Tapir Tiny~✿

UPDATE #1

I've started to make a little tapir tiny on a random urge- he's roughly pipos jr. pi sized- though shorter at the moment, stockier, and chubbier. This is the third doll I've started making, but I haven't finished the other two. The one is a very very tiny doll that I don't think I have the skill to take further yet at that size and the second is a distorted human figure that may post up once I have better photos that I was making for my thesis. But enough about them! I have a lot to learn before I get good at joints, but I am becoming more comfortable as a whole with sculpting. I have noticed that I tend to torque the center line though around the z axis- not so much the x and y- but it's always a hard fix. I worked this guy as a single piece from the start as I think it helps with form but I've had to take the head and legs off to work on the torque and lengthen the neck. I think the body is going well, but the head is a bit of trip since tapir's aren't exactly one of those 'natural' looking animals. I've had two days I've worked on him sculpting and today I chopped him up and started making the ball joints and hopefully will get a bit further. This stage is the hardest for me as it means dremeling which I can't do for more than a few minuets with my thumb being shot and I have most of my dremeling rations taken up by a commission to finish.

Here after the second day's work. You can see my lines for how I plan to split him. On some wonderful advice that I could split the body joints at where the colors split (on a Malaysian tapir) I'm going with that- especially because if I get brave enough to cast I can have two tone resin that wouldn't wear like a paint job would. He looks like gonzo without his ears.. >_>;;



For amusement, this was part of my planning- I took a photo of a tapir baby and chopped it up in Photoshop to make it bipedal to compare to my initial sketch. It worked better than I expected! I made some position changes after seeing the Photoshopped image especially in the arm.


Also for the heck of it- the best tapir from the front reference I've found just to show all the weird distortions. I'm obviously cartooning my doll, but this is a good image for me to try to keep the liking of a tapir in there somewhere. (that's a peanut he's eating, btw)

 

Thank you everyone~ I hope that posting it makes me finish it! I worked the ball joint for the neck and one thigh on yesterday and made a few balls for the ears and arms. Neck up is refining the neck joint and head and making the legs symmetrical before chopping them up.

 

I've barely touched this guy in the last two years between graduating, moving (three times) and starting my job. He is on the list for this summer though!
I'm really pleased with his head on a whole and how is body is going, but I hate how the legs are fitting in right now. I seem to have a real problem with legs when I sculpt.. ah well- just another challenge to conquer! Thank you for all the kinds words in the past and sorry for the radio silence on this little guy.
View attachment 470