Saturday 19 June 2010

Joker bank heist mask.






Since becoming enthralled with the character of the Joker, portrayed by Heath Ledger, I decided it was about time I sorted myself out the mask he wears in "the dark knight" at the start of the film. I went looking for licensed replicas and was bitterly disapointed. I haven't displayed them but they're easy to find if you use your google-fu! Rubies, the halloween costume people have released one, its cheap and cheerful and pretty innaccurate. Made from vinyl, it doesn't sit correctly and has a mildly conehead appearance. Ok for trick or treating, but not something you can really display. Noble has also produced a mask. The prototype shots revealed very little, as they had used a photoshopped picture of a screen shot from the film, literally cutting and pasting the image onto the stand they had created. When they eventually released pics, it was if a blind man had sculpted it out of butter using a hammer. Many pre-orders were sent back. it was made out of porcelein, maybe to reduce the chance of someone trying to wear it, as rubies had the costuming rights. The original was carved using an auto cad designer and carved out of foam before being vacuum formed over. It is supposed to be stiff and retains its shape. I dont have a vacuum former, so it was a WED clay sculpt, which was then moulded in RTV silicone, and then cast from fiberglass resin and matting. This first one is my master and is verrrrry thick so doesnt fit my face very well, even though I will be making them thinner from here on in. It just means that I can display this until my mould dies and then use it to make new moulds. I hope to make a few more to sell to friends whilst I'm out of work. God knows, the world definitely needs more accurate representations of this iconic piece. Enjoy!

Friday 11 June 2010

What doesn't kill you makes you stranger.....




And dressed for the ball!.....

Why so serious?






I have a bit of an obsession with Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker. The character appeals so me very much to the dark side of me. I am a postitve person. Very. But I understand the sentiment that some people want to just watch the world burn. Now, if you can do it with swagger and great determination, it can be quite beautiful to watch Vitriol. After nailing his voice moderately well, I did the costume for the last two years for Halloween. improved the second year with an amzing waistcoat that My mum helped me to make (cheers mum!) I think I'll put him away until I have every single piece of his wardrobe perfect, and have lost a little more weight (I'm a wardrobe goddamnit! I long to be a Tallboy!) It may take a while, as its expensive to be accurate, even his tie, when it was available to but, from Asser and turnbull, was 150 dollars! Here are some of the preliminary photos from 2 years ago, including my first attempt at the make up. Looking fairly chunky (2 stone heavier in these pics, but hey ho, let go!) Enjoy!

What a wonderful World.

have had a weird few weeks. They have been enriching and wretched, Inspiring and heartbreaking. I lost my voice for a while, and came back singing the Beauty of this World. We are such very lucky creatures, we just often never realise it. But we must always take time to admire the roses. They can be few and far between on this dirt track called life and if we pause, take time to reflect why that rose is there, then the road seems to tilt downwards, and soon you are running like a child seeing their mother. We must all learn to laugh and cry like Children. We were all once were children, and although we put away childish things, we must never forget who we are and were. If you have read these words, know this. If you can love the world without misgivings, accept each human being for what they are, strive to make everyone's path a little more stone-free, then I will keep you in my heart till the day I die. You are a creature just like me, and I love you.

Getting back on track...







I have been working on this piece for a while, it got hidden in the utility room for an age, and the work i had put into it was lost. But I completed yesterday and am glad I did. cardboard base, Fibreglass resin, car body filler, milliput model putty, and a broom handle that I turned on my belt sander. I lost many a fingertip doing the spikes (18 spikes in total and only 10 fingers...) primered grey, painted black and dry brushed with silver paint. Added accents with gold rub and buff and it was complete. As I'm unemployed at the mo, it will eventually be sold, but I wanted to keep it for a few days because I'm happy with it. It reminds me that my hands are not just for wringing in panic. Credit to Blind squirrel for inspiration, and for the gent at the Leeds armouries Weta exhibition that I think saw me taking photos of this helmet and turned away. It was a very insignificant but noble gesture. here is the Witch King helmet from Lord of the Rings, enjoy!