New Art Print Added in New Series of Victorian "Steampunk" Art

"The Nautilus Engine Room"

11" x 17" Photographic print (full bleed)

In what I'm hopping will become a series of "steampunk" type art, I just added a recently completed piece reproduced from one of the many beautiful engravings found in the early editions of Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea." In this image we see the mysterious Captain Nemo giving Professor Aronnax a tour of the engine room of his infamous vessel, the Nautilus. 

Many 19th century illustrations such as these are under the public domain, but this one is specially reproduced here in an atmospheric and aged quality and with gritty color tones (The original engraving was composed entirely of black linework).

 

(Close up views)

Printed on high quality photo paper. This piece is printed in an entirely photochemical process, assuring you the highest quality reproduction. This is not a cheap ink-jet print. Print size is 11 inches wide and 17 inches tall and is shipped carefully rolled in a durable cardboard mailing tube.

Click HERE to order yours!

Idol Artifact Pedestal Economy Version - 1st Pulls

The fresh new mold is getting a workout (and so am I for that matter), and the second pull came out much closer to the desired weight (see previous post for more info on that).

The surface details from the master sculpt reproduced beautifully on the casting.

It's hard to see the details due to the lighting and the flat white color of the fresh casting, but once it's prepped up and painted, all the little chips, cracks and nooks will really pop.

Here it is next to a miniature swimming pool.... no wait, that's the mold.

 

Please, DON'T throw me the Idol... it's really heavy and I don't want my skull cracked open.

The two first castings are still drying and will take another several days before they're fully cured. Then they'll be ready for sealing, priming, and painting. Stay tuned for a look at a completed piece.

Idol Artifact Pedestal - Economy Version... Test Casting in Progress!

FINALLY!!!! The mold for the Idol Artifact Pedestal "Economy" version is finally complete and is now undergoing a test casting to see how it all turns out. So far the mold is perfect and came out exactly as I wanted.

For the test castings, I'm experimenting on a casting method I had used on my original 18" diameter Idol pedestal. To save on material costs, and to keep the finished castings lighter in weight I'm doing this as a "sandwich" casting. Hydrocal gypsum cement (which is what I'll be using for these) is pretty darn heavy, so by using less material I'll be keeping the weight to a minimum, which will drastically lower the shipping costs, allowing me to keep the final price as low as possible.

What's involved in this method is pouring in a nice 1/2" layer of gypsum on the bottom of the mold. Then when the gypsum reaches a slushy state, I add a pre-cut, pre-measured round piece of rigid foam (this becomes the core of the final casting). The foam is very lightweight but also very strong. Then once the foam has properly anchored itself in the slush, I add the final pouring. The result, a rock-hard, solid but lightweight piece...  here's hoping.

As of this writing, I just pulled the first casting and it's beautiful! But it's still a tad of the heavy side. I'll need to try again adding a thicker piece of foam for the core. Once I reach the desired weight, I'll post another update. Stay tuned! And fingers crossed!

Idol Artifact Pedestal — Economy Version Getting Prepped for Molding!

After a hiatus due to the Medallion Display Stand mold fiasco, I just placed an order for silicone to make the mold for the long delayed Idol Artifact Economy Pedestal. The master sculpt seen in the above image is currently getting prepped for molding.

Stay tuned!

BACK IN STOCK!!!

The Medallion Display Stands are back in stock and ready to ship! As of this writing, both Egyptian and Aztec color styles are available, though the Aztec color style stands are normally made in smaller quantities as the Egyptian color style is the most requested. As always, if you do end up getting a "sold out" message, rest assured that more will be made available as time permits, and keep checking right here for the latest updates.

Click HERE to order yours.