Merry Christmas everyone!

All the best everyone! May your Christmas be merry and your New Year be better than last!

-Lance

Paul's Blue Dinosaur

For a long time, I was trying to find a simple way to make a sculpture you can change a little, like a toy or something. I had come up with an idea on how to at least change the expression on a sculpt and since Paul's birthday was coming up, I decided to use the occasion for a little experiment. This blue dinosaur was the result!








I picked a dinosaur because I knew it wouldn't take me long to sculpt a brontosaurus ( or apatosaur if you new-schoolers prefer). The part that was gonna hold me up was the design of the moving parts to make his eyes change expression.






Another reason for picking a dinosaur was the fact that I could disguise the knob that moves the eyes as one of his scales. Below are pics of how his eyes change as you turn the knob!

I thought about painting the pupils on the little eyeballs themselves, but leaving the pupils independent of the eyeballs gives you more combinations and thus a greater number of expressions. This worked to a certain point, which I expected. Remember, this was an experiment for something else I have in mind later. But in the meantime- Paul got a pretty cool toy!

When I first start to sand my sculpts, I usually start with some pretty course sandpaper and then move on to the finer stuff when it gets smooth enough. On this sculpt, I just left the course sandpaper's scrapes and ruts because I knew when I painted him, those scrapes would look like skin! It worked.

Some sketches I did before I started working on the actual sculpt. I wanted him to have tiny toes and feet like the dinosaurs did in that old Tex Avery cartoon! His bottom jaw is inspired from Elliot of "Pete's Dragon".

Here's a video-clip!

The weeds and grass are just painted wire. The little river bed he's on is a wooden plaque you can buy at an arts'n'crafts store. I sculpted a little ridge of land to give it some character.

"Not another one...!"

EVERYMAN is on his way!!

This year, The Simpsons season premiere is an episode I directed! Not only was I lucky enough to get a script with a storyline about superheroes and comic books, but on top of it- I had Tommy Tejeda (longtimepalandfellowcomicenthusiastandbesides-heusedtodesignforBatman) helpin' me out as my assistant director!


The show's gonna be great so I hope you all tune in to Fox on Sunday, September 27th and check it out. Everyone had a really fun time drawing and working hard on this episode and I hope y'all have fun watchin' it!


Thanks to all the crew that helped us make this show "the worst episode- EVER!"


-Lancer

C. Montgomery Burns

Years ago, I did this sketch of ol' Burnsie lookin real mean and angry just for laughs. I tweaked his brow tight over one eye and raised over the other and gave him this intense look. Everyone liked that drawing. I remember Paul saying that it would make a great sculpture or paperweight or something. I kept it in mind and put the idea on my list of cool things I should try to do.





Then I got laid off during the writers strike. I had plenty of time to do some things and projects I simply didn't have time for while I was working on the show. I decided to dig out the Burns project.



I couldn't find the original sketch I did (I know I have it someplace in some old box of memories), so I drew up a new one with the same look on Burns. I also sketched a side view so I could push the attitude with his posture as well.





The pre-baked Burns awaits his fate in the hot oven! Indy waits with him.











You really get familiar with a character when you have to figure them out in 3 dimensions! I was constantly adjusting his posture to keep him like a vulture. It was fun figuring out how his mouth and teeth form his beaky mouth.



The roof of his mouth was really hard to paint! And the bright yellow paint I used didn't cover real well so I was paintin with yellow for a long time. Experience. The coat came out with a nice sheen to it. His tie got a shiny satin finish.



The desk is a separate piece by itself with a cradle for when Burns is displayed with it. I simply finished a piece of wood and glued stuff on it. The blotter is construction paper with foam corners. The pens and holder are sculpted.





The big red button to "release the hounds" was sculpted in 2 pieces, the button itself and the brass housing it sits in. I did this because I wanted to be able to really press the button. I glued a small bit of foam under the button so it gives and pops back when you press it.



The plaques for his desk button can be changed. They are just painted cardboard. Here are some other ideas I had.



The pens are a piece of armature wire with sculpey around it. The paint was cool on these! it was black with little bits of gold in it! Burns demands the best!





I made Burns with the original paper-weight idea in mind, so he comes off the desk display and can work on his own anywhere you put him. He looks very ominous on his own... sitting there... staring...!





Burnsie's eyes glow in the dark too! I coated his eyes with glow-in-the-dark paint, so when the lights go out, he's still staring at you. Hmm-hmm-mahh-ha-haaa...!



YOU'RE FIRED!