"Palms" Small Wall Relief Update

Original concept sketch.

Had some time today to work a little more on the "Palms" small wall sculpture, which will become part of the "City of the Twin Serpents" artifact series.

Item Availability Update and Waiting List

Well, as I've shown here at this blog, I've been hard at work at getting batches of Siva Linga Stone replicas done and available again. I've gotten quite a few requests from potential buyers who have placed their name down for one (or three in some cases!). All have been paid for and shipped, and I now only have a small handful of unclaimed pieces left of the last batch to be painted. If you want one and have been waiting for them to be officially available to order, PLEASE feel free to send me an email and I'll gladly put one aside for you.

New batches of the Medallion Display Stands will be available again soon, so keep an eye out for those. As stated above, email me if you wish to be placed on a waiting list.

It's long been on hiatus, but I really will try to make the Idol Artifact Pedestals available again. The initial production process was just a little too trial-and-error for a consistent run. This is due to the two-part casting process involved with this item. About a half-inch of casting material would be poured into the mold, then a measured and cut piece of styrene foam is placed on the slush. Once the slush is solid enough to hold onto the foam the rest of the casting material is poured in, resulting in a solid casting that is light weight relative to its size. This two-part process created too many variables and occasionally resulted in bad castings I had to reject. I'm currently devising a simpler process that will hopefully remove these variables and achieving a more consistent run. When that time comes, you'll be sure to read about it here. Again, if you wish to be placed on a waiting list, shoot me an email.

As of this writing, I have only ONE Twin Serpent Guardian Spirit wall sculpture available and ready to ship. More castings are standing by waiting to be painted however.

I have just a handful of the "Fangs" small wall sculpture available and ready to ship, with other castings waiting be painted.

Only two of the "Tongue" small wall sculpture is available and ready to ship, also with additional raw castings standing by.

First Finished Siva Linga Stones From New Batch

I had just finished painting six Siva Linga stones, all of which are pretty much called for, so there's still tons of work left to do.

Left to right: fresh casting out of the mold, primed base coated casting, final product.

Left: three more base coated castings ready to be completed.

Oh come on! Is that all?

Nope!

These guys are waiting to be cleaned up, sealed, and base coated. And yes, there will be more to replenish these.

Suffice to say that these will take priority over all projects for a while. The plan is to make this batch as large as time permits. Stay tuned.

Having a Little Fun as Captain Jack... One Last Time!

This here is a quick and sloppy video I did just for fun, just before changing out of the costume on Halloween night. It was to be my last time donning the gear until the Ren Faire reopens sometime mid next year so I thought I'd play around in it for a few minutes. Still working on the voice, accent, and mannerisms.

Mayan Inspired Ceremonial Candle Holder – Finished Sculpt

Now here's something I haven't worked on in a while. It's another addition to my "City of the Twin Serpents" series of artifacts. This is the final master sculpt for this little item with just a few minor surface detailing to add. It features four different faces seemingly carved out of stone.

This first photo shows it with a battery-operated tea light for test fitting.

Miscellaneous Projects...

While cleaning up my work area I was pouring in some plaster out of a bag and into a waterproof bucket, in the process releasing quite the cloud of airborne dust so I had to run and get my window fan to vent the debris out. Then I thought, "ah what the heck... let me get the hot knife out and carve some foam." When melted, XPS foam releases a pretty nasty aroma so the window fan is a must. So I began working on some quick, on-the-fly projects. One of them was something I've been meaning to get to for a while.

A while back I ought this nifty replica of the "One Ring of Sauron" from The Lord of the Rings. I had no way of properly displaying it so I had it stashed away. But not anymore...

Finally got the ol' hot knife out and carved me a foam rocky base. The case is one of those cheap photo cubes you can get at any arts and crafts store. I'll be fashioning a label card for it eventually so it looks more like a museum piece, and not the cheap ring that it really was.

I also got to making this...

As I'll be handing out candy this Halloween as Captain Jack Sparrow I figured the front door needed a centerpiece.

This will also fit right into my pirate themed man cave!

Siva Linga Stones Replicas Update

Most of the castings are now cured so they've been cleaned up and prepped for sealing and eventual base-coating with a dark brown primer (like the ones seen in the above pic of a previous run). I'll be posting another update when the first few are boxed up and ready to ship.

Siva Linga Stone Replicas Update

I did a quick sloppy repair of the mold and it looks like it's gonna hold up. I just pulled a casting from the mold and it seems to work. To be on the safe side, I'll be de-molding these very gently.

See? Good news.

Siva Linga Stone Replicas - Fall 2013 Castings Update

Been casting these as time permits. Unfortunately it looks like it's time for this mold to retire so I'll probably need to produce a new one, or repair the existing one. I'll try the latter first. This couldn't have happened at a worse time (Halloween is approaching fast and that means other projects). I guess I can't complain too much as this one mold has been THE single mold I've been using ever since I've produced these, so it's had quite a bit of mileage, mostly due to the simple and relatively smooth surface (the more abrasive and complex the form, the more stress on the mold).

In the meantime, here are the castings I have so far. Not pictured are an additional 3 that have base coats on.

As I've said before, due to several requests, I'm making these high priority on my work bench. Having that said, these to take some time to produce. If it seems agonizingly slow... it is! There's only one mold so they are cast one at a time... and it's just me and my two hands doing these. What I wouldn't give to be an octopus right now.

Stay tuned for further updates.

New Batch of Sivalinga Stones in the Works!

Due to several requests, as well as the overwhelming positive responses to this piece, I'll be making new batches of siva linga stones. I had already recently ordered more material to produce the stones and as soon as I'm ready to rock and roll I I'll be casting them like crazy! My goal is to make as large a batch as I can, but these things take time as they are hand-made and done as time permits. As soon as I have a few ready to ship, I'll be posting and update and announcing them as being "back in stock," at the same time working on more to increase the inventory.

While I don't have a specific timeframe at this point, I'm hoping to have some ready by the end of October. I'm working on several projects simultaneously, including a new small wall sculpture, painting more units of the "Twin Serpent" wall relief, the "Fangs" small wall relief, and the "Tongue" small wall relief (the latter three are in stock and ready to ship as of this writing), plus my halloween costume which is becoming somewhat more and more elaborate (details on that later). So for those who've been waiting for these to come back, I thank you for your infinite patience.

Keep checking right here on this blog for updates.

Meeting Captain Jack Sparrow at the PA Renaissance Faire

My first time at the PA Renaissance Faire last weekend my wife and a friend, and met up with one infamous scalawag, Captain Jack Sparrow. Being from another century he was understandably mesmerized by my rather modern camera.

I'll definitely be going back. We had an absolute blast.

Back in Stock

"Tongue" small wall relief sculpture. Click HERE to order yours!

New Wall Relief in the Works!

Here's a sneak peek at the next sculpt from the "City of the Twin Serpents" series of artifacts... tentatively called "Hands" (although it might become its official designation in the end). It'll be similar in size to the previous "Fangs" design.

Stay tuned!

Back In Stock!

The 12-inch tall "Twin Serpent Guardian Spirit" wall relief is back in stock and ready to ship.

Click HERE to order yours, or for more information.

"Fangs" Small Wall Relief - Now Available To Order

I have a batch of these beauties on hand, boxed up and ready to ship to you.

Measures approximately 4 1/2" tall x 4 1/4" wide.

Hand-crafted and meticulously hand-painted with a beautiful ancient stone-like finish. 

Features sturdy wire loop for easy wall hanging.

Click HERE to order yours!

"Fangs" Small Wall Relief — Final Product Images

Here are a few images of the "Fangs" small wall relief in its final painted form.

Here it is next to the "Tongue" design on the left. The "Fangs" relief is wider and thicker in volume.

Available soon! Click HERE to visit product page for more information.

The "Tongue" design will also soon be back in stock.

City of the Twin Serpents Wall Reliefs — 2nd Batch

The initial batch ended up being much smaller than I expected but fret not, more are coming soon to replenish them.

Here are some new fresh castings of the "Tongue" and "Fangs" small wall reliefs.

And here is a stack of fresh new castings of the "Twin Serpent Guardian Spirit" wall relief.

Now Available!

Twin Serpent Guardian Spirit – Wall Relief

Deep in the unexplored depths of the South American Peruvian jungles, a great lost city, now known as the City of the Twin Serpents, was discovered in 1936 by British archaeologist and explorer, Dr. James H. Hemlock. It was the home of an advanced civilization previously unknown to western man, sharing many characteristics of ancient Mayan culture, though isolated for generations. Many artifacts were retrieved, catalogued and studied, and thought to be cursed by the so-called Twin Serpent Guardian Spirit. How the civilization came to an end is a mystery as no burial remains were found in the vicinity.

The expedition was cut short with the unexplained deaths of the excavators. All involved in the removal of artifacts were found dead in their tents, their veins swollen with snake venom, though no bite marks were ever found anywhere on their bodies. The sudden disappearance of Dr. Hemlock later that year further perpetuated the legend. Nearing the end of the expedition, a massive earthquake suddenly erupted and a great chasm opened across the central courtyard, slowly devouring the entire city, burying it deep forever beneath the earth. Only five of a crew of thirty escaped with their lives. The Peruvian government later proclaimed the entire area forbidden.

This artifact is one of only a few that were retrieved from the lost city. It is a stone carving retrieved from the massive slab that blocked the entrance to the city's sacrificial chamber. The Twin Serpent guardian spirit is personified on the carving as a disembodied face with owl-like eyes clutching two serpents in his enormous fists. Above his head, the image of death. According to Dr. Hemlock's documents, this chamber was used by two temple priests, who performed ritual sacrifices to the guardian spirit. The victims were dropped into a pit infested with thousands of venomous snakes. It was the natives' belief that this would give them another season of good harvest.

Landron Artifacts is proud to present this astounding piece. For reasons unknown to us, the curator of the J. H. Hemlock Museum of Antiquities was all too eager to be rid of this and other artifacts relating to the City of the Twin Serpents expedition. No explanation was given and they still won't return our phone calls. However, we consider ourselves extremely fortunate to be given this rare opportunity and can assure you with complete confidence that these artifacts are NOT cursed.


FEATURES:

Measures approximately 12" tall x 8" wide.

Hand crafted and meticulously hand-painted with a beautiful ancient stone-like finish.

Features sturdy wire loop for easy wall hanging.



Click HERE to order yours, or for more information.

"Tongue" – Small Wall Relief

Deep in the unexplored depths of the South American Peruvian jungles, a great lost city, now known as the City of the Twin Serpents, was discovered in 1936 by British archaeologist and explorer, Dr. James H. Hemlock. It was the home of an advanced civilization previously unknown to western man, sharing many characteristics of ancient Mayan culture, though isolated for generations. Many artifacts were retrieved, catalogued and studied, and thought to be cursed by the so-called Twin Serpent Guardian Spirit. How the civilization came to an end is a mystery as no burial remains were found in the vicinity.

The expedition was cut short with the unexplained deaths of the excavators. All involved in the removal of artifacts were found dead in their tents, their veins swollen with snake venom, though no bite marks were ever found anywhere on their bodies. The sudden disappearance of Dr. Hemlock later that year further perpetuated the legend. Nearing the end of the expedition, a massive earthquake suddenly erupted and a great chasm opened across the central courtyard, slowly devouring the entire city, burying it deep forever beneath the earth. Only five of a crew of thirty escaped with their lives. The Peruvian government later proclaimed the entire area forbidden.

This artifact is one of only a few that were retrieved from the lost city. It is a small tablet featuring the frightening face of a guardian spirit, his tongue hanging out of his hungry open mouth as though wanting a taste of your soul. Or is he just mocking the excavators?

Landron Artifacts is proud to present this astounding piece. For reasons unknown to us, the curator of the J. H. Hemlock Museum of Antiquities was all too eager to be rid of this and other artifacts relating to the City of the Twin Serpents expedition. No explanation was given and they still won't return our phone calls. However, we consider ourselves extremely fortunate to be given this rare opportunity and can assure you with complete confidence that these artifacts are NOT cursed.

FEATURES:

Measures approximately 4 3/4" tall x 3 1/2" wide.

Hand crafted and meticulously hand-painted with a beautiful ancient stone-like finish.

Features sturdy wire loop for easy wall hanging.


Click HERE to order yours, or for more information.

"Tongue" Small Wall Relief — Final Product Images!!!

FEATURES:

Measures approximately 4 3/4" tall x 3 1/2" wide.

Hand crafted and meticulously hand-painted with a beautiful ancient stone-like finish. 

Features sturdy wire loop for easy wall hanging.

Click HERE to visit the product page and for more info.