I started today by sanding the bear down to remove the rough spots. The white patches are where the fiberglass has been sanded.
I cut out the eyes of the bear, which I’ll replace later, with a tile-cutting bit on my dremel tool. While it is possible to sand the eyes down to a glossy, smooth surface, it makes more sense to replace them with the original hemispheres I used when sculpting the head. I’ll then trim those to insert the lenses. I also used a bit of two-part epoxy to redefine the eye lids.
I also removed the snout of the bear. I have two reasons for this. First, it makes for a more huggable bear. Second, it removes weight from the front of the mask, which will make it more comfortable for the performer.
Carving foam is starts much like carving wood. I trace the basic shape of the bear’s snout on a block of foam. With an electric carving knife, designed for carving turkey, I cut out the rough shape. If this were wood or styrafoam, I’d use a bandsaw.
Each time I cut off a piece of foam, it takes my pattern with it. There’s a very simple way to handle this fortunately. I use a spot of hot glue to glue the pieces back on so that I can see the pattern. When I’m finished, I’m left with a blocky shape that’s roughly the same as the original nose.
At this point in the process, I realized that I had a video camera and an editing program. So you get to watch the rest of the process, edited down to less than a minute and a half. Enjoy.
Any questions? Oh, and let me know how the video works for you. I might do it again if you like it.
I enjoyed the video. I watched it using IE6 so we know it works with that. I was expecting some talking about the retro-sizolipz or the turkey carfingdoffle, but the music was nicer. I know you had more fun making the video than making the nose.
It’s a tossup, actually. Making the nose was easy and soothing after fiberglassing the head.
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I liked it!
Especially the part where you used power tools.
I’m glad that you recognize that a turkey carving knife is a power tool.
Funny, after being away from you for so long, what I enjoyed the most was watching the distinctive way you move your hands… the lovely deliberate movements of puppeteer hands. You are so recogniziable even with your head cropped.
There’s a particular motion that Mom does with her hands when she’s talking and thoughtful. I found myself doing it the other day and wondered how she could possess me across the ocean.
The video was very cool, and particularly well-chosen music! Like -e-, I found your hand movements captivating, mostly for their confidence and speed. Unlike her, I’ve not seen you at work before.
Nice work, Mary!
The music came with the video program and seemed likely to be public domain. The other choice was Beethoven’s Fifth, which did not seem to be the best choice.
It’s my first video. I think you will get to see a video of fiberglassing later, because I have to glass the interior of the lower jaw.