IN THE MAKING

[lesclarke]

I too really like viewing other people's projects.

Currently I have quite a few figures' in progress', a small number of them may even get finished in the near-ish future.

A while back I got fed up with downloading pics to Fickr, it all seemed a bit slow and 'clunky.'

But I have recently paid up, rejoined and found a slightly more user-friendly way of downloading batches of pics, so those who like to see figures in the various stages of construction can have a gander.

First batches are new Croc and new dog.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/properpunch/sets/

...will find these set and others, and more to come/

[Richard Coombs]

Hello Les ...well what wonderful stuff .!

Really Love your new Croc .
Its Quisto , but not a slavish copy . ( by that I mean you havnt tried to exactly reproduce every curve and outline of your existing puppet - not gone for the same 'beaked' nose for example ) .
Yours to my mind looks more like a Croc and less like the first which seem more 'Dragon' to my mind.

But it certainly looks like its a Quisto . From what Ive seen of others he did , that are all in the same style but not identical , very freeform .
So yours looks just as tho it might have been Quisto , not Clarke made.

Bravo ! You must be very pleased.

I look forward to seeing hime painted and with his fabric body.

Thank you for sharing.

Best Wishes Richard.

[lesclarke]

Glad you like the Croc Richard, he's a lot simpler design than the Quisto dragon, I can't quite get my head around how he made those figures. My Croc is a traditional 'snappy' wooden-jawed style with layered papier mache top and bottom structures attached, and then detail added using card pulp/papier mache 'clay, with teeth added in Milliput.'

By the way, I've only ever seen the big Quisto Dragon/Croc, are there more 'Croccy' crocs out there? Anyone got pics?

First on list to finish is dog, probably then Croc and Scary Ghost....

Over the last year I've been experimenting/playing about with various types of papier mache clay, firstly to see what it can do, but also to explore different 'styles' and sizes of heads. My own favourite style has been the Wal Kent, it's sort of become a classic design, and achieves so much in what are a few simple (but subtle) lines and shapes.

But I also like to see people's individual, 'quirky' style of head and have been looking for 'my own style.'

Working in 2 or 3D in various media my own style is usually exact and clean cut, (explains my Graphics background,) but I really admire much 'looser' approaches'. Problem is if one 'tries' to change one's style, perhaps tries to produce something more 'naive' it doesn't quite work, but I've had-a-go anyway, trying not to repeat previous designs, and sometimes by leaving some design decisions to chance, and often just 'seeing how things develop.'

[Chris]

Quisto made both crocs and dragons. I don't think he worked free style, certainly with the dragons, because they appear identical. I'm pretty sure he worked from moulds.
What do you mean by the big dragon Les - I have two sizes of dragon (but no crocs), the smallest is around 12inches long (longer than usual croc) while the large one is around two feet or more long, quite gigantic.
But both large and small are exactly same design. And both have that lovely animated tongue.

[James]

Yes he made crocs/alligators too. Quite plain, painted a murky brown/green rather than the bright greens/reds of the dragons. I'll try to find a photo.

[Richard Coombs]

Ahhh my mistake then ...and actually if making them for sale , then doing them from a mould ( and thus identical ) would make sense. Perhaps it is your two that I have seen Chris ? altho they could also be something from the 'Wilde-onean Institute" , my memory is terrible . But I do recall two sizes.

Anyhow.

I stand by what I said that Les has produced a lovely looking Croc , undisputedly in the style of Quisto .

It will be a thing of awesome beauty when its done.

Richard

[cobaltblue]

what a great croc
love the phptos.

I`m into making, sets at the moment dont think my performace is up to it.
But seeing this site cant help myself ,certanly inspiring
The costume making is great ,but not so hot with it myself.
i know practise is the answer , as with every thing, pity experance is a hard task master
keep the photos coming need the inspration good luck
dc

[Chris]

Richard, you could be right about the crocs being individual - I've only had close encounters with the dragon kind. And now I come to think of it, his big dragon is so like his smaller dragon (which couldn't be the result of using a mould) perhaps he was just good at repeating himself. However to use mache layers he must have had some form of mould, positive or negative.

I've dug out this picture to give an idea of the size of my bigger dragon.

[lesclarke]

Chris - When you said there were 2 sizes (of Quisto Dragons) I wrongly assumed the one I had was the big one..
What a size!!!!

James - Will be interested to see what a Quisto Croc looks like.

[lesclarke]

Just finished adding the sleeve and painting the new (Quisto Influenced) Big Croc. Could have done with a second pair of hands for attaching the sleeve, bit fiddly, should/could have made it simpler.
Pics below and more added to the Flickr link as above.

[Chris]

Wow, very much Quisto! Splendid job Les.

[Richard Coombs]

Oh BRAVO indeed Les ... quite wonderful.

I adore the paintwork on the creases of the sleeve body.

You must be rightly Proud.

Richard

[lesclarke]

Glad you both like him! Thanks for the comments. I was very pleased with the way the modelling had gone, but wary of actually finishing him in case I was then disappointed.
I painted the inside of the mouth area first, and then painting the base coat on the canvas made him look very plain. While this was still damp I 'concertinered' (sp? )the neck up so I could work again on the open mouth area, and this 'lucky accident' revealed that a wrinkly neck was far more visually interesting, so I worked in some more creases and highlighted them.