Brap WIP

Here is my latest paperclay endeavor. He will eventually turn into a sweet troll named Brap. He was very relieved when I took the cling wrap off his head and took a big breath of fresh air. I tell him it's for his own good, but he doesn't believe me that he'll dry out before I can finish him. He has one eye near completion and the other one waiting patiently for it's beauty treatment. Brap's inspiration came about when I was looking at Brian Froud's Faeries at Half Priced Books and came across Jimmy Squarefoot, perhaps one of my most favorite Froud creations. I love the gentle, yet somewhat intimidating presence of Jimmy. For those of you who do not have the book (myself included), Jimmy is a cross between a pig and an ogre. Pig's just happen to be one of my most favorite animals, my absolute favorite are barn owls.

Stay tuned for more pictures of Brap.

Also, Blue Fairy will go up for auction on Ebay starting Tuesday August 28.

August 28

I have posted three new pictures of Brap. In these you can see I have added more wrinkles and made his lower lip protrude more. Using translucent Fimo, I made a protruding lower canine tooth.

Now you see all those little cracks? That is nothing to worry over. I use this Japanese liquid paperclay and they disappear like magic. It's great stuff. The next part I am going to work on is his ears and feet. Stay tuned for more updates on this post.

August 29

Brap's armature is 1/4" bonsai training wire. I covered it with paper tape to give the clay something to hold on to. I used aluminum foil to bulk out his chest and save my clay. Brap's legs are covered with Aves Apoxie. This stabilizes the legs in the position I want them to be. His feet have armatures for the toes.

The next step is to begin adding a layer of paperclay around the legs, chest and neck. I will attach his head to the body and seal the connection with the clay. I sculpt a simple form and then let it dry. Then I add the details. This is important because the clay now has a foundation and is much easier to work with. I work with paperclay in stages and allow each stage to dry before I continue. If I am particularly impatient for the clay to dry, I will put it in the oven for up to two hours at 17o degrees Fahrenheit.

Sept 14

I sculpted Brap's hands and used Ave's Sculpt to strengthen the armature. It creates the form of the upper arm and prevents the arm from bending at weird angles. Also, I added Brap's ears. I have written a tutorial about creating strong armatures for the ears. I need to figure out how to post it here.

The next step for Brap is to fill out his body with quilt batting strips and then cover it with cloth. Stay tuned for more updates.