# If it doesn't exist, make it. Right?



## ErikB (Dec 31, 2016)

So I have been working on my science fiction book series and specifically (aside from rewriting and editing) I have been changing the cover art. 

It struck me that the key character in my book in many ways (even though not a speaking character) is an animal that I call an "enithorox" or to be more specific to the 5 species, a "Striped Enithorox."

I have done many concept sketches, and have some that stand out more than others. Even skeletal studies, musculature, etc. 

The problem is that I am having difficulty rotating the image on paper. As an artist I prefer to do my own cover sheets, and since I am very detail oriented they are always as I want them to be. 

But I cannot rotate the view of my alien predator to accommodate the cover in the way I wish to. So I decided to create the beast. Literally!

I am going to sculpt, paint, and use paper mache, wire, and artificial fur to create a smaller life-like maquette of a striped enithorox that I can shoot photos of at any angle. 

I want it to look like a small well taxidermed animal. I've got air dry clay for doing the head and mouth and the feet and claws. I've got chicken wire, bailing wire, dowels, paper mache materials, and paints. I am getting artificial fur in varying lengths which I will paint and colour to blend. 

I also picked up clear glass cabochons to make the eyes of my creature. These I have designed and painted. 

I will share some concept sketches in this post and the photo of the eyes I have made for my creature. 

I will also post progress pictures when I get the sculpt started so you can see the various stages. 




 

So these are the glass eyes I created for my enithorox. I'll include some concept art sketches so you can get a feel for the animal it will become. 

This is the apex terrestrial predator of my alien world.



 

Of course that body is too short. It's just a basic concept. Played around with physiology for this creature a great deal.



 



 



 



 

Again these are concepts I am playing with. I have a clearer image in my mind. I think that sculpting it in 3D will be a better way. 

Anyway, I will update images as the project progresses. But I am happy with the eyes so far. 

Cheers!


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## Cat's Cradle (Dec 31, 2016)

It's all very impressive, ErikB! Those eyes are amazing. Did you do the glass-work, or hire them made? They're very intimidating!


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## ErikB (Jan 1, 2017)

I bought the glass cabochons. But they are clear glass. I did the painting and designed the eyes. 

I modelled the veins and design from various cat and carnivore eyes. 



 



 



 

These are actual eyes I'm modeling from.


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## hopewrites (Jan 1, 2017)

You did that top sample spot on! I thought they were the same eye just set in fur when I saw the sample.


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## ErikB (Jan 2, 2017)

Thank you very much! 

I will be starting the sculpt portion soon. I'm working a lot at the moment. But my free time is going to be spent on this project. I'm glad you like the start. Cheers!


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## ErikB (Jan 9, 2017)

So the maquette or framework beneath the head of my enithorox was first shaped with floral foam and wire. This is only a loose skeletal structure over which the clay will be layered.

Here are a few images of the maquette and a temporary layering base.



 



 

More to come...


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## ErikB (Jan 9, 2017)

After the basic maquette is ready I began with white air dry clay. About 2.2 lbs to be precise. It is still drying. This is step 1 of the actual sculpting phase. 

I used white clay for the head and mouth as this colour is easiest to paint and layer. The mouth and eyes are in their first stage of progression. I will add a tongue and more teeth. Build up the lips. Build up the eye lids and cranium as well as the muzzle.

Then after beefing up the neck and adding ears I will begin the basic paint. This will be followed by flocking the short fur around the sides and top of the muzzle before gluing and blending in longer hairs.

Anyway here is the first stage clay work.



 



 



 



 



 

More to come...


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## ErikB (Jan 10, 2017)

Once it is sanded down the first stage of the sculpture is smoother. Seams and cracks are removed and the head shape better contoured. Teeth are sharp and uniform in size. And rough area bear the eyes are better.

Here are some shots of the sanded head.



 



 



 



 

More to come. Cheers!


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## ErikB (Jan 14, 2017)

I picked up more white air dry clay today. I have not yet had the time to create the ears, teeth, tongue, inner fangs, or to expand the neck and muzzle and skull. But these are next on my list.

Once I have these items completed I will take a photo or two and share the progress. After that comes the texturing stage and then painting and refining.

Then I will begin flocking the muzzle and adding artificial fur to the head and neck. I am still debating on waiting to fur the animal until the entire body has been completed.  So the process may take a bit more time.

This is not my first time sculpting. However sculpture is not my primary art media and this IS my first time trying to create a small scale life like alien mammal.

It is proving to be an interesting challenge but ultimately I believe the creature will be one of my more unique art pieces.

Once I have the final head sculpt completed I will be better able to gauge the body size that I need to create.

The initial body will be constructed from chicken wire and paper mache which is surprisingly hard and durable when it fully dries.

I will build muscles over the basic body form with red clay which will be covered with fur that is glued to the clay muscles. I am anticipating that even with a hollow paper mache armature the total weight of the enithorox sculpture will be around 25 - 30 lbs.


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## ErikB (Jan 14, 2017)

So I had to rethink the teeth after working out a better skull and dental sketch. I removed the four teeth that I had a contoured, carved, and sanded the inner mouth and the head in general. 

The new dental forms will be cast and shaped separately from the sculpt, then added after they have set and been sanded and painted. 

I will use molding rubber to make a texture mold for use with the tongue as well as a skin texture mold. This will add to the realism of the tongue once it is added to the mouth. 

Here is the smoothed and contoured sculpt without the former teeth, and showing the skull and flesh sketch with the new dental plan for the enithorox.



 



 



 

More to come as this progresses...


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## ErikB (Jan 15, 2017)

These images may look like I found some strange gum under a shoe. But in actuality they are two texture molds that I made from a rubber molding compound. 

One is done using an orange peel, the other from skin on the back of my ankle. 

So why have I created two blobs of rubber resembling skin texture and orange peel?

The peel will be used to make the tongue have bumps like an mammal tongue would. And the skin texture is for clay areas like eyelids, ears etc.

Realism is very important to me. 



 



 



 

And of course more to come as the project continues.


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## Coast (Jan 15, 2017)

This is impressive Eric! Keep 'em coming, I'd love to see this right through to completion!


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## ErikB (Jan 16, 2017)

Will do. I have a few days that I will be too busy with work to do more. But I will post every step through to completion. 

Thank you for your feedback. I'm glad you like it. 

The final result will become part of my book cover. More to come.


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## ErikB (Jan 19, 2017)

My work schedule has been a bit chaotic so I have not yet been able to sculpt more. However I did kill about a half hour developing a better view of an enithorox skull. This helps me to line up the canine teeth, carnassials, and incisors. As well as jaw and orbital alignment and muscle layering. A guide for what is soon to come.



 

This is not fully shaded. Like I said, I'm on a chaotic schedule this week. But it gives a bit better look at the creature's skull. 

More to come...


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## ErikB (Jan 27, 2017)

Okay so I had a little time to myself to sand the head, add a bit of clay (not too much so I will save that shot for a later time), and to create the majority of the teeth.

The canines and carnassials are made but only in their rough form. Next comes the sanding stage once they harden to smooth them down.

Then the leveling stage to make sure that they stay level and well placed inside the jaw. 

This will be followed by the creation of gums and bedding the teeth into the gum line. In order to do this the gums must be soft, wet, and molded into the mouth while the teeth are hard and ready to be pressed in.

This makes for a far more natural looking mouth. I will do the two sides separately since I need to also add to the lips and build in the roof of the mouth on the top jaw.

I will need to do the lower gum line and teeth as well as building up the tongue and rear jaws. 

But first things first. So as soon as the clay has hardened and dried the teeth will be sanded and ready for the next stage.

More to come...


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## Cat's Cradle (Jan 27, 2017)

Impressive, as always, ErikB! Ultra-realistic looking, to my eyes.


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## ErikB (Jan 27, 2017)

Thanks so much. The teeth are barely in their initial stage. Once I sand them and paint, stain, and gloss them they will look like real teeth. I'll be posting more images as soon as I have more progess with the project. Cheers!


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## ErikB (Feb 1, 2017)

The teeth have been sanded and balanced proportionally and are ready for paint, staining, glossing, and setting. But before I can create the gums of the enithorox I must have the lips done and the expanded final head and muzzle shape. So these will be the next sculptural step. 

Here are the upper teeth and in the image after it, the lower teeth. 



 

This is the lower teeth.


 
More to come as it progresses. Cheers!


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## ErikB (Feb 21, 2017)

So I realized that the eyes were too far to the side on my enithorox. Just about all terrestrial mammalian predators have forward facing eyes. 

This meant removing the eyes and repositioning them. 

I did this only to find a discrepancy between the position of the eyes from one side to the next. This meant that I have had to remove the right eye. I have more clay and will soon reposition it.

Meanwhile I have sanded and added base details to the right side of the face. The left will soon match.

These are some progress images.



 



 



 



 



 



 

More to come...


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## ErikB (Feb 22, 2017)

In addition to sharing progress reports about my own work on the enithorox, I wanted to share with you an example of something created by a very talented artist.

Her work is phenomenal and I encourage members looking at my post to visit her facebook page and have a look. She creates a variety of real and fantasy animals with fur, horns, glass eyes, etc.

One of my favorites of her work is called "The Guardian" and it is a wonderful example of the affect that I am attempting with my own sculpture.

I asked for permission to post a photograph of her work and was graciously granted the permission to share this with you. Her name is Lee Cross. She is on Facebook and Deviant Art. Well worth checking out!

Here is her artwork, the Guardian.




My own creature will be furred and airbrushed in a similar manner.

Thank you Lee for allowing me to share this on this site!


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## ErikB (Feb 22, 2017)

If you wish to see more of her work this is a link to her Facebook page.

https://m.facebook.com/Woodsplitterleecross/?ref=tn_tnmn/F

Cheers! 

She is also on Deviant Art.


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## Cat's Cradle (Feb 22, 2017)

Making progress, Erik! Looking forward to that final reveal...though I know there must be tons of work ahead, still.

Lee's work is amazing! What a creature! It's beautiful, CC


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## ErikB (Feb 22, 2017)

She is a very talented and creative person. Thanks mate! I will post more as the work progresses. Cheers!


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## ErikB (Feb 27, 2017)

Starting to bulk up the head, realign the lower jaw, add detail contours to the upper muzzle, and I am preparing to re apply the missing right eye which appears most often to the viewer's left.

For the fur my regular airbrushes wouldn't do. I need something capable of ultra fine detail. 

For years I thought that this was the Iwata Custom Micron airbrush. Its a top of the line airbrush that can do pencil thin lines. It costs just under to just over a $1000US depending on what set you are getting.

But I discovered a better brush that was from the company that sold Iwata the specs to their brush when they were in a financial bind. That brush is the Olympos Micron MP 200C. 

An airbrush almost identical except that it has far better action on it, more precision on the finger control, and a slightly larger paint cup.

 Oh yeah... I got it for $152 US.

So that will allow me to do some superior affects with the fur. I'm very excited.

So here are some update photos.




 



 



 



 

More to come...

Cheers!


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## AStormCloud'sSong (Mar 6, 2017)

May I just say that I love your attention to detail? You're really going out of your way to make this seem like a real breathing creature. I mean, those tongue bumps...

And I really like the design for the creature itself. It makes me think of a cross between a canid and a mandril.


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## ErikB (Mar 7, 2017)

Thank you very much. I am planning on photographing it in a wild setting from different angles and using it for my book cover. 

But it will also be a nice visual representation to keep me excited about the book series. I'm glad that you like it. Soon I'll have a day off and will use that time to get a lot more sculpting done. Going to have the other eye back in place and will build up the sculpt from there. 

I have located some suppliers of artificial/synthetic fur that looks very real. I have my new airbrush as well to do pencil thin lines. 

Got a new mini hot glue gun as well. And I'm going to experiment with 2lbs monofilament fishing line to create whiskers for the enithorox. 

I will post more soon. Cheers!


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## ErikB (Mar 24, 2017)

A large amount of material and planning goes into making a fictional creature come to life as if it were a taxidermed miniature version of the actual organism.

I needed a new air compressor for my airbrushes. So that's here. Even though I am not yet at the painting stage. Preparation is key.

Sculpturally the enithorox head is now better balanced and ready for a colour underlay. This is the base coat of colour which serves as a loose template for what will be mostly fur or flocking covered areas. A guide if you will.

Before furring can take place I must create a body form maquette and attach the head to it. I will have to work on the mouth and teeth soon as well since these would be difficult to paint and detail once the head is connected to the body.

So here are some of the materials as well as updated head sculpt images.



























More to come!


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## ErikB (Mar 24, 2017)

So I've experimented a little with colour patterning even though the sculpt will be covered in a camel coloured faux fur material and trimmed to form.

Here is the experimental paint as well as the base fur before being attached and airbrushed. More to come! Cheers.



 



 

The paint is just a partial paint job. I'm not working on the mouth and lips until the teeth and inner mouth are completed.


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## ErikB (Apr 1, 2017)

For a while something has been bothering me about the lower jaw of my enithorox sculpture. I've been checking my measures and the proportion was off.

The models for my jaw have come in part from various skull studies but primarily the Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa). But the lower jaw is longer and the lower canines undershot to the upper.

My sculpt had too short a lower jaw. So I have added clay to lengthen it. I was going to sand it today having some free time. But I was struck yesterday by a car while bicycling by a driver that was on her phone texting when she drifted into the bike lane. I was going up an incline and did not see her before she sideswiped me hitting my left arm.

I'm resting the arm today but because of the car strike I have to take it easy and cannot sand or continue my project.

The next free day that my arm is out of the wraps and brace I will continue to smooth the jaw and start setting the teeth.

More to come. Cheers!


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## Cat's Cradle (Apr 2, 2017)

Hope you have a speedy recovery, ErikB! Life will throw surprises at you...glad the injuries weren't any worse.
I like the longer lower jaw...amazing project! CC


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## ErikB (Apr 6, 2017)

Thanks mate! I'm doing much better. I like it better too. I usually sit outside and sand off the work. Today its raining but I'm finally out of the brace and bandages. Itching to work on it more but not to have the clay dust in the house. I suppose I can wait til morning...

More to come as soon as I am able. Cheers!


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## ErikB (Apr 15, 2017)

The tongue is now in. It will need to be shaped a little, smoothed, painted, and glossed. I have new teeth drying and once they are fully hardened I will take the dremel moto-tool and carve and shape them properly.

Here are a few views of the tongue and texture of it.



 



 

More to come! Cheers!


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## ErikB (Apr 22, 2017)

So my first set of teeth were too small. Today I got a bit of time to carve the upper inscissors and left canine. There are a few small air pocket pits on the canine but these will be filled in before I paint the teeth. 

I inverted a picture to give an idea of what the new teeth look like. They are not yet painted or glued in place so I had to set the sculpt upside down to balance the teeth for a shot. 

The images are not my best but they get the general impression across.  More to come. I am very driven to complete the teeth so that I can finish the mouth and then be able to start on the neck and body of the enithorox.

Cheers!


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## ErikB (Apr 28, 2017)

Okay I have a number of the new teeth carvings completed. Upper and lower inscissors, and canines are now done. The upper and lower carnassials on one side are complete. I just need to sculpt the opposite side carnassials and the teeth will be ready to paint, seal, gloss, and mount.

Here are some progress pictures.


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## ErikB (Apr 28, 2017)

Just a footnote. The image in which teeth are in the mouth is just me loosely holding or balancing the teeth in place. They have not yet been attached/glued in place.





More to come...


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## ErikB (Apr 28, 2017)

Okay here are the completed teeth. The next stage is to contour the edge of the teeth and /or bottoms. This makes fitting the teeth in and then gluing them much smoother. I will prepaint the teeth to make it easier before painting the inner mouth and jaws.

Unlike my pattern experiment on the head, the tooth painting will be permanent. I will gloss and seal the teeth after painting, then glue them in place and build up the gums around them. 

So here are the finished teeth before paint.



 



 

More to come.


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## ErikB (May 1, 2017)

So I have carved and bedded the lower jaw. I'm painting the teeth. But once all of the teeth are painted and the upper jaw has been carved so that those teeth can be bedded I will glue them in place. Then once they are set I will build up a gum line in clay and wait for it to set before I paint the gums and tongue.

More to come...


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## Cat's Cradle (May 1, 2017)

Looking very cool, ErikB! Well done, CC


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## Kylara (May 1, 2017)

Looking good! Teeth look fantastic and I can't get over how good that tongue texture looks!


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## ErikB (May 3, 2017)

Thank you both!

The teeth are painted but not yet glossed. Since the tongue has a base coat but will need glossing after the next coat, I plan to do all of that at the same time. The mouth interior will also need to be glossed for a "wet" look.

But the teeth are glued in place. Soon I will start on a gum line around the teeth and do the roof of the mouth texture as well. This will be the second most difficult part of the facial sculpt. (Painting it evenly in the tiny crevasses and tight spaces I will have along the inner backside gums being THE most difficult challenge to face).

Fortunately I have a lot of tools and styluses to get the job done. (Or so I keep telling myself.)

Here are some progress shots. After the indents and pits in the tongue have been filled with a second coat of colour and completed it will look better. This is still a rough draft so to speak.

























More to come...


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## Cat's Cradle (May 3, 2017)

That's getting pretty darn cool, ErikB! Great job...looking forward to seeing the finished creature.


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## ErikB (May 4, 2017)

Thanks mate! There's a lot more work until its done, but it is getting there. I'll post more soon. Cheers!


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## ErikB (May 5, 2017)

So here's an update. I've added the base gums in the upper mouth as well as glossing the upper teeth lightly. 
   Additionally the hard palate in the roof of my enithorox's mouth has Palatinate rugae added. These are flesh ridges found in the mouths of both predatory mammals and herbivores. They aid in drinking allowing animals to move and retain water that is lapped up by the tongue. As soon as these gums dry I will add touch ups, clean up and do the final gum line, then paint and gloss the upper mouth.

I also filled in most of the tongue and glossed it. A few areas need darker retouching but it is progressing. 

No work yet on the lower gums and teeth. I'll complete the upper before doing the lower jaw to completion.

Here are some images. More to come...


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## ErikB (May 6, 2017)

My enithorox represent a particular danger in the story series due in part to venom which the predator can excrete through tubes just behind the upper canines.

I've added the secretion tubes to the hard palate and built up the gums a bit around the carnassials. As soon as this clay is dry and set I will finish the back of the mouth and throat. Then I'll smooth and paint the upper jaws as well as glossing them with a clear varnish.

Here are some images. More to come soon... 

Cheers!


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## Cat's Cradle (May 6, 2017)

Looks great, but in particular, those upper incisors are awesome!


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## ErikB (May 8, 2017)

Thanks mate. Tomorrow I hope to have more progress to share. I am working on the needed texture for the upper back of the mouth moving down to the throat.

I hope to have the lower gums done as well. Its a time consuming area to work on. But its also a critical area to sell the viewer on the realism of the sculpture. 

Cheers mate!


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## ErikB (May 12, 2017)

Getting further on the mouth paint. I've done a bit more on the throat. When I get the touch ups and small details completed I will gloss it with a clear acrylic varnish.

Anyway here are a couple of shots of the progress... More to come.


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## ErikB (May 13, 2017)

The upper mouth is almost there. I have some touch up painting to complete. But it's moving along nicely. The tongue is more pink now. The red was a base coat but it was too far from natural to be that dark.

With the colour shift came a varnish to gloss the mouth giving him a shiny "wet" look.

More to come.


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## Cat's Cradle (May 13, 2017)

I would not want to see that mouth coming for my throat!  The varnish is really bringing that mouth to life. Great job!!  CC


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## ErikB (May 13, 2017)

Thanks mate! It's important that it looks real. When I get the lower jaw done I think it will really sell the authenticity of the sculpt. (That's the game plan anyway.)

I'll post more soon. Glad you like it. Cheers!


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## ErikB (May 15, 2017)

I was able to add the lower gums. Once the clay fully hardens I will sand a few rough patches smooth, add in flews, then paint and gloss the lower jaw. 

Here are a few progress shots. More to come.


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## ErikB (May 18, 2017)

I have some tiny micro detailing brushes (like some folks use to paint miniature metal fantasy game figures and tiny scale models) on the way to me. Which will help me with fine details such as getting the gums and inside of the back teeth painted where the tongue makes it difficult to reach. 

But in the mean time I have done some basic painting to the lower mouth. When the micro brushes arrive I will be doing very fine detail work such as running veins under the tongue, etc. 

Then I will do a bit of edge sanding and add the flews to complete the mouth. I have some special effects painting and designs in mind but due to the delicate nature of that work I will probably hold off until the head and body are attached to each other and the body is sufficiently clayed in order to stand upright without the head pulling it forward. 

Anyway here's a quick peek at the current progress. (Note: until I complete the teeth and gums as well as the special effects painting, there's no point in adding the gloss varnish to the lower mouth. But eventually it will have a wet look.)

More to come...


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## ErikB (Jun 8, 2017)

So here's a current update on the sculpt process. I have done most of the lower mouth along with adding veins under the tongue and doing the lips. 

There are still some touch ups that need to be done but for the most part the mouth is complete. The teeth need to be evened so that upper and lower teeth match. I am considering a bit more yellow tone to the upper teeth. 

More to come...


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## ErikB (Jun 9, 2017)

Okay the touch up painting has been done. I lightened the lower teeth as well as yellow detailing the gaps in the upper teeth. I've also touched up the gums. 

I hollowed a small pit in the back of the head to accommodate a wooden dowel rod which will help support the head as I connect it to the body. 

The body will be started with chicken wire mesh and paper machete. It might sound flimsy but paper machete hardens to a strong finish especially if it is heavily layered. 

The dowel for both the neck support and the legs will be attached to this form. Then I will build a muscled clay body over the paper machete maquette.

The legs will be done the same way. Then the tail will be added.

After that I will start the fur stage. 

Here are some progress shots of the completed mouth details.


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## ErikB (Jun 14, 2017)

A maquette in sculpting is a framework around or upon which clay is applied. The purpose of it is two fold. 

The first is to allow the clay to have a supporting structure upon which it will have increased strength and rigidity.

The second is to lighten the weight of the sculpture and allow for less clay needed to complete the entire project.

I began to design a rough form for my enithorox as a guide to how I wanted his body positioned for the sculpt. After playing with some rough sketches I came up with a basic form that I liked.



 

This was the blueprint for my paper machete maquette. Which starts with chicken wire, wire, and dowel rods. Later when the framework is completed I will add strips of newspaper dipped in a solution of water, flour, and elmers glue. 

This will dry to a hard rigid shell or exterior form. I will then cover this with clay, sculpting in the shape of muscles.

Once the body is ready I will then start to add fur (synthetic) to the creature. 



 



 



 

The first two shots are top views. The last is a side view.

More to come...


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## ErikB (Jun 16, 2017)

So I have added the wooden supports/braces for the chicken wire framework of the body. In part these will support the head as well as strengthening the body frame.

They will also support the legs to help strengthen the joints to which the limbs will be attached.

The large center dowel acts a bit like a spinal cord.





This first shot is a top view of the body frame and wooden braces.





This is a side view at an angle to allow you to see the basic body form. One shoulder (left shoulder blade) is higher than the right side.





A full on side view to give an idea of proportions. The body frame is made slightly smaller/thinner than it will become. This is to allow for the bulk of muscle added by the clay once the paper machete is covered.

I'm happy with the progress so far. Once the head brace is completed I will add wire for the rump and tail.

More to come! 




Top view.



 
A front view.


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## ErikB (Jul 7, 2017)

Just a quick peek at the legs and body build of the enithorox maquette. Cutting, connecting, sanding, and getting the proportions right on the dowels that act as leg bones has taken longer than anticipated.

The dowels substitute primary bones as a support structure for what will be clay covered limbs. I will have to add phalanges. But at least the humerus, radius & ulna, femur, tibia & fibula, calcaneus, tarsals, and metatarsals are all proportioned correctly.

I will be making my paper machete covers as soon as the legs get secured and strengthened, and the rear/tail wiring has been attached. More images to come.


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## Phyrebrat (Jul 8, 2017)

You're an awesome artist. Well done. I hadn't checked this thread since early May so it was great to catch up on all the detailing. 

pH


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## ErikB (Jul 8, 2017)

Thanks mate! 

I've been stocking up on glue and newspaper for the next stage. Once the front legs and rear and tail base are attached I'm going to make the paste and go to town on the body frame. 

After it air dries completely I'll add the head and start to clay cover the whole thing. I've been doing a lot of research to make sure that the muscles and structure are correct.

I'm very eager to get to the fur and paint stage. But I have to be patient. There's no getting around doing it properly if I want a really believable creation. When I complete this creature it will look like a real live animal. (It'll weigh a bunch too!) LOL.

Cheers!


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## ErikB (Jul 9, 2017)

Most of the base body form is completed now. The next stage will be making the paste and making newspaper strips. These will be layered on top of the chicken wire and as it dries it will solidify and form a surprisingly hard shell. The trick is to use enough to form a good strong layer. 

Here is the body form. Legs are attached and strengthened.



 



 



 

More to come! Cheers!


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## ErikB (Jul 11, 2017)

Beginning of the paper machete process. It will take time and a few layers to create the hard shell body of the enithorox. Once I have enough paper machete coverage I will attach the head and begin adding clay muscles to the body and legs.

Here are a few shots of the first stage of the process.




 



 



 



 

More to come!


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## Cat's Cradle (Jul 11, 2017)

This is an impressive project, ErikB! I'll be excited to see the completed creature!


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## ErikB (Jul 26, 2017)

Just a quick update. The paper machete base is almost in full coverage. It will be layered for thickness. Once it gets harder and enough of the layering to make a nice shell.

A thickened shell will support the weight of the clay. I will build up the clay after doing a light layer of form coverage. Then I'll start forming the muscles. 

I still have to drill out and add some wood supports for the feet. These will be bolted down then clay covered. 

More to come.


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## ErikB (Aug 1, 2017)

So I have been building up the paper machete layer as well as getting coverage for the right leg and I've added a tail base. 

I have two more layer treatments to go and the base maquette should be ready for having the clay added.

More to come.


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## ErikB (Aug 9, 2017)

So the next thing that my enithorox maquette needed was a tail. My initial idea was to use a brass coat hanger wire as the base support for the tail. 

Unlike the majority of this sculpt there will be very little clay used for the tail. At the base of the tail clay will be added. But most of the tail will be a sleeve of trimmed and airbrushed fur. Light and semi-flexible. 

My quest to find a brass coat hanger was a bad mishap. I thought to check the neighborhood Goodwill Store only to discover that it had closed 2 minutes before I got there. (My fault for starting my tail project so late). 

In fact a few stores had closed at 8pm. So I went to a local Dollar General store hoping to find something that I could bastardize into a similar support. They carried no wire coat hangers, but as I was about to leave in defeat I spotted a two pack of fly swatters for only a dollar fifty. Talk about luck and affordability as well.

I went home, broke out some tools, some burlap wire ribbon, some duct tape, and went to town on the fly swatter wires. After shaping and twisting them into the right form I duct taped them together and then added more burlap ribbon with more duct tape to produce a tail that I wanted. 



 

Then I cut a small wooden dowel and taped the base of the wire to that dowel. The rest of the wooden dowel was taped to the wooden sprue/stub that is the tail brace for the maquette.

I wrapped this tightly with paracord to add strength and even out the thickness and textural form of the tail. 

Then using the burlap ribbon I thickened and evened a few areas which were then wrapped in duct tape.

This should make a very nice support for the tail shroud once that fur is added. Here are some progress shots. More to come.


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## ErikB (Aug 10, 2017)

10 lbs of clay have been added to the hips and hind legs. I will get more clay tomorrow to continue adding the layer needed to create a base before building up the muscles in the haunches and abdomen of the enithorox. 

More to come...


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