So... I'm back. Kind of. No longer doing costuming and instead am doing custom props, set design and creature builds for a local company. I'm not going to name them just because, well, for the most part it's great. However, still have to deal with the occasional unbuffered customer.
So, I'm painting on an elaborate monster build. It's 7 feet tall, has punched hair and fur (separate pieces, they get attached after the painting) foam sculpted textures painted with latex paints and articulated joints. Possible we might make the face articulate because we left room for it.
Anyway, we're nearing completion. There's got to be at least 20 hours of painting on this thing and the client comes in today to do a viewing. The client comes in with a folder. In this folder are photos of these sea slugs that are translucent with glowy bio-luminescent hues. Have to admit they're neat animals but they have nothing to do with this build.
The client, however, looks to me and asks "Can we do something like this?"
I ask "What, you mean make it glow? Sure, we have UV reactive paints and even some glow-in-the-dark stuff." I don't tell him that I think it'd look horrible since the creature is more mammalian than bug or invertebrate.
He says "No, can you make it invisible?"
I ask "Um, you mean ... wait, what?"
"Can you make it clear!"
Mind you, this stuff is foam and latex. Build is nearing the 'done' stages and is almost camera ready. We could redo it in a clear urethane or resin or, well, a dozen different materials but would require rebuilding it from scratch.
So I reply "Well, we could redo it from scratch. It would require rebuilding it from ground zero and starting over but..."
"No no no! I mean, don't you have paints that can make it clear?"
"Make it... clear?"
"Yeah! Like that stuff they used on Predator to make it invisible!"
"Uh.... you're going to have to ask my boss about that."
Seems you can't escape the stupid. Thankfully, not working for myself anymore so stupid rolls uphill.
So, I'm painting on an elaborate monster build. It's 7 feet tall, has punched hair and fur (separate pieces, they get attached after the painting) foam sculpted textures painted with latex paints and articulated joints. Possible we might make the face articulate because we left room for it.
Anyway, we're nearing completion. There's got to be at least 20 hours of painting on this thing and the client comes in today to do a viewing. The client comes in with a folder. In this folder are photos of these sea slugs that are translucent with glowy bio-luminescent hues. Have to admit they're neat animals but they have nothing to do with this build.
The client, however, looks to me and asks "Can we do something like this?"
I ask "What, you mean make it glow? Sure, we have UV reactive paints and even some glow-in-the-dark stuff." I don't tell him that I think it'd look horrible since the creature is more mammalian than bug or invertebrate.
He says "No, can you make it invisible?"
I ask "Um, you mean ... wait, what?"
"Can you make it clear!"
Mind you, this stuff is foam and latex. Build is nearing the 'done' stages and is almost camera ready. We could redo it in a clear urethane or resin or, well, a dozen different materials but would require rebuilding it from scratch.
So I reply "Well, we could redo it from scratch. It would require rebuilding it from ground zero and starting over but..."
"No no no! I mean, don't you have paints that can make it clear?"
"Make it... clear?"
"Yeah! Like that stuff they used on Predator to make it invisible!"
"Uh.... you're going to have to ask my boss about that."
Seems you can't escape the stupid. Thankfully, not working for myself anymore so stupid rolls uphill.
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