MOREZMORE WIP # 20: Fortuna (Part 1)

Morezmore Current WIP:
Fortuna, Goddess of Abundance, Luck and Fortune (Part 1)
Part 2 can be found here:
http://blogs.ebay.com/morezmore/entry/MOREZMORE-WIP-20-Fortuna-Part-2/_W0QQentrysyncidZ413405011QQidZ413405011

Large pictures can be found here: http://www.morezmore.com/WIP.html

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Day 1 (March 10, 2008)

Here is what I have so far:

a lovely victorian image of Fortuna by Jean Bernard ("Fortuna", Bridgeman Art Library, London, England - thank you, Colleen, for doing the research and digging it out (!!!)

and a hope to win this small vintage old world globe that I am bidding on:

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Day 2 (March 11, 2008)

First thing would be to make an armature. Fortuna will have the Morezmore Modular Brickhouse Armature. I will take as many pictures as possible and outline the step by step process to show what it is all about. 

I will be using:

-- 8" tall skeleton image. If you don't have it, you can grab it in the link below - Compliments of Morezmore:  http://www.morezmore.com/links.html
-- 17 gauge and 24 gauge galvanized steel wire
-- brass tubing 3/32 + 1/16
-- long nose pliers, flat nose pliers, wire cutters, mini tubing cutter, awl (you can use ice pick)
-- Magic Sculpt and Magic Smooth epoxies

All right, first I bend the wire on this handy armature peg board (you can do by hand, following the skeleton bones). The objective is to have something like that:

These are the tools, by the way. I am starting to tie the wire pieces together, trying to make it tight and secure, so that nothing rotates, rocks, shifts, moves or wiggles in the hip area:

Same thing for shoulder/spine connection - tight and secure. Flat nose pliers help to straighten the wire and make defined bends.

Here it is, tied up together. I like my fantasy women long-legged and long-necked, so my armature does not exactly follow the skeleton proportions. Now bending the spine to give it the curves in the lower back, shoulder and neck area.

Now, with the tubing cutter, I am cutting 3/32 tube to make the head, hands and feet modules. Measure tube to the armature, make a little dent on the tube with wire cutters, insert into tubing cutter, tighten the knob, rotate a few times, tighten the knob again, rotate again a few times and so on. Gently try to bend the end sticking out of the cutter, when the it is ready, it will snap off. The tube opening will come out sort of smaller because the cutter will push the walls of the tube inwards, straighten it out with an awl or ice pick (insert awl into the opening, tap a few times and rotate and work it open).

Here are all the modules and armature. Notice that the leg wires are cut under the knees. Assemble all and pose.

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Day 3 (March 12, 2008)

Fortuna is 8" tall sculpt. The tube combination 3/32 + 1/16 will be too flimsy for her weight-bearing leg. So I am going to step up and go with 1/8 + 3/32. To keep the connection snug and tight, I am going to keep a little piece of 3/32 tube and put 1/8 tube over it. Here is what it looks like. I am using a temporary base while I am waiting for my globe.

Before applying the Magic Sculpt epoxy over the armature, I wrapped the main thick wire with thin wire - the little "teeth" will help Magic Sculpt to adhere better.

Now, removing all module tubes and covering the armature with magic sculpt - keeping the areas where tubes slide on clean. Adding bulk to rib cage and hip bones. Pushing Magic Sculpt into the wire so that there are as little air pockets left inside as possible.

Then wrapping a bit of thin wire over the head module tube and making something like a bit of a scull - flat on the face area with a bump on the back of the head.

It will need to be curing for at least 12 hours before I can continue. So this is what I have now - see below.

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Day 4 (March 13, 2008)

This morning was spent on trying to insert glass eyes into the sculpted head. Rather frustrating process - I would sculpt a beautiful face, try to insert the eyes and mess it up. Start again, same thing. Another option - sculpt the head around the eyes - did not work either, the eyes move and shift around and the goddess is either cross-eyed or has a lazy eye or something. So finally I came up with this idea. The eyes are set onto the scull and baked. Will try again - at least the eyes are looking straight, aligned and not going anywhere and I can sculpt around the eyes. I will let you know how this goes. Meanwhile, does not look like a classic beauty, does it.

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Day 5 (March 14, 2008)
Scratch that idea - did not work. Inserting the eyes the old-fashioned way.

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Day 6 (March 15, 2008)

The head is done and baked - my first time with glass eyes, first time with a smiling face, first time with (I guess I felt like I needed an extra challenge) a classical roman profile. Something like that:

Well, here is the result. I hope you recognize the winning smile of Fortuna, commonly known as Lady Luck

Oh, incidentally, I did win that globe! Great price, too!
Check it out:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=360031123299&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=023

One more thing that I bought - 400 hundred miniature Gold Coins!
tiny shiny 3 mm brass disks (they are locksmith rekey pins, look at second bag on the picture). When they arrive, I will take a better photo:

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Day 7 (March 16, 2008)

Putting the bulk on Fortuna's torso. Will define and smooth and hopefully bake tomorrow.

My "coins" have arrived yesterday. Quick rinse in a tarnish remover restored the brass shine. Here they are drying on a paper towel:

Forgot to mention, for anatomy reference I am using this website - check it out http://www.female-anatomy-for-artist.com

The subscription is not cheap, but the photo references are very helpful.

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Day 8 (March 17, 2008)

Packing weekend purchases, did not sculpt. But I am not complaining. Thank you for shopping, dear fairymakers. Tomorrow is another day. :)

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Day 9 (March 18, 2008)

Good morning! It is 6:50 and I already put in a good couple of hours into sculpting, so I have something to show. The torso is shaped and smoothed with TLS. I also added more clay to the belly and pelvic area and shifted the belly button down, as the whole belly area was too high and looked wrong. I think it looks better now. I will probably see more mistakes AFTER it is baked, but this is just the way it goes. But, it is all right. Progress, not perfection.  

 A few people asked how to smooth a sculpt. You can do it with your fingers first, then with a brush and translucent liquid sculpey (TLS).

 Here she is, ready to be fired. It is Puppen Fimo (rose) straight out of the package, so the baking temperature is 230 degrees F. This is a thick chunk of clay, so it will stay in the oven for 60 minutes. The temperature will be fluctuating between 230 and 240, but as long as it does not go over 260, it is ok (according to the Fimo manufacturer). The termometer is mercury-filled commercial oven test thermometer. I was going to carry it in my ebay store, but mercury-filled thermometers are not allowed. It is available on my website - you can find the link on my "About Me" page. I will gladly combine it with your ebay purchases.

Somebody asked about eyes - Fortuna has 4 mm blue glass eyes and she is 8" tall.

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Day 10 (March 19, 2008)

I need to do more detailing on the toes and smoothen everything out. But I reached the point that I cannot go any further without destroying what I already accomplished. The clay is warm and wiggles under my tools. I need to set it aside and allow it to cool off and settle down. Actually it is in the freezer right now, I wonder if detailing might be easier to handle if the core of the feet is frozen. Here they are posed on the globe. Also you can see the book I am using - an excellent anatomy reference - "Dynamic Anatomy" by Burne Hogarth. 

Freezing helped! Not long though before it got warm again, but I managed to finish and fire them up, here they are:

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Day 14 (March 23, 2008)

The hands. Again, I cannot give a step by step instructions, as I am still learning, but I took a few pictures of different stages of hands, just for general idea.

I hope you remember the Feet Widget you met the other day. Well, here is his brother - the Hand Widget. He is taller and just as good-looking and helpful. Here is the family photo:

Final position check on the main sculpt and back it goes to the Hand Widget for baking.

Puppen Fimo Rose is used for the main sculpt, except the hands, which are 1 part of Fimo Quick Mix and 2 parts of Puppen Fimo Rose. Fimo Quick Mix adds flexibility to the clay (that is what Fimo manufacturer says). The mix ratio is a mystery which I would need to unveil myself. 

To test Fimo manufacturer's claim, and to test the experimental 2:1 ratio without putting my hard-earned hands at risk, I made one additional ugly test hand of the same size and I am planning to bake together with the other hands.

By the way I used the same mix ratio for hands in my last sculpture (Mistress) but did not dare bending and twisting fingers too much. So this time, I made a spare hand to torture.

I will keep you posted, how that worked out.

The allowed post length came to the limit, starting Part 2.

Part 2 can be found here:
http://blogs.ebay.com/morezmore/entry/MOREZMORE-WIP-20-Fortuna-Part-2/_W0QQentrysyncidZ413405011QQidZ413405011

 

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