Morezmore® WIP #NEXT: 
Behemoth (Part 1)
Part 2 can be found here:
http://blogs.ebay.com/morezmore/entry/Morezmore-WIP-Behemoth-Part-2/_W0QQentrysyncidZ475948011QQidZ475948011

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Day 1 (April 15, 2008) 
Behemoth jumped the line and butted in. Nothing I could do.

...The third member of the company was a cat the size of a pig, black as soot and with luxuriant cavalry officers' whiskers. The threesome was walking towards Patriarch's Street, the cat trotting along on its hind legs...

... But worst of all was the third invader : a black cat of revolting proportions sprawled in a nonchalant attitude on the pouffe, a glass of vodka in one paw and a fork, on which he had just speared a pickled mushroom, in the other... Тhe cat drank its vodka and Stepa's hand dropped from the doorpost...

..."Get out", Woland said to the cat.
"I haven't had my coffee", replied Behemoth. "How can you expect me to go yet?"

"The Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov

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Day 2 (April 16, 2008) 
Good morning! It is 8:28, I still have a bit of time before I start my working day, so I am going to do something about Behemoth.

First of all, I will tell you what is so urgent about Behemoth. I am re-reading the book and that is how it started. Behemoth is such an obnoxious lovable creature, I wanted to make him. When I saw the picture (see above)) I knew I MUST make him NOW.

Game Plan:
I will start with the base, make furniture first. Then I will make a cat and I don't know how yet. I have a few ideas, need to think a bit more about it.

According to the book and to the reference picture, Behemoth is sitting on a pouffe.

pouffe - a piece of furniture used as a footstool or low seat. It's essentially a large cushion that may have an internal wooden frame to give it more rigidity. Wooden feet may be added to the base to give it stability.

Need to make a pouffe.

brb...

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Instead of making the pouffe, I spent a very productive hour hunting for materials and accessories.
Quite a few things turned up:

- a large lacquered wood plaque for the main base;
- thin wooden plaques, red stretchable velvet Santa Claus hat, ornate architectural plaster pieces, golden cord and green felt for the pouffe and table:
- a few pieces of china and brass tableware, a miniature vial for vodka carafe, a silver ice bucket, acrylic ice and a champaigne bottle, a basket, flowers, fruits and salad greenery, a baggie of black microbeads - caviar!!; candles and filigree for fork and accessories.

I am sure I will need/find more stuff as needed, but this is a good start.

For the cat I need black fur and I just bought 2 jet black rabbit pelts on ebay.

All the stuff goes into one box, I have to start my working day. Until tomorrow and thank you for watching!

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Day 3 (April 17, 2008) 

This morning was pretty much spent on furniture frame for the pouffe and the little side table.

The frame for both was made with a 1/4" craft wooden plaque, 17 ga and 24 galvanized steel wire (armature wire) and magic sculpt.
Here are a couple of progress photos:


To complete them:
let them cure; paint in gold; "antique" with brown; make a round red velvet cushion for the pouffe; finish with cord, paint the table the same way, figire out a finish for the top - either green felt or possibly faux wood inlay. Something like that - look at the "parquet" floor for Casanova sculpt:

 

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Day 4 (April 18, 2008) 

I had just a bit of time, so I painted the furniture brilliant gold. The paint is the mixture of acrylic metalic gold and gold metalic powder.

Next step after the gold paint is dry - brown oil paint to tone it down, antique it and make all the details pop. Then put green felt on the table and make a red velvet pillow for the pouffe. And then I will have two beautiful furniture pieces a la oligarkh or nouveau russe.




I am out of time, until tomorrow! thank you for watching!

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Day 5 (April 19, 2008) 
Did not do anything here - was trying to catch up with listing in the store.

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Day 6 (April 20, 2008) 
Good morning! I still have a lot to list, so I decided to do something little and not involved - like make a couple of accessories. But once I got into it, I came back to reality only a few hours later. It is 9 am, I am going to stop for today and I do have something to show. No step by step pictures, so I will just describe.

Pillow is done - no sewing - Fabri-tac all the way. Two circles out of velvet, glue to each other (left side up), turned inside out through a small opening left for this purpose, stuffed with polyfil, glued closed, decorative gold cord all around (Fabri-tac again), a gold metal button in the middle. The pillow is secured with thin steel wire going through the hole in the middle of the frame, plus a thick layer of Fabri-tac all around.

The tray is almost done. The tray is made out of a metal (tin?) tea canister, decorated with pieces of metal foil dollie, painted silver, stiffened with crystal lacquer and it will be "antiqued" with black all paint to make it look like darkened silver.

The vodka carafe is done - out of a crystal top which used to belong until this morning to a real crystal carafe (big sacrifice! but I couldn't find anything else), decorated with pieces of gold foil dollie, with a crystal lampwork pendant on top.

The simple Russian-looking pot for pelmeni is done. It is made out of two of those little tin cans watchmakers use (one is cut) and pieces of 17 GA wire glued to the pot. It actually opens and is waiting for pelmeni - I think translucent white prosculpt will work to give the look of cooked pasta dough.

The fork is done - it was an ordeal to cut it out of tin can and shape it - flat nose pliers were very helpful, still a pain.

The caviar dish is done - easy - black microbeads swimming in a pool of crystal lacquer on a little "plate" decorated with gold foil dollie.

The white plate is waiting for marinaded mushrooms (translucent white prosculpt with some brown prosculpt - should be easy enough).

The silver bucket with ice and champaigne bottle was easy as well. A part of silver candlestick, filled with acrylic ice crystals and a candle in the shape of a champaigne bottle, all glued together.

 

The little cozy spot for the glutonous cat is almost complete. It was fun, talk to you tomorrow.

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Day 7 (April 21, 2008) 

Good morning!
The silver tray was "antiqued" with black oil paint. Pelmeni are done, little marinated mushrooms are done. Plenty of food - even by Behemoth's standards. Moving on to the cat.

 

Well, with the setting all complete, I have no excuses now and need to launch the intimidating task of making Behemoth himself.

brb

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I am back and I made the armature for Behemoth - it was easier than I expected, but, due to the sheer volume of the cat's body, it still took some doing.

Step by step:

Galvanized steel 17 GA + 24 GA wire for stick figure. I winged the proportions and anatomy. Behemoth is a cat, but sitting as he is, he resembles human, so I made human stick figure:

I wanted to make him heavy - both for the feel in the hand when somebody picks him up and so that he would sit tight and not topple from the pouffe. So I stuffed his bottom with a hefty portion of 6000 premium grade steel BBs.

Lots and lots of aluminum foil, tied together tight with 24 GA steel wire:



To make the surface a bit smoother and further tighten up the whole thing - a few layers of floral tape.



Now, with Behemoth mummified to my liking, I will need to cover him with Magic Sculpt epoxy putty and fire him for a few minutes at 275 (Prosculpt temperature). My thinking is - if there is some air that needs to get out (and I am sure there is plenty of air inside), let us deal with this issue now and get it out of the system. The air will probably crack magic sculpt shell, so I can seal it and avoid damage to final clay layer. This is all nothing but theorizing, we shall see how it goes. It is 8:45 am, I am out of time, thank you for watching, talk to you tomorrow.

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Day 8 (April 22, 2008) 

Catching up on shipping - no sculpting.

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Day 9 (April 23, 2008) 

Cutting tibetan lamb fur - no sculpting. :) :)

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Day 10 (April 24, 2008) 

Still cutting tibetan lamb fur - no sculpting. :) :)

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Day 11 (April 25, 2008) 

STILL cutting tibetan lamb fur! THIS IS GETTING OLD! :)

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Day 12 (April 26, 2008) 

Good morning! I have something to show.
Behemoth is covered with Magic Sculpt (grey).

Change of plans - instead of sculpting him out of Prosculpt, I just continued with Magic Sculpt in Flesh Color. Let's see how it goes. He looks very much like a pig, naked pink flesh adds to the effect. I sure hope he will look more like a cat with the hair on. So I am rather unsure at the this point - perhaps I will paint him black before applying the hair.

The eyes are human - I want to reflect the dualistic nature of Behemoth (he appears as a cat and as a man). Well, I need to stop for today and think a little more whether I like the way it is going.

The little carpet is a coaster, by the way.  
Also, this is what real pelmeni and marinated mushrooms look like:

Thank you for watching - till tomorrow!

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Day 13 (April 27, 2008) 

Behemoth's hands and feet are sculpted and he is painted black and is in the oven - heat setting black paint. Will take pictures a bit later.

I got a question about Magic Sculpt and here is some info:

Magic sculpt is a 2 part epoxy putty, it comes in 2 containers. Once two ingredients are mixed (equal amounts), it hardens to rock-hard state. It takes about 1.5 hours for Magic Sculpt to start hardening (from the time of mixing) and it completely cures after 12 hours. It needs to be mixed well. To check whether it is properly mixed, here is a test that I use.
Mix 2 parts, roll into a ball, flaten it into a pancake on flat surface. The two parts are of different color, but the mix should be one uniform color. If there is any kind of "marble effect", keep kneading. Here is the picture - the one on the left still needs mixing, the one on the right is good to go:

Here is very detailed mixing instructions from the manufacturer:
http://www.magicsculp.com/mixing.htm

And here is Frequently Asked Questions about Magic Sculpt:
http://www.magicsculp.com/faq's.htm

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Day 14 (April 28, 2008) 

I am stuck, I don't like what I am doing. He is painted black and looks like a creature from hell. I tried to apply hair - not good, not working. I have another idea, will test it tomorrow morning. I am setting it aside, not happy.

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Day 22 (May 6, 2008) 

I am back after a week-long break. My store needed attention, but main reason was my lack of confidence in my abilities to do the hair.

This morning I took a deep breath and picked him up again. Applied some fur - a combination of pelts of fur and flocking. Still not quite sure whether I like it or not, but at least I am feeling better that I am working on him again. Will continue and possibly make a second cat, I am not happy at the end.

Here is what I have.

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Day 23 (May 7, 2008) 

I feel a lot better today about the cat. I will continue in the same way.
The furing is a combination of pieces of jet-black dyed rabbit fur pelt glued directly onto the body and flocking.

The fur is very soft to the touch and shiny. For the larger areas, such as Behemoth body, it makes sense just to glue a whole piece of pelt, without removing it from the skin. It is easier and it protects this wonderful shine of the fur on the pelt. 

Smaller pieces of pelt went on the face too - I just glued them following the direction of the hair growth and trimmed the fur carefully, "sculpting" the face. It is definitely an acquired skill thing. The "seams" are hidden with a bit of flocking. The flocking was done out of the same fur - just shred a bit of fur (cut off the pelt) into tiny pieces, put a bit of glue, press.

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Day 24 (May 8, 2008)

Good morning! I did some furring this morning - what a hairy business - I still need to vacuum the entire room.

The legs and tummy are done, he is getting rounder and rounder.
He also got some real whiskers - Fluffy contributed to the noble cause of art, I wish I could say gratiously, but it was not. I snipped them with scissors (did not pull them, just an inch off the ends). I know cats need them to orient themselves in the dark, so I just took a little bit and he will grow more. A tiny bead of glue on the end and stuck them inside the fur.

Fluffy - the generous (not) contributor:



Here is what I have now (still need to do the front paws):

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Day 25 (May 9, 2008)

I have a little more - I put the fur on the arms, and still need to do the "hands". Behemoth also got more facial hair - eyebrows and "mustache" and even something like a goatee. He looks much more serious now. Not necessarily the final look - need to sleep on it.

He is also sporting a massive gold chain with an anti-evil-eye amulet. Morezmore's Behemoth enjoys wearing gaudy jewelry and - quite ironically for a black cat who is the companion of the worst enemy of the man - is very superstitious.

It is 11:35 - way past the time I need to start my working day, so until tomorrow and here is what I have now (it is very hard to take pictures of a black hair ball that he is).  Thank you for watching! TTYL

 

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The post length came to the limit, starting Part 2. It can be found here:
http://blogs.ebay.com/morezmore/entry/Morezmore-WIP-Behemoth-Part-2/_W0QQentrysyncidZ475948011QQidZ475948011

Get cash back from shopping on ebay (Big Crumbs):

Morezmore® WIP #21:
Tarot - Major Arcana: The Fool
 

Last update: April 18, 2008:
Torso started, rough draft

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Day 1 (April 10, 2008) 

This will, hopefully, be a beginning of a whole Tarot set - a major undertaking for a turtle sculptor such as I am. But, with a foolish optimism, quite in the spirit of the first Major Arcana card, I am embarking on this journey.

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As I am starting, I cannot help remembering myself when I arrived to USA in 1991, having nothing but a backpack with a change of clothes. I had 30 dollars (the amount allowed to be taken on the trip by the USSR laws at that time) and 70 more dollars smuggled in my bra.

The Fool I was, and this card's Basic Meaning applied to me at that time. And that was not the last time I lived that card.

That is what I like about Tarot cards - they encapsulate every human being's experience at some point of her/his life.

How about you - can you relate?

beginning: entering a new phase, striking out on a new path, expanding horizons, starting something new, beginning an adventure, going on a journey; heading into the unknown

having faith: trusting the flow; staying open; letting go of worry and fear; feeling protected and loved; living in joy; recapturing innocence; believing in yourself; believing in other people

embracing folly: accepting your choices; taking the "foolish" path; pursuing a pipe dream; being true to yourself; taking a "crazy" chance; trusting your heart's desire; trusting your instincts; taking "the road less travelled"

being spontaneous: living in the moment; letting go of expectations; doing the unexpected; acting on impulse; feeling uninhibited; surprising someone; feeling carefree

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Basic Tarot Symbols
The fool in colorful motley clothes, pack tied to a staff, a small dog, a cliff.

Basic Tarot Story
With all his worldly possessions in one small pack, the Fool travels he knows not where. So filled with visions and daydreams is he, that he doesn't see the cliff he is likely to fall over. At his heel, a small dog harries him (or tries to warn him of a possible mis-step).

Basic Tarot Meaning
At #0, the Fool is the card of infinite possibilities. The bag on the staff indicates that he has all he need to do or be anything he wants, he has only to stop and unpack. He is on his way to a brand new beginning. But the card carries a little bark of warning as well. Stop daydreaming and fantasizing and watch your step, lest you fall and end up looking the fool.

In the Tarot, cards like The Magician or The Hermit can often stand for the Querent or for someone in the Querent's life. The Fool, however, almost always stands for the Querent alone, no one else. In standing for the Querent, the Fool represents a time of newness, a time when life has been "re-started" as it were. The person feels that they are back at Zero, whether that be in romantic affairs, or career, at their job or intellectual pursuits. Far from being sad or frustrating, the Querent feels remarkably *free*, light hearted and refreshed, as if being given a second chance. They feel young and energized.

In addition, they likely have no idea where they're going or what they're going to do. But that doesn't matter. For the Fool, the most important thing is to just go out and enjoy the world. To see what there is to see and delight in all of it.

Unfortunately, in this childlike state the person is likely to be overly optimistic or naive. A Fool can be a Fool. This is the card likely to turn up when a Querent is thinking of investing his money in a new, "sure fire" business. Or when the Querent is sure that it's "love this time!" Like the Fool, they're so busy daydreaming of what might be that they're ignoring what is. They're about to fall right off a cliff. Time for them to listen to that watchful little dog, which might be a concerned friend, a wise tarot reader, or just their instincts.

As a card, the Fool ultimately stands for a new start. When it turns up the Querent might be about to make a move, not just to a new home, but new job, new life. There's more than just change, renewal, and a brand new beginning in the Fool, there's also movement, a fresh, exciting new time.

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Day 2 (April 11, 2008) 

Good morning - it is 5:15 here and a brand new day with brand new possibilities!

Before I start making The Fool, I decided to make a new and improved armature peg board. The old one was quickly put together to see if it works, and as I use it again and again, it is time to make a permanent one

Yesterday I went to a hardware store, and after examining all lumber options there and getting into trouble with the lumber loading equipment guys (I did not notice the "Isle Closed" sign), I was directed to the "craft boards" isle. There I found a 1/2" x 6" x 24" craft board which was about right. I also picked up a package of 3/4 x 16 wire nails and, quite incidentally, a couple of really great looking black polished natural stone granite tiles 12" x 12" for my sculpting desk. They have glass-like high polish non-porous surface. They can be messed up, then scraped, then wiped or simply put into the dishwasher (a major plus for me)

Here they are:

Anyway, back to the peg board:
Searched out and collected:

my craft board (1/2" x 6" x 12")
package of wire nails (3/4 x 16)
hammer
a printout of Ms. Bones
You can grab it here - Compliments of Morezmore: http://www.morezmore.com/links.html
any glue that would glue paper to wood
3D crystal lacquer
brush
scissors

Glued the images on the board and cut the board to size on Lou's power band saw.
Coated with crystal lacquer (optional)

Spread the lacquer evenly coating the surface. It is drying right now.
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After it is dried, mark the wire line and the points for nails. Here they are on a digital diagram.

And here is my new peg board:

To make an armature on this peg board:

make a hook on the end of the wire
starting at the ankle and pulling hard, wrap the wire all around the nails, following the wire line
cut the wire at the wrist and remove the wire
make another one same way and flip it around to make the other side
starting at the bottom, do the same thing for the spine piece
here is what, hopefully, will emerge from all that:

The sculpt will consist of the Fool, a cliff and a little dog.
Here is the "cliff" - a piece of manzanita burl:

It is 8 am, I need to start my working day, so until tomorrow!
Thank you for watching!

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Day 3 (April 12, 2008) 
Good morning! Today - the armature. The Fool will have the Morezmore Modular Brickhouse Armature and the detailed description of this kind of armature can be found on Fortuna's blog:
http://blogs.ebay.com/morezmore/entry/MOREZMORE-WIP-20-Fortuna-Part-1/_W0QQidZ398757011

I wanted to mention that as my Fool is a male, I made his shoulders a bit broader and his hips a bit more narrow.

The cliff in this card plays an important symbolical role, so I decided to enhance its precipitousness by adding another sliver of manzanita on top. Magic Smooth is the adhesive. To expedite the curing, I put the burl into the oven for 15 minutes at 260, it is enough to set it rather firmly, so I can continue working this morning. I started at 4:50 and it is 6:21 right now, so I still have a good amount of time.

Now, cutting a piece for the base tubing. Then drilling a hole into the burl for the base tube, not worrying to much about the angle, just straight down, the angle can be corrected later. Trying to fit the base tube into the hole. If you drill too deep (and I did), correct the depth with tiny pieces of toothpicks. Once the base tube sits just right, pulled the base tube out, stuffed the hole with Magic Smooth (with a toothpick) - as much as I could fit into it, put the tube in. If the hole is a bit wider than needed (and mine is), correct it by wedging the base tube with sharp ends of toothpicks. Overall, tried to make the tube sit in the hole tight and secure, even with uncured Magic Smooth.

Ok, we can leave the burl alone now and let the Magic Smooth do its job. In about 12 hours it will be rock-hard, all one piece - the burl and the base tube. While making Mistress, I made a mistake in positioning the base rod and wanted to pull it out. After quite a bit of struggle with pliers, I had to give up - it was not possible, I just had to cut it off.



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When I think about what my Fool will look like, one image keeps coming to my mind. Just one face, no other ideas. I did give it a good thought and even slept on it, but it is still present and no other options are available. So I have no choice other than go along with my rather persistent inner artist and make my Fool look like Fabio.

The good news is I will not have a problem finding plenty of reference photos of Fabio. I am going to fix myself a cup of coffee and spend some quality time looking for some Fabio-lous Fabio shots. Off I go to Fabio International Fan Club.


brb...
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Here we go:

All right, the armature is covered by Magic Sculpt by now and is curing. I will be able to slightly adjust the pose and the angle later without breaking the epoxy. It is close enough for now:


It is almost 9 am, so I am going to continue tomorrow.
Thank you for watching!

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Day 4 (April 13, 2008) 

Good morning!

I need to make Fool's head. Making head and face is always a struggle for me - from both engineering and artistical point of view.
To cut down on the frustration levels, I learned to gear up for this undertaking with a couple of tools and props.

First - I am going to prepare the "skull" to prevent the clay head ball from rotating, shifting, wiggling and wobbling under my hands.

If I simply start by diligently and tightly packing the ball of clay on the wire, by the time I have some resemblance of a face going, the head practically spins around.

Here is what I came up with - if you know a better, less involved way, please let me know. For now, I go through this trouble EVERY TIME as I don't see any other way.

1. Put the head module tube on the Head Widget (cork + magnet + wire + magic sculpt). That will give me:
a) a handle to hold on to so that I don't handle the back of the head
b) a way to put it down without destroying my work - the Head Widget magnet on the bottom will make it securily stand upright on any metal surface
c) a way to bake upright

2. Wrap a little bit of wire around the tube - very tightly, using pliers. Need I say it? It MUST NOT rotate.

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Morezmore^® #20
Fortuna, Goddess of Abundance, Luck and Fortune - DONE!
Ebay auction:
http://www.morezmore.com/Fortuna.html

Work in Progress Recap