I'm hearing more people ask how I made the helmet so I threw together this blog post to hopefully explain it a little.
STEP 1: find helmet parts
-----> Stroll into the ol' Salvation Army and find a clear soup ladle to turn into a helmet. (yes the clear part of the helmet is a centuries old, scratched up, diseased old soup ladle)
STEP 2: build helmet structure
-Broke the ladle ----> taped up Plushform head
------> used paperclay to shape helmet around the plush's head.
------> To ensure stability of helmet and that the hardened clay around the plastic would stay in place the entire thing was coated with GOLDEN gel medium (it hardens like plastic).
STEP 3: Start adding details
------> with a solid helmet structure that fits on the plush's head dry it was on to building up details using more paperclay... but wait..out of paperclay. ---> no art stores in the area have any more -----> continue using DAS instead (DAS is much easier to find, but not as easy to blend pieces of clay together, much heavier and harder to wash off...but still works well)
STEP 4: Finish Helmet structure
------> The helmet still needed more of a finished shape. ------> attached an old cut cable around to the front for an oxygen tube, tape held it in place as the gel medium dried for a permanent hold.
------> For the tanks on the a toilet paper roll cut in half and stuffed with newspaper worked perfectly. (They were attached with clay through the middle of the tubes onto the helmet structure and dried out a day before moving on)
STEP 5: how to display a plush doll that has no feet and a very heavy head?
------> That's when it hit me, let nothing go to waste! I decided to use the ladle handle that was already discarded as a way to prop up the doll so it stands by itself. ---> one day, carve out channel for ladle handle to be glued in, then superglue in place and fill with gel medium. ----> day two, medium is dry-add clay over the top to seal and let dry a few more days (would probably dry twice as fast if it was summer)
CONTINUED: To see the rest, click "older post" on the very bottom, on the right.
