# Sawtooth gets a body



## Sawtooth Jack (Apr 9, 2011)

So, I've been posting around here a bunch in the "fun" sections, but not showing any progress on my Sawtooth prop (I guess that's what I'm calling it now). That said, I thought I'd show a pic I took of the torso work I constructed a couple of weeks ago. I've since managed to add a few layers of mache to the torso, attach the head and finish up the arms, which are detachable. This weekend I'll add the final paper mache layers and start the base, which will also be detachable. Once all this rain stops I'll get outside and do some painting. Anyway, here's a sneak peek and I'll try and take some pictures this weekend of the entire prop before painting and final touches.


----------



## tuck (Oct 27, 2007)

Looks great....I can never get the torso to look right. I'll use this picture for guidance. Thanks!


----------



## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

I like the look of the ribs. What is Sawtooth going to be when he grows up?


----------



## Sawtooth Jack (Apr 9, 2011)

RoxyBlue said:


> I like the look of the ribs. What is Sawtooth going to be when he grows up?


Oops, I guess I should start at the beginning! He's going to be the giant pumpkin-headed entity at the center of my new display this year. The unfinished pumpkin head I displayed in my introductory thread is the head that is attached to this body (the old picture is below. I've modified the head a bit since this pic). The hand is one of his as well, and he has two long spindly arms to go with them. He should be about 8 feet tall when done. More pics in a few days!


----------



## Stinky Pete (May 2, 2011)

That looks great! I can't wait to see more pics as he develops.


----------



## Sawtooth Jack (Apr 9, 2011)

Today I found some time to construct the stand for my Sawtooth prop. It's all made from PVC and reinforced inside with additional PVC tubes. The torso fits onto the top of the center post and the smaller PVC pole fits up inside for added support. The overall height of the entire prop is between 7' and 8' tall; shorter than I planned, but very stable. I will eventually shroud the base in a burlap/canvas cloak of some kind and add some tie-downs to stake it to the ground. I've added a couple of pics of the detachable arms as well. There is more detail to add to the mache and it is not sealed yet, but once the weather looks better I'll put it all together and take a picture of how it currently looks!


----------



## kprimm (Mar 14, 2009)

WOW! this looks very cool. Is the pumpkin head paper mache also? Will be looking to see the finished pics.


----------



## Rahnefan (May 1, 2009)

Looking great!


----------



## Sawtooth Jack (Apr 9, 2011)

Thanks for the good words everyone. You guys have all been so productive with your prop-making, I just want something to finally show for all my work!



kprimm said:


> WOW! this looks very cool. Is the pumpkin head paper mache also? Will be looking to see the finished pics.


Kprimm, outside of the stand and some of the armature, the entire piece is made from paper mache. The head has between six and eight layers of mache depending on where you look, and the body and hands have three to four layers (I'll be adding more for some detail work). Most of the mache is made from paper towels, although I started the head with newsprint and it has some paper clay in there as well (it's my first paper mache since I was a kid, so I did some experimenting to see what I liked working with...paper towels and paper clay win). Here's a close up of what the head looks like now.


----------



## Spooky1 (Aug 25, 2008)

Wow, he's looking great. Looking forward to seeing the final product.


----------



## Sawtooth Jack (Apr 9, 2011)

Still a ways to go, but here's how it all fits together.


----------



## BioHazardCustoms (Aug 5, 2009)

That is awesome, even unpainted!


----------



## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

He's going to be wonderfully spooky.


----------



## Rahnefan (May 1, 2009)

OMG! That is great! How tall is he? I agree, even unpainted, it is spooky!


----------



## SuperCreep31 (Nov 22, 2009)

you are my new hero... I am impatiently waiting for the final look of it. hurry up!


----------



## Sawtooth Jack (Apr 9, 2011)

Thanks Bio, Roxy, Rahnefan and SuperCreep, your comments are more than kind and very encouraging (Rahnefan, he's over 7' tall). I'm just thrilled this is actually coming together as I envisioned. Still need to add some "pumpkin-gut" corpsing to the torse and maybe the arms, like I have inside the mouth and eye sockets before I'll call it done. Ah, and then paint...can't wait! More pics to come as this progresses.


----------



## Dark Star (Nov 6, 2007)

He is amazing!


----------



## Devil (Nov 10, 2008)

SJ you said you used paper towels and mache. With is your mixture for your mache?

Your prop is very cool..!


----------



## Sawtooth Jack (Apr 9, 2011)

Devil said:


> SJ you said you used paper towels and mache. With is your mixture for your mache?
> 
> Your prop is very cool..!


Thanks D!

Not sure if you can tell by the pics, but the head has one style of mache (100% glue and paper towel), the left hand and insides of the head another (with bread flour), then the body and arms a third (bleached flour). The techinique I ended up liking best is about two parts glue to a bit over one part water and then one part bleached flour (do not use bread flour). For the final layer it is 100% glue and paper towels (Not sure if we can mention brand names here, but I like Veeva towels as they have a very natural looking texture...thanks to SeasonofShadows.com for that one). Using paper towels makes it a very slow process as they tear easily, but you end up with an ultra smooth end product.

NOTE: I tried using wood glue too, as it is fairly waterproof, but it dried way too quickly and is impossible to clean out of a plastic bowl or bucket after a few hours! Also, I'm a newbie at mache, so my technique may not be the best, although it works for me!


----------



## Dark Angel 27 (Sep 11, 2008)

he looks amazing!


----------



## IMU (Apr 8, 2009)

Very nice work so far.


----------



## fick209 (Aug 31, 2009)

ohhh, I'm really liking this! I like the pose, very creepy. Can't wait to see more update pics!


----------



## tot13 (Jul 25, 2007)

Sawtooth looks so great and I really love over-sized props. It's very cool that you made him so tall. I really like his hands and would like to steal them from you. Would you mind giving a brief description of how you made them?


----------



## Sawtooth Jack (Apr 9, 2011)

TOT13, Thanks for the compliments.

As for the hands, I basically used the video tutorial (hands and feet, lessons 3a and 3b) from gourmetpapermache.com and just grossly enlarged the formula. Click on the link to see how he does it. I'm not sure I have any pics of my progress for the construction part of the hands, as they went very quickly. If the videos are of no help, let me know and I'll see if I can elaborate here further.

EDIT: I also added wadded up paper around the knuckles and palm area to give dimension, I just don't recall if that is in the videos.


----------



## tot13 (Jul 25, 2007)

Sawtooth Jack said:


> TOT13, Thanks for the compliments.
> 
> As for the hands, I basically used the video tutorial (hands and feet, lessons 3a and 3b) from gourmetpapermache.com and just grossly enlarged the formula. Click on the link to see how he does it. I'm not sure I have any pics of my progress for the construction part of the hands, as they went very quickly. If the videos are of no help, let me know and I'll see if I can elaborate here further.
> 
> EDIT: I also added wadded up paper around the knuckles and palm area to give dimension, I just don't recall if that is in the videos.


Very cool Jack and thanks for the link. I had been to Dan's site before but had not watched any of his videos. This seems to be easier than what I've been doing and it's definitely the look I want for my current project. Thanks again for the help.


----------



## hauntedkimmy (May 31, 2011)

Newbie at mache?! Ha, you must be a quick learner then cuz this rawks!! I think I have something similar to create on my prop plate in the next coming weeks....you were the creative inspiration!


----------



## CreeepyCathy (Mar 28, 2009)

wow! fantastic job on that! very creepy.


----------



## Sawtooth Jack (Apr 9, 2011)

Thanks Hauntedkimmy and CreepyCathy!


----------



## Sawtooth Jack (Apr 9, 2011)

Okay, today's paper mache lesson for me was to seal everything before putting it outside on a nice sunny day to try and do it there...or at least get to the sealer part before letting things sit in the sun for too long. 

I put the arms out in the sun for a few minutes while I set up and noticed everything went from hard as fiberglass to a bit pliable rather quick. Nothing ruined or out of shape at all, but sunshiney days are not as friendly to mache as they might appear...at least not a humid morning in June!


----------



## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Sunshine good, humidity bad


----------



## lisa48317 (Aug 18, 2010)

That is really freakin' awesome! Love how big it is & the pose / hands are just - wow! Can't wait to see it all painted up!


----------



## Sawtooth Jack (Apr 9, 2011)

Brief Sawtooth update: The final layers of mache have been added and are now dry...wow, what a lengthy process this all was. Prepping the paper strips always makes it look like I'm fully prepared for allergy season, lol! :zombie:










I also made some time last weekend to seal and prime the hands and base. Just seeing them after priming was enough to rekindle some excitement for the project (it's been dragging on and I was losing momentum fast!). Hopefully it will be a dry weekend so I can seal and prime the body and head next. Below is how the left hand is looking after priming.


----------



## lisa48317 (Aug 18, 2010)

Wow! Can't wait to see it all done, but those hands are amazing!


----------



## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

[email protected] paper strips. I do the same thing with paper towels used as my final layer of mache - rag them up along the edges so they blend properly when put on the prop - and it's tedious.

I really like the look of the hand you did. The longer fingers really add to the creep factor.


----------



## ctmal (Oct 17, 2009)

I love it! I would love to see how you made the Head, it's awesome.


----------



## Jaybo (Mar 2, 2009)

Could you explain your PVC armature a little more? Maybe show some pictures of it put together and seen from farther back?

You said you were putting pipe within other pieces? Like 1/2 inch inside of 1" pipe?

LOL! Sorry for all the questions. Your prop is looking really good. You've got a good eye for detail.


----------



## Sawtooth Jack (Apr 9, 2011)

Thanks Roxy! I think making the hands was the most fun I had building this.



ctmal said:


> I love it! I would love to see how you made the Head, it's awesome.


Basically, what I used was a wrapping paper tube and strips of bristol board to make the initial shape. Unfortunately, I don't have too many pics of how I started the head since it was just an experiment at first (which ended up far too large and misshapen thank goodness), but I'll try and cobble together what I have...maybe it will help.



Jaybo said:


> Could you explain your PVC armature a little more? Maybe show some pictures of it put together and seen from farther back?
> 
> You said you were putting pipe within other pieces? Like 1/2 inch inside of 1" pipe?
> 
> LOL! Sorry for all the questions. Your prop is looking really good. You've got a good eye for detail.


Thanks for the compliments Jaybo, if my Sawtooth looms half as large and wicked as your giant pumpkin-head reaper figure, I'll consider him a success!

As for the PVC, I think you have it. Given that I have so many joints in my PVC and October is quite windy here, I had visions of the entire structure snapping like a twig. That said, I simply inserted 1.5" PVC inside the 2" tubes wherever I had a connector (except the corners). I thought of using spray foam to further enforce the thing, but ended up using duct tape to snug the 1.5" inside, as I plan to use sand or water inside the tubes as ballast if needed. Anyway, here is a pic of what I did. I hope it explains it.










EDIT: I'm realizing the pics are actually closer up than the original! Sorry. Will put a proper photo out here once I can put the whole thing together again.


----------



## Sawtooth Jack (Apr 9, 2011)

ctmal said:


> I love it! I would love to see how you made the Head, it's awesome.


I haven't had much time to work on old Sawtooth in the past few days, so I put together the pics I promised of my progress while constructing the pumpkin head.










Basic bristol board strips taped to a cardboard tube (now removed in this pic).










Creating detail and dimension with _Celluclay_.










All clayed up.










Recovered in paper towel for a seamless texture.










Eyes, nose and mouth backed with more bristol board and tape...


----------



## Sawtooth Jack (Apr 9, 2011)

...and finally.










Eyes, nose and mouth covered with mache and the whole head sealed with matte medium.

Hopefully my next pics will be in the showroom!


----------



## ctmal (Oct 17, 2009)

Awesome, thanks.
It always looks so easy when someone else is doing it!


----------



## Sawtooth Jack (Apr 9, 2011)

Primed the pumpkin-head and torso yesterday. Today; painting...finally!










A test layer of dry brushing went on this morning, and I'm happy I didn't get too far with it. The orange hue is nice, but all that solid black showing through underneath is maybe a bit too much for me, so I think I'm going to lay down a layer of very dark brown/burnt umber first, and then start dry brushing again on top of that and see how it goes.


----------



## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

I think it looks fine with the black showing like that. Try dry brushing the dark brown/burnt umber as the third color and you might find you like it


----------



## Sawtooth Jack (Apr 9, 2011)

RoxyBlue said:


> I think it looks fine with the black showing like that. Try dry brushing the dark brown/burnt umber as the third color and you might find you like it


I bought a few lighter oranges and creamy tones for the highlights, so jumping from black to dark orange right away just seems way too big a shift (it is paper mache, but it kind of looks too crafty maybe). I like your idea of adding the darker color after the initial color is applied, since my fear is that if I try to add another base coat now, I'll start losing all the nooks and crannies I need for the dry brushing details!

*EDIT:* Roxy, I just tried your Idea, and I made a wash of the umber color and just wiped off the excess. It toned down the black nicely and should give me what I need. Thanks for the cool-headed observation.


----------



## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Yep, I think you're right about the risk of doing a new base coat and possible impact on the details. And if it looks too "crafty" at the moment, that's likely a function of there being only two colors on it at the moment. The additional highlights you'll get from the other colors you mention will take it from crafty to cool


----------



## Sawtooth Jack (Apr 9, 2011)

One more step completed; the orange paint has been applied (man I need to scrape more hours out of a day)! :jol: I made the ribs under the eyes kind of concave instead of outwardly rounded when I clayed up the mouth to make the teeth looked like they protruded more, but it did give me some trouble during painting, so I'm not sure I would do that again. Next I need to decide how to tackle the inside of the mouth and eyes. I want to leave them dark, but I think I'll try and highlight the stringy parts a bit.


----------



## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Glad the wash worked out for you He's looking good.


----------



## Sawtooth Jack (Apr 9, 2011)

Found some time to paint the body and arms this weekend. All that is left to do now is waterproof everything and add some fabric pieces to dress it out a bit.


----------



## Sawtooth Jack (Apr 9, 2011)

Waterproofing completed! Wow is the varnish glossy. If the rain stops I'll apply some matte finish this week and the burlap accents by the weekend.










I am milking this thread for all it's worth I know! Next stop, the Showroom...I hope...


----------



## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

I love this guy's hands.


----------



## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

He has Micheal Jackson's nose!

Nice work!


----------



## Sawtooth Jack (Apr 9, 2011)

Finished...finally. More pics in the showroom. http://hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=27467


----------



## walterb (Jul 27, 2010)

Great paint work


----------

