RAWR!! Wyrmgear!

[Loim]

I don't like you anymore Sanael. This is so much cooler than anything I've ever done.

[Sanael]

OK...so this conversion is at the first stage of "done..."

 

Which just means I've hit the first moment of "y'know, I think I've done everything that needs to be done." So I've taken a bunch of photos in the light tent with the good camera, so I can actually look at this objectively. So here's where it stands, and my thoughts on the matter. Please add your own. Let me know what you think, where I've done something very cool, where I've missed something, whatever you want to tell me.

 

 

The above show the whole of the additions to the sculpt, from either side. Looking at the top of the wing, I need to put some flesh over the join of the two wing-bones, and maybe stretch some wing membrane up onto the upper half of the wing. You can also see the stub of tail I did. Otherwise, at this distance, I'm fairly happy with what I'm seeing. Let's go closer.

 

 

Since the upper wing was the thing that stood out to me in the wide-angle view, here's a close-up on the front shoulder, and the underside of the wing. The foreleg and shoulder are OK, perhaps the wing needs a little something at the joint. Under the wing, you can see where the flesh and bone is attached to the mechanical wing. I need to polish the area around those two bolts on the underside, and there are some places where I used two pieces of putty to form the wing-bone but didn't blend them well, so that needs some polish.

 

I'm also starting to regret not cutting out the wing membranes and sculpting an entirely fleshy wing...I'll have to think about that.

 

In the shot of the front shoulder, you can see the horn on the dragon's head that will be the "original" horn. That spiral needs to be polished a bit so it blends with the horn itself. Or maybe the horn needs more texture.

 

 

Here's a good shot of the face. I actually really think this lower jaw looks pretty cool; might be my favorite part of the work I've done. It does need a little sanding/polishing in some places. I'm trying to decide, when it comes time to paint it, whether this side or the other side of the face has the "live" eyeball.

 

 

Here you can see the rump and the underbelly. A bunch of polishing needs to happen on the scales hanging free of the muscle on the underbelly...

 

The rump is...ok? Maybe needs more mass, I don't know. This is also a place where I feel like the scales overall need more definition, but I really don't know what to do about that now they've all cured. I may be happy with them, and just fix the soft detail with paint later.

 

 

And finally, a shot of the whole thing, standing on the base and with the other wing dry-fit in place. I'm pretty well convinced at this point that I want to go in and remove the plastic membranes on the one wing, put in at least half a "real" wing. The wing that isn't attached I want to be entirely mechanical, so I want the partial wing to really be incongruous. The asymmetry of the concept appeals to me. I also notice here that I need to remove the toes on that front leg and resculpt them to actually be on the ground once he's on the base.

 

So that's where I am. Not so much "done" at this point, but feeling pretty good about where I am. What do y'all think?

[Maglok]

Mind. Blown. Awesome.

[Patrick]

This looks really great so far! The idea is cool as well as the execution.

 

I hesitate to make any recommendation because I know the work has cured and that it will be impossible to make any revisions at this point without starting the texture over. I like the way the scale patterns are laid out and I like the texture of them.

 

The only thing I could see adding would be to make a more distinctive dividing line between the scales.

What there is currently is something that looks like this VVVVV

Whereas after completing that pattern, following it up with a sharp tool (like a scalpel) and dividing them like this |V|V|V|V|V|

That way it reinforces the fact that they are layered over one another in segments.

 

Very nice work. I hope you are enjoying working with the graystuff. ProCreate is a great sculpting material.

[Sanael]

Patrick, thanks for your comments. I may very well end up removing some scales and reworking them to get better definition, but before I do I'm going to try your suggestion and see what kind if definition I can just cut in with an Xacto. Just need to find my packet of new blades, first; sharper is better!

 

The greystuff is working nicely; I find it to be less sticky than the greenstuff so far...the fact that I've started using petroleum jelly is also a big help!

[OneBoot]

He looks AMAAAAAAAZING!! I agree that the jaw turned out particularly good! The only criticism I have is one you've already noticed, that the toes on his right foot aren't flush with the ground, so they look hyper-extended. Incredible work!

 

Huzzah!

--OneBoot :D

[flygyrl]

This looks fantastic!!!!

[Corporea]

Wow! I agree- a partially fleshed wing membrane would look really cool. Awesome!!

[Sanael]

OK, now that I've said this modification id "finished," it's time to finish it again. For all those who have given ideas and advice, both on and off the thread, thank you.

 

OK, so first, the detail on the rump and flank was pretty soft. At first, I'm trying to cut the details in, using the scales I sculpted as a guide. The process here is basically to take a very sharp new Xacto blade and cut the edges deeper so the scale "beneath" the scale I'm working on is recessed as deeply as possible. Here's how it looks so far:

 

 

It's working...OK. I definitely have more definition, but now each scale is a bit more flat than those on the rest of the body. Also, the scales on that piece of tail are really hard to get to and just look a mess, so it's highly likely that the next step for this area is just to cut away a bunch of the putty and re-sculpt the scales, taking a little more time to do it this time.

 

The other thing I've been working on is removing large parts of the wing:

 

 

 

The idea here is that I'll be sculpting the underside of the wing to match the top, and putting in my own fleshy membranes on the inside of the wing. Probably won't get to do any work on it tonight, but this weekend should see some progress.

 

Talk to me, folks! Thanks a gain for all your feedback!

 

[smokingwreckage]

Talk: WOw, very ambitious, and coming along very well. I love the concept and the execution is looking great!

[bloodydrake]

Sanael this really is quite awesome, really spectacular.

So is this more a T-1000 type thing..or more a Flesh/Clockwork Golem Frankenstein sewn together Dragon?

Love the new angel of the wings looks so much nicer this way

[dimsbottle]

This is amazing! For what it's worth, I'd say keep the live eye on the side with the live jaw.

[Sanael]

Thanks all.

 

Bloodydrake, it's intended to be more of a frankendragon...real dragon corpse augmented by SCIENCE!!, if you will.

 

Dimsbottle, I'm also leaning that way, but I'm not sure yet. Thanks for your opinion, it helps!

[cthulhudarren]

I say live eye on the opposite side from the "live" horn. For balance.

[OneBoot]

I actually think the bionic eye on the side with the live jaw would give a neat juxtaposition. But that's just my opinion. :)

 

I'm excited to see what you do with his wing! :D

 

Huzzah!

--OneBoot :D