3-30-2010

ohai!

I started shaping the pauldrons and got one of them ready to rivet together, when I realised I would need to somehow attach a leather strap (which connects them to the mantle). so, I quickly made up a bracket out of scrap bronze before I could attach the two pieces of pauldron together and make it exponentially harder to attach a strap later.

whew!

I also just barely had time to rivet one of the pauldron sets together before the shop closed. unfortunately, it closes at 11 on week days, which is just so terrible! *sniff* I won't be adding the liver of sulphur to these to blacken them until I'm completely satisfied with the fit (just in case I have to solder or anything like that).

aaaand propped up on the scale shirt, with mannequin-too-big-to-be-wearing-it:

do you remember a similar shot where this was just paper? 

3-29-2010

well, hello there.

I've been sick for the last week or so, hence the lack of updates. I'm almost unsick now, so here's an update!

all four of the main pauldron pieces are cut, filed, fluted, and etched. I took the asphaltum off the upper right piece, but it's not been treated with the liver of sulphur yet, which is why it's still so bright. as always, I rather enjoy the look of the asphaltum with scratched away accents before I go and etch it all and have to strip the metal again. the asphaltum has this really neat quality of being partly transparent, so it does this weird satin-y shimmer when you move it around in the light.

it's also kind of a tarry, gross mess. here's where a thick part of it had a hard time drying before I mushed it around with my etching needle:

I also finally put the fingers on the left gauntlet.

hurrah!

03-21-2010

I've been fighting off a cold/flu/whatever since Wed, but here's what I've done since the last post. I cut and filed the edges of the four main pieces for my pauldrons:

I think they look like space invaders.

today, I added some flutes to one of the pieces, but I didn't get a chance to get a good photo of my terrible flutes yet.

also, Ravon requested some shots from the scale suit, here's the inside of the collar:

and the underside of the 45 degree shoulder seams:

that scale that is conveniently reflecting my red curtains happens to be right at the top point of the shoulder. there is a seam running straight down and another running to the right. I tried to make the vertical seam as clear as I could in this image.

03-15-2010

I had a visitor today!

he seems to approve of my gauntlets.

03-14-2010

oh boy! time for pie!

my mom visited today and we went to see the butterflies at the Frederick Meijer Gardens. they imported 6000 chrysalises as well as a few atlas moth cocoons (the moths hadn't hatched yet) and we brought along our cameras for the ride : )

here's one very bright shot:

here's a slightly less colourful but much more intense flutterer:

I also found some weird tropical plants:

a strange, scaley plant:

some tiny red flowers:

some bright cactus flowers:

and even a pitcher plant!

all in all, it was a rather fun trip! I look forward to getting back into the shop again tomorrow, though. 

cheers!

03-12-2010

I was able to sneak into the shop yesterday and got some work done on the left hand. here's how the finish came out, which is actually much more attractive than that on the right fingers:

experimenting with different shooting styles. I took this photo almost in the dark. no data loss in the highlights, but it's a bit dark overall!

I also riveted two fingers onto strips of leather and ordered a 12x24 sheet of bronze for the pauldrons. won't be able to do more work until Monday, when the shop is open again.

it was so nice out yesterday that I just had to go wander around in the woods with my camera : ) here's what I think the best shot was:

cheers!

03-08-2009

I have acquired new photo equipment, including a tripod and head. thus, I have been doing some test photos.

I'm still figuring out what to do with white balance. I'm still losing a significant amount of data in my highlights, even though I've set it custom with a white sheet of paper and I'm shooting raw. not even Lightroom can save me! well, I'll figure it out eventually.

cheers