A "little" something different

Hey guys, I wanted to share some news about a big project that I'm working on. Last night, the city of Arcadia City Council gave it's official thumbs up, for the completion of a nine foot tall monument to their first mayor. I've been commissioned by the Great, Great Grandaughter of Lucky Baldwin, to create this monument, that she will be graciously donating to the city. I started by creating a 1:4 scale maquette (seen here in progress)  of this historical character in California's history. With the approval of the city council to move forward on this project, I now get to start on the nine foot tall sculpt that will be molded and cast in bronze.

While this isn't the fisrt time I've sculpted a large scale figure, or the first bronze figure I've created (not by a long shot), it is the first large scale figure that will be cast in bronze. And it's my first public monument. This piece will hopefully stand at his location (across fromthe Santa Anita Race Track) for many generations to come.

Next up in the process of completing this figure is the enlarging itself. There are a couple ways to this, but I'll be opting for the digital scan and foam enlargement. It'll be the first time I'll be using this technology on a project, and I'm really looking forward to trying it out.

This project comes at a busy time for me, as I'm also getting ready for Monsterpalooza (this April). I hope to finish a couple more creature sculpts so that my table will be even better than last year. I'll keep you guys up to date on the progress of this and other projects, and I hope you continue to stop by the store and support what I do by picking up a copy of one (or more) of my resin kits for your collection.

Cheers for now!!!

Alfred

New Work for sale!!

Hey guys, I've been really busy with being a dad and trying to run my shop and believe me, it's a lot of hard work. I haven't been able to be in the studio as much as I would like, but spending time with my baby girl and helping out my wife has been great. However, I am trying to run a business here and so... There's new work for sale!!!

I'm getting some details taken care of in the Store section, so for now, you can send me a message if you're interested in ordering either (or both) of the new pieces. You can check them out in the Gallery. First up is the Marty Feldman bust. One of my favorite movies of all time "Young Frankenstein" has been on my to do list for a while, and what better way to get started than with the iconic role of Igor (pronounced Eye-gor). This bust is 9.5" tall, in hollow cast resin. $80 + $15 shipping (within the US).

Next up is the gruesome gal herself... "Flesh Eating for Two" is a 1:6 scale figure, fully detailed and filled with awesome textures that make her a painter's delight. She stands at 10.5" tall and is cast in 3 parts. Get your copy of this Zombie Mamma for the Holidays, or make someone's Christmas extra special by having this creepy gal waiting under the tree. $90 + $11 shipping (within the US).

To make a purchase now (before the pieces officially go up in the Store section), you can send me a message and I'll give you the payment options.

Thanks for supporting my work and I look forward to seing what you guys do with these and all my other figures. Keep those pictures coming, I really do love seeing what you guys do with my work.

Happy Holidays!!! See you in 2012 with even more work and exciting news about a really BIG project!!

A Crazy Project I Can't Talk About

Hey guys. So, soon after returning from the Carlos Huante workshop, I started recieving requests for work. This isn't very unusual around here, it's just that most of the requests usually end up going no where. Well, I got contacted for a doosey of a project and it seemed like I was the only one that was up for the challenge. The project was for a very well known celebrity. It was going to involve making a custom chess set. That alone doesn't sound too bad, but here's where the crazy comes in. I was going to have to design, sculpt, mold and cast all the chess pieces in only 10 days. It started off pretty reasonable. There were going to be the usual 6 pieces, then repeated to complete the set. But celebrities don't tend to have simple ideas for long, and the six grew into 11 very quickly. The time frame didn't change, so this meant a whole heck of a lot more work.

I started in with the designs and quickly moved through the bad ideas, weeding it down to a few solid ideas. I did a lot of research on chess sets as well as on some of the characters that would be on the board. The approval process went quicly (luckily, the client understood the challenges of the tight deadline). I began sculpting and in just over a day, I had already roughed in 5 pieces - and a few of those were more than roughed in. I knew I wouldn't be able to complete this project on my own, so I reqruited some help from fellow sculptors. They came through with flying colors and really saved me a lot of time. They also spent a lot of time in my studio, helping me with some of the grunt work, while I worked on the portraits.

The days were long (not one of them being less than 16 hours), and there was one point where I had been working for 39 hours straight. In the end, I completed the project on time and delivered as scheduled. It was definitely the most amount of work I've done in such a small amount of time, but I'm glad I took on the challenge. I knew it was possible, and with the help of some very cool friends, we accomplished what no others were even willing to take on.

Sadly, because of the confidentiality agreements in place, I can't disclose who the work was for, or show any of the pieces (at least not yet). So for now, it goes down as a crazy experience that only a handful of people have actually seen.

Now that the project is over, I'm trying to get back to sculpting more creatures for next year's Monsterpalooza show. I really want to have a cool looking table and improve on what I showed last year. I already have several pieces under way, and I've been drawing several others. I don't know how many I'll be able to finish - having a kid takes up a lot of my time. Plus, there's actually more potential work around the corner. And if that project comes through, I'll be swamped for months!!!! At least that one I'll be able to talk about (once I actually get the job - fingers crossed). We'll see if any other projects come across my table before then, but until then... It's back to the studio to make some of the best creature sculpts I've made so far.

Cheers!!

Alfred

I'm back from the Workshop

Hey guys, I'm back from the Carlos Huante creature design workshop at Anatomy Tools. It was a great experience and I believe I learned a great deal of things that I will be able to apply to my work. I think you'll start seeing even more original looking creations coming from me, as well as just cooler looking sculpts. It was a tough week being away from my young family, but my wife was a real trooper and I got to see her and my baby girl on Skype each night. Now that I'm back home, I'm trying to figure out a routine for getting time in the studio. It's tough with a new baby, but I have managed to get a few hours in there and I'm making progress on several new pieces (started before the workshop). There's a creepy new Zombie Gal in the works, which I hope to have done by Holloween. She's mostly finished, it's all detail work, but this is going to be one of the most detailed pieces I've ever done, so it's gonna take some time. Keep an eye out for the anouncement. The other pieces will be ready for Monsterpalooza next year (which I already have a table reserved, and it's in an AWESOME location). I'll be posting updated pics of their progress on the Facebook Fan Page.

Thanks for all the support and to all those who continue to buy kits, you have my sincerest thanks. It's because of you that I'm able to keep making monsters.

Cheers!!!

Alfred

An Interesting Link

Hey guys, a reader shareed this link with me. Perhaps you guys might enjoy it. For any of you looking for ways to make money in the art industry, this might open your eyes to possibilities you hadn't considered exploring. Check it out HERE.

Cheers for now,

Alfred