I was in a production of Beauty and the Beast the summer of 2023 and made a gift for our Gaston. I went to my local Hobby Lobby and found a T-rex figure to turn into Gaston. While at the store I picked up a wood base to make a stand for the dinosaur. I began with the boots by wrapping the legs with strips of thin clay. I flattened the sheets with a pasta/clay roller. I used a small rubber-tipped tool to blend the clay between the toes. To finish the boots, I added another strip of clay to the top of the boots and blended the top edge in. On the arm, I pretty much did the same thing and placed a strip of clay on the arm, cut it to the right size, and blended it with a tool.
I rolled out a large sheet of clay and on one side cut the coat tails and on the other side, angled it to fit just behind the arms. I repeatedly added strips to fill in the rest of the vest and around the arms. The neck collar is made by using an Exacto knife to cut the shape and then blending it to the vest like the tops of the boots. I made the belt with MORE strips of clay and to make the metal buckle, I used armature wire. A ball stylus grooved the details on the belt. For the wig I made a tear-shaped blob, added a ponytail, then added detail with a ball stylus. To cure the clay I used a heat gun.
I used my Paasche airbrush to prime and paint it. I attached the model on a wood base using armature wire and Gorilla glue. With a tiny brush, I painted eyes, then added UV resin to make the eyes shine.
It took a little longer than I expected to make, but I think it was 100% worth it. And I am excited to try this again.
Quick links from this post:
Super Sculpey Medium Clay
Sculpey Pasta Machine
Heat Gun
Paasche Airbrush TG-3000DA
Gorilla Glue
Exacto Knife
A Similar Wood Base
Armature Wire
UV Resin
Arteza Clay Sculpting Tools
UV Flashlight
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