Truth be told, I enjoy making the understructure of my paper sculptures just as much, if not more, than the top layer. Feathers are colorful and fun, fur can be...extremely monotonous. But the understructure (or armature) is where I make decisions regarding depth and three-dimensionality. This is where I turn an idea or flat reference into something with form. Different paper sculptors have their own methods and I'll be the first to say that I probably spend too much time on the armature. Do I really need all those paper tabs to create contour? Probably not. Not something you see on final viewing. Not a necessary step, but one I enjoy.
I took a few extra moments to record Work in Progress images as I built the armature for the T-Rex's head. Even after doing this kind of work for years, each subject brings its own problems to resolve. This is part of my love for paper sculpture.
Tyrannosaurus Rex Head Armature
The sketch was based on a plethora of cinematic references, from Peter Jackson's vision of Skull Island dinosaurs in his film
King Kong to the work of animator Ray Harryhausen (whose own visual ques were influenced by the painter Charles Knight). The template at right shows the multiple tiers of foam core pieces that will give the head its depth, based on the initial sketch.
The multiple pieces of foam core that will form the head. I realized right off that the interior of the mouth (including tongue) would have to be finished before I could begin assembly.
Again, small details had to be embossed as the layers were assembled. And yes, I do find it helpful to number the pieces to keep them in order. I get distracted by squirrels very easily.
So, here's where I start adding tabs of paper to created rounded contours. This picture shows the outside contour, but I also do ALL of the contours, the tendons of the throat and similar details. Time consuming but I still love doing it.
The finished armature. The "skin" is then glued in sections (and also in predetermined order to reduce the number of visible seams). Some changes were made to the armature (particularly with the eye) that I didn't record, for the most part minor.
I hope I didn't make this painfully drawn-out in my explanation. This is the nitty-gritty that people don't see when my sculpture is hanging on a wall or posted in a gallery forum. Thank you for letting me share this inside view.
Rob
