Edwin Wise

Face Pictures

Here are some faces I've made learning this process. The first three are of Marla, off of an old mold. The first two of these are a polyurethane, which has a bit of a blue tint to it so I made them green. The third is silicon, where I learned how badly it flows during setting.

The last one is the recent face from Nik. You can see the flaws from the mold, and the tearing from the silicon not setting.

The tearing, combined with the green inner layers, creates quite the interesting effect. It might be worthwhile to learn two things for future faces: (1) how to make sure ALL the silicon sets, and (2) how to force sections to NOT set, to induce damage.

I am still just an egg... but hope to grok the fullness of silicon in time.

TaiChi Tournament

Well, this morning we're off to Dallas... an annoying five hour drive. As part of my requirements to advance in my school, my evil teacher has us attend a competition. The only one available is the Taiji Legacy in Dallas... so off we go!

I'll be doing my thing sometime Saturday and then driving home. And then my son gets on a 2:40 plane back to Oregon. It's a weekend for travelling.

Yesterday I made a silicon mold of Nik's face -- we used a slightly different application technique this time, and are beginning to get good results with it. It's tough to not get bubbles, though. The Body Double is very thick, and it's hard to get that surface layer down tight.

I painted in a silicon mask yesterday, too. Many of the coloring effects I was going for worked perfectly!

The first layer, I painted in a very thin, translucent white. Then I mottled some pink here and there -- around the lips, around the face. Once that had set, I dropped in an icky grey layer. Immediately after that, I mottled in some icky green.

The next layer was thick, and was a putrescent flourescent green. Not actually the color I was looking for, but it isn't going to be seen anyway. The last layer was another translucent white.

Silicon flows like nobody's business... for ages. A half hour later and the stuff is still creeping into the low points. So for this last layer, I turned the mask open-side down. Most of the last layer dripped out. Oh well.

For the final works, I'm going to thin the silicon for the first layers to make it easier to lay in subtled shadings. Then I'm going to thicken the last layers so they won't run as easily.

I had some problems mixing the silicon. Since I was only using tiny amounts for some of the coloring, I eye-balled the mix. Bad. There are several spots where it never hardened and the face tore when I took it out.

Which is, actually, a pretty neat effect.

I'll be getting some measuring spoons so I can do fine mixes for the color layers, and still get a good mix.

Robot Project

Well, Haunted Trails is in the lull before the storm. Soon, I'll be so absorbed in it that I won't have time to blink!

But AFTER the trail, I'm thinking of starting up another robot project. Something that would be a combination of the many things I've been working on lately...

I'm thinking a fairly large dragon/demon figure with the main action powered by the pneumatics I have laying around. Welded aluminum frame would be nice. Facial expressions using large servos would probably work, too. Put cameras in the eyes so you get the POV -- heck, put processing in it so it can focus on people by itself.

Yeah, that could be fun.

Materials...

Haunted House stuff is beginning to trickle in.

I got some plaster bandages Friday. I'm hoping to get some mold making materials before Wednesday, so I can do Nik's face again and send him home with a cast of it.

We have jigs built for the crawl tubes, and now I need to bug Georganne to see if we have discounts on lumber yet, or if we have to buy the stuff at full cost.

Oooh, damn, we need to make posters, too, so we can start posting them soon. The volunteer party is... SOON!

Agh!

I really need a supplemental brain. I'm having a hard time keeping the tasks organized, even WITH the TWiki scheduling. I'm thinking some kind of handheld computer to keep the schedule and TODO lists.

I could just carry around a binder with paper in it, but I know i won't.

Wholesome Zombie Fun

Saturday night was a blast! Actually, the day was pretty fun, too.

At noon, we toodled over to Michelle's and Nick (not Nik, but Nick) ran a Call of Cthulhu game that featured, essentially, zombies. Actually, a bit more like invasion of the body snatchers than true zombies, but what the heck.

Then that evening we (Marla, Nik, myself, Tall Matt, and Susan) went out to Pioneer Farm to settle in for a George Romero marathon.

The farm itself is only about ten minutes from our house, which was a blessing. The original venue was to be half hour drive or more.

By 6:30 we were sitting under out umbrellas avoiding the sun, while playing the classic version of "Give Me the Brain". George Romero was there signing stuff, and he kept signing stuff until midnight, at least! Lots of enthusiasm for the man, lots of people in a long line.

At about 9:30 (or maybe 10:00), George did some Q&A with the audience. That was fun. And then we watched some GODAWFUL '70s movie trailers.

Finally, we got Night of the Living Dead on the screen. Then The Crazies. Then Creepshow.

Nik and I left then, at about 3:00am, missing the Day of the Dead showing.

This was an outdoor event, part of the Alamo Drafthouse Roadshows. They have an enormous (30' high?) inflatable movie screen. Yup. Inflatable. Movie screen. It's cool!

The long and short of it, though, is that I'm a bit woozy today. Not exactly focused on work.

Upgrade

Well, I upgraded my Movable Type... and comments should be turned back on now, too. I just hope this upgrade fixes the !@#$% blog spam crap I've been getting.

Once I get the rest of my advance, I'm going to give MT money. They deserve it.

Not so bad... yet

Okay, the good Dr. says to leave it alone... no fiddling, no pressure, just simple mellow quiet. It will deflate on its own and go into its hibernation mode.

Then, six weeks after it's all firm and settled, we sneak it over to an ENT (Ear Nose and Throat) doctor and brutally CUT IT OUT!

Bye-bye evil, demented sebaceous gland. When you are sleeping, we will remove you from this life, turn you into only so much biological waste.

Bwa-ha-haahahaaaaa!

Cheesy cheesy creamy creamy

Argh! Online flash --- eeeeevilllll... illwillpress.com has some goth oddness.

But the title also indicates what I suspect the doctor will be removing from the boil/bump/cyst/whatever behind my ear. Slice! Stab! Squeeze! Ooze!

I can't say I'm looking forward to it. I hate it when my protective skin barrier is violated.

Am I ever on schedule?

Then answer, by the way, is "no".

I have a LOT of stuff to do for Haunted Trails... and four weeks before I become "director" full time.

So it's not going to happen. This Saturday we have a meeting, so I'm pawning off as many tasks as I can to other people.

It sucks having to be gone all day when Nik is here! I don't hardly get to see him... of course, he's also a teenager, sequestered in his room all day. Heh.

This weekend we will be doing some stuff. I'm taking a life cast of his face with the new silicon stuff. I hope he's not claustrophobic! It takes about a half hour, what with the application of goo and then the construction of the plaster mother mold.

The removal should be fun, too. This silicon grips more than alginate, so it pulls the hairs a bit. Well lubricated hairs DO pull free (I tried this on my excessively furry arm), but for a claustrophobic person it could be disturbing. And I don't even want to think how weird it will feel having it pull on the eyelashes.

I hate to subject anyone else to this process before I've done it to myself, but I have limited supplies and time right now...

In addition to capturing his face and the HT meeting, I want to create the pin jewelry mold (if not the pins themselves) and start on the leg sculpture. And, umm, maybe some plans.

But the station and construction plans are primary on my list for foisting.

Wish me luck!

Book

I'm not happy with my current book.

It's beautiful. It's well written. It's interesting. But I really don't know that it's meeting the goal of the publisher. I'm just all kinds of disturbed right now.

They love it, but I don't think they've really read it yet. They love the way I submitted it, the quality of my pictures. Damn.

I really hope it doesn't suck.

Map vs. Territory

"Most Americans are familiar with the Food Guide Pyramid-- but a lot of people don't understand how to use it. The government says the proof is that two out of three Americans are fat."

I bet people do know how to use it, but don't. There is a difference between knowing something and using that knowledge to change the way you live your life.

This is a problem in may areas, especially (to my mind), religion.

HT Budgeting

I spent my Sunday nursing a tiredness (due to dancing till all hours on Saturday [well, okay, until 11:00] and then eating a huge plate of corned beef and cabbage...yum!) and working on the HT budget.

I have a very SPECIFIC amount of money I get to spend... and 2/3rds of that is in overhead that doesn't actually improve the look of the show. That's annoying, but that's also the way it goes. Insurance, Security, this, that... it adds up fast.

About a quarter of what is left is actually open for interpretation... the other three-quarters are pretty much assigned to known materials for known stations.

Since this is for a charity, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that our executive type person was able to wrangle discounts or freebies for us today! Because Wednesday, we start buying.

I would HATE to run out of money.

Call of the Zombie

And out of the darkness the zombie did call,
true pain and suffering he brought to them all.
Away ran the children to hide in their beds
for fear that the devil would chop off their heads.

-- Rob Zombie

Scheduling

Well, it's Friday!

And, last night I noticed a greivous scheduling conflict.

I need a portable brain to keep track of such details for me... paper works, but is a pain to lug around. Electronic solutions are bright and shiny, but expensive. I'm thinking laptop computer... heh... or not.

Michelle was going to have a nifty party on the 31st of this month, be we are all in Dallas that weekend. So no go.

For us, she re-scheduled to the 24th on my recommendation. I forgot, however, that I had the George Romero expedition planned that night. Argh.

So, she moves her party because of me and I screwed up and can't go anyway.

I suck.

It was easier when I worked from home -- one calendar was on hand all the time. Now, I have two offices and don't want to lug a day planner everywhere. Last time I carried paper with me I left it at Bob's house...

Friday?

For a brief moment, I thought it was Friday.

Argh!

I only have six more weekends before I need to focus on directing haunted trails... six more Tuesdays, six more Thursdays. I need to make the best of tonight!

I will try to make the plaster negative mold for the hand. If I'm REALLY good, I'll prep the bones to go into it.

This weekend, I can then do a trial silicon cast and see how that works.

If it works good, Monday I'll put in a huge-ass order for casting supplies.

Then -- ummm -- I need to take more faces, create faces, sculpt the dissection -- mold and cast the dissection -- make more hearts -- make a brain -- make the pins -- make the plans for the trail -- and more I've probably forgotten.

Okay, this is nuts.

Free Time?

The publisher should be getting the book today. In a few months, I'll get the galley proofs to do a final review...

... whatever will I do without a book to work on? All that free time!

Oh. Yeah. Ummm, Haunted Trails. Right.

Maybe in November I'll be bored... then I can clean my office!

Done

Done, done, DONE, Done, donE, DONE!

Dammit. Done.

I burned the book onto CD and would have shipped it out today except that Fedex is closed. It goes out at lunch tomorrow.

Done.

Now I can focus on my UnDead story and, more importantly, Haunted Trails. Oh, yeah, and, ummm, housecleaning and yardwork and stuff...

Almost....done...

Last night I finished the edits on paper.

Now, I put them into the computer.

Almost...done...