Deep one miniature design, input appreciated!
pa...@paulcarrick.com
I am going to be sculpting some deep one gaming miniatures (very
likely to be cast and sold), and I'd love some feedback, please:
http://www.nightserpent.com/lovecraft/deep-one-design-02.jpg
This sketch is more about the anatomical design than the pose in
specific, though I do plan to sculpt several in various poses. How
does it strike you? I'm trying to stay faithful to the story.
Does anyone have any comment on scale (no pun intended)? I have the
old grenadier Deep Ones, and they seem quite small in comparison to
the investigators. I know they can vary in size, but I'm given the
impression that an average one might be a foot taller than a human.
I've only seen photos of the RAFM models, how do they size up? I'd
like to make something that "plays well with others", so if anyone has
any input on size and scale (25mm?), now would be a great time to
speak up.
cheers!
~Paul
Aaron Vanek
Good to hear from you again. The design looks great, I especially like
the open paw with webbing, I hope that can translate in lead.
I've been impressed with RAFM miniatures, but I don't own the deep one
set. They look to be just a bit bigger than people, at 1.25" tall.
Part of the difference could be accomplished in heft, or fatness.
Maybe the position is squat or hunched, which means it could still fit
in the mold
(not sure if there's a size limit), but obvious they'd be bigger than
a person if standing tall and upright.
It is also threatening (in a good way) to have the arms out, though
this makes it difficult to store them in the carrying case.
I like the sketch, it's menacing.
Aaron Vanek
On Nov 24, 10:36 am, "p...@paulcarrick.com" <p...@paulcarrick.com>
wrote:
thang ornithorhynchus
It looks good but doesn't have the verisimilitude of HRGeiger for
instance. More evil, more squirm, more stygian deep/fungoid skin, and
either 3 digits with opposable thumbs or more than five all up, just
to show there is no human ancestry. The good aspects are the
robustness and stance. Any idea of the detail on the face, you are a
good artist perhaps maggoty dermis combined with scales, patchwork,
some tentacles behind the ears, etc etc. There should however, beyond
the obvious humanoid-ness of the physique, be very limited ancestry
shared with humans.
Hope this helps
thang
John Goodrich
sketch come out in the sculpt. I especially like the teeth and the
bulk. Gives it a sense of menace, along with the outsized hands.
What sort of skin texture were you thinking about? Smooth and
froggy? Or some sort of subtle skin impressions?
Looks excellent.
John Goodrich
pa...@paulcarrick.com
Aaron: Thanks for the kind words, I'm glad you like it! It might be
cast in resin, actually, and that's a good thing as they can capture
more crisp detail over metal. Mold size isn't so much of an issue,
similar companies cast large monsters like dragons and giants. The
Grenadier deep ones tower at a cyclopean 3/4" while the humans seem to
be around 1-1/16", so there are either two different scales going on
(pun intended) or they have two different ideas on size. People vary
in size, so I guess the deep ones may as well!
Thang: Some Giger paintings are full wall-sized murals, it will be a
tall order to see how much I can cram in a 3/4-1-1/4" sculpture. I
found your descriptions to be quite evocative... is your vision of
them from your own speculation, or perhaps another source? I'm
particularly interested in your comments about the erasure of human
links.
John Goodrich: Thanks for your potential order! Though the story
doesn't mention any real body scales other than the back, I think I
may have some subtle indications of texture on places like the
shoulder and thighs. Though fish scales wouldn't amount to much at
this size, even frogs and toads have some bumps and texture on them.
My focus will be on the loose skin, as I think that will help convey
the wet rubbery nature.... and the sound their flippery feet makes as
they slap along the ground. OK, now I am creeped out. ;-)
thang ornithorhynchus
>I'll try three replies in one message...
>
>Aaron: Thanks for the kind words, I'm glad you like it! It might be
>cast in resin, actually, and that's a good thing as they can capture
>more crisp detail over metal. Mold size isn't so much of an issue,
>similar companies cast large monsters like dragons and giants. The
>Grenadier deep ones tower at a cyclopean 3/4" while the humans seem to
>be around 1-1/16", so there are either two different scales going on
>(pun intended) or they have two different ideas on size. People vary
>in size, so I guess the deep ones may as well!
>
>Thang: Some Giger paintings are full wall-sized murals, it will be a
>tall order to see how much I can cram in a 3/4-1-1/4" sculpture. I
>found your descriptions to be quite evocative... is your vision of
>them from your own speculation, or perhaps another source? I'm
>particularly interested in your comments about the erasure of human
>links.
My own fev'rd imagination Paul. Thankfully (except for the
architecture) HPL left practically everything to the imagination. As
for Giger, I meant that perhaps just a little of the biomechanoid
"alien"ness could be incorporated without stepping over the copyright
line. On reflection though, it *would* be a tall order to cast
tentacles (correct me if I'm wrong on this). I hope you upload some
photos of your prototypes as they evolve.
Avid Fan
Over all great work some suggestions:
I think the texture should be more toad like. Less Human as was said
before. This is Lovecraft I want tentacles! Damm it! Not squid
tentacles with suction cups but ones that look like nematodes.
But great work over all.
thang ornithorhynchus
Well said. How about a writhing mass of maggot-like excrescences, not
too long therefore hopefully not too difficult to cast? On the head,
perhaps behind the ears or from the nape of the neck, suggesting
independent movement? Toad-like is good, more squat, less bipedal.
Face needs more evil as well. These are evil beings and utter
malevolence should be apparent. No humanity, no mercy, no hope.
The thing with HPL was that his beings were all "suggestive". His
architecture, apart from those damn indescribable angles, was in fact
described (cyclopean, titanic, squat, windowless etc). His beings
were not (unless you call part crocodile, part insect, part reptile a
description). How you get "suggestiveness" into a sketch, let alone a
casting, I don't know, not being an artist. If you can do it though,
and Giger does come to mind, then you are home and hosed as they say.
Good luck
thang
Avid Fan
You don't think I was over the top do you? (As Avid Fan takes his
medication)
thang ornithorhynchus
<avid...@notvalidexample.net> wrote:
No, over the top shows character. Your comments were apt. I don't
doubt, unless the OP is in a hurry, that he can synthesize your
comments with the present sketch (because he is a good artist). I
think there is a problem casting tentacles though, unless they are
blunt perhaps?
thang
TJ
wrote:
Looks great. I'd guess they are more or less the same height as we
are (considering humans come in a wide range of heights...). It's
similar to this:
http://eodagon23.byethost24.com/eoDagon23/trip_to_innsmouth/pages/t-innsmouth-60.html
pa...@nightserpent.com
Thanks again for all the inspiring and interesting comments, it goes a
long way in fueling me to pursue the project. At first my head was
swimming with all the ideas (I've been polling as many Mythos
enthusiasts as I can), and I was challenged to incorporate as much as
I could. But, with such diverse suggestions, it clearly became
impossible to cover all the bases (e.g. bigger and smaller, froggier
and fishier). At some point it just felt right to run with what felt
right, but the idea is to expand and flesh out this range, and so it
could be quite possible to use more and more of the ideas. With
varying ages, diets, locations and other habits, it would not surprise
me that deep ones could vary quite a bit.
I did a bit more sketching:
http://images.quickblogcast.com/90277-78789/deep_one_design_03.jpg
http://images.quickblogcast.com/90277-78789/deep_ones_hands_feet.jpg
As fortune would have it, I got an illustration assignment (a Call of
Cthulhu RPG game supplement for Sixtystone Press) that allowed for a
deep one and hybrid. It was a great opportunity to further explore
the concept, and I think the art benefited because I was unusually
prepared because of the sketching:
http://images.quickblogcast.com/90277-78789/chapter2_lighter.jpg
Next will be a "3-Up", a sculptural sketch that is three times taller
than the target size. This helps me realize the shapes in true 3D
(sometimes 2D imagery can lack as much descriptiveness as is needed),
and then the sculpting of the finish will be more direct and
intentional.
Thanks again, everyone, the feedback was very helpful!
~Paul