Since lunchtime has been near 100 degrees this week, I've opted to sit and roughly sketch out the krampus instead of the normal walk around Fort Collins.

What's with the foil, you didn't ask? Well, Super Sculpey and Apoxie Sculpt are both around $12-$15 a pound. I'm not made of money, and foil is decidedly cheaper. So it's a stable filler, and combined with the florist wire wrap around the baling wire the clay will stay in place.

After some twisting, remeasuring, and shaking my head a lot, the wireframe has the right ballpark shape. Now for aluminum foil.

Many years ago, back when I was first learning illustration, I traced and redrew several parts of The Anatomy Coloring Book. Those are now my foundational size references whenever I start a new sculpture, as you can see here with the current devil.

Just to complicate my already consistent lack of faith in my sculpting, I'm starting another sculpture. It'll either be the werewolf tearing someone apart or the krampus throwing a kid at another kid.

Setting aside the conquistadors for a bit while they cure (a first for me), it's back to the turtle and its devils.

It's a balance of too much and not enough water, but luckily the textures more or less match. Super Sculpey and Apoxie Sculpt act a bit differently when sculpting, especially with the latter's time constraint and ease of tearing.

I'm texturing the first part of the Apoxie Sculpt patch, using repeated taps with this small saw tool. Changing angles gives it a nice layered canvas texture. Also, music by Pothamus.

I decided to glue some of the third conquistador's wrap back on as a foundation and guide to adding Apoxie Sculpt. Super Sculpey, which both the wrap and figure are made from, is great for detail and thin pieces. But as you can see it's also fragile without a support.

Ok, before I left for Canada I was pretty sure there was room to sculpt on my desk.

While we were at the Royal Botanical Gardens Rock Gardens in Hamilton, Ontario last week, we saw this gorgeous sculpture, "Flora Hominis" by Brandon Vickerd. Very Annihilation vibes.

We're about to leave Cleveland, but on the way back from Niagara Falls we stopped at the Lanternman's Mill in Youngstown, Ohio.

My original one was this shot, because now we know how the beginning and the end meet. I couldn't find a good gif though.

Spending the night with my girl watching fireworks over Niagara Falls from the 29th floor of a casino on the Canadian side.

I've been behind for about a month working on sculptures (mostly psychological), but these are the three in progress.

My walk to Old Firehouse Books at lunch paid off today.

Well the first concrete is out of the ground, and the first post up. Now for lunch before the glucose *seriously drops.

"fenceposty," thanks Android. Anyway, the area in question.

Addendum to the earlier ducks, walking across campus I just saw my second duck family of the day.

I didn't want to get too close and disturb them, but this was nice to see on the lunch walk. The mom hopped up on that 8" curb on the left, then waited about 30 seconds until she figured out the little ones were never going to clear it. She walked them over to the corner to jump up easier.

Well, with some of the black goo added to the evil conquistadors and new textures on the other sculpture's antlers, it's off to writing some things and reading some other things.

The support wires in my sculptures are always very helpful and super stabby.

The conquistadors themselves have more black Apoxie Sculpt making up their bases, and into the support structure. But I'll wait to paint those until I finish those "dripping" structures.

Since lunch is only a few minutes away (and the diabetes is insisting I pay attention), I decided to gloss up the black goo again. The blood wash on the bones went perfectly, but it did dull the black goo. So I'll go back over it with gloss medium and gloss ModPodge.

I left off a few weeks back on this one's antlers, and some textures over his foundation and frame. All in Apoxie Sculpt.

Cleaning up my studio so guests a couple of weeks ago could stay on the guest side of the room means now putting it back together for sculpting. Maybe I should go write on the patio instead.

we don't usually see each others headers, but here's mine. quote post with yours (if you feel like it)

I get Merlin in Excalibur vibes.

We have family coming from out of town late tomorrow, so I need to set aside sculpting and writing for a bit and dust things in my office/our guest room. I don't think they will find any spiders down here, but that's on them. Ok they will find spiders, but I mean live ones.

After some reading and chores, this day off will be all about sculpting monsters. #horror #sculpture