As part of its continuing series, the Gnomon Workshop released three new training DVDs by sculptor John Brown (A BEAUTIFUL MIND, PLANET OF THE APES, SPY KIDS). These titles focus on sculpting, casting and molding the full-size head and character maquette.
"John Brown has added to his previous series with over 10 hours of training on sculpting, molding and casting techniques," states Alex Alvarez, founder of the Gnomon Workshop and the Gnomon School of Visual Effects. "These titles effectively continue from where John's previous DVD, SCULPTURE 2, leaves off, first addressing how to reference a maquette to build a full-scale textured and detailed head. He then examines techniques for molding and casting the finished sculpture into a durable, primed copy ready for painting."
"Due to the nature of these techniques, the production of these DVDs required a monumental editing process," explains instructor Brown. "Each title wrapped production… which were organized into concise, informative and thorough lectures. We are extremely proud of the result. While SCULPTURE III is a standard two-hour lecture, both SCULPTURE 4 and SCULPTURE 5 are two-disc sets, each containing over four hours of lecture."
Gnomon Workshop DVDs are priced at $69-$79 and can be purchased online at
www.thegnomonworkshop.com . Academic pricing is also available. Each title includes instruction, lecture notes and bonus material.
DVD descriptions:
* SCULPTURE WITH JOHN BROWN, VOLUME 3: SCULPTING THE DETAILED CHARACTER HEAD
This lecture emphasizes detail while introducing the student to sculpting a full-scale head. Beginning with a 1/3 scale concept maquette, this DVD teaches how to use a design to scale-up and build a full-scale sculpture from scratch. Emphasis is placed on sculpting of the facial features, with a focus on secondary and tertiary form. Also included are step-by-step techniques used to create wrinkles, skin texture, pores, veins – all the essential components of sculpting realism. Brown's lecture addresses important considerations when sculpting for digitization. He demonstrates every phase of sculpting the head, including armature construction, initial block-in, facial features, ears, horns and surface details.
* SCULPTURE WITH JOHN BROWN, VOLUME 4: MOLDING AND CASTING THE HEAD
MOLDING AND CASTING THE HEAD picks up where SCULPTING THE DETAILED CHARACTER HEAD left off. Beginning with a sculpture, this four-hour lecture takes the student through preparing the sculpture to be molded, to removing the plaster cast from the mold. Through a step-by-step process, students learn a variety of mold-making techniques: how to break up the sculpture for individual molding; how to construct a flexible silicone Matrix mold; and, finally, how to produce a plaster casting of the sculpture, all while being exposed to special materials and Brown's tricks of this trade. Students also learn how to avoid the practical pitfalls associated with this kind of work, walking away with a solid foundation for molding and casting their own projects.
* SCULPTURE WITH JOHN BROWN, VOLUME 5: MOLDING AND CASTING THE MAQUETTE
MOLDING AND CASTING THE MAQUETTE picks up where SCULPTURE 2: CHARACTER MAQUETTES left off. Beginning with the sculpture, this four-hour lecture takes the student through the entire sculpting process, beginning by cutting the sculpture into separate pieces, and ending when the plaster casts are pulled out of their flexible silicone molds and assembled. Through an intricately detailed step-by-step process, students learn how to make a flexible silicone Matrix mold and individual box molds, and then how to produce plastic castings of all the sculpture parts. Brown also illustrates assembly techniques, covering seaming and patching of the plastic components, to priming, getting the student ready to paint and finish the project, all while revealing special materials and tricks of the trade. Students also learn how to avoid the practical pitfalls associated with this kind of work, walking away with a solid foundation for molding and casting their own projects.
The Gnomon Workshop is an outgrowth of the Gnomon School of Visual Effects, a professional institute specializing in training for the high-end vfx community. For more information on the Gnomon School, visit
www.gnomon3d.com .
