quote:Originally posted by Lard Lad: Curious to see a closeup of the "mask". It's not actually what I would call a mask. Lardy wears a headband similar to Lyle Norg's and a pair of lenses that rest on his nose without the arms that rest on the ears similar Kent Shakespeare's.
Cool, that's actually more the way it's made, anyway. It's just a thin ring of plastic that has two little rectangles dropped down over the eyes.
It's a little difficult to get a head-on close up of it, because the majority of the figure is matte, but I painted the lenses with reflective paint, so it's hard to get the right light to show how it looks in real life.
You can probably see it better in this darker pic below (and the inset shows you how it can be worn all "Legion Lost Tyroc" style):
quote:Originally posted by Lard Lad: I assume there will be an "L" symbol...and a cape
Absolutely. That's the final step... accoutrements. I've got to make the logo, the cape with the disks... and one other thing (not seen in deddy's pic)
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cleome46
or you can do the confusion 'til your head falls off
posted
So is it good luck to rub the belly?
-------------------- Hey, Kids! My "Cranky and Kitschy" collage art is now viewable on flickr. Drop by and tell me that I sent you.
From: Vanity, OR | Registered: Dec 2008
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-------------------- Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...
From: The waters off eastern Long Island | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
Thanks for all the nice words, everyone! It's really great to hear that you guys dig this so much.
I was going to lump all the final detail work into one section, but then I realized that each bit is really its own unique process, so I'll divide it up into three more sections. That'll make this whole project a sort of "12 part maxi-series" which is nice way to tie it all together.
So... into the home stretch:
"Lo, There Shall Come a Lard"
Part 10: "L" is for Lots of Things
Logo time!
I knew the chest logo was going to be a bit of difficult thing for me to do, because it requires a very crisp line. Since my hands aren't that steady, I decided it would be better to use a decal.
Additionally, although the logos that both Sketch Lad and Dedman designed are very cool, they are both designed to work as part of a stylized drawing, and I didn't know how they would translate to the more proportionate action figure. So, I decided to use a version of the Monitor Board symbol that I made last summer as part of another project:
The first thing I needed to do, to help me gauge where the logo should lie, was to add the preliminary placement for the discs that Lardy has on his cape. I thought about using snaps but, at this scale, I really couldn't find any that were small or thin enough.
Then it occurred to me that perhaps the best thing I could use would be something like a flat refrigerator magnet that I could cut to shape. It turns out that the craft store sells little magnetic sheets exactly like that and, what's more, they are thin enough to fit in a hole punch:
As an added bonus, they are also adhesive on the back, so I could temporarily just stick them on while I worked on the logo:
Next up, I had to adapt the logo to both a size and shape that work on the figure. Off to Photoshop, where I just traced the old logo, scaled it down, and canted it slightly so it would better fit the curved body:
After I got it where I wanted it, I printed it out onto white decal paper and sliced it out with my X-acto knife:
I got Lardy's approval that it was fit for purpose:
and then let it soak for a few minutes to remove the backing:
After a couple minutes the decal slid off the backing and I was able to adhere it. It took quite a bit a finessing to get it into the correct position (even more difficult because it is so thin and I was afraid of tearing it).
In the end, though, I was able to get it where I wanted it, and have it lie such that it follows the curves of the figure. It was a bit of a pain, but I'm glad I went this route as opposed to trying to paint it:
Up next... The Great Lardy "Cape"-r
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posted
Thanks, still working on his cape, but I should have the whole thing wrapped up by this weekend.
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So, I've gone as far as I can with plastic and clay, and now it's time for cloth. I wanted, as near as possible, to match the sheen from the original drawing so I bought some satiny-type fabric from the fabric store:
I got a half yard, because I wanted a bunch extra in case I screwed it up.
Click Here For A SpoilerDon't tell anyone... but I did, in fact, screw it up.
Several times.
What you are seeing here is actually my fourth attempt at making this.
I searched the web for some sewing patterns for capes (I figured that there must be some people into making clothes for like doll-house people or something) and was very happy to find a great resource at the Mego Museum.
I used one of their cape patterns, but scaled down to the size I was working at, and cut across more straight on the bottom:
The folds you see above are just me accounting for the seams.
Next, a few things I used to get the specific thing I was going for:
The thing on the left is called, "Stitch Witchery". It's a finely spun glue-like substance that fuses fabric when ironed. I knew that this would be my best bet at this scale because, otherwise, my seams would be too evident.
In the front are some thin wires that I snipped out of an old, junked telephone. I wanted the cape to be able to be shaped to form, so, as you'll see, I included a piece of this wire in the bottom.
OK... on to the boring part:
1. I attached my pattern to the fabric on a fold and cut it out. 2. The fold actually fell on the "wrong" (non-shiny) side of the fabric, so I ironed back the other way. 3. I ironed out the guides for my seams (just on the sides, as I wanted some flexibility around the collar). 4. I trimmed the seams down as much as possible, and inserted the phone wire into the fold. 5. Placing the Stitch Witchery on the seam, I ironed it shut and... 6. Repeated that on the other side so I was left with just the top portion still open.
Still awake?
OK... then I reattached the little magnets from the previous part to guide me on how to trim the shoulders/neck portion of the cape:
Pretty neat how flexing the wire in the bottom allows me to stand it up on its own, huh?
So then I trimmed it down and repeated the fusing process on the top:
And then asked Lardy if he'd like to try it on for size:
But did he?!?!
Tune in this weekend for the exciting conclusion to the epic Lard Lad saga!
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cleome46
or you can do the confusion 'til your head falls off
posted
[is weirded out by how much that view of the iron resembles a vintage Legion spacecraft!]
-------------------- Hey, Kids! My "Cranky and Kitschy" collage art is now viewable on flickr. Drop by and tell me that I sent you.
From: Vanity, OR | Registered: Dec 2008
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Conclusion: And in the End... the Lard You Take, is Equal to the Lard You Make
When last we left Lard Lad, he was just about to try on his cape...
But, no!
Before I added the cape and started trying to get it into position correctly, I wanted to ensure that all the paint and the decal would stand up to all the handling that would take.
So the final step before assembly was to coat the figure with a lacquer spray to seal in all the colors:
This spray also takes off any of the excess shine from painting and makes it look a bit more matte (that's why you'll notice I took off his glasses for this - I didn't want to dull the reflective paint.
While that was drying, I also did my final bit of painting (the cape discs), then everything was all set.
Ready?
Now the money shot:
Ta-daa!
Obviously, it's not perfect, but for the first time out of the gate, I'm super-pleased with how it turned out.
In just under a month, he went from this... to this:
I've been reviewing all the little features as I went along, but by way of wrap up:
LMB Action Figure #1 - Lard Lad - comes with a removable cape:
...a removable headband and glasses:
...and one in ten comes with a special bonus pack-in, to start building your own Legion of Message Board Posters Super-Pets team:
... Lardy's old pal, and LMB Mascot, Pro-D.
Thanks everyone who followed along this process. It was super-fun (though very time consuming) and I will definitely be continuing on with more.
Though I will probably be taking a couple weeks break before starting the next one, the base figures are already on their way to provide me will the materials necessary to make figure #2... Dev-Em.
But, until then...
Thanks, and good night!
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posted
I'd say something meaningful but my jaw is on the floor....
Lardy is thrilled of course, but well, thats my sketch and you made it come to life. I really don't have the words to express how I feel about this.
From: Fort McMurray | Registered: Nov 2004
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