DREWspective

I almost forgot to mention…

Over the weekend, I’d finally completed the first chibiMon model!

And it looks like…

Well, on this scale it would be impossible to make it manufacturer quality. But I have one completed, and that’s all that matters!

By far the most difficult part was applying the arms and legs; I knew that getting it wrong would destroy the rest of the work, seeing as it was looking good already. Nevertheless, I had to try.

Having difficulty with sticking the arms on properly, I decided to make a small "lip" of foam at the top of the arm, by cutting away some of the pipe cleaner, straw and surrounding foam. There was then enough space to stick the arm down, and it was a matter of holding it in place as it dried.

Which led to the final, most challenging bit: the legs.

Using the pieces of balsa dowel I’d cut a while ago, I shaped them a little with my trusty pound shop craft knife to make them look more like legs. Then I took one of the small polystyrene eggs I’d bought from the US, and cut them in half using the same knife. To make joining legs and feet, I had to cut the polystyrene some more to form shoes.
Once the pieces were glued together, I gave them a coat of primer just to be sure. In most cases only the feet (or shoes) would be painted, while the legs would be turned into trousers or pants using foam. In this case, the feet were painted in black (or just a very dark grey).

Once that had dried, the legs were covered in blue foam. The heating tool proved useful once again in helping to shape and stretch the foam, creating a desired, slight overlap over the feet. The join between the legs had to be preserved using a toothpick, as the glue dried.

By far the most awkward bit was attaching the legs to the rest of the figure; this was where a band saw, or even setting up my jigsaw (or better still, a hacksaw and mitre), would have come in handy. To my horror, the tops of the legs were not straight, and no amount of cutting with the craft knife would solve it.

The end result was unfortunately a wonky -looking model, but even so it is able to stand on its own.

Excellent!

Now 17 more to go…

Today it feels a lot like Friday. I wish it were Friday, but I’ve had to convince myself it’s Thursday. I’ve been late to work once this week, and have left my work keys at home twice, so I can’t afford any more fuck-ups.

Tomorrow, so I’ve been informed, there’s a sale on at one of my favourite art and craft shops: The Art Club in Edgware. Apparently there’s as much as 50% off some items. Of course, I’ll pop in there to have an innocent look at a few bits and pieces. But seriously, the only thing I’ll be after is some translucent glass paint.

On the subject of glass, I visited a cool little kitsch shop near my workplace, that sells all kinds of retro items and cool material possessions. I picked up a plain brandy snifter, or glass, rather cheaply, having been tempted by cocktail glasses and other kinds of vessels.

Why, you ask? That comes later.

Also, now that I have a suitable sized fish tank, the hunt is on for an affordable aquarium stand to put it on. There are a number of interesting solutions, including several DIY projects (both free and as paid-for ebooks).

Of course, I’m looking for one as inexpensive as possible. My tank measures 3 x 1 x 1.5 feet, and ideally the stand or cabinet would be 3 feet high. It’s not yet urgent; I still have to clear a lot of space.

All four fish are fine, or at least they appear to be. I will confess: last week I was tempted to squeeze a fifth member into the 21 litre tank, but even that is ill-advised.
One of the original two definitely appears to have grown in the last couple of weeks, and I’ve heard it’s assumed the role of head fish in the tank. I’ve been tempted to squeeze it with two fingers, because it’s so fat.

Stay tuned.