Kull Part 9: The Base

You’ve seen the thumbnail base I contrived in the original design for this sculpture. The base is a close approximation of that idea with an adjustment or two.

Before we begin, I’ve been asked to add a bit about what material this is sculpted in and what kinds of tools I use. Those who aren’t interested in a more technical discussion might want to skip down. I use Super Sculpey, a synthetic clay that can be found at most craft stores such as Michael’s or Hobby Lobby and some local hobby shops. It comes in one pound boxes and I mix it with one small brick of a material called Sculpey III, which is colored in different hues. Super Sculpey is a flesh toned material and I feel mixing it with the colored material gives me the ability to see the surface I’m working on and the detail better. I have used wax, but wax or synthetic wax-like materials require heat and flame to work in. Super Sculpey can be baked and hardened and then added to and is quite strong and permanent when baked properly. Some artists feel that they cannot get the detail they want out of Super Sculpey, but I haven’t noticed that it limits my work in that way. I use wire loop tools, wood shaped tools and modified dental tools in my work. I’ve also made some of my loop tools from piano wire inserted into brass rod.

And now back to Kull:

As we’ve discussed, this base is symbolic of the future life of Kull as he begins his life as a soldier, general, then finally king of Valusia.

The title of this piece is “Kull of Atlantis” and the title plate was originally going to be a scroll. I’ve altered it to be a carved stone nameplate and I’ll add some cracks incised into the plate.

The battle shield represents his participating in and winning numerous battles in the coming years. Kull leads a violent life and the base would reflect that. The shield design would be a heavy wood covered with leather and strengthened with bands of brass and brass studs. At this time, the full paint scheme has not been worked out. Depending on the look of the figure, we may choose to make the fittings in iron or a combination of both.

I chose a sun device for the shield as the sun was often a symbol of kings and represented eternal power and life, among other things.

The axe is intended to represent the double bladed war axe Kull uses to defend himself in the story “By This Axe I Rule” in which he successfully defeats a roomful of assassins who attempt to catch him unaware and unarmed. It is also important as the moment at which Kull consolidates his power and finally establishes his position as king once and for all of Valusia.

The helmet on the base is also representative of his future as a war leader, but it also specifically represents him as King. The crown is described in the story as being a thin circlet of red gold adorned with great opals, which seems a simple design and so I sculpted it as it was described. However, this is a section of crown attached to his helmet permanently and is not the crown he wears at court.

I hope you find the design of the helmet interesting, regal and appropriate to the character.

The base has been approved by the good people at Paradox, so next we’ll move on to the paint stage. The figure has been molded, but not the base. It will take two to three weeks to get the base molded, and get resin castings made. The paint scheme will take roughly the same amount of time. I hope you’ll check back to see the final look. We’ll make sure it’s worth the wait!

Thanks for reading-
Clay

 

Kull Blog Update

I wanted to update you on the Kull blog, since I was planning to post photos of the base this week. I just wrapped up the sculpting of the base, and will post photos as soon as it’s approved. Thanks for your patience!

Clay

 

Kull Blog Returns Next Week

Due to a serious case of SuperBowl fever, the Kull blog will return next week. Thank you for your understanding, and we hope you’ll check back next week to read about Kull’s base design.

 

Kull Part 8: Kull’s Weapons

In this episode of the Kull Blog we’ll talk about the development of the weapons Kull carries and we’ll take a look at the completed figure.

I very much enjoyed designing and sculpting these elements. It was important that each was well detailed, but not over the top in the fantasy aspect. I used historical reference to design the weapons and specifically avoided looking at other artists’ takes on the barbarian theme once I had started the sculpture. I knew those influences would come out, anyway, as they’re so ingrained from years of seeing and enjoying the incredible art that has been done over the years in the comics and fantasy genres. The most recent work that I think is indicative of the best on the subject are the terrific paintings and illustrations done by Mark Schultz and Gary Gianni published in recent years by Wandering Star. However, the work of masters like Frank Frazetta, John Buscema and Roy G. Krenkel are and always will be huge influences in my work.

The first weapon I sculpted was the axe. As I mentioned in an earlier chapter, it was decided that Kull would carry an axe, but not THE axe he used in the famous story “By This Axe I Rule” because this sculpture represents Kull before that story happens. I gave him a two handed axe that wasn’t so large as to look like it was too large for him to carry it in his travels. I gave it some leather strapping and a nicked head, as if it may have recently seen some use. I wanted it to have an interesting head, but not looking like something out of a video game or cartoon that would be too huge and massive for anyone to carry around with them, much less use on the battlefield.

The sword is carried in a wood scabbard with brass stud work and brass support bands. These are common elements found historically and made sense to me so I put them in the design. The hilt and cross guard are influenced by Viking and Medieval designs, but with a more individual look to them that would also appear functional. Kull attaches the sword to a shoulder belt or baldric with a ring and a bit of chain, although this belt is not attached to either of his waist belts.

For the dagger, I had always intended a bit of a tribute to Frank Frazetta. A few years ago I had sculpted a statue of Conan from his superb Conan the Adventurer painting and I had always liked the falcon head on the curved dagger he had painted. I sculpted a falcon head for this dagger, but then decided it might be interesting to make the handle of the dagger a stylized falcon body, so I did that. The scabbard for the dagger has a more decorative motif I made up as I went and just added to it until I decided it looked about right. I wanted it to appear to be an expensive dagger he had won in battle, while the axe was intended to look simple and businesslike. It seemed their close placement on the figure would make an interesting contrast.

As a final detail, I sculpted a small pouch at his belt. I had considered a larger pouch or two, but when they were roughed in they appeared overly obtrusive for the look and flow of the piece. We’ll use our artistic license a bit here and assume he has left some of his gear back in camp, but has kept his coin pouch near at hand.

So here you see the fully realized, fully armed figure of Kull of Atlantis. The final element is the base, which will follow fairly closely the original thumbnail design shown at the beginning of this blog, so there will be some interesting sculpted details there. I hope you’ll find them interesting, at least, and that you’ll check back in a week or two for the last chapter in this sculpting story.

Clay

 

Kull blog returns next week

The Making of Kull blog will resume on January 28 with a look at Kull’s weapons.

 

Kull Part 7: Kull’s Features and Hair

As the title suggests, we’ve now reached a very important stage in the sculpting of any piece. Some sculptors will create the face and head first and I have done that myself at times. Usually, though, I sculpt the face late in the process and sometimes at the very end. When the features are added, it can sometimes lead to seeing the sculpture differently and I may make some changes. I like that in that it is a step that makes me see the piece with “new” eyes and that can be beneficial to the overall look of the sculpture.

With Kull, the beginning of how I wanted to sculpt the face was in the source material. He is described several times as having narrow, gray eyes and is also described as having “hawk-like” features. In my conversations with Paradox, it was agreed that this meant a fairly strong nose and a prominent bridge, but we agreed that he should not look too sharp-featured as the face would not be congruent with the body. His eyes are fairly narrow, but not too narrow. He is intended to have a look that is particular to him and that conveys an air of nobility and strength.

In the stories, it was noted that Kull had had a “lion-like mane of hair” and that as king he currently wears it straight-cut and shoulder length. Since this sculpture shows Kull before he accedes to the throne, I gave him long hair.

So here is the complete Kull figure with complete costume. All that remains are the weapons and the base.

If you’d like to let us know how we’re doing or if you just have any questions, please write me at service@csmoorestudio.com.

Thanks very much for reading and we’ll see you next week.

Clay

 

Kull Part 6: Final Costuming Details

Welcome to the 6^th installment of the Sculpting of Kull blog. Today we’re going to look at the final costuming details and the reasoning behind the look. We’ve discussed that Kull isn’t an ostentatious sort of warrior in either his demeanor or in his approach to his gear. However, he is from Atlantis and I felt he might want to reflect that is some of his gear. It would also make sense as this is a symbolic sculpture of this warrior who eventually becomes King of Valusia.

I haven’t often shown my work publicly while it is in progress and there are a lot of reasons for that regarding license approval and too much input, etc. But I do sometimes discuss a piece with fellow artists that know my work well and whose opinions I greatly respect. Mark Schultz is one of the best in the field and has solved many of the same questions in his superb Conan illustration work that I have come across in my sculptural work on this piece. Manuel Carrasco is a terrifically talented character designer and illustrator in the gaming and animation business and both of these gentlemen attended the Robert E. Howard (REH) celebration and so were part of many of the discussions about REH, including this sculpture and the “big belt.”

In a subsequent conversation, Manny (Manuel) made the observation that the belt looked good as a large, blank area and suggested it be sculpted as sharkskin. That made good sense to me since I wanted elements that were reminiscent of the maritime island from which Kull first came. The look worked for me and I hope you agree that it does, but at the same time I thought something was lacking. I felt that an element that was powerful and evocative of his roots, but was not overly decorative was in order.

At this point I drew up the octopus or “Kraken” brass attachment for his belt in a dull gold color which would contrast with the dark gray of the belt. I felt that the design worked well and was properly reminiscent of an island people.

I had also felt that Kull might have come across an alligator or two in his travels along the coast of his land or those he reached when he left his unenviable position as a galley slave. I thought that a section of alligator skin would make a good addition to the more common sections of armor and furs most barbarians tend to sport. It seemed that a large section of reptile skin would make serviceable armor and would also be fairly flexible. I sometimes over think these things, but there you have it.

As a final touch, I decided to change my approach to his “greaves” or shin guards. I had always planned to sculpt greaves as a functional bit of armor Kull had taken off a vanquished foe. I had sculpted knee guards, which show in earlier photos. I had made them simple and practical, but the fact is that they were an unnecessary and pointless element. At any rate, I just didn’t like them. I decided that armor that only covered the shins made more sense and since he had taken them off someone who didn’t need them anymore, they may have been fairly decorative (suiting the taste of the previous owner) so I gave them some flourishes.

At all times, Paradox was very agreeable and supportive of the design decisions made throughout the course of the costume sculpting.

I think that covers the main figure and these photos show the Kull figure lacking only hair/face, weapons and base except for some minor detailing not shown on his more narrow belt. Next week we’ll look at the approach to the hair and face portrait.

Thanks for reading,
Clay

 

Kull Part 5: The Middle Phases II

Welcome to the fifth installment of the “Sculpting of Kull” blog. We’re now in the second part of what I call the Mid Phases wherein there is quite a bit of finishing and smoothing along with minor and sometimes major adjustments to the sculpture.

In my work, a sculpture can change quite a bit especially if some time is spent away from the piece. When I return to it, I can look at it with a fresh eye and come to the decision that some changes need to be made. This is usually in the anatomy of the sculpture since the costume is established already by the look found in the source material (such as a comic book). In this case, though, I was originating the costume for Kull and wasn’t just copying a costume already in existence. I found that I wasn’t satisfied with the look of his right forearm armor. I had sculpted in the veins, and the arm was finished, but the armor just didn’t look as it should. I still felt that he would have some sort of armor since that was his fighting arm, but the armor was just a bit “off.” I reworked it and came up with the look you see here.

I then decided that I wasn’t happy with a simple strapping on his left arm. I thought that he might have something to anchor and support his wrist and he might have some metal armor attachments for a measure of protection.

One thing I noticed in reading the short stories of Kull was that he was often described as not ostentatious or showy in his clothing or gear. It seemed to me that it would then follow that Kull would generally kept his gear fairly simple and functional. This didn’t mean that Kull wouldn’t have some detailed gear, though, and he also might pick up something functional that could also be decorated as well, from a fallen foe. That might especially be true at this point in his life, when he didn’t necessarily have much in the way of disposable income and might have picked up what he could off the field of battle or in a scrape with some other unfortunate thief or warrior who chose to take him on.

The above must also be tempered with the fact that this is an art piece and there must be a certain amount of artistic license. The piece should be interesting, after all, and my focus was to make the sculpture interesting to me, to Paradox, to Robert E. Howard fans and to sculpture collectors.

With these factors in mind, I came up with the look you see for his left arm. I also finished out the anatomy including the veins, as you can see.

Next time, we’ll discuss more ideas for the costume such as greaves and just what it might mean to be from “Atlantis.”

Thanks for reading.

Clay

 

Kull Part 4: The Middle Phases

And now we arrive at the next level of the sculpture-the middle phases, which take the most time. The figure has been roughed in and the licensor (Paradox) has approved the general look and body masses.

Before we go into that, something interesting came up in my talks with the folks at Paradox. They mentioned that they’d like me to sculpt Kull carrying an axe, rather than a sword as he’s shown in the finished rough you saw in the Week Two installment. This was a decision that made good sense although it required some further discussion. This sculpture shows Kull before he is king and so it takes place before he takes the ancient battleaxe off the wall in “By This Axe I Rule.” I had designed that axe in the base because the base is intended to reflect Kull’s future and that axe plays a major role in his future when he defends himself with the axe from the group of assassins. However, Kull is still closely associated with an axe and this is, after all, a more symbolic representation of Kull. It is that axe that helps in separating Kull from other characters and is an important icon in the Kull legend.

I agreed with the rationale, but have made him carrying AN axe, not THE axe. The axe of the story “By This Axe I Rule” would be sculpted on the base of the statue. I suggested that Kull carry a sword over his shoulder as an interesting look that would add to the particular look of the piece and Paradox liked the approach. We all agreed that a sword was essential as he carries a sword specifically in several of the short stories.

We had that exchange at this point as Paradox could see the piece coming together visually although neither axe would be sculpted until later.

What you will now see are two phases in the long “middle times” of sculpting when the piece requires a lot of time to finish out the musculature and establish a costume look.

These middle phases take the most time because hours are spent properly “honing in” the piece and bringing the figure to the proper level of completion. If a piece is going to be fully painted, as this one is, then the figure must have a fairly smooth, finished out look or the paint may look incongruous with the texture of the figure. If this sculpture were solely intended to be cast as an edition in bronze, I would probably sculpt it with more texture, somewhat as you see the skin in the early stages.

This is also the time when costume detail work begins in earnest and that can take quite a while.

In this next set you will see some important elements have been added to Kull’s garment. I thought that Kull might have a section of armor for the front of his abdomen area and I wanted a layered look to his clothing that would have a striking effect in the sculpture. I also then decided to add some chain mail and to finish out the leather strip sections with the brass fittings. For this section of chain mail, I did a simple 4-1 ring pattern, meaning each single ring has four other rings attached to that ring. I found this type of metal ring armor pattern is typically attributed to Japanese chain mail. I was thinking of sculpting the chain mail, but then decided to test a look using small rings I furnished out of lengths of wire. It had a look that I felt worked well for the piece and Paradox was happy with the result.

I also wanted Kull to have sections of fur that would be indicative of his barbarian roots and that would add more to the layered effect of his gear/ clothing. I gave him an armored forearm piece for his right, weapon holding, hand and a light leather wrapping for his left forearm. I hope you like the result so far. Next week we’ll look at some changes and talk more about chain mail.

Thanks for reading-

Clay

 

Kull Part 3: The Big Belt Controversy

Thanks for taking a look at the Kull Blog and welcome to installment III.

I had worked out the basic look of the Kull sculpture and Paradox, the owners of the Robert E. Howard character rights, had approved the concept. We were good to go.

Next it was time to decide on the size of the sculpture. This is a critical question in licensing and various factors come into play on the decision. For example, sometimes we take on a project of a character that has a comic, but it is a specific independent book with a loyal, but limited core of readers. So for that reason, we may produce a piece that is smaller so that it will have a lower retail price so that we can market specifically to that readership. Often, comic readers do not necessarily translate into statue buyers and if a piece has a very specific appeal, the price point becomes a major factor and that affects the size the piece can be and still be within a certain price range. There may also be a projected series of sculptures from that comic title and we may want all of the characters to be in an affordable price range so people can more comfortably collect them all.

Still, my preferred sculpting scale is one-sixth scale, which means a 6-foot tall man would be 12 inches tall in this scale. I have sculpted most of my recent sculptures in that size range. The women are roughly eleven inches tall, which corresponds to a one-sixth scale size.

My intent from the beginning was to sculpt Kull in that scale and Paradox agreed. This is a terrific barbarian character by Robert E. Howard himself and I was going to design the look. Just me and Paradox in the trenches hashin’ it out. The stuff of legends….I wanted the piece in a scale that would showcase the look and design so it made sense to keep it in that one-sixth scale. Kull is, in my estimation, well over six feet tall, so the sculpture is a good thirteen and a half inches tall, not including the base, which will add another two to three inches, at least. That is a good size that keeps it in the scale of my main line of figures, will make a good impression in both fully painted cold-cast porcelain and bronze and that will keep the retail price in a manageable range.

Now to begin the full sculpture: I began with the armature in aluminum wire. This wire frame fulfills the same function as a skeleton does—it supports the soft outer material. I keep the armature as simple as possible. I then applied the sculpting material—in this case Super Sculpey, which can be found at most hobby stores. It comes boxed in a fleshy pink color so I mix it with a material called Sculpey III, which comes in various colors. I can see the play of light on the form more easily this way and so can the licensor, for approval purposes.

As I applied the basic rough form, I came to a decision about the Big Belt. I had gone to Robert E. Howard Days in Cross Plains, Texas, which was the tiny Texas town where REH lived during most of his writing career. It’s a classic Texas small town: beautiful and charming and well worth the trip in June. One can visit the home where REH wrote many of his most famous stories. I even got my hair cut at the local barber, who also turned out to be the mayor of Cross Plains. Robert E. Howard Days is a celebration of the works of REH, where scholars, artists and fans meet to talk, debate, and generally enjoy the works of this remarkable author. There was even an excellent 20’s/30’s style radio program acted out on stage about Sailor Steve Costigan, one of REH’s other wonderful characters. 2006 celebrated the 100th anniversary of the birth of Robert E. Howard so it was a bit of a milestone.

By the way, there’s an excellent film about Robert E. Howard called The Whole Wide World with Vincent D’Onofrio and Renee Zellweger that anyone would enjoy, whether you’re familiar with REH’s writing or not.

While in Cross Plains I got into some interesting discussions about the characters of Conan and Kull and the “Big Belt” debate as an issue with which every artist must come to grips. Why, what do you mean, you ask? Whether painted, drawn or even acted out-do you, as an artist, give the barbarian the Big Belt? I was asked “Are you going to give him the Big Belt?” usually with a cocked eyebrow and got into more than one lively discussion on the subject. By the end, I was ready to give more than one attendee “The Big Belt”.

The most famous artist to illustrate the Big Belt was without doubt Frank Frazetta and he did it in unparalleled style. Interestingly, he gave Conan two normal belts in the Conan the Adventurer painting Coincidence? Anyway, he did generally give Conan a large, broad belt of some kind. Many, many artists have used that specific bit of vesture and have given it their own special look. Schultz, Buscema, Gianni and Bisley have done it well and so have many others, but all artists at some point have to make the choice. Roy Krenkel usually did not draw in large belts but he did on the King Kull painting. Seems like a menial conversation, but some people frown on it and consider the Big Belt something of a cop out, as if the artist couldn’t figure out anything else to solve the costume look. Well, I’m not one of them says I. Most artists come to the same conclusion I did. Warriors of many ancient peoples, “barbarian” and “civilized” wore a large belt to hold all the weapons, pouches, and such that they needed as they navigated their lives. Soldiers today have large belts and so do police officers. In researching Kull, there is some good description, but it is not all that specific. I found that Kull is right handed and that he has gray eyes and black hair. There are other, less specific references to his physical appearance, but at one point, in one story, he is described as wearing a “girdle.” Now to a warrior a girdle isn’t the same as our grandmothers might have worn, although J. Edgar Hoover might be described as a warrior and he wore a girdle, but that’s not what we’re talking about here. It’s a broad belt of some kind used to hold gear and weapons and to protect the mid section. Controversy ended. My Kull would have a Big Belt. Here are photos of the initial stages showing the armature with part of the sculpting and then the photos after I blocked in the basic muscle mass.

Next week we’ll answer the question on all of our minds in these trying times: Axe or sword?