Week 24 (22 Dec - 28 Dec 2002)
Turtle
"It's a deadly lightning turtle! The beast's speed is matched only by the razor sharpness of its beak. Woe betide anyone who finds himself before this fearsome creature."
Erodon squinted back at his halfling friend, then strolled over to the turtle. He thumped it once or twice on the shell, producing a deep dull thud.
"Just a turtle," he said.
"Oh," said the halfling.
Just a turtle this week. It's yet another piece from my ongoing flat period, wherein I sculpt things that are more or less flat. I've tried to add a little dynamism to later pieces (viz. the currently-in-progress cockatrice). . . .
I started out with a 1" round washer and added a lump to form the body. I smoothed and shaped the body, then cut in the texture before it dried. I also poked in spaces for the limbs. I added and textured each limb individually, then went back to add in the claws. I worked up the head in a couple stages, taking a lot of time on the individual scales. (The head doesn't look quite so lopsided in person, but it's close.) Finally, I laid in the ground in small thin layers of putty, textured with a couple straight pins and some patience.
I've just realized in looking at the above pictures that he doesn't have a tail visible. Oh, well -- something to consider for the future.
This guy may well end up as base detail someday, even if not right away. I'd like to give him somebody to hang out with, or maybe a tiny little rider. Meanwhile, he got painted for week 26.
Back to week 23 (15 Dec - 21 Dec 2002)