Gollum Lightswitch Cover

[LittleFenris]

I was inspired by goofslapper on the forums to do a lightswitch cover after seeing his. My dad loves J.R.R. Tolkien so I decided to do one of the characters from the recent movies. I'm using Super Sculpey for the initial sculpture, then I'd like to attempt to cast the piece in something durable like silicone or something. Any advice on all that is much appreciated since I've NEVER cast anything before. This is the first thing I've made in Super Sculpey also.

Work in progress:
http://www.littlefenris.com/PICs/Artwork/WIP/Lightswitches/Gollum_Lightswitch_1.jpg
http://www.littlefenris.com/PICs/Artwork/WIP/Lightswitches/Gollum_Lightswitch_1b.jpg
Added hair:
http://www.littlefenris.com/PICs/Artwork/WIP/Lightswitches/Gollum_Lightswitch_1c.jpg

The finished piece:
http://www.littlefenris.com/PICs/Artwork/WIP/Lightswitches/Gollum_Lightswitch_Finished.jpg

[6thSun]

dude you're doing great so far.but...
how are you going about the openings for the switches and the screws?
I would do the sculpt around the openings instead of sculpting it and cutting out the openings after it is done.

keep it up .Looks really good.

[spawnhunter]

cool. 2 suggestions
1. make the ear aliittle pointier
2 not feeling the eyes. not felling very gollumish.

[Threshold]

Holy crap. That %^@# better not be going on MY wall plate. :P

Nice job.

OKay that might have been ambiguous. I mean it's scary, not that it's %^@#.

[gray_]

you really need to watch your depth on it. The left side (viewers) needs to be shallower then the right since his head is slanted in the reference, right now it looks akward. It looks like you already baked it so I don't really know how much that helps, you could try building up the right side of the face.

[LittleFenris]

how are you going about the openings for the switches and the screws?
I would do the sculpt around the openings instead of sculpting it and cutting out the openings after it is done.

Yeah, I have sculpted the holes and all that into the piece, I figured trying to cut that out after baking would have been a disaster. I'll post a pic of the baked piece.

Do you guys think Super Sculpey is tough enough to use as the actual cover or should I research casting it in resin or something? I did a test piece to test for shrinkage and its the same thickness as the finished cover and it seems really tough. I was thinking of painting it w/ acrylics then laquering over it for protection.

[Eclectix]

You should use a fire-resistant material for the final piece. I'd recommend Hydrostone.

[6thSun]

Eclectix beat me to the same answer.
Don't let the art part make you forget about the funcionality of the piece.
there is a practical side that needs to be covered well in advance of anything else.
keep in mind the risk factor for a potential fire-hazard if its not done in the apropiate material.

[Eclectix]

I only mentioned the fire hazard because I was reamed by an electrician once for making switchplate covers out of polyester resin. I doubt that it really matters much, but I think it is just a matter of electrical building code.
A good source for mould making and casting supplies that I've used for years is Douglas and Sturgess, at www.artstuff.com

[LittleFenris]

Well, I went w/ OOMOO (Smooth On) for the mold material and Hydrostone for the cast material. Going to use Ease Release 200 (Smooth On) on the original so the mold doesn't stick to it. Hopefully my choices were wise ones. Any advice during the mold making process would be much appreciated. I can't afford to destroy the original. I can afford however to screw up a cast or 2 in the learning process. Maybe I should make a little test piece to make a mold of to make sure all the materials work ok together before trying it on the original scuplture.

[LittleFenris]

I need to retake the photo of the finished piece...that photo doesn't give it ANY justice. It looks a lot better in person. Maybe if I could learn to take a good pic w/ my 8MP digicam it might look better. :)

[crymsonwolfe]

Can't wait to see the new photo.
Still.. I'd be scared to be using those light switches. ;)

[LittleFenris]

Can't wait to see the new photo.
Still.. I'd be scared to be using those light switches. ;)

I installed the cover on my parents wall on Christmas day. I'll take a couple photos when I go back this weekend. 8)