All good things...: A Jim Henson Creature Shop Challenge Recap

As always, all good things must come to an end and nothing could be truer than the finale show of the Jim Henson Creature Shop Challenge.  Seems like the series went a bit fast, and in truth I think it really did because they started with ten contestants and whittled it to 3 for the finale.  Looking back however, the same was done on face off so it somewhat made sense.  Still, as much as I liked this series, I do not think it’s because of the show but, instead that strange connection that so many have to Henson’s works.  I just can’t see this show coming back for a season 2, which is a total shame.

So the finalists (Melissa, Robert and Ben), got to sit down with head judge Brian Henson as a kind of overall critique and a one on one share of ideas moving forward.  In all Brian overly stated the need for depth and growth amongst the creatures from everyone as well as truly utilizing both time and team.  This was especially clear for Ben who has a lot of trouble delegating activities to others.  That is something he found himself having to get over in a hurry because for the last challenge, the shop decided to push the remaining designers to the brink in just three days.

For the challenge the designers are asked to create a full alien creature, capable of walking in and sitting down at the bar.  After the sit the designers will be given a chance to set them for up close looks, but as an added challenge they must create a prop and an effect.  So, essentially what they want is something that would take months from the actually creature shop in three days.  In anticipation of the daunting task the designers are each given two team mates and a mentor to work with, which is good but still can take an amazing toll on the finalists who eagerly attempt to put everything together.

The major flaw this whole season has been from a lack of individual challenges.  I understand that this is a team industry but it seems like perhaps a format of a show like this isn’t geared to finding a team player.  Ben is a great example, he is a clearly talented creator and has a multitude of usable skills to throw out, however when put with another person it always seems to hinder his work as he buries inward which drags the team down more than his opinion that the other team mate isn’t pulling their own weight.  Then again it could be his aversion to fault that makes him truly flawed in the industry.  Another great example is from Melissa who arrived with little knowledge of mechanism driven designs.  This lack of knowledge makes the team atmosphere a crutch, and it wasn’t until she was forced to use the mechs in an individual challenge that she was propelled into learning to operate the tool.

Another one of the shows flaws is that the challenges where always very similar in conception, they always seemed to be recreating the same type of creature with a small difference.  There were some challenges that focused on specific ideas, but to be honest it all seemed very lose in the outline of the show.

After three days of fighting, the creatures were ready to be revealed and there were definitely some mixed reviews about each one.  First was Melissa’s creature who had a beautiful entrance.  The figure moved very well through the room and immediately gave a great personality.  It was on the up lose that she really lost the high ground.  The creature was missing a palette which isn’t always necessary but, without it the mouth seems black and static which can cause you to lose some of the suspension of disbelief.  Her smoke blowing effect however worked very well I though and gave the character a real sense of life.  The judges pointed out however, in the back story the creature is believed to be 100 years old but appeared to be quite clean.  This shocked me because Melissa is usually ace of the back stories and over all creature fabrication i.e. coloring, clothing and furs ect.

Next was ben whose creature reminded me of a kind of turtle.  His entrance wasn’t quite as dynamic as Melissa’s and the outer shell build was not successful.  It looked like a stretched out hood that gave a horrible looking black area.  The paint also was a monochromatic green that needed to be softened and shadowed for a more contoured face, at least in my opinion.  The judges were blown away by his weep effect and fetus in a jar prop.  Personally I don’t think the tears really read against the flat paint but the story was strong enough.

Finally there was Robert who wrote a large Russian gypsy esque creature.  The entrance really stuck out, not as much as Melissa’s but the volume of the creature was massively apparent from step one.  What was also very apparent was his skill for sculpting and mechanization.  With his sneeze effect he pulled the face into a very powerful sneer which was quite impressive.  What was lacking was the overall placement of fur and structure.  Sadly the creature just read ape and not really other worldly at all, as well as missing some sort of facial hair which would have really put the greasy and grimy in perspective.

All in all the creatures where truly artfully done.  I think that they couldn’t have picked a better top three if they had tried.  Each contestant showed not only skill but the ability to grow and change.  I think that the Henson team would find any of them to be a true asset but, in the end there must be a winner.  It is Robert who is crowned winner of the Jim Henson Creature Shop Challenge and we wish him the best.  I don’t have too much confidence that we will see the show again but I do hope we at least get to see more of all of the creator’s works in the world.  

Crying Wolf: A Face Off Recap

After last week’s Face Off first we rejoin the remaining four as they plunge into the dark world of werewolves.  This week’s spotlight challenge was to create the werewolf that would pair to the vampire they had previously created.  In addition they must also give their werewolf a new mutation or ability.  The focus was to be on cohesion with your previous idea and also the creativity to push the werewolf one step further.

One of the nicer points of this part of the competition is that you see less of the major fiascos in the lab, but it can make waiting for the reveals very daunting.  Thankfully my favorite little energizer is there to help break up the stagnant working shots with a tiny freak out.  On their walk through Mr. Westmoore made it a point to tell poor Tyler that he thought his planning was weak.  To be fair, Tyler was trying to make a more human looking werewolf but, it read as vampire to the veteran artists.  The nose of any wolf figure you encounter lends more to the canine muzzle; a feature that Tyler had tried to stay away from, but in his attempt to be different his sculpt lacked any canine form.  The good thing about Mr Westmoore?  Upon seeing that he had freaked Tyler out, he went back to give him some words of encouragement and sends him back to the lab in better spirits.

Rashaad, however found himself in a bind that didn’t want to work itself out.  With his vampire having powers that were of earth and flora, he decides that he wants his wolf to be a fire caster and so attempts hand extensions for his model.  The problem is in the treatments of the mold as he forgets a binding agent in the search for time.  This misstep causes the hands to bind incorrectly and they crackle in his hands, not to worry though, as he attempts once more with a correctly shaped hand.

The rest of the lab time seems to run smoothly, until the models show up and there is yet another issue.  George’s model has become ill and has been replaced by an actor with much thinner lips.  Why does this suck?  Well the whole application has been riding on specific features and the actor quickly recognizes that he cannot achieve all of the range of motion in the face, but it’s too late to turn back now so on to paint they go!

At the reveal everything seems to be opposite of last week, to a point.  In sharp contrast to his brilliant vampire, Rashaad’s fu dog esque wolf seems small and hokey.  The biggest problem is the wardrobe.  Draping the body so completely does not allow for the bulkiness and strength attributed to most werewolves.  I did like the details in the face, as he is known for packing those in, but it didn’t read wolf as much as cute dog.

In huge contrast to last week however, was Tyler.  Tyler’s wolf, while still looking manly was bulging at the seams with a strong and striking look that gave it the true horror that we look for in a wolf.  What I liked particularly was that he succeeded in bringing the man while still carrying out the look of an animal.  The added attribute however, a pair of spikes, was not as powerful or even shown as I would have liked.

Niko’s wolf was just a hot mess.  I don’t know what it is about his faces but they are always crooked.  Go ahead and look at each one the main thing you will notice is that they tilt to the left more than a little bit.  It actually really bugs me, about as much as his nose less creature.  I don’t know something was just really off.

In the end it is George’s mutation that was the most successful.  He went the route that the werewolf is a mutation of his vampire creature and it reads clear as day in both the sculpt and paint.  The face is so striking until you get to the elongated nails and elbow spikes, similar to Tyler’s but far more successful, and the wolf just excels.

In the end, George’s fierce creation takes the top look and Niko is sent home.  Now we hold our breath until next week’s exciting finale, so close and yet so far!

I'm Skeksi and I know it!: A Jim Henson Creature Shop Challenge Recap

This week the Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge opened its doors to one of the movies that was very near and dear to my heart growing up, The Dark Crystal.  As a child this movie was on a constant play back in our house, everything from the little bugs to the giant Mystics where given a special place in my heart.  Most importantly, however and perhaps oddly my favorite, were the keepers of the crystal known as the “Skeksis.”  The Skeksis combination of bird and scales gave them an awesome creepy factor that terrified me and intrigued me, not to mention my father teasing me with the “hmmmmm’s” of the Chamberlin.   What I found to be the coolest though, was their clothing.  I loved the opulence on top of the grotesque.  The ideals of a ruff collar on a shriveled body, just gives an awesome design element when pair with the tiny hands and hunched over way of almost scuttling around.

So this week, the creators were asked to make a functioning Skeksis, keep in mind that it took the studio weeks to design and fabricate even just a few of the original Skeksis, our designers put in groups of three and given three days.  I love how this show asks for miracles, and the hits keep coming when they are given the added element of a banished Skeksis that is being called back from a harsh climate, oh and everyone has to puppeteer something.

The teams are broken into Tina, Russ and Ivonne who represent the arid desert.  Team two was divided into Jake, Ben and Lex who were given a frozen wasteland to play in.  And finally, Robert, Melissa and Josh who chose decaying forest.  Right off the bat, I was waiting for the sparks to fly as Russ’s face sunk to have to work with Tina again, but it was short lived as he wanted to opportunity to make right the mistakes of the last challenge.  The other interesting note is having top and bottom creators in one team was interesting as Josh and Robert are lumped together.  This week’s mentor was also a nice little surprise as the show introduced Julie Zobel, a fabrication supervisor for the creature shop.  To say that this woman is familiar with the Skeksis, is not doing justice to all of her work on fabulous pieces throughout my childhood.  Yeah, I geek-ed out a bit… I was already on a high from the Skeksis what do you want?

So, with the groups and climates assigned everyone goes to work on the areas where they believe their talents will shine and for the most part that is true.  Robert is relieved to be free of a foam application and feels right at home connecting the servos for his animatronics, it’s clear that this build is definitely in his wheelhouse.  I love seeing artists when they are confident in their work, there is always so much more love put into the pieces you feel good about.  Melissa also shines as she discovers that with two people trying puppet this creation, the key to a successful move will be to make the structure as light as she can without losing any of Chad’s beautiful design or Roberts well done sculpt.

In the frozen wasteland, everyone seems to be plugging away in a copasetic movement to their goal of an almost mutated kind of Skeksis.  Their take is have a Skesis that has spent hundreds of years in the waste and is now shriveled and has taken to covering himself in the carcasses of dead larger animals for warmth.  I love to watch a team this is content to do more than yell at each other.

In our third group, yelling isn’t what we find but, there is clearly aggravating circumstances as Tina may have bit off more than she can chew trying to set up the mechanics of the creation.  She is quickly overwhelmed and in the weeds because she lacks focus.  Tina isn’t untalented, she is just scattered when it comes to the project.  She’s a starter, not a finisher and with this major dead line unfortunately, she is a boot on the wheel of progress.  Russ steps in to try to put this creation back on track but, it leaves Ivonne to finish up the design and painting.  What is Tina put on?  Well she decides to make a creature to pee on the Skeksis.  Right away this thing looks ridiculous and feels somewhat sophomoric.

As the last day comes to a close the creatures head out to choreograph their Skeksis with the master puppeteer and it feels like a scramble as problems start to threaten the abilities of the frozen group to keep their creation strong for the duration of the test.  It would appear that the head has become too weighted down by the amount of servos running through it but it is remedied by placing an extra grip inside the head itself.

As the screen tests begin, they must deliver the Skeksis through the hall of the crystal to a staff at the forefront of the stage.  The crystal and props in the room?  From the movie… Yes I did geek-gasim.  So, the first was “Skeksisth” the decaying forest dweller.  I loved this look because it gave you the feel of a classic Skeksis with its layers of fabric and decaying adornments.  The addition of the “chicken bug” as a side prop was also amazingly detailed and gave Skeksisth someone to bounce a little bit of action off of.  The judges didn’t care for the ruff on the neck, but in my opinion it was really reminiscent of that bird meets frilled lizard idea.  The only issue I had with the creation was that it was very dark and, in my opinion could have used a pop more of color in the body.

The next creature up for the judges was Skekdero, of the arid desert.  As soon as this came out, I just didn’t get Skeksis, it was a beige blob that seemed to lilt to one side.  The “pee creature” seemed fake and gross all at the same time and none of the servos worked.  The eyes of the creature were set in so deep that the shadow of the lights made the mechanisms worthless anyway.  It just didn’t read right to me or the judges.

Last to go up, team frozen wasteland whose Skagath came onto the scene complete with a glowing orb.  Oooohhhh shiny!  I really loved the design in this Skeksis because it clearly screamed frozen waste, from the icy paint job on the face to the large pelt slung over his back it was such a cohesive idea.  I have to hand it to these three; if it weren’t for a few minor details they would have clenched the look of the day.  The sad fact is, however it was the minimal movements and the offset eyes that lost top spot.  Brian Henson made the excellent point that it would be hard to believe and direct a creature whose gaze was unbelievable.

In the end it was Robert’s redemption as he took the top prize for his beautiful head and range of motion.  His ultimate joy was absolutely precious to see, his confidence is restored.  On the other end however, Tina is sent home for the disastrous malfunction of the servos.  I wish her luck on all her projects and that this experience puts her back out in the world renewed and reenergized.  Bye Tina.

All the Skeksi beasts

The future is now...: A Face Off Recap

Break out your gears and mechanisms; this week on Face Off, we are going robotic!  The final five are put under the stress of the future, as they are given the task of creating a character that will be taking on a job that was once held exclusively by a human.  The idea of becoming obsolete and replaced by a robot has been a long time core of science fiction, so in a way this challenge weird-ed me out a tad.  I’m not a huge fan of robotics and androids as it is, too much I Robot I guess, so being confronted by the idea that we can be so easily replaced is never a good feeling.  The bonus of this challenge is that the artists will be given one extra day in the lab, seeing as Niko has a difficulty with time management and sculpt pieces I honestly thought this would cut his usual retort of “if I don’t get this done, I may be going home.”  The down side to the extra day is that with that much time, each creation had better be complete.

The boys each select an industry and set to work on their creations.  For the most part this challenge seems to be about size, as 4 out of the 5 creators are going larger than life with their designs, everyone except Daren.  You can almost taste the displeasure that Daren has for this challenge; it’s so thick you could drizzle it over pancakes.  I think you could some up his reaction by the most repeated quote of the evening “I don’t do robots.”

In the lab, the creativity seems to have sparked these 5 as the first day didn’t lend too much to talk about.  Major fabricator, Rashaad was completely in his element and with L200 begins to create a huge suit.  I have to hand it to him; he is so in tuned with fabrication that it is a surprise that he hasn’t been awarded a win thus far.  Although, one glance at Tyler’s station and you start to understand why, Tyler is an energizer and a fountain of ideas.  If ever there was a challenge well suited for these two to test their skills against each other, this is it.

George, whose last attempt at fabrication with L200 led to disaster in the anime challenge, has decided he is going to sculpt the entire creation and do a paint job that will appear like metal.  To me this almost seems like it’s adding more difficulty than benefit because painted foam, still looks a lot like foam.  Take a look in the gallery, if you look at the close up, you can see what I mean.  Foam has a texture that even with an awesome paint it can be very hard to cover.

On Mr. Westmore’s walk through he points out the major flaw that you see in a lot of movie robots and that is that there seems to always be a major human element that gets in the way, usually around the face.  I think this goes back to man wanting to impose himself as the idea of perfection.  Still I am not sure Niko got the hint as it seems like his is looking even more human in the face.  George’s critique was more about the chest than the face.  Trying to apply a set of blow dryer boobs to his robot left a fun idea but unreadable concept, instead under the direction of Mr. Westmore he changes it to a single dryer while still maintain a shape that is decidedly female.

It’s clear whose element this isn’t by the last day of the build.  To say that robots are not in Daren’s wheel house would be a gross understatement.  His creation is as minimal as the others are massive and in the end looks like a human wearing a helmet and a huge light on his chest that is paired with an awkward silver cod piece.  Niko also struggles with the mistake of gluing joints together and very rough seaming.  The whole of the creation seems bulky and uninspired with a complete disregard for any kind of finesse.  At reveal it’s pretty evident whose in the bottom two, even with a fabricated hydraulic pump that feels like a Hail Mary on Niko’s construction robot.

In fact, it’s harder to pick a top look this week out of the remaining three inspirations.  By now in the completion, at least in my opinion, this is really how it should be.  It is episodes like tonight where we get a clear view of who the finale will be featuring.  Between the three top looks, all I can say is that while all three were inspired, it looks more and more like a Tyler and Rashaad show down.

George’s hairstylist was quirky and fun, and there is never any real rule against making some one smile when it comes to fabricating a service robot.  It was easy to fall in love with his Jetson esque creation.  Each movement of the make-up brought a little more whimsy to her and I can admit I’d let it style my hair.  What didn’t work out for Venus however, was the texture.  She was missing that metallic sheen, at least to me.

Tyler’s surgical robot brought a lot to the table giving the judges a creation that looks like a continuation of current medical machinery.  I loved the idea of the suspended vacu-form face that gave it a human esque quality which would give a human a sense of familiarity.  In fact if it hadn’t been for the next creation Tyler would have clearly clenched top look of the day.

In the end it was Rashaad’s fire fighter robot that extinguished the competition.  This thing was amazing; there really are few other words to describe the sheer beauty of all the fabricated pieces.  With a large but well-shaped profile, Rashaad created a robot that demonstrated function with various bends and an exterior hose.  The paint job alone was a rough and battle weary red that screamed hero, but to me what sold it was the implementing of the gold eagle design into the chest.  This brought it from a level of function to a “real” character; you could almost feel pride exuding from the robot itself.  With this master piece Rashaad finally received his long await, but totally deserved win and I couldn’t agree more.

As for who went home, in the end Daren’s “I don’t do robots,” attitude seemed to step on his own foot and the judges decided it was time for him to pack up.  I honestly believe that he should have gone home last week for his purple disaster, but then again I’m no expert.  Still he put out great work and as we get closer to the finally it is only going to get tougher.  Good bye Daren, your creep factor will be missed but I definitely look forward to what you will come up with next!

Grab your gears, here are this episodes creations...

Face Off gets mutated: A face off recap

This week on face off we trip into the exciting world of mutants!  Each artist was given a super power to convey through a mutant creature that could walk right out films like the X-Men.  To aide them in the creation of their super powered mutations are fellow artists who are studying CGI at the Gnomon School of Visual effects, of which judge Neville is an alumni and a board member.  Using the program, Z brush, the sculptors are given the chance to see their creations in as a 3D sketch.  This, in my opinion, is a huge advantage because not only can you see what your creation will look like from every angle but the Z brush program also includes the ability to design textures.  Now you can not only plan a look but also get an idea how an application may turn out.  How incredible is that?  I was blown away by the accuracy these CGI artists were able to produce to the finished product.

In the lab itself, there are mixed emotions coming from every station about these mutants.  Graham who was given tunneling actually seems to almost resent his choice and is taking it out on a somewhat uninspired mole/mole rat creature.  He does take it in stride though as he includes a “droopy dog” voice during the preliminary application phase.  While funny to watch, there isn’t the same amount of love oozing from this bitterly inspired creation, nothing at all akin to last week’s Dahl inspired creature.

Speaking of last week, Niko is still reeling from being in the bottom looks category last week and is determined to rocket himself up from this with his “coiled” mutant.  His creation must demonstrate magnetic powers, in response Niko has designed a character built out of copper coiled skin.  Thankfully, unlike last week, Niko has decided to tone down his massive ideas and focus on what he can pull of this time.  The best part of the design was clearly the paint job of black and brushed copper that gave it an antique look that sold the creation.

Daren however, may have over shot himself this week.  With panoramic vision as a super power, Daren decides to implement strings of lights into his design.  The problem really occurs when sadly, the model accidently pulls them out as they become entangled on a chair.  This leaves Daren with opaque gelatin molds to apply to her face and a wing and a prayer that the judges see the intended look.  The muddled appearance and rudimentary paint job seemed forced and unclear.  There is nothing that really screams panoramic vision; my suggestion would have been some kind of visor or attention on the eyes instead of a dark resounding skin color.

George needed way more than a wing and a prayer this week, he need a muscle relaxer and a nap, maybe a heating pad… either way he needed medical attention.  It would appear that the strain of this completion had put a toll on his back and shoulder.  Still I must say I admire him for his push forward to create his “impenetrable skin” mutant.  The creation had a nice stone color and shape but sadly lacked texture to become top looks.

Rashaad went to the bottom of the ocean this week, calling upon the idea of an octopus to demonstrate elasticity.  I can see why you would pick an octopus but like Graham’s mole, it might seem a little uninspired.  What sets it apart is some well-done shaping and an intricate paint job that gives it just enough punch to rest in the middle of the road.  I have high hopes for him in the coming challenges simply because of the amount of work he can produce in a short amount of time is outstanding.

Finally we come to my favorite this season, everyone’s little energizer, Tyler!  Tyler received “wall crawling” as a mutant power.  What he created was a kind of fly man in transition.  The paint job was a great use of pallid pinks, purples and grey that was brought to life by hundreds of fabricated hairs.  He took the time not only to do a beautiful sculpt in the face but also to mold tiny “noodles” using a torch to give the illusion of tiny hairs speckled throughout the face and hands.  It was a brilliantly devised look that clearly conveyed a mutation in transition.      

In the end it is Graham’s lack of originality that sends him home.  I’m going to have to say that I strongly disagree and argue that they only kept Daren because of his past works and that to me seems to violate the idea the if you have to bring your best every week, either way, I’m not in charge, so instead I must say good bye to Graham this week and take comfort in knowing that he has a brilliant future ahead of him.  Meanwhile, Tyler takes another deserved top look, beating out Niko’s copper paint job by means of well executed fabrication.  Go team Tyler!


Creature Gallery

 

Foxy and Co.: A SyFy channel first look!

Last night was the first look at “Foxy and Co.” a show featuring 4 past contestants of Face off who have come together in order to achieve special effects greatness, and have a few good times along the way.  The stars of the shows include Eric Fox, Nicole Chilelli, Rj Haddy, and Roy Wooley from various seasons of Face Off who all come to the table with a various assortment of skills and trades.  Just based on watching these 4 interact I already am pushing for this show to be a real thing!  They start the show by testing a melting face!  I mean seriously how do you top having your face melted off as an opening act?!

Well after a brief welcome to the effects studio the team goes through a checklist of projects that they have to get through for a Zombie project about Zach: The Zombie Exterminator which includes a zombie dog, a gigantic fat zombie suit, a pool skimmer zombie decapitation device and a blood spray system that leaks green ooze.  Yeah comparatively speaking, my job blows.  In addition to the Zombie order, Nicole is presenting an idea for a breast cancer superhero for the Susan G. Komen foundation.

This was very heart wrenching for me after my scare last year, and I know it’s unfair but Foxy would have gotten my vote for that alone.  Her sketches include a dress made from the survivor ribbon as well as beautiful red boots and a beauty makeup to kick cancers ass!  Needless to say, she gets the job and the excitement in me swells.

In preparation for the design of the superhero Nicole meets with a cancer survivor who explains that she has just finished another round of chemo after finding cancer a second time.  By this time in my house, I’m getting way too emotional… I’m a chick, it’s what we do.  Nicole decides to honor the young woman by making the wig of the superhero removable which I believe was daring but, totally necessary.  All women are beautiful, despite what life throws at you!

Nothing however could have prepped me for the reveal.  After a wardrobe malfunction they get it together in a flash and the photographer clicks away at a beautiful superhero that is ready to fight this evil.  That would have been, and trust me was enough, to make my eyes serge tears of joy if it hadn’t been for the wig coming off.  I lost my cool completely.  What she did with that character needs to be everywhere.  It was strong and inspiring, proving that any woman is more than the looks on the outside but is the sum of her strength, grace and poise!  Well done Nicole! Well Done!

Back in the studio RJ and Roy make me wish I had followed my dreams into makeup as they test out various ways to make gooey, runny zombie blood.  Life is so unfair isn’t it?!  More important however, is how this concoction is to be sprayed when the Zombies are being killed.  After several hilarious and I’m guessing delicious by watching RJ’s sampling, attempts they settle on a fire extinguisher.  Now what do you do with a fire extinguisher full of green goop?  Spray it all over your friends… duh.  As Foxy soon finds out, See why I’m jealous?

The next item on the list requires the whole three man team as they prep a bod casting of the actor who with play a junk yard Zombie of considerable size and wrinkle.  What I loved about this is that they really took you through what it takes to make a mold and why this business can get so complicated so quickly.  The mold itself seems to be the enemy in all things special-effectsy, from the trouble in trying to get the full body mold to the trouble of trying to free the mold, and after watching so many episodes of face off… it just seems like molds suck.  I could be wrong now, but that always seemed to be the biggest obstacle.

At a preview of the effects the team shows off the pool skimmer decapitation device.  This thing is wicked.  Roy truly went to the quirky killer place with this one.  The trigger activated saw uses the ring of the skimmer itself to slice through the zombies head.  Brilliant!  Next we have the dog and RJ is all too eager to please the client when he agrees to combine the dog with the Junk yard zombie owner.  What comes out is a zombie choking on a zombie dog that is trying to escape his owners gut.

Altogether a great show that I hope gets picked up.  Go to the voting page and let’s keep Foxy and Co. going because I think we all need a little laugh and more amazing art in our lives!  


Go here, vote for Foxy!

All Dahl'ed Up: A Face Off Reccap

We welcome in a world of pure imagination as SyFy’s Face Off presents “What a Dahl” an episode devoted to the unseen characters of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  We are all familiar and have probably had our lives touched by this man at one point or another; it is through his works we learn about greed and selfishness and also about innocence and dreams.  Roald Dahl opened us to a world of whimsy and magic however, there was also mention of great fears and horrors of other worlds.  By now, almost everyone has seen or heard of the Oompa Loompa, those bright orange men that help Wonka with his magical factory and it is mentioned that these helpful, self-tanner afflicted beings, were a main food source for many ferocious creatures such as the Hornswogglers, Snozzwangers, Vermicious Knids, and Whangdoodles.  This week’s spotlight challenge is to create one of these never before seen characters to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  In a loving and thoughtful approach to the creator’s memory the guest judge is his daughter Lucy Dahl.  This challenge poses something wonderful and at the same time nerve racking, you have all the whimsy of pure imagination with the complication of no source materials.  Essentially you are the product and victim of your own imagination. 

Speaking of victims, no one had a harder time this week in the lab than Chloe.  Poor Chloe sets out to make a kind of flytrap design to her Vermicious Knid but has trouble at first settling on a shape of the head, either on the vertical or the horizontal.  I wish I could say that making a simple arrangement choice was the end of her woes, sadly it was not.  Due to the lack of time management, the cowl mold was unable to be cleaned properly causing her to need an express polymold, if that were to have come together perhaps she would have stood a chance.  Sadly, luck was not with Chloe in the lab as the polymers’ didn’t gel at all causing a stringy goopy mess and no cowl.  With no other option Chloe is forced to try to hide her actor in a pile of moss and fabric.  Now normally I would be sympathetic, however this is not the first mold problem she’s encountered, nor is it the first time she’s tried to hide unfinished product with fabric.  In my opinion, the sea horse dragon was proof that this completion was slightly out of her league.

Chloe is not the only one struggling through the challenge as Niko as well has a hard time working with his full body suit mold.  Seeing as it weighs 300 pounds he is desperate for Rashad’s help in trying to crack open the lynch pin of his design.  Thankfully, he had more luck than Chloe and is able to have his suit molded but he runs into a maze of seam work that inhibits him from really punching up the creature with the intended paint job.

Daren and George seem to stumble ever so slightly on the idea of really what figures into the universe of Dahl.  George fears that his killer bunny may be going to small and decides to include an open mouth chest piece of sharp teeth.  Daren struggles with whimsy itself, he is a horror man and in that tradition the silly and outlandish seems to be lost in translation.  Finding some inspiration in a horned lizard, by day tow, Daren’s whimsy reservations are no more.

On the other side of the room however, Dahl’s world seems to be bringing out the whacky and the vicious in Rashad, Tyler, and Graham.  Between duels colored monsters, elephant trunks and wormy fingers, it’s clear these guys are not afraid to get silly.  The truly seem to be bringing to life this fantastic world right in front of us, and it looks like a sweet treat.

As they head into last looks, it’s Niko and Chloe who are in dire panic to try to pull it together.  Niko fear’s his precious body suit has transformed from T-Rex to turkey.  Chloe tries desperately for somewhat of a finished paint job, who do you think you are girl?  Corinne?

Here are my notes:

Chloe:  You say you were inspired by a Venus flytrap… Clearly you meant a cabbage that has been embedded with tooth picks.

Daran:  I love the concept but it doesn’t scream Dahl to me.  I can see Seuss in the outfit and Henson in the design of the creature, neither looks bad but it doesn’t look Dahl.

George:  This week, the Easter bunny is going to kick your ass.  There is something about this huge pink muscly looking hopper that makes me happy and nervous… Oh yeah it’s the gaping hole full of teeth in its chest!

Graham:  This was so very special, I loved the bloody oompa loompa skulls and the berry bait that was included but what sold it for me, was the eyes sticking through the safari hat.  Truly amazing job this week!

Niko:  This looks like a birthday party mascot that would get severely beaten by older kids if you didn’t watch out.

Rashaad:  The paint job and design of this duel colored creature was amazing to see.  There were clearly tireless hours put into the sculpt and it totally paid off… Beautiful piece!

Tyler:  This thing scared both me and my son who stumbled out during the final reveal.  The only thing I could keep saying was kill it with fire!  Oh my god I will never look at worms the same way again.  Bleh!

So in the end Tyler clenches a much deserved victory, although Graham was really close and I would love to see these two go head to head.  In the wake of joy a bit of sadness that Chloe must be sent home, that does it this season for girls in the competition but, not to worry for she has resolved to keep trying in the make-up world… Try a tad harder… Just sayin.

See for yourself

My Big Fat Geek Wedding: Making single geeks hopeful.

So after ripping our faces off last night the SyFy channel unleashed its first look at a possible series My Big Fat Geek Wedding.  The premise of the show is that it will follow a couple around as they plan and put out elaborate weddings based on their ultimate fandoms.  A full hour of my night last night was devoted to geeks in love. 

Now as a devastatingly single mom with fandom issues of my own I was both delighted and depressed.  It’s true that someday I want to get married and have my own little slice of Westros, I want to set up a dread fort of my own and belt out let it go as I clean my house with the aide of my animal friends while my husband slaves away in the ogre wars.  However, this wedding was such a cross of so many fandoms that I felt like all we needed was zombies and chocolate covered bacon served by the doctor to make it a cliché.

I’m all for large weddings but our love birds Julian Roman and Mandie Bettencourt take the art of themed wedding to a level I have yet to see.  Working closely with Kristin Banta, a famous wedding planner to all things interesting a new the couple ties the knot after an 8 year courtship in what could only be described as a “happening in middle earth.”

Set at a castle in Hollywood the wedding included a costume tent for the “mundane” to adorn themselves in period fashions, a large feast hall, thrones, stilt walkers and fire performers and that was only the icing to a truly fandom cake.  Mid ceremony Khal Drogo made an appearance to take the bride back to the Dothraki horse tribe but was fought off by Legolas and the groom.  See what I mean by a happening?  In exchange for sparing the Khal’s life the union was blessed with their very own dragon.  Girlfriend where were you registered?

The reception really was beautiful as the bride's mother was remembered and she was delighted when her somewhat conservative father joined in the revelry.  The bridesmaids gave a passionate speech about being lucky to find each other because all us geeks feel alone.  Probably, because a lot of the fan community makes it that way, but it was a sweet tear soaked gesture.  The couple seems truly happy and I have nothing but wishes of luck to the two of them.

All in all it was a great show of geek love but, I couldn’t bring myself to vote for it due to my lack of interest in watching other people get married.  However, the option to vote does make it feel like I do have some power so, thanks SyFy.     

It will drive you mad: A FaceOff Recap

We gather round the SyFy channel again this week for another episode of the amazingly mediocre season of Faceoff.  After last week’s episode I was still kind of upset with the judges, and that was not a feeling of icy hate that thawed at all this week.  It is clear that Chloe should have gone home for that poorly made sex doll looking anime character last week that caused the judges to use their one save on Graham, so I’m still a little pissy when I see her on my screen.  Chloe has yet to really turn in a finished and complete project to date, in fact each project is noted as being very slapdash and hap hazardly put together, some people can just skate by I guess.

This week the team is taken to a horrible lab to be introduced to the next spot light challenge.  Around them are trappings of old experiments gone wrong and a table of antiquated medical torture devices.  The challenge is to create a character who is the victim of their mad scientist.

Determined to prove himself in this challenge Graham goes to work on the electrical shock therapy box and prepares to use lighting which is something we had not seen him use prior to this application.  I think it’s a smart move on his part because it can show a lot of versatility if it all comes together, but on Faceoff if’s are a huge risk.

Niko is setting to work on a pregnant woman’s stomach chest piece.  Inspired by the drill he wants to create a woman who has had her baby ripped from her.  What concerns Niko the most you ask?  Well the fact that he doesn’t want to offend anyone by showing a woman holding a fetus.  How could that possibly be offensive?

Rashad seems to be having a hard time becoming inspired by his gadget, which is a tool that is used to make holes in the cranium.  I guess you can say he needs more idea’s, like a hole in the head.  Okay, that joke sucked I’m sorry.

Over at Chloe’s station she is going big, and black and white.  She has decided to take her bone saw inspired creation to the dark side, or is it the grey side.  Once again these are huge risks that could either pay off handsomely or leave the judges wanting more.

Speaking of wanting more, Corinne is going small with her leeches’ project and to be honest I don’t know why.  There was so much she could have done to really bring out the gross and skin crawly element of leeches.  I personally would have had them crawling out of everywhere and oozing fat with blood so they looked positively squish able.  Hey no accounting for inspiration I suppose.

Two artists nearly come to a “head” when Tyler and Daren both realize that they’re creatures share a duality.  They both are going for the two headed effect and must now decide how to make them stand out from one another.  Daren seems apprehensive, but Tyler assures him that his being conjoined twins and Daren’s being many faces sewn together that they are far enough removed that the judges won’t penalize them. 

It is George however, that is smacked in the face, or back rather by intense pain.  As he attempts to move his mold, his back spasms and the only real cure for that is time and ice.  Still he attempts to soldier on to create his chest and back spreader inspired victim.

The episode as a whole went by really slow as there wasn’t a whole lot of anything serious, save Corinne and Rashad constantly second guessing themselves and knowing their creatures just aren’t right.  My question is, why wouldn’t you fix it then?  I mean if you are looking at what you made and you are not happy with it, you should take that moment to correct the mistake right?!  Apparently ignoring your gut feelings leads you all the way to the reveal stage as the contestants put on the finishing touches.

Chloe:  First up is Chloe who totally redeemed herself by turning in an amazingly whimsical, grey scale, Frankenstein esque creation.  This is an example of a risk really paying off in the realm of Faceoff.  I have to say my favorite part of her design is the face.  It has a funny yet very spooky jack o lantern feel to it.  The clothing as well seems to add to the whimsy of the innovative idea.  Very impressed.

Corinne:  This is simple, and altogether sad.  There seems to be a real element of terror missing from the tiny leeches that don’t really read from too far off.  All of the great elements of horror that you would expect from a victim just wasn’t there.

Daren:  Flat out this thing gave me the hibby – Jebbeys.  The face rip was so perfectly blended for the concept that it was making it hard to watch and then the model blinked.  Because the rip was down the center an eye from both faces blinked and I lost my cool.  I couldn’t even look at it.  Now that’s a successful make-up.

George:  George struggled through pain to complete this open chested character but then did something terrible by coving him in the gown.  It really seemed to detract from the amazing pieces he had made.

Graham:  This thing was pretty cool looking.  I have to take the time to really complement the mouth and the way it was stretched to reveal fake, but well done teeth.  Not a top look but, the lights did pay off in the end.

Niko:  The face is completely busted and she looks like a fat woman holding a bloody hamster… just No!

Rashaad:  I think if you had done both less and more it would have succeeded.  You needed to do less of that ridiculous jaw and way more of the wonderful holes in the head.

Tyler:  Not great this week, but Daren did totally kill you on the two headed idea.  I’m so sorry my little energizer.

In the end this week Daren got the win he so richly deserved after that creepy creation, and we said goodbye to Corinne.  I was sad to see her go, however this is about finding a master and it’s time that the middle of the road starts to thin out.  Good luck to you out there lady!  May the “Face” be with you!    

http://www.syfy.com/faceoff/photos/face_off_s06_e0609_spotlight_challenge

Carvers: Making Art with a knife

The SyFy channel is always on at the Lovett’s nest, largely due to really bad B horror flicks and my obsession with monster make up.  Yes, I did just look off longingly into the distance wishing I had followed my heart to become a special effects artist.   We all have dreams, mine are usually crushed, that’s why I blog.  Anywho… So Tuesday, March 4^th’s face off ends (you can read my review below if you missed it… and catch my weekly take by following my blog *hint hint*) and what flashes on my screen but a SyFy Channel First: Carvers. 

This show follows a pair of master sculptors, Ray Villafane and Andy Bergholtz, who have made a life for themselves by making fantastical works of art chiseled from an array of mediums including chocolate, pumpkins, ice, the list goes on…  The creative side of me would not let me change the channel, yes I sat through an hour of people making monsters and now I was going to sit through an hour of people sculpting creatures, welcome to Tuesday.  So how does one get into the carving game?  Well this whole venture started with Ray’s love of art, and abilities to pick awesome friends.  Ray taught k-12 art for many years before deciding to go all in on the sculpting venture; thankfully he had his trust partner Andy to follow him into the battle.  Remember kids, good friends will help you move your art, great friends help you make it!

The first challenge the boys faced was to create a chocolate Medusa bust for the screening party for Face Off Season 6 at Mackenzie Westmore’s beautiful estate.  You had me at German chocolate, oh and you have over 50 pounds of it to use?  Curse you television for showing me that everyone has the sweet treats I crave. 

So how do they pull this off?  Well first they need a model, for that they enlist the help of Andy’s wife.  Andy’s wife has got to be one of the best sports I have ever scene as they take a capture of her face in plaster and silicone.  This is a long and “pressing” process where she is practically entombed in this stuff for hours.  How does she keep from killing him?  Flat out, he would be very, very dead.  After he completes the mold, and Andy is released from her plaster prison the duo can begin tempering the chocolate to get their tasty base.  The goal is to detail a bust and then fabricate the snakes out of foam to be covered in chocolate.  The difficulty?  Chocolate melts as it gets warm, so essentially, you can’t hold or handle the medium like you would normally do.  The two soldier on in pursuit of chocolate deity fame as they prep for the reveal, bonus? We get a beautiful view of both Mackenzie and her exquisite home; I guess when you spend time around monsters you need some beauty to balance out the beast.  This is exactly why the bust is a perfect addition to her home as they present a gorgeously scrumptious demi-goddess entombed in decadence, she’s positively good enough to eat, and Mackenzie does with a chomp on the nose.

The next half of the show finds our carvers in a battle for pumpkin supremacy overseas.  The pair has been hired to carve 70 pumpkins to create an exhibit at Ocean World, a theme park in Hong Kong, China.  First off, this theme park looks awesome so I’m pretty jealous already.   It’s like Sea World mixing with Six Flags or something.

So right off the bat, there aren’t too many pumpkins in of show size and quality in China, and oh yeah they need 70!  Well lucky for these two they have amazing friends Chris and Sue to help shoulder the burden and several large pumpkins from Kentucky being shipped in.  Now, this is only the beginning to the largest pumpkin fiasco they have ever faced.  You can hire helpers and ship in produce but, you cannot control the humidity in China!  As they begin to work on a giant Cthulhu like creature they soon run into a problem of mushy proportions, their pumpkin is literally melting mid sculpt.  Every cut they make wicks away into a gelatinous, orangey yellow goop.

In response to the goo, the boys change the design to become three expressive pumpkins trying to escape a tank of razor sharp fanged fish.  They complete the project but, something is missing.  As they look over the 1000 lb.  Pumpkin on display they decide that they need to carve one more!  They set upon the pumpkin to create a huge Jack-O-Lantern and pumpkin goblin of grotesque beauty.  As the crowd of on lookers invades “Pumpkin House,” the guys are presented with the record for the largest display of carved pumpkins and a certificate from Ripley’s Believe it or Not.  Pretty cool right?

So that’s it for the “First look” at Carvers.  Do this show a favor, watch it at SyFy.com, and if you like it give it the thumbs up and let them know they should give it a very serious go.  There is always room for more art out there, take the time to enjoy it.