New Project - Tin Man - Day One

I've been cruising the KR boards a lot lately, taking in the work of all the great artists. There have been a couple lately that have really inspired me, and that's where I begin with my next Vinyl Custom. As soon as I got my hands on the Mini Munny, I just knew that he was going to be the Tin Man from Oz. I really liked some of the metal paint apps I've seen, and that was in the inspiration for this guy. I had the time to get started today, and was actually able to make some nice progress. First step was a gather a few reference shots, and then rough sketching the fig out on the blank Munny.


After getting a feel for where everything should go, I dug in on the sculpting. I have to admit that I have always been intimidated by the baking concept of using Super Sculpey. With Stikfas, I would use the boil method to avoid the oven. After finally taking the leap, I have to admit that I was scared of nothing. The Super Sculpey is a fantastic clay, and baking was a lot easier, and less messy(stinky) than I had imagined. The first part of the sculpt was bulking out the body so that the tin man would have his signature round torso.


After a good sanding, I moved on to the head to work on the jaw line of the Tin Man. The "chin" of the Munny fig made placement a bit of a puzzle, but I think I worked it out okay. Again, more sanding, and I started in adding some "rivets". My rivets are actually just pin heads clipped off, and a guide hole drilled with the Dremel. I think it's working out pretty well. I'll probably try to get some of the nose started tonight as well.



The one big question I have on this guy will be the hat. I hate to sculpt one, but I don't know if I'll be able to find a small funnel that's the right fit. I found a couple online, but I hate to order a $1.00 item and pay $5 shipping. I've going shopping tomorrow to see if I can find anything. That's it for today, feedback and suggestions are always appreciated. Thanks for looking.