper onto cardboard structure, using the tape to shape and mold the paper.

  • Drawing on lines of the boar to see where more detail or shape is needed.

  • More detailed sculpt of boar. Focus on the sharp angle of the forehead, big cheeks and the gums around the tusks.

  • Covered paper sculpt in clingfilm and tape and lay over gumstrip to make a light weight shell copy of the sculpt.

  • Creating details, like the eye, with paper and gumstrip

  • Working on-top of wolf sculpt started by Rosemary Underwood. Using paper and tape create the shape.

  • Laying over gumstrip on wolf sculpt to make the shell of the mask.

  • Beginning to create texture and shape using cardboard, paper and gumstrip

  • Using cardboard and gumstrip to create details

  • Attaching plasterzote helmet into the mask with EVO glue.

  • Using corrugated cardboard and paper to create hair like texture, and a more menacing effect.

  • Fur texture on the back on mask. They were then dry-brushed with brown acrylic to create more depth.

  • Dry Brushed with brown acrylic to create more depth

GIANT RABBIT PROP

Team - Rosemary Underwood, Maisie Frater, Yongquian Chen, Robin O’Connor Lowe, Annie Procter 2023

The 3m tall giant rabbit was scaled up from a John Lewis rabbit teddy. It was carved from reclaimed polystyrene using a hot wire, saws, and wire brushes. We rendered the bunny with hessian scrim and emulsion paints. and made the giant dress from calico which we hand stamped to create the pattern.

Original Bunny Toy

  • Used hot wire to carve rough shape of the head. Testing the ears against it.

  • Glued layers of polystyrene together to create the bulk of the body. Started carving with hot wire and a saw.

  • Using wire brushes to smooth and shape the pieces.

  • Attaching steel bar into the ears with expanding foam, to attached ears to head.

  • The head and ears put together.

  • All the pieces together before rendering

  • Hand stamping the fabric for the dress

  • Scrimming the rabbit with hessian, using the seams to match the seams on the rabbit

  • Created the embroidered eye using string and rope, emulsion paint and glaze.

  • All the pieces scrimmed, ready to be attatched.

Next

Scenic Art