Friday, March 3, 2017

Beginnings of Cagron

The cat forms were distributed to the artists in November, and this is the beginning of what will become Cagron.

Fiberglass Cat Statue
Primed and ready for completion

The 3-D form has some curves and shapes that aren't shown on the drawing in the application packet, so a bit of  modification is in order.  It will still reflect the overall theme of a cat-dragon, but some of the detailing will be changed from the original design sketch.

Cagron is covered with scales similar to a lizard or snake.  As is typical of most of my work, a lot of detail will be included on Cagron.  He will have LOTS of scales attached for texture over most of the body.  The scales are cut from Wonderflex and attached with Apoxie Sculpt, a 2 part epoxy product.
Examples of scales cut from Wonderflex

My goal is to have Cagron be touch friendly, unlike a "REAL" dragon. (If you read any stories about dragons, you know their scales are very dangerous and to be avoided.)  I took a while to design the shape of the scales because I did not want them to poke anyone who might touch the sculpture.  The scales became oval shaped, and I cut templates out of card stock so that the scales would be uniform across the body. Tracing the shapes onto the Wonderflex and cutting out each scale was mostly accomplished watching the NFL playoffs and Superbowl.

The Apoxie Sculpt comes in 2 separate containers and is clay-like in its molding properties.

Apoxie Sculpt comes in two parts.  You mix equal parts together...


When the two parts are blended into a single, light gray color, allow it to rest for 5 minutes before working with it on the project.


It becomes difficult to work after about 45 minutes, so I limited myself to one small batch at a time and worked through that.  I also used the Apoxie Sculpt to build attachments onto the cat form, such as the antlers, scales along the spine, and bigger toes with talons.  Yes, Cagron is quite fierce and must have powerful feet.