WORK IN PROGRESS: Wonder Woman:The Art of War Statue Part 1

It’s always a pleasure to sculpt one of the great iconic characters of the history of comics and so when Shawn Knapp at DC Entertainment asked me if I’d like to sculpt Wonder Woman, I was thrilled.  It was also really nice that it was going to be a Jim Lee rendition of the character.  Jim’s work in the comics industry is legendary.  I had worked with him on his W.I.L.D.C.A.T.s character Grifter years ago and I knew his input would be invaluable.  Even at a 7” height, I wanted to put as much into this piece as I do on larger pieces, so I hope the in progress photos reflect that.

As it turned out, working with Shawn and Jim was smooth as silk.  I hope you find the in progress pics interesting and that you enjoy seeing the Wonder Woman we all had a part in bringing to you.

CSM

 

WORK IN PROGRESS: Lady Death La Muerta Statue Part 3

At this point, I’m establishing the finished look to the body. Once I’m fairly comfortable with it, I’ll sculpt and add the head.  The head is key in establishing the feel of the character in the sculptor’s mind. I might have added the head earlier, but I become involved in getting the body where I want it and it’s hard to break away.  Even though it looks fairly finished out, I may still change things once the head is added.

Lady Death has a well known look and some artists make her more and less voluptuous than others.  I like the approach that Richard Ortiz used and it was consistent with my feel for the character, so I’m sculpting her with full, athletic hips and lower body and a strong back while maintaining the sensuality she’s known for.

I should mention here that the armature is coming out of her lower abdomen a bit.  This happens sometimes and doesn’t affect the piece.  I’ll sand that out and finish out that area after baking.

CSM

Please click each photo to enlarge.

 

WORK IN PROGRESS: Little Minxies Aphrodite IX Statue

Top Cow has some terrific characters to add to the Little Minxies line and for the first one, the choice was down to Aphrodite IX and Witchblade.  Manny Carrasco started to do some sketching and when I saw his thumbnail, I knew our choice was made. Witchblade will definitely be a part of the Little Minxies line, but AIX was the one to do now.

Here are Manny’s prelims and his finished piece.

Below is the first set of pics in progress of the Aphrodite IX Little Minxies sculpture.  We’ll have more in a couple of days.

CSM

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Stop by our CS Moore Studio booth #2800 at San Diego Comic Con July 17-21, 2013 to pick up the Little Minxies Aphrodite IX print and see the final Little Minxies Aphrodite IX Statue in person!

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CLICK ON EACH PHOTO TO SEE A LARGER IMAGE

 

WORK IN PROGRESS: Lady Death La Muerta Statue Part 2

As you can see, I’m building up the figure and starting to define the musculature. As is normal in the way I work, I don’t work on the arms until much later because they get in the way and sometimes I use the wire to stabilize my hands as I sculpt. If you click on each photo you can see the image larger.

CSM

 

WORK IN PROGRESS: Lady Death La Muerta Statue

When Brian Pulido and I decided to do another Lady Death project, I couldn’t have been happier.  Lady Death is one of the most well known female characters in independent comics and she’s always a terrific subject to sculpt.

I had seen some illustrations Richard Ortiz had done for Brian’s Coffin Comics and I was absolutely blown away by the look of the Lady Death La Muerta piece.  I thought this would make for an incredible look as a sculpture.

I wanted to have Lady Death in a pose that was regal and striking, reflecting the power and majesty of the character, so I sent Brian several pose ideas including the one shown below (5a), which he and I agreed was the one to do.  The pose idea (5a) is a 6” maquette which is used for a basic 360 view of the pose. La Muerta is a stunning, haunting look, so as you watch the piece develop, try to imagine her with the look you see above.

Since I wanted this to be a striking piece, I’m sculpting her very tall, which she would be in her heels. This piece is a full 13” tall in the original form, although it will reduce a bit in production.

We’re trying to finish the prototype for debut at Comic Con International: San Diego July 17 and it’s going to be close.  We may have only a resin casting or it may not be finished in time at all.  Hope you like her and you get a kick out of seeing her develop!

CSM

 

Jurassic Strike Force 5 “Spike” Action Figure: Final Sculpting & Painted Figure

Welcome to the Jurassic Strike Force 5 Action Figure Sneak Peek, featuring the second character in the line: Spike! The figures are based on characters from Zenescope’s/Silver Dragon Books’ popular Jurassic Strike Force 5 comic book series by Joe Brusha. Action figure art direction by Clayburn Moore; sculpted by Josh Sutton.

“For Rex’s teammate Spike, I contacted Josh Sutton, who we’ve worked with before and who also has toy experience,” said Clayburn. “He’s experienced with articulation and mechanical details, so I felt he was a good choice. On seeing how the figure is progressing, he’s proven to be an excellent choice.”

ABOUT THE SERIES:
Jurassic Strike Force 5 begins with evil alien overlord Zalex and his army of highly advanced reptiles being awakened after 100 million years of entrapment within the ice of Antarctica. Having combined Earth’s Jurassic reptiles with alien technology, Zalex has created a seemingly unstoppable force of mutated dinosaur warriors ready to conquer the Universe.  But there is one thing that might be able to stop Zalex and his powerful army and that one thing is Jurassic Strike Force, another group of alien enhanced dinosaurs who have sworn to protect both humanity and the rest of the universe from Zalex’s evil plans.

Below are pics of the finished, unpainted figure, and then the fully-painted piece.

 

Monster Hunter’s Survival Guide Sasquatch Action Figure: Final Sculpting

Welcome to the Monster Hunter’s Survival Guide Action Figure Blog!  This is an exciting series by Zenescope Entertainment that has led to what I hope you agree is a very cool action figure line co-produced by The CS Moore Studio and Zenescope. — CSM

Here’s the Monster Hunter Story:

“The Monster Hunter’s Survival Guide is the comprehensive guide every Monster Hunter must have! The guide covers the strengths and weakness of every known and unknown monster on earth or otherwise. Monster hunters will find it packed with tips on how to take down these creatures, or if they should steer clear of the beasts. Whether they are a weekend Bigfoot hunter or a hardcore Vampire slayer, this guide will help keep even a novice hunter alive.”

Bigfoot Action Figure 
Art Direction: Clayburn Moore
Sculpting: Mat Brouillard

What would a Monster Hunter be without Bigfoot? These photos show the final sculpting stages and full color pics of the finished piece!

Here’s the finished action figure! To see more pics, and to order, visit our website!

 

Monster Hunter’s Survival Guide Action Figure Part 2: Final Sculpting and Painted Figure

Welcome to the Monster Hunter’s Survival Guide Action Figure Blog!  This is an exciting series by Zenescope Entertainment that has led to what I hope you agree is a very cool action figure line co-produced by The CS Moore Studio and Zenescope.

Here’s the Monster Hunter Story:

“The Monster Hunter’s Survival Guide is the comprehensive guide every Monster Hunter must have! The guide covers the strengths and weakness of every known and unknown monster on earth or otherwise. Monster hunters will find it packed with tips on how to take down these creatures, or if they should steer clear of the beasts. Whether they are a weekend Bigfoot hunter or a hardcore Vampire slayer, this guide will help keep even a novice hunter alive.”

Art Direction: Clayburn Moore
Sculpting: Mat Brouillard
Prototype Painter: James Rowell

FINAL SCULPTING

Revised Hair

FINISHED FIGURE – See more pics on our website!

 

Jurassic Strike Force 5 “Rex” Action Figure Part 2: Final Sculpting & the Finished Figure

Welcome to the Jurassic Strike Force 5 Action Figure Sneak Peek, featuring the first character in the line: Rex! The figures are based on characters from Zenescope’s/Silver Dragon Books’ popular Jurassic Strike Force 5comic book series by Joe Brusha. Action figure art direction by Clayburn Moore; sculpted by Mat Brouillard. Prototype Painter: James Rowell

ABOUT THE SERIES:
Jurassic Strike Force 5 begins with evil alien overlord Zalex and his army of highly advanced reptiles being awakened after 100 million years of entrapment within the ice of Antarctica. Having combined Earth’s Jurassic reptiles with alien technology, Zalex has created a seemingly unstoppable force of mutated dinosaur warriors ready to conquer the Universe.  But there is one thing that might be able to stop Zalex and his powerful army and that one thing is Jurassic Strike Force, another group of alien enhanced dinosaurs who have sworn to protect both humanity and the rest of the universe from Zalex’s evil plans.

Here are pics on the final sculpting stages of Rex, and then the full-color pics!

FINAL SCULPTING

FULL COLOR PICS – See more shots on our website!

 

Alice Action Figure Part 2: The finished figure & color photos

As I mentioned in the last post, I used Eric Basaldua’s beautiful artwork on Alice for the costume. I also used that reference for the hairstyle. The costume was sculpted in Super Sculpey mixed with black Sculpey III to get the gray color. I didn’t use a metal armature for the skirt, but instead built up a thin layer of skirt and baked that. I then had an anchor to sculpt the rest of the skirt onto. For adherence to the figure, I brush a thin coating of Vaseline onto the figure and I then mix the Super Sculpey with a small amount of Vaseline to soften it and make it a bit more sticky.

The rabbit and accessories I also sculpted in Super Sculpey.

Michael Measles molded the figure and James Rowell then painted the master prototype you see here.  He’ll also paint the Chase figure of Alice we’ll post soon.

Thanks for reading!

CSM

PS – You can see Alice in person at booth #4920 during Toy Fair in New York, February 12-15!