Some time ago I saw a design for a scary looking docotor, very Frankenstein looking, with weird goggles, a long coat and strange mechanical instruments for a hand. I liked the idea of a mad steampunk scientist and started developing a head with weird bits coming out for eyes. As you can see it's gone through various incarnations and now looks more like a guard than a scientist.
I like all the funky helmet bits which give him character even though he has no face. The face mesh is one of those cones used for wool or thread cut up
I've realised that the best steam punk effects come from simple bits of palstic carefully cut and glued together, rather than trying to actually sculpt shapes which then tend to look too organic.
The almost complete figure will be holding a spear/cattle prod attached to his back pack. I saw a fab design for this in Mike Mignola's Witchfinder graphic novel.
When it came to making the gauntlets and the leather cowl (you can't se the latter in the photos) I tried using a different technique. Normally I would make them from card but I wnated something that looked more like giant rubber gloves. After a few experiments I hit upon using wire mesh. I've had this stuff around for ages and a colleague of mine uses it a lot, covered in tissue, but I've never got to grips with it. I covered a section in wide masking tape on both sides and coated it with PVA. This proved very flexible and gave a good finish. I will be using more of this!
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