THE MAKING OF THE 'ALIEN QUEEN'

The whole process from start to finish, including the clay forming, build-up, features, proportions, detailing, moulding and casting. of the 'Alien Queen' - probably the most complex sculpture I have ever worked on. A labour of love nonetheless.
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Beginning teeth and lips.Establishing proportions of carapace and 'ribs' detail.Full view of dimensions.Jaw tendons marked out.Jaws close-up.Crest symmetry marked out.
Establishing features - click on image-gallery below.
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Detail areas progressing.Consolidation of crest with brush to even the surface.Right side of crest.Detail and features begin on lower carapace plate.More defining on head and teeth.More definition on carapace and thorax 'ribs'.
February 12th  - feature development - click on image-gallery below.
Establishing features of crestCrest detail close-up.Crest end.Features of crest consolidated.Carapace detail advanced.Blending in Gigeresque features under crest - a little artistic licence here.More of the Giger embellishment.Carapace section tip removed for detail refining on right side of face and head.Carapace section ends removed to access face and jaw areas for ease of fine detail sculpting. They were later replaced and blended in.Carapace section tip removed for detail refining on left side of face and head.Carapace section tip replaced with a 'glue' of clay-slip.Carapace section tip replaced with a 'glue' of clay-slip.Brushing over fine features to consolidate the clay and get the flow to link between different areas.
February 28th - features and detail progress-gallery below.
Upper teeth removed to ease silicone mould extraction from this tricky area. After casting, they were temporarily replaced as a corresponding guide for sculpting the bottom teeth and then removed again prior to moulding the main body and head.Upper teeth section sculpted and refined separately.Upper teeth front view.Upper teeth section ready for separate silicone moulding.Initial small amount of silicone was poured and left to set to secure the teeth section to the bottom of the bowl to stop it 'floating' in the silicone.'Anchoring' silicone layer set.When initial layer was set, the full pour was made slowly to avoid trapping air-bubbles.Air-bubbles rising to surface.Cured silicone extracted from temporary bowl casing. Small block moulds like these do not need their own constant support casings as they are self-supporting and hold their shape readily. Flexing the block-mould and picking out tiny remaining scraps of clay to ensure a clean and contaminant-free cast.Resin cast out of the mould.Resin cast out of the mould.
The sculpture is flat and self-supporting in design, so a very basic armature of a wedge of plywood with a rod attached was fixed perpendicular to the base-board. Chicken-wire was draped over this and the clay build-up could begin.Another view of clay build-up.The original design was to have the jaws clenched, but that soon changed.Tracing out and marking off points for the symmetry of the features.Tracing out and basic shaping of the crest.
Roughing out clay proportions and features onto base-board
- click on image-gallery below
March 2nd - moulding and casting upper teeth section -
click on image - gallery below.
Mid-March - silicone moulding begins - click on image gallery below.
G4 sealant is applied to the finished damp clay sculpture and a 'clay-wall' is built at a strategic place to create a dividing seam for the rubber mould. This will ensure ease of extracting the rubber from the deeper undercuts when de-moulding the casts. First layer of silicone applied with large and small soft brushes to help the material penetrate into the detail.First neat silicone layer applied and left to gel fully.Second silicone layer applied and left to gel fully.First thixotropic layer applied. The thixotropic layer is neat silicone with a thickening agent added to prevent dripping and ensuring adequate thickness in vertical areas.Second thixotropic layer applied.Third thixotropic layer applied. All undercuts are now filling in and a thickness is being established.Packing out all undercuts with a 'butter-up' thixotropic mixture of silicone.Clay wall (coated in G4) built for first resin support-jacket section.Clay wall (coated in G4) built for second resin support-jacket section.Overall view of clay wall for first two resin support-jacket sections.
Late March - mould-jacket construction - click on image gallery below.
Resin 'gel-coat' applied to first section (division) for mould-jacket.Resin and glassfibre layers added for re-inforcement.Removing the clay wall from the first jacket section to expose the flange face. This is waxed and the process of gel-coat resin and glassfibre is repeated in this opposite area to create a adjoining section.Mould jacket completed.The edges of the flanges (seams) were trimmed with a jigsaw.The mould sections are split and removed carefully one by one.The released silicone rubber and one of the trimmed jacket sections.Inside view of re-assembled mould.Exterior view of re-assembled mould. Bolts and clamps hold the jacket sections together.Cutting out a retaining board for the mould from MDF. The board will be permanently waxed on one side and creates a resin 'floor' for the cast when the mould is inverted with resin in at final stage.Retaining board is re-inforced with battening.View showing side of board to be waxed.Detail of mould interior - this is 'Giger-esque' in itself.Detail of mould interior (crest section)Mould in storage.
April - the Alien Queen 'tongue' - click on image gallery below.
The armature for the 'tongue'. This also serves as an integral part of the detail, a sort of ribbed core.Black 'Milliput' build-up begins on the armature.Establishing some fine detail characteristics on the shaft of the 'tongue'.Final bulking out of the 'jaws' end.'Shaft' detail.Sculpted gums in 'Milliput'.A retaining tube is placed over the 'tongue' sculpture.The base is sealed all around with modelling wax.Pouring in silicone to form a 'block-mould'.Air-bubbles rising to the surface.24 hours later - silicone has set and retaining tube is opened.Silicone block mould is slit with a scalpel to release original sculpt.Retaining tube is re-assembled and resin is poured into the mould.First casting. Roughness needs fine-fettling and length is cut down to fit.Milliput epoxy putty repairs.
April - first casting - click on image gallery below
The first of the resin layer applications inside the mould.Two days later - first cast out.Work on first casting begins. This entails fettling, sanding and patching any air-pockets and casting blemishes with 'Milliput' epoxy putty.Assembling the upper teeth section to the main head with fast-setting epoxy glue. A piece of Plasticine is holding the teeth section in place while the glue sets.Epoxy has set and the Plasticine is removed.
Early 2009