Running Buffalo

I this one might have to wait till the Dayton show but I wrapped him up this morning so will take him along to the OKC show.  He turned out pretty good.  I had my doubts for a while as I had originally planned on him holding a buffalo skull instead of a drum but that idea didn't work out.  Maybe next time.   I did try something new with the drum as I actually made a minature drum with a leather drum head and beater!  I remembered back to when while in  Boy Scouts we made some neckerchief slides out of a piece of thin leather stretched over a section of aluminum pipe.  I took that idea a little farther and used wood instead of the metal.  Just cut the outside diameter and then cut through that to cut the center out and then glued it together.  I wet the leather and then stretched it over the frame and tied it.  Worked out pretty good.  Once it dried it because pretty taunt.
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Looking forward to the OKC show in hopes that there will be a wildlife carver there who can give me some tips on duplicating fur a little better than I did here.  While it looks okay I'm sure it could look better.
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Anyway, hope you like him and there are more photos in the Gallery.

Muy Caliente - Wrapping Him Up!

Well, believe it or not, after almost 10 hours of videos we’ve come to the end of this project.  It certainly has been a challenging one at times but always fun and I think we ended up with a pretty clever and unique character which is what we always want and strive for.  I hope you enjoyed the trip and possibly even picked up a tip or two.  I know I learned a few things.   I’ll put some photos in the Gallery once the nameplate shows up and as always, we appreciate your comments.
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Oh, I forgot one thing!  I have a right arm and a plate with chili, tamales and a couple of hot peppers left over.  So, as I don't have any plans on using them I'll give them free of charge to the first person to submit a comment on this post.  Maybe you can use them on your figure or use them as a guide.  Whatever, just drop me a comment and they're yours.

Muy Caliente - Part 23

We finally give some color to the face.

Muy Caliente - Part 22

Let’s cook some Chili!!

Muy Caliente - Part 21

We’re almost finished with the painting.  The only thing left now is to cook up some chili which we’ll do in the next one.

Muy Caliente - Part 20

Hey!!  We’re back on track.  The vest is fixed and the paint is flowing again.  Aside from a momentary interruption by the “Fickle Finger of Fate” we’re once again on the downhill stretch.   At least till the next goof!

Muy Caliente - Part 19

MAJOR SCREW-UP!  Judy was kind enough to point out a major mistake on this figure.  Thanks a lot Honey!  No really!  Thanks for catching this now before it was too late.  I’ve made lots of mistakes before but not one of this magnitude, at least not on video.  But, as I said when first posting these videos, any mistakes I make will be shown because just like most I too make some pretty good goofs and this is certainly one of those.  So, in the next one we’ll see if I can dig myself out.

Cotton-Eyed Joe

I've wanted to do this character for quite some time and I think this figure pretty well exhibits all the characteristics that I think make him interesting.  I think everyone familiar with him knows that he's come country yahoo but they might not know that being cotton-eyed also might mean that he has cataracts. Now no one would wish that condition on even a yahoo but it was and is a fact of life so we shouldn't ignore it.  It certainly doesn't seem to bother this bumpkin.
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I lifted the neckerchief idea from a small bust of Festus I came across a while back.  I really liked the way it was draped across the shoulders instead of just hanging straight on the chest.  
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Anyway, I hope you like him and look forward to your comments.  More photos in the Gallery.

Muy Caliente – Part 18

A thin mustache, a few dots, and some stained pants! 

Muy Caliente - Part 17

Okay, let’s paint the hat!

Muy Caliente - Part 16

With this video we start to add some color to our Mexican.  I’ll only concentrate on the face as that seems to be what is most requested. 

The Top Hand

Just put the final touches on this one this morning.  He turned out really well.  I especially like the muted colors of the shirt and neckerchief.  The chaps look pretty worn too so he's evidently seen some time in the saddle.
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Hope you like him.  There are more photos in the Gallery and your comments are always welcome.