"DEAD Moon" By Luis Royo...

DEAD MOON presented by Luis Royo (English subtitles) from Norma Editorial on Vimeo.

Ever since I was a teenager Luis Royo has been one of the greatest inspirations in my life. His new Work "Dead Moon" is a testament to this in that it encompasses everything I admire about Royo's work in one book. I feel very lucky to be alive and inspired by such a great artist so please enjoy this video that is a journey into Royo's creative process:

"In this video from his studio in Barcelona, Luis Royo, the acclaimed Spanish fantasy artist, discusses his new book, Dead Moon.

Dead Moon is the epic story of the rivalry between two clans occupying the same city. One clan is esoteric and ruled by a woman, Moon, while the other is warlike and governed by a man, Mars. Mutual attraction between the two leaders unleashes dramatic consequences for both cities.

Royo discusses the story outline, its characters, the Far Eastern influences and the elaborate creative process involved in bringing the book to fruition."

More information about Luis Royo:
LuisRoyo.com
Royo-Royo.com

English edition of Dead Moon available in Spring 2009.
Published by Heavy Metal: heavymetal.com

Luis Royo is represented by Norma Editorial: normaeditorial.com

Making of "Dirt"

Making a Female Game Character from Wax - More DIY How To Projects

Making the Armature: Tutorial

CREATING A FIGURE ARMATURE FOR SCULPTURE - More DIY How To Projects

"BloodRayne2" Making of: painting part 3

In this Instalment we will be continuing to look at "BloodRayne's" elaborate paint scheme...

After the red piping and details have been done the next step is to paint in all the silver details like her corset buckles and heel spikes etc. Because we paint ten at a time this takes several hours or the majority of one full day's work. its funny but somehow its the little things that seam so simple that end up being the ones that can take longer then you would think...

Of course while the bodies are being painted the blades, bases and dead ninjas (the severed body on the base) have to be painted as well and these are done both by me and by another in studio artist to help save time. Still even with two people painting the blades are time consuming taking several days to paint a batch. Once painted a length of chain is glued into the right arm to replicate the game. Once these are dry they will be assembled onto the main body using glue and an internal braided steel wire structure to act as support pins.

Bases are a bit tricky in that they have to be cast in two exasperate piece them assembled into one unit as you can see in the photo. These are then painted in various layers of colours and washes to give the illusion of a warn, beaten rusty environment inspired by the "sewer" level in "BloodRayne 2"

"D.I.R.T." On eBay..

Hey Folks Just wanted to let you know we have "D.I.R.T" on sale on eBay as a "Recession Buster". Now you can get her for only $49.95 US!

Here is the link: eBay Listing

"IAN" Kit review...

Hello everyone!

I wanted to Share with you the wonderful comments we received on our "IAN" statue (kit version) as kindly reviewed by Mike Falcigno:

IAN:
Height: 17”
Material: Solid Resin
Parts: 8 + 2 lead free pewter sword parts.
Sculptor: Claudio Setti
Cost: Approx. $150 USD+ S/H ($174.95 CDN)
Producer: Martian Factory/ Setti Fine Art
Contact: sales@martianfactory.com
Website: www.martianfactory.com

IAN (pronounced EYE-ANN) is a synthetic female ass-kicker who may be the only being who can save humanity from an invading army of robotic villains called the Prey. 500 years ago a mysterious clan of synthetic humans called the Bondsmen were able to beat back the robotic threat. Since the Bondsmen are long dead, and the Prey are back- all odds appear heavily stacked against IAN.

Sound intriguing? If you want to know more, check out the “Silent Leaves” trilogy of graphic novels by famed illustrator/writer Christopher Shy. The artwork and storylines; much like this statue, are quite stunning.

It appears Shy also has an eye for choosing great sculptors as he worked closely with Martian Factory founder Claudio Setti to produce this gorgeous resin statue of Silent Leaves lead character- IAN. Standing atop a 2” textured display block, IAN is15” of hyper-detailed figural perfection. Without spoiling the storyline, I will mention that IAN’s body is decaying, not in typical human corpse fashion, but a more artistically stylized one that can best be called “beautiful rot”. The anatomy and gesture lines that make up the core of the figure are nothing short of masterful. IAN is a long, lean muscled creation. Her stance; though reserved, is very naturalistic with believable weight distribution. Offering a mere hint of IAN’s deadly sword wielding abilities is the assured manner in which she holds her weapon- ready for battle at a moments notice.

The entire surface of the figure reads like an amusement park of texture; keloid-like scars; faint wrinkles, deep furrows and fissures, minute pock marking, and finely rendered sutures cover the limbs and torso. Sections of her body sport mechanical apparatus grafted to the flash along with the number 90 prominently branded on IAN’s left breast. Nicely offsetting all the decayed organic textures are some finely honed battle accessories. IAN sports a utility belt full of buckles, pouches, and bullet shaped vials, a forearm gauntlet complete with elbow plating, and a streamlined sword blade cast in lead-free pewter. Standing out as a true focal point amid all these plentiful details is IAN’s head.

Unlike the rest of the figure, IAN’s face and hair are rendered smooth as glass. This alone causes her eyes to “pop, fortunately Setti pulls out all the stops and delivers an exceptional portrait of a silently waiting- yet highly driven individual. The figure really feels like it could spring into action at any moment; hacking her enemies to pieces. The sum of all these parts leaves little doubt to the highly refined skill Claudio Setti possesses. His IAN sculpture is a fine example of what can be achieved when gesture & nuance merges seamlessly with intricate detailing… figure collectors end up with a stand-out piece of art!

Modelers will be thrilled to know that the high quality of this piece carries over from the design and sculpting phase into the production as well. IAN is pressure cast in 8 resin & 2 Pewter parts, packaged in a sturdy cardboard box with color label and a certificate of authenticity. All the pieces were very clean, just a slight mold line to remove and drilling into pre-marked holes to insert pins for stability. The bottoms of the feet feature resin “heels” that plug snugly into the display base and the front portion of her hair is smartly designed as a separate piece for added depth & easier detailing of the face.

Arms and head attach quite simply with little to no putty needed. However, both of IAN’s legs attach at the mid-thigh. While this is not a problem, it is a less than desirable place to have break lines since they are both visible. Fortunately, the sculpture was cut apart very cleanly so with a bit of patience both legs can be made to appear seamless with a little putty and a textured sponge. Martian Factory offers IAN in raw kit form or hand painted and even in solid bronze. Limited to only 200 resin kits worldwide I wouldn’t wait too long. Whether you’re familiar with the source material or not, I can’t recommend a cooler Synthetic Sentry to stand watch over your collection than Claudio Setti’s IAN sculpture.
Check out: www.studioronin.com/comicbooks_silent.htm and I can guarantee you’ll also become a fan of Mr. Shy’s shockingly unique 2-D work!

-Mike Falcigno
www.falcignoart.com
Amazing Figure Modeler & Nightmares in Plastic Magazine

"BloodRayne" Special Edition Production Final Trio

I'm going to be updating my blog soon with the final instalments of how BloodRayne is made but in the meantime I wanted to show you the final production version. Here I'm showing 3 statues that are going to be shipped to customers...

These are the final statues after all the work is done. With this Special edition I really wanted to create something worthwhile that collectors would enjoy for years to come!

Below are more pics of the actual production piece: