Puppet - Gregory
*Responsible for all fabrication.
*Responsible for all fabrication.
Sculpt/Design
Gregory was designed to have an athletic young male build, with defined (but not bulbous or exaggerated) musculature. Initially his shoulders were less broad, and his head was larger. But it wasn't quite giving the effect I wanted, so I went back to my reference and eventually settled on a swimmers-build for the puppet. This gave him broader shoulders and a stronger upper body. His head also changed over time, starting out looking a bit younger, and eventually evolving into a mid to late 20s inspired appearance.
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Polycarbonate Armature
Gregory's armature is constructed from 1/8" wire housed within polycarbonate chest and pelvis blocks, which feature rigging ports drilled into the sides and back. The rigging includes two 10/24 ports on either side and on the bottom (sitting) that are compatible with bolt-based rigging, as well as a 7/32 brass tube port that is compatible with brass tube rigging and T-bars. The finalized armature also contains a foam void in the center, allowing for greater torso movement
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Silicone Casting
Gregory was cast in degassed GI 1110 transparent silicone, with 10% activator and thinner. He features detailed "paint-ins" on the knuckles, elbows, and knees to enhance the lifelike appearance of his body. While the cast wasn't flawless, a combination of silicone "buffing" with a Dremel and silicone repairs helped refine the body, making it cleaner and smoother.
Color Mixing:
Each pigment was mixed into a transparent cup of G1110 silicone before being combined to match the decided on pair of skin tones, one for the overall body and one brighter and more reddish for the painted in elements
Paint Ins:
The knuckles, fingertips, knees and elbows were all painted in a reddish color to match real skin, using UFC (Ultra Fast Catalyst) to ensure they cured faster for easier application
Hand Prep:
A thin layer of UFC silicone was applied to the hands before injection, with Silicone primer added once they dried, to ensure the silicone consistently gripped the finger wire.
Casting:
After all "paint-ins" were complete a syringe was used to inject the colored G1110 Silicone on each mold. After they were properly filled up, the armature was gently laid into the mold before being topped off with additional silicone. The mold was then closed, strapped, and clamped together. The silicone took roughly 18 hours to cure.
Silicone Repair:
Initially, the casted body had some large bubbles in the front of the torso, through a combination of applying silicone glue and pressing the body into the mold against newly injected silicone, the missing portions of the torso were able to be filled in after the fact. Then a soft bit covered in Vaseline at the end of a Dremel was used to hide any seem lines or imperfections left on the recast sections of the body through "buffing" the creases out.
Seam Buffing:
The seam lines left by the casting process are buffed out with a soft bit at the end of a Dremel
Finger Paint In Tests:
Multiple tests were done with varying degrees of opacity and color combinations to get the right effect for the knuckles and fingers
Hero Silicone
Head Fabrication
Gregory's head was sculpted in Chalvant and a silicone mold was made of it. Then, it was cast in plastic, drilled to fit over the neck (and tensioned to fit onto the wire), and hand-painted with acrylic paint. Finally, lids, brows, and pupils were made by vacuum-forming PETG plastic over a modified plastic cast of the head, which was flattened on one side
