Bird Twins in the making

Got started on the armature for the Bird Twins today. I had to make a scale drawing relevant to the skulls.

Armature complete with polymorph and K&S.
Still needs polymorph bones...

Scale drawing and armature

Stuffing the skulls with wadding to make them less fragile and also for the
K&S to cling to.

Skulls avec K&S

Doors

Painting up the doors. Lovin' it lovin' it lovin' it....

Left before, Right after sanding back

Halfway through the Monkey Door

 Pip's door

Playing around with antique effects

Painting up the Doors and Monkey Face

Today I have been mostly painting.....

Little tiny ears

Lipstick on

Bit o rouge

Tranny Monkey.... Ooh la la

And painting boarders on the doors....

Monkey Business and more Paint Tests

Finishing off the arms- this time I'm using a simpler method of chord and rolled newspaper, wadding then retrofitting the suede. I need to think about how to save time.

Been doing some more paint tests. I brought some 'crackle glaze meduim' from th emodel shop but it is shit, to be blunt... I wanted old cracked paint but got splodgey crap instead. If I wanted a rust effect this would be 'bein monsuier' but I don't so it's crap. I'm going to just paint the body of the box a flat colour and varnish and sand it back to age it that way.

'Crap'ple glaze

Left Acrylic on Acrylic and Right Emulsion on Acrylic base
Crackle gaze goes underneath

Emulsion paints: Turquois, Teal and Deep Red

Teal on Magnolia base

And just for fun... The Cat in A Ruff

I found this beautiful bit of lace at the Sunday flea market

Set Fabrication in Wood and Paint Tests

I braved it and went to wood work to do my set box. The technician cut the sides as they had to be cut on an angle for the hexagon shape to fit together. I measured and cut out the openings for the doors and then on separate pieces of ply I cut out the double doors. I used a fret saw to cut the openings and a ban saw to cut the doors.

The 45 degree angle for the joints

Measuring out the doorways

Cleaning up my terrible cutting

The double doors cut out

I've sanded the doors and rounded the hinge edges so they don't rub and opens smoothly. 

I've been doing some paint tests on the veneer scraps that I'll be using to put on the doors and on the ply wood for the main body of the box.

Wood Veneer 

Still on the Monkey...

Leggies! I have legs! Oh I'm so excited by this. They are so cute! I love the feeling that creating something that works gives me. Ahhhh bliss!

Trendy B & W

Good stance

I also had to cut his body at the waist and add some foam as he looked a wee bit out of proportion.

 

And added some plaited leather chord to make his flexible neck...

Hole in da head

Covered with the suedette