Museum Sculptures
Melanie Richard
Billings, Montana
As you can see in one picture I am using one of your tools. (Sorry for the blur – I move fast). Not only was all the habitat under the dino’s feet sculpted, but the fish, six foot sea scorpion and all coral was as well. All the work in the pictures was done using the 4″ Hot Knife and the Sculpting Tool.
The torso, neck and tail for the baby Stegosaurus below are polystyrene covered in Foam Coat.
FYI I have found what makes a great scale pattern on All Purpose Foam Coat. The black plastic mesh from a store ham! Spread it over the coat as it begins to set up (not a super-soft stage). Try pulling it off from different directions to achieve rougher or lifted scales.
Note from Hot Wire Foam Factory: That’s a great tip. We have used rigid meshes to create patterns, but we can see where using a flexible mesh will work better. Another nice trick is to apply thin plastic wrap onto the surface so you can work the Foam Coat with your fingers without leaving finger marks. You can do some nice detailed shaping if you mix a thicker consistency or catch it when it is just setting up. If you read the fact sheet that came with the Foam Coat you will also see that tapping on your foam piece right after applying the Foam Coat will smooth out most of the rough spots.
