Monstrous Updates

A new school year, a new job, and a newfound addiction to Tumblr have all kept me satisfied in the delusion that I could put it off updating the ol' website for a little longer. And a little longer.
And then it was nearing the end of November.
Whoops!

Why so busy, Ms. Chevat? It's my thesis year of graduate school, the final countdown, as it were, and the pressure is only mounting. More on that in a bit because, as anyone can guess, I couldn't just take on making a film, could I? Oh no, there are portfolios to fill, and sculptures to makes, software to learn, and websites to write for.

Let's kick off the massively needed updates with some monsters, shall we? (C'mon...I'm still me.) One thing I've been doing a lot of is sculpting in WED and Super Sculpey. I've been soaking up as much advice as I can from my professor, and whatever unwitting sculptors happen to cross my path. Below, a thing (and I mean that with affection) I call a Crownhead that I finished in early October.

WIP shots (click for larger):

And the finished product, after many hours of X-acto texturing:

Since I like let the clay harden on pieces like this in order to get that texture, it means that I've been looking into rubber and other soft-molding processes in order to create copies of the bust.
When I was at CTN this weekend, I attended the sculptor's panel. One of the questions that was asked was if each of the six speakers had a single, pivotal piece that made them go "yeah, I'm a sculptor, this is what I want to do." Well, if I was to pick a piece, it would probably be this one. Yes, I can already see flaws in it. But, it marks the first time I felt so satisfied and in-tune with what I was doing that it made me think I wouldn't mind sculpting forever. In fact, I would love to. You only get better, right? And you only get better if you keep practicing, which is just what I've been doing.

More updates and a little bit of overhaul to come. The site needs a major re-design, but that's going to have to wait until I've gotten a spare moment, and called in a favor or two. For now, hang on, and enjoy the creature tech.