binky's headsculpts

[binky]

Here are some fuzzy photos of the headsculpts I am working on. I got too lazy to dig out my macro lens and just tried to use my regular zoom, so, fuzzy.

I started making these for myself and a friend a while back. Gotta admit, I don't feel any urgency to finish. I don't have any plans of selling copies (1. I have no illusions that they're good enough, 2., painting is a chore), so if anyone else is making an evil Willow or a Tara head for production, I'll be in the market to buy either, if it's a nice sculpt. Heck, I might buy two, one for myself, one for my friend's figure.

Human vampire Willow:
http://home.att.net/~binky2k/btvs-bash-12/VW-h-draft-03.jpg

This one's half way there. It's like the 3rd draft so far (draft meaning, I have a mold of this head). She still has helmet hair, so I'm going to redo it before I make mold 4.

Tara (early draft):
http://home.att.net/~binky2k/btvs-bash-12/T-draft-01.jpg

Lots of work yet to do on this one, around the mouth and ears, and of course hair. Have to keep neck articulation, so it will most likely mean hair up. Maybe next week.

binky

[abstractharmony]

The Tara facial features are great - especially the eyes/nose.

[screamingmetal]

I can't see anything. :confused:

[Firefly Flanatic]

I can't see them either!

[Protozaius]

Just red "X"s for me as well.

[Darren Carnall]

I could see the human willow sculpt last night, but not this morning, odd. It was good though!

[binky]

Sorry, I was trying to consolidate some directories, they should show up now. I need one big site instead of 5 little ones.

The Tara facial features are great - especially the eyes/nose.

Thanks! After looking at more Amber Benson photos, I'm going to lower her eyebrows just a little bit.

I could see the human willow sculpt last night, but not this morning, odd. It was good though!

That's kind of you to say HA, thanks.

[MiskatonicNick]

I could see the human willow sculpt last night, but not this morning, odd. It was good though!

I was getting red crosses last night... but they're both there this morning and rather glorious they are too. Especially like the Tara; most impressive especially for an early draft - if you start selling casts you've got a definite customer here - for any bald versions too as I'll be wanting to try some wigging experiments.

Keep up the great work :D

Nick

[ffl1940]

Your Williow looks fantastic, SO much better than Sideshow's attempt at "human" Willow.

Can't tell so much on the Tara w/o seeing it with hair, but wow, I'll buy a Willow sculpt, painted or not, hair or not.

[olvidadero]

Your work on Willow is amazing. tara, as you well pointed out, needs some work. So far, I love her, but i can't see Amber Benson in there. I agree, the mouth and ears need to be re-done. I'm sure you will do an excellent job and I can't wait to see it!

[Firefly Flanatic]

Maybe I'm crazy but the second photo looks like the same sculpt as the Willow - without the hair. I only see two photos - am I missing something?

[LordAzrael]

I'd certainly be up for one of the Willow sculpts

[binky]

Hi, thought it was time to post some more pictures, even though I haven't made a lot of progress since last time. First, thanks to everyone who's commented. I'm my own toughest critic, so believe me, I'm happy to hear suggestions for improving my stuff--not necessarily bashing, cause, well, no one likes that, but constructive criticism is good.

Maybe I'm crazy but the second photo looks like the same sculpt as the Willow - without the hair. I only see two photos - am I missing something?

FF, I have to admit, this comment kind of shocked me at first given how different the actors look, then I started laughing. I'll plead it was my fuzzy photography and hope they look more distinctive side by side.

http://home.att.net/~binky2k/btvs-bash-12/3-HEADS-72.jpg

Bald Willow (smirk/sneer):

http://home.att.net/~binky2k/btvs-bash-12/WIL-SMIRK-72.jpg

I was going to do a re-sculpt with a more trademark AH wide-eyed expression, but I guess I'll continue my snail's pace and just wait to see what some of the talented artists like HA come up with.

Bald Tara (draft 2):

http://home.att.net/~binky2k/btvs-bash-12/TARA-BALD-2-72.JPG

I've tried some sculpted up-dos, but I'm keen on trying a soft hair option. I admit haven't done too much work on Tara because of the hair thing. Almost every episode I remember, she had her hair down. The other thing that's holding me up is neck connections. I myself have only used either Sideshow or Dragon Eve 2.0 bodies for female customs. The Dragons aren't really widely available any more plus the necks have a horrible appearance (pencil neck, and the connection is at the base of the throat so open collar outfits don't look great) but they're by far the easiest to use. The Art Buck female can be had cheaply but they're a pain to adapt and I know some people just don't like them, especially the ones with the boot feet. The Blue Box generic CY girls have just become widely available again (yay, at least one option), and I've gone ahead and ordered a couple from goodstufftogo.net to try for Tara, but I'm not sure even the smaller breast plate would be suitable for a Willow or down the line an Anya or Fred, and I don't remember how their height(s) go. Plus I don't know how easy adapting a custom head to the neck is going to be. I also ordered a couple of Triad A-cups but from what I can tell, they're basically the same as BBI/CY girls?

Anyway I guess I'm asking if anyone has any thoughts about what neck style or body they prefer. Right now I have these flanges along with a separate neck piece that I thought would work for maximum versatility, but now find it's a PITA sanding the lip down each and every one after a cast is made for a SS or CY girl body. Is there a website somewhere that has a breakdown of the different female bodies available? I had one years ago but it's really out of date now, and I got rid of all my CY girls over a year ago.

binky

[Firefly Flanatic]

I can definitely see the difference now. I think it was the angle of Willow and Tara having a slightly crooked smile (which the actress does a lot) which made them look similar to me. I can't wait to see the finished Tara because she is one of my favorites!

[olvidadero]

I insist, your Willow is AMAZING. :monkey5

[Anzik]

Very nice work. I think it might be easier to see the resemblance with with some photoshopped hair.
Anyone good with that on the Whedonville forum?

[binky]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

I got my BBI perfect bodies today and was a little surprised that they now do include an A cup as the alternate chest piece. However, the regular breastplate looks like a D, at least. It comes in at about 5' 7" in bare feet. Given all that, I don't think I'll be using it for Tara after all. The good news is that it's pretty similar to the Sideshow neck-wise. That made it easier to give up on trying to accommodate the Dragon neck, and focus exclusively on a Sideshow or CY/PB neck style. Dragon Eves are getting hard to find anyway. Since that's settled I think I'll be ready to mold VW pretty soon, after just a little more tweaking.

ETA 4/11/07 - Also got my Triads from their direct web today--wow, these are some fast vendors I've dealt with this week. I placed both orders on 4/6/07. To correct myself - The Triad 1.0 A-cup is in fact a different body than the BBI PB. It's shorter than the PB, about 5'5", which is fine for most of the Buffy actresses. The neck connector is similar to the PB, but with a little less throat. Should work out fine, especially when they come up with the larger chest sizes.

[MiskatonicNick]

Any news on the headsculpts, Binky?

Nick

[LordAzrael]

Yep. I am definitely down for a Willow - I'd even be happy with a cast of what you've done so far.

Of course it will be going to DA to paint....

[binky]

Hi guys,

I have made some progress, thanks for asking. Still trying to figure out how to wig a head. I did up a couple of molded hair versions that I'm going to use for the June custom female figure challenge in the customs area (some AU versions of both characters--kinda wacky and a bit racy--think a lot of Triad pieces :D), but the heads are pretty much or almost done. Here are a couple of molded hair versions:

http://home.att.net/~binky2k/btvs-bash-12/060607-003xx.jpg

As far as eventually casting copies? I dunno. I get really **** about perfecting a sculpt, and I think the Willow, while close, still needs work, especially on her hair part. Bald Tara's ready to go, or would be, but I've had some technical difficulties with casting (mold's done, the problems are with the resin/casting). Anyway, I hope to have a full-blown reveal of the heads in action for the June thing, and also simultaneously finalize the molds and start casting usable copies, hopefully by month's end. So I haven't abandoned it, by any means. Thanks for letting me know there's still interest in these.

[Darth Rage]

That Willow looks tight - nice work :rock

[thamesvalidude]

The willow is definitely amazing. I'll join the line when you decide you've achieved perfection Binky!

[LordAzrael]

Binky, if casting's not a strength of yours I know there are casters floating around who just do that - I'm sure some of the other artists on the board could point you in the right direction if you were so inclined. I love the work and I wouldn't want something like casting issues to get in the way of getting one or two of that Willow sculpt!

As far as it not being perfect, I'm really comparing it to the SSC one - and by that standard its as close to perfect as I would expect.

[olvidadero]

That is an amazing job!! The likeness for tara is definitely there now that she's painted. I love both, and I can't wat to see more pirctures of them! CONGRATULATIONS

[Slayerverse98]

Willow looks better than Sideshow's version

[metaphorge]

These are pretty rad. I'm definitely interested once you're casting them.

[LordAzrael]

The other thing that's holding me up is neck connections. I myself have only used either Sideshow or Dragon Eve 2.0 bodies for female customs. The Dragons aren't really widely available any more plus the necks have a horrible appearance (pencil neck, and the connection is at the base of the throat so open collar outfits don't look great) but they're by far the easiest to use. The Art Buck female can be had cheaply but they're a pain to adapt and I know some people just don't like them, especially the ones with the boot feet. The Blue Box generic CY girls have just become widely available again (yay, at least one option), and I've gone ahead and ordered a couple from goodstufftogo.net to try for Tara, but I'm not sure even the smaller breast plate would be suitable for a Willow or down the line an Anya or Fred, and I don't remember how their height(s) go. Plus I don't know how easy adapting a custom head to the neck is going to be. I also ordered a couple of Triad A-cups but from what I can tell, they're basically the same as BBI/CY girls?

The PB won't be any good for Willow or Fred as its just too curvy and too tall for either of them. The A cup from Triad might be the best bet but to be honest for Willow I'm happy to use the existing Sideshow body rather than swap the whole thing out. That and I suspect it might be too tall as well.

That said - if we had a decent Faith sculpt then the PB would be PERFECT for Eliza.

[binky]

Thanks for the encouragement, all, and the patience. I don't get to work on these projects until the weekend, so I don't work very fast. However, I did work some more on Willow this weekend and feel confident I'll be casting by month end.

Binky, if casting's not a strength of yours I know there are casters floating around who just do that - I'm sure some of the other artists on the board could point you in the right direction if you were so inclined.

Thanks, LA. I have experience molding in RTV and resin-casting so it's usually not a problem for me. This time, I ran out of resin and switched out to a brand I normally don't work with because it was the only one my Pearl art store carries. Trying to save time/money backfired, because the castings are coming out with way too many bubbles. It might be my technique, or maybe it's just how this brand is, but I'll have to pick up or mail order some of my usual brand (Micro-Mark).

Anyway, I do think by the end of the month I'll have finished and can set up a run of Willows with the hair part down the middle.

Lots of good points about the body styles, LA. I do plan on defaulting to a Sideshow type neck for Willow to begin with but find it can also be adapted to the Triad alpha with some work (the sample I have on page 2 is on a Triad, so I could give it custom booted feet like Vamp Will had in the Puppy torture scene in Dopplegangland).

http://home.att.net/~binky2k/btvs-bash-12/060307-boots.jpg

For Tara, right now I'm working on a shortened PB body for the figure challenge. That's the body I'm using for the sample photo on page 2. I threw the sample together rather quickly so I didn't take the time to completely adapt her neck so the lip is bigger than it should be. At this point with Tara, I don't have any clear plans on what the default connection will be.

Thanks again, everyone. I'll post an update close to the end of the month on the Willow run.

[LordAzrael]

Any updates on that fantastic Willow sculpt ?

[Anzik]

Bump! :anya2

[binky]

Hihihi! Sorry, this fell off my radar since the June challenge ended. Here is a link:

http://sideshowcollectors.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21804

If you never browsed the thread before, shame on you! But it's not too late. You can go now. There were many, many excellent entries. I believe my Wishverse couple were either at the end of page 2 or page 3. That was the last completed version of either character.

Anyway, I was mostly getting my Buffy fix by writing instead. But I recently picked up another Spike and Buffy from the somewhat odd eBay seller who's been mentioned here (on the cheap Spike thread) so I restarted the customizing figures again over the weekend. I finished a Willow sculpt that I think would be castable. I'm at work now so I'll try to get some new pictures up later.

Sorry again for the lateness responding. Work and RL in general have been kicking my bottom lately.

[binky]

Sorry to interrupt the Star Wars baiting/trolling, but here's an update on this project.

I have finished the following castable head:

http://home.att.net/~motoblue/eBay/willow-castable.jpg

I'll be painting one up this weekend to show you what it might look like painted and mounted to a Vampire Willow Buck body (i.e., the body Vamp Willow/Willow comes with)

So far, I've thrown 7 good casts from the mold, no bubbles, good clean mold lines. The mold lines are along the sides and bottom edge of the hair, to minimize them. The pour hole is on the top of the crown toward the rear.

If you want to drop me a line to let me know you're interested in buying a copy, please do. I will be selling the 7 casts at the rate of $13 plus shipping for an unpainted, unmodified head (meaning you will need to modify the neck to mount the head onto the body of your choice. If you look at the picture above, you'll see the bottom is a hole to accommodate most of the bodies available right now, but excludes Dragon Eve bodies (would require more extensive work)), or $16 plus shipping for an unpainted, Buck-mountable pre-modified head. I am in NJ, so I figure shipping & handling will be a flat $3.50 for up to 3 heads w/i US, and actual plus $1.50 handling for outside US (send me an email if you want a more precise quote).

Anyway, I won't actually ask you to send any money until the casts are cleaned up and after I've posted a pic of the painted head on a Buck, so if you just want to reserve a place in line for now, go ahead and do so. More details to follow this weekend. Thanks.

binky

[olvidadero]

Stunning. I'd get in line for one of those amazing headsculpts, but I can't paint, and I'm gessing having an unpainted Willow head would be useless to me... I can't wait to see a Wes headsculpt though.

Congratulations on such professional and amazing job!

[james1976]

I'd like to reserve a spot in line....
thanks!

[The Craw]

any chance i could see a pic of one painted up like regular willow on the pink sweater body?

[Firefly Flanatic]

Yup, I'd love one of these but with no painting skills at all she'd end up looking nothing like Willow when I was done with it! I'd love to see how all of you who get one paint them though so please post pictures!

[binky]

Guys, I'm sorry I haven't dropped by this weekend as I promised. My new PC arrived Friday (a Dell XPS gaming machine with a 30" monitor!) a week earlier than expected and I spent pretty much the entire weekend trying to set it up so I didn't get to do more than a little work on this. Plus I think I must have lost a couple hours at least just mesmerized by the monitor. Anyway, I already have a test head set up on a Buck body, just have to paint it (Vampire Willow paint scheme) which I'll do tonight so I'll hopefully have pictures up by tomorrow night. Sorry again!

Oh, and 5 heads so far have a place holder on them. See you in a couple...

[Anzik]

Let me know when they're ready. I'm going for the unpainted/unmodified version.

Now that I've said that, my dremel will die.

[binky]

Well look at me. I'm all fuzzy. And pink...

http://home.att.net/~motoblue/vw-102407/torso-clothed-painted-2.jpg

The Craw, I'm not sure this is what you were asking for, but I really did start this head as a Vampire Willow. I have a regular Willow planned with a less evil expression, but just have been busy with RL to even think about it. Maybe sweet and cute would be possible with a different paint aps, but to be honest i haven't really tried.

This was kind of a rush paint job because I don't like promising to post stuff then not do so, but hopefully you get the idea. The head's connected through a rubber grommet. It's nice and tight, however, the sideways tilt isn't as good as I'd like due to the hair shape. But nod, twist are good.

On Sideshow body:

http://home.att.net/~motoblue/vw-102407/full-nude-painted.jpg

http://home.att.net/~motoblue/vw-102407/full-clothed-painted.jpg

http://home.att.net/~motoblue/vw-102407/torso-nude-painted.jpg

http://home.att.net/~motoblue/vw-102407/torso-clothed-painted-3.jpg

I have to get to work now, but I'll post shots of the grommet connection and rear (pour hole) and sides (mold lines). Then I will get to work attaching the grommets to the casts and finalize order details. That'll hopefully come on the weekend (sorry, I am really getting my tail kicked at work).

Thanks all.

binky

[spikeluv13]

I would love one! I just hope my painting skills are up for this!!

[binky]

http://home.att.net/~motoblue/vwil-connect/3witches.jpg
The 7 casts are complete. I've already PM'ed anyone who called dibs waaaay back when. If you're still interested, please let me know. I'll assume you're passing if I don't hear back from you by Sunday, after which, I'll open whatever pieces are left up to the customizer board for regular price ($20 + shipping). Thanks!

PS - The mold's broken, and I've gone on to other projects so I won't be revisiting this any time soon. I do have 2 or 3 more of these I'll be painting which I'll be offering on Sunday, too. In the meantime, speaking of other projects...

http://home.att.net/~motoblue/vwil-connect/next-project.jpg

Spooktacular wasn't a total bust for me.

binky

[Anzik]

email sent

[olvidadero]

I can't believe how awesome those look.

I want Lord Darkness :confused:

[sueworld]

Must have missed these first time around. Nice work love, they look really good.

[binky]

Thanks for the kind comments, all. Again, sorry it took me so long, but I finally finished painting up some of the spare heads. I'm marking this project done so I can get to work full-bore on the next one(s). If you're interested in buying a head (unpainted and a few painted ones available), please go here:

INFORMATION (http://home.att.net/~motoblue/vwil-connect.htm)

At the bottom is a link to sale information. Also, there's a sneak peak at the regular Willow that I'll be working on next, though bear in mind, it's in early stages right now.

Thanks!

b