Art of Bruce Whistlecraft

I have a new range of figures in the works and I thought I would post a peek at how they were made.
I work out the overall look on paper with a pencil first, figuring out the look of the figure. As I am making the prototype I dont need to do detailed turnaround views for another sculptor to work from. So I dive right into the build..

This is what I am using for my prototype master sculpt. More of a construct than a sculpt.
Acrylic geometric forms. Styrene sheet. Acrylic and styrene rod and tube. Lead tape. Some plastic hemispheres. And some epoxy putty to fill the gaps.

My tools for this job. All hand tools apart from a mini power Proxxon drill (not shown) for bulky cutting and sanding, of which there is not much. As I am mostly using acrylic and styrene I am chemically welding more than gluing. Using dichloromethane.

Basic form built, with most gaps plugged with filler. Some rub down and finishing required before molding but he came together nicely. Three days work so far.

The switch on the back of the figure. I turned the handle grip from acrylic tube held in my mini drill chuck like a tiny lathe.

Some more views of the figure.

A couple of coats of primer and some rubbing down to get the best surface finish possible.
I use automotive acrylic paint mostly. A couple of coats of “Filler Primer” first. This is a high build primer that is great for filling any tiny indents or scratches in the surface. You can get a nice even surface with this, then move onto the regular primer.
Rubbing down is about 50% of modelmaking.
This will need another pass before it’s ready.

All finished and ready to send off to the casters. I wont be hand casting these myself. I know people who are set up specifically for that job and they are faster and better at it than I am..

And here is a small army of resin castings. I have filled any tiny air holes and primed these ready for painting…

More info on this new series coming very soon.

Watch my social media pages or this blog for info..

Fantastic “Cold Cast Metal” sculpted pin badges are now available from my online store.

Each about 1″ across, these little resin Phizogs are great for your clothes,bags or collection cabinet.
Tiny Mechtorian faces, sculpted by Doktor A and hand cast in England. Each has inset mirrored metal eyes and individually antiqued and polished surfaces.

Three different “Metal” finishes are available.
They come carded and bagged with a metal “butterfly” fastening and are only £10 each..

http://mechtorians.bigcartel.com/

You NEED a Mechtorian blueprint cushion in your life right?
sure you do..

Then go to my online print to order site here :
http://nuvango.com/brucewhistlecraft

Other colours, styles and sizes available..

Colonel Rombus the “Mourning” edition will be making his debut at ToyconUK on the 25th of April in London.
The Colonel is a 5″ tall cast resin figure, with a glass eye and real Brass key.

Sculpted and hand painted by Doktor A. in satin black, tarnished steel and royal purple.
Signed on the underside and numbered on the rear in an embossed fashion.

Edition of 25.

Most will be at Toycon with the remaining few available from my online store on the same day.
£150 each.

To celebrate the move to it’s new permanent web address my online store has had a total makeover.
The freshly renamed “Mechtorian Emporium” is now much more mobile device friendly and offers a wider range of items with more photos and an easier to navigate interface.

Follow Doktor A on Instagram, Ello and Facebook for discount codes for the new store as well as regular tidbits, work in progress shots and updates.

This marks the first phase of the upgrades rolling out for all the Doktor A online resources. Over the next few months expect to see renovated and improved websites and blog.

The APs of the Springtime Stroll edition of MrPumfry’s astounding Mechanised Perambulator are now available to purchase from my online store.

This colorway dropped at San Diego Comic Con 2014. Following the sold-out Autumn Amble and Winter Wanderland editions, Spring Stroll evokes the lushness of spring with rich green tones and light brass accents.
Total run was limited to only 100 pcs.

The 10 “AP” (artist proofs) offered here are signed and numbered by Doktor A.

The second casting run of the Metal edition Stumpy Warburton figures are now available to purchase direct from my online store.

Each is an edition of 100 pieces. The total run will be cast in several passes. The first run sold very fast.
£20 each, 3″ tall, polished and antiqued “cold-cast metal” resin figures, bagged and signed by Doktor A.

An exclusive mini print of “Harry K. NIdd” will be available from the Big Kev’s Geek Stuff booth at New York Comic Con on the 9th -12th of October.

Pop on down to booth number 127 to pick up one of only 25 signed and numbered prints of this arachno-robotic denizen of Retropolis.

The 6″ x 8″ (image size 4.5″ x 7″ ) prints will be only $15 each.

http://bigkevsgeekstuff.com

Colonel Rombus
Now retired, the colonel was constructed to lead the army of Retropolis. To this day there has been no need for military action, though this doesn’t stop a perpetually sozzled Rombus telling tall stories of how he showed the natives a thing or two during his time in the Congo…

Originally designed for Mini Mechtorians toy series 2, Rombus got as far as a 3″ tall prototype before the project was cancelled.
Photos of that prototype resurface on the internet now and then and he has become a popular and much requested character.

April 12th 2014 sees the debut of a new incarnation of the Colonel.
A revised, all new  6″ tall “Coldcast Bronze” edition of 50 pieces will debut at ToyconUK .

Sculpted by Doktor A and hand cast and antiqued in England by Baroque Designs (who previously did such a splendid job with the Phizogs).This hefty solid piece features an inset glass eye lens and real metal Brass winding key. Each piece is signed and numbered by Doktor A.

15 piece will be available at Toycon for the price of £65 with the rest to follow soon online.

(Click on photos to enlarge.)

Launching on 23rd of December is a whole new screen printed adventure with Mechtorians.
Pobber ( the makers of the popular Humphrey Mooncalf vinyl toy) are launching a series of collectable cards with my artwork on them :

There is a total of 4 cards in the first set. Each Mechtorian card is limited to 250 original plus 50 GID variants. All cards are screen-printed on double thick French Construction off-white 100lb card stock in Florida USA. They are crisply printed, high quality heavy duty cards and we call them Collectible Art Cards.

All Mechtorian card orders will be shipped in custom packaging. For added protection, each card will be inside individual plastic sleeves before placed into a top loader so no scratches or dents will happen in transit to your collection. On top of that, i will be supplying some Pobber sticker goodies for every order.

The Mechtorian cards will be sold in packs of 4 for $16. You are guaranteed a full set of 4 Mechtorian character cards when you purchase a pack but not every pack will contain the GID chase variant. So exactly how many packs are there? If you have been counting, that means there are only a total of 300 packs or 1200 cards across 4 characters for this series.