Making the Sea Monster: Part 1

I am starting work on the sea monster for Seed in the Sand. At 38 inches long, she is almost four times the size of the nest dwellers. The monster is very dangerous but should look appealingly pretty so as not to cause fear at first sight. The scales and tail fin will match the mermaid from The One’s dreams and the hands will be feminine and pretty.

Here are some photos of my progress so far:

The head has a ball of aluminum foil at its center and is covered with wire mesh in preparation for the sculpey.

The dainty hand is the same shape and pattern as the mermaid and masked woman, but with ability to be more fin-like and have more flexibility due to the absence of knuckles.

The foot will be very lizard-like but be partially webbed. Notice the T-nut tied into the foot for anchoring. This monster is too large to use the magnets for tie down.

The tail fin also has a T-nut tie down.

Here is the entire armature rearing up in a threatening posture. Or maybe she just wants a hug. I plan to use some rigging for leaps and stabilization and it will be removed in post. You can see bolts temporarily installed in some of the tie down locations to help me make sure to keep the areas unblocked as I move forward with the flesh and skin.

The skull and lower jaw are made with translucent sculpey. The eyes are glass reproductions of fish eyes that I purchased from Van Dykes Taxidermy Supply.

Smile for the camera!

Black paint for the gums and inside of the mouth help to define the teeth.

Isn’t she pretty.

Foam in progress.

The foam is all trimmed. She is ready for skin!

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