WIP Diary: Flower Panda #1

Hey hey, it's time for my first WIP Diary! My goal for these will be to share my (hopefully) daily progress on my various sculptures, as well as write down my thoughts on my artistic process! So, without further ado, let's dive into it!

Right now I'm working on another Ikky, as an anniversary present for my girlfriend Jamie! This one's gonna be extra special (more to be revealed in good time), so I'm trying to take my time on it. They really liked that one flower crown bust of Ikky, so I decided to make a full body version of it, just for them!

For this Ikky, I'm trying to make it mostly out of apoxie sculpt. Apoxie sculpt is a two-part modeling compound, kinda similar to epoxy putty...but for art! Apoxie, and epoxies in general, start to cure when you mix their two parts together, so you've just gotta leave em be once you're finished working on them. Unlike polymer clays, which need heat to cure them, you don't need any other tools to harden up apoxie! Apoxie sculpt is also MUCH tougher than polymer clay, which does wonders for my nerves...nothing stings more than seeing your sculpts crack in transit or in the oven.

Apoxie sculpt has its own challenges, however! I find that it's lumpier than polymer clay, which makes getting smooth, even surfaces a challenge. It's also pretty tacky, so that's why I wear disposable gloves when I work with it (and also so I don't develop a skin allergy to it, oops!) I've found that getting it wet makes it much easier to work with, though, so I think it's only a matter of time til I fully figure this stuff out. 

Today, I focused on getting Ikky's arms and paws set up, in addition to adding more mass to their legs and belly. For the latter two, I was mainly focusing on getting some smoother surfaces going. The first layer of clay tends to be pretty uneven and bumpy, since it's going directly on top of the tin foil of the armature. I'm thinking it's gonna take a third layer for everything to look as smooth as I want it to be, but we'll see. That's all I managed to tackle this morning, I might end up coming back to it later tonight and see what else I can tinker with. One of the advantages of apoxie sculpt, in my personal opinion, is that it incentivizes me to step back from my work to let it cure, giving me time to think about what I want to do next instead of trying to binge everything at once.

And that's all I've got today! Thanks for reading, I'll catch ya next time! :03 )