The Re-making of Aragorn (Step 6)

Thanks once again for tuning into my series "The Re-making of Aragorn". I have the nearly completed body up to this point and will be concentrating on his hair in this step.

I start by adding fresh clay to the head; making sure to push firmly to get the clay to enter the holes that I had pierced all over the top of the head. This technique works great even if you have already hardened the head clay. In this case, I have deliberately kept all the Super Sculpey clay "wet", so I will have even better adhesion to the head.




Next, I lay on sheets of clay in the rough shape of Aragorn's hair, and using my trusty toothpick as a carving tool, I start adding the individual hair details. I work "shoulders up" and in layers (just like the clothing).






From the front as I have "shaped" the hair silhouette.





















I add the bangs to the forehead and Aragorn's likeness takes shape!

And (drum roll please......) the finished and hardened, new and improved Aragorn model! All that is left is my fine tuning the details, adding some engravings on the belt, and a little sanding to remove some imperfections.

Now, I just have to sculpt his arms and the travel gear!

The Re-making of Aragorn (Step 5)

Welcome once again to "The Re-making of Aragorn", the on-going series of my complete re-sculpting of my Aragorn model because I just didn't like the original one very much. Nope. Not at all. But this one is turning out very cool!

In my last post, I got the beginning of the travel coat started and I had removed the arm stubs. I will now stamp my "key" into the arm socket. This is a method that I used on most of the earlier models and is designed to help me align the cast resin parts when gluing.


The key is just a hardened piece of Sculpey that I have carved into the shape of a key. Look... it is shaped like a key!






And when removed from the arm socket, leaves a nice key-socket. I will build a matching "male" socket once I have hardened the body Sculpey.





I then added the coat-tail; making sure to keep in mind how it will be cast in the mold. It needed to be constructed to look cool, but in such a way that I could easily make a 2 piece mold.







Here's the coat-tail from the side.










Still thinking in clothing layers, I begin to buildup the travel gear which overlay the coat and the rest of the clothing, but which must lay under Aragorn's hair on the left (his left) shoulder.

When I am attaching large areas of Sculpey, I will sometimes pierce through the added clay all the way into the model below to help the new clay to permanenetly adhere to the clay below. I do this with a toothpick and a little twisting doesn't hurt to mix the layers of clay together.


I then roll-up small tubes of clay to insert (mash) into the holes and smooth out the seams. This is like making clay nails (when the clay hardens).





I add the necessary details to the blanket that Aragorn has tied around him. This is part of the travel gear that Aragorn is wearing during the timeframe that my models take place (near the beginning of the journey).







And seen from the back, you will notice that I have also mashed three small registration holes just under the blanket. I do this, because Aragorn will be wearing a bow, quiver, and a bedroll which I plan to cast as separate pieces because I want them to have some separation (space) from the model and that would be near impossible to cast. The blanket, however, is very close to the body and wraps around him. This make it necessary to sculpt/cast it as part of the body.

Whew! Nearly done with the body. All that remains is the hair and the final trimming/touchups after I harden the Sculpey.

The Re-making of Aragorn (Step 4)

Once again, thank you for tuning in to my continuing model series "The Re-making of Aragorn". In this step, I begin working up the basic body details in layers starting with clothing edges and the boot details.

My technique is an additive method where I take the basic body (from step 3) and start layering the clothing edges from the lowest to the highest. I take small rolls of clay and flatten them and lay them in place. I then smooth the non-edge side into the body and work it till smooth. Next, I take my sculpting tooth-picks and finish the edges .

I buildup the leather folds in the boots in the exact same manner.
















After I get the basic shape of the folds, I go in and work all of the boot details; including the ties and stitching.

Here, I have completed the basic tunic (vest), pants, and boots. Notice that I still have the hint of the arms which helped me construct the shoulders properly. These will now be removed because I must mold them in separate pieces.







Arms removed with a carving knife.










I then start working out the small details on the tunic (the belt, pouches, and the laces).









And then I add the front layers of the travel coat.










That's it for this post... check back for my next installment where I go for the finished body!

The Re-making of Aragorn (Step 3)

Thanks for checking back and welcome to the third step in my "Re-making of Aragorn" series. In this step, I take the armature that I have created and "skin" it to get it ready to begin sculpting my new model. I need to build up a basic human form in the proper porportions and attach the new Aragorn head from step 1.

The first thing that I must do is coat the "metal putty" armature with a thin layer of Super Sculpy. I make sure to push hard as I do this in order to get Sculpy down into the many holes that I poked into the metal putty. This will allow the clay to adhere tightly to the armature and not slack, or fall off. Notice that I also went ahead and roughed out the basic foot shapes while I was at it.

When I am finished, I end up with a "fleshy" armature and I am ready to begin sculpting!







I stick the head to the top of the armature and work the clay into the torso so that the head will not fall off. I do the head separate because it is easier to hold and sculpt that way, and I am not committed to an entire body, if I should wish to toss the head and start over.


I then begin to add the rough anatomy. I like to work additive this way because I can very quickly build up an accurate body and change the muscle mass until I am happy. I find this easier than just carving into a block of clay.






I finish getting the basic torso anatomy roughed out being careful to use my proportion chart for reference. Notice that I only have nubs for the arms. I only have the suggestion of the arms to help me get the shoulders correct. Once I get the torso completed, I will be removing the arms and making my special "key" joints. The arms will be made into separate pieces in separate molds. This will help me make a 2 piece body mold easier. (see the posts on my other characters like Boromir, Legolas, etc).


After I get the rough anatomy, I then smooth out the edges and end of with a "nude" model that I can now start "dressing" and detailing.

Check back soon for the next step!