THE MAKING OF VARGAS

Many people inquire as to how I create Dragons. This is a step-by-step tutorial showing the
creation of Vargas the Stone Tyrant over a period of five months.
It begins with Aluminum foil shaped into the
basic form of the base that the Dragon will
occupy. Aluminum foil creates the form of the
body and tail, which are then fastened with
electrical tape and balanced in position on the
base.

The neck is added.

The entire form is covered in plaster cloth,

solidifying the basic structure that will become
the base and body of the Dragon.
Here, the dividing lines for the plates that run
along the Dragon's underside are drawn, and a
skeleton for one of the wings is crafted from
aluminum wire and put into place. The fingers of
the wings are fixed in place with Aves Fixit-
Sculpt and left to cure.

Another skeletal wing is added. In the

sculpture's final form, this wing was discarded
and replaced with one that was more
compositionally pleasing. Structural arms and
legs are also added in this step. Aves Fixit-Sculpt
is used to form the muscles in the Dragon’s
lower leg.

The legs are further fleshed out with plasticine

clay and plaster cloth, and pins are put into
place that allow them to stay firmly attached to
the body, yet retain the ability to be removed so
they can be worked on separately. An early
head made of polymer clay was placed on the
piece just for fun.
 Here, the leg on the opposing side is given
the same treatment. Using Fixit-sculpt as a
muscle layer gives the entire sculpture the
strength it requires to stand in place without
falling apart while it is created.

By this time, I had realized that I was not fond of

the Dragon's tail. Though it had generally the
correct curve, it was not heavy enough for the
piece, and it also presented logistical problems
to where the Dragon's foot needed to grasp the
rocks.

So, off the tail came! This allowed for proper

placement of the Dragon's left foot.
The new tail was put in place and solidified with
Fixit-Sculpt, and a removable fastener between
it and the base helped stabilize the piece while
other areas were worked on. A foot began to be
formed from Fixit-Sculpt. It is nice using this
material to make claws since it will not easily
break during handling. I used to use polymer
clay for structure and claws, which resulted in
going through a ton of super glue and a lot of
headaches every time they broke.

New skeletal arms were added and posed

correctly.

The arms are fleshed out with Fixit-Sculpt,

muscle and spikes added...
Another shot of the muscles being added to the
arm of the creature.

The first hand is crafted, ready to be grafted

onto the left arm.

Muscles added to the other arm as well, and a

shot of the Dragon's right foot which was
sculpted at the same time as the other one.
The Dragon's right side, muscles added to the
right arm and lower right leg with Fixit-Sculpt.

The new tail is fleshed out with aluminum foil

and plasticine clay, and covered with plaster
cloth to solidify the form. The hands are also
grafted onto the arms using Fixit-Sculpt.

Plates are added to the Dragon's underside with

Fixit-Sculpt. The detail is worked in with rubber
stamps made from rocks and a lot of
brushwork. Placeholders of polymer clay are put
in to represent where the spikes on the end of
the tail will eventually go.
Plaster cloth is used to begin forming the skin
that stretches between the wing fingers, and the
scale / armor pattern on the body and tail are
laid out. A placeholder is used for the creature's
head.

The Dragon's armor-plated skin begins to be

placed, scale by scale and plate by plate. The
spaces left between them will eventually be
slightly filled with grout so that the scales and
ridges appear to grow naturally from the
Dragon's skin. These scales are created step-by-
step with Aves Fixit-Sculpt, following the pattern
I drew on the understructure of the sculpted
form.

Detail begins to be put into the legs. Every one

of the armor plates and scales is put into place
by hand and brush.
Scales are worked up the leg. For this step I used
polymer clay over Fixit-Sculpt. When I sculpt
some areas of detail, I often have to put my
hand into places I have just sculpted detail.
Using polymer clay in these instances allows me
to quickly solidify detail I have just sculpted with
a heat gun, allowing me to then hold the piece
without ruining detail I have just finished. These
areas have to be handled very gently afterward,
as polymer clay is not nearly as durable as Fixit-
Sculpt.

The lower leg detailing is further completed.

Detail on the other side of the leg. Just because

a part of the sculpture is not easily seen does
not mean that it is acceptable to skimp on
detail.
Working detail into the right leg.

The feet are sculpted onto rocks that can detach

from the base. These rock forms and made of
Aves Fixit-Sculpt. This is a design feature that
will allow the piece to be more easily molded
and leave less chance for casting flaws on the
feet.

The same process is done to the foot on the

other side. Aluminum foil is used as a separator
between the Fixit-Sculpt and the plaster cloth
base. When the Fixit-Sculpt cures, the aluminum
foil is removed and allows the foot to come off
the base. Without the separator, the Fixit-Sculpt
would join with the base and the foot would not
come off of it for further detailing.
Here is a closer view of the foot being sculpted
onto the rocks with Fixit-Sculpt. Unfortunately
the lighting in here isn't always the greatest, so
getting crisp photographs of my work in
progress is sometimes as big of a challenge as
creating the work itself...

Detailing is being completed on the left arm and

hand, using polymer clay over Fixit-Sculpt.

Here is a shot of the sculpture with the detailed

arm in place. It can take upwards of a day to
detail one small appendage. Detailing the body
completely took a few weeks.
The great spikes are added to the Dragon's back.
As you may have noticed from the preliminary
sketch of the Dragon that hangs on the wall
behind the work in progress, these spikes are
different than what was originally drawn.
Sometimes when I am in mid-sculpture I realize
that the piece really should look different than
what the original concept sketch told me it
should look like. This is why I do not do very
complex concept sketches before I begin work,
as many times I enjoy the excitement of
sculpting "on the fly" much more than following

The thigh scales are roughed in. I had to leave

some spaces blank until the very end, as I
needed to be able to take the leg off and put it
back on with the leg screws repeatedly until the
sculpture was 97% completed. These empty
spots were filled in just prior to the molding and
casting stage.

The thigh on the opposite side is detailed, and

the spikes on the Dragon's back are displayed.
A closer view of the work completed on the
right leg. The ridges on the large scales still need
to be put in place.

With the detail worked in to the appendages,

the skin starts to be stretched between the wing
fingers with Fixit-Sculpt. Since the wings need to
remain thin, it is important to use materials that
will not easily break.

The wing is further detailed, and held in place

with a spike so it can be removed and put back
in the same place multiple times. This makes
working detail into pieces much easier, and
allows access to areas that would otherwise be
blocked by the piece that needs to be removed.
It also makes molding and casting easier, as
replicating sculptures in multiple pieces is much
less complex than trying to mold and cast a
sculpture in its entirety.
Work begins on a replacement right wing.
The first one just didn't cut it, so it was
discarded and replaced with this one.

The right wing detailed with Fixit-Sculpt, "just

like that!" In reality, this step took three days...

Here is a shot of the Dragon's right side so far.

In this picture, the wings have been sculpted
down into the body where the skin stretches
and attaches to the back. Vargas, being an Earth
Dragon, has only small vestigial wings growing
from his back. Not much need to fly around in
caves that are deep underground... Also, the
detail for his main body has been laid out in
pencil on his sides.

The armor plates begin to appear on the sides of

the great Dragon. These are made of Aves Fixit-
Sculpt.

Here the plates are in place, waiting for the

ridges on them to be sculpted next.
Plates run up the Dragon's back, and the skin
from the wings attach to the body underneath
them...

Plates made of Fixit-Sculpt are placed on the

right side of the Dragon as well - though they
will be well-hidden from view by the Dragon's
right wing, it is still important that they are
sculpted in full detail.

Detail is added to the plates on the Dragon's

mighty tail with Aves Fixit-Sculpt.
The final spikes are sculpted out of Fixit-Sculpt
onto the end of the creature's tail. A terrible
weapon for any on the receiving end of a tail
lash from this beast!

The ridges are added to the legs of the Dragon,

and they are grouted with drywall compound in
order to pull the detail together and finalize the
sculpting on the legs.

A shot of the near-complete left leg of the

Dragon. All that needs to be done on it now is to
fill the holes left by the attachment screws when
the piece is nearly complete.
The near-completed right leg.

The completed left arm. When it is painted

correctly, it should appear quite lifelike.

Grout is applied to the tail. The appearance of

armor plates growing out of skin is convincing.
The ridges, made with Fixit-Sculpt, are added to
the plates on the Dragon's sides, and grout is
applied to the armor over Vargas' entire body.

The same treatment for the Dragon's right

side...

Now the piece is really starting to come

together. Time to complete the most important
part of the piece - the Dragon's head...
The Dragon's wing replaced and detail worked
into the wing's shoulder joint...

Vargas' head starts to take shape.

I did not take many in-progress photos of

working on his head. Some things have to be
left mysterious, you know... Here the fins are
added to the sides of his head, and his horns
are put in place.
A closer view of his head, prior to scale detail
being carved into it...

This is as close as you will ever come to seeing

me sculpt a Dragon's head on a spike. Removing
it makes it much easier to put detail into his face
- it is a very delicate and time-consuming
process.

The other side of the Dragon's head, prior to

detailing. I took photos of the "after" detailing
in this manner as well, but sadly they did not
turn out. You will see his fully-detailed head in
upcoming photographs, though.
Vargas, with his head fully detailed and back
where it's supposed to be.

Scale detail worked into each of his wing

fingers. This step took a mind-numbingly long
time. The final result is always well worth the
time involved in the process.

The lighting was better the next day, so I took

some photos of the Dragon that turned out a bit
better. Here the Dragon is fully fleshed out and
detailed. The final seams will disappear after he
is molded, cast, and sculpted back together into
his final form.
Here is the Dragon, prior to sculpting the detail
into his base.

Though it took a long time, I did not document

the entire base-detailing process. Here you see
the results of working rough rock detail into the
whole base that the Earth Dragon stands on.

Another detail shot of the finish work on the

base. This detail will really stand out after
painting.
Another detail shot of the base.

Here is the Dragon displaying on the finished

base from the sculpture's opposite angle. My
signature and edition number are not carved
into the base yet - that will occur with each
individual piece when the Dragon is molded and
cast.

The base without the Dragon on it. The rock

detail turned out very well.
Vargas the Stone Tyrant in all his glory prior to
molding and casting. Everything up to this point
took three months. The main materials used
were aluminum foil, aluminum and floral wire,
plaster cloth, plasticine clay, Aves fixit-Sculpt,
polymer clay, and drywall compound.

The Dragon is disassembled and taken to the

replication studio. Here the first of three layers
of brush-on silicone rubber is applied to the
Dragon's base.

Another shot of silicone being applied to the

base. The first coat is very thin, insuring every
intricate detail is captured...
Another layer is applied over the first, to thicken
and strengthen the rubber mold. A thickening
agent is added to the silicone to make it stick to
vertical surfaces and not run off onto the floor.

Another shot of the second layer of rubber. It is

applied with disposable brushes and protective
gloves. I use platinum-cure silicone, which is
very expensive but has very high tear strength
and great durability - meaning more parts may
be pulled from each mold before the detail
degrades, at which point a new set of molds
must be made.

The rubber mold is complete, and now a shell

must be placed on it to insure it will keep its
shape after the material underneath it is
removed.
In this shot, a wall is built on one-half of the
cured rubber mold, to facilitate building a two-
part mother mold.

The first layer of the fiberglass mother mold is

applied to one half of the base. It must be
applied in halves, or sections, because one solid
mother mold would not be able to flex to allow
the rubber mold underneath it to come out. The
mother mold is a rigid shell that will hold the
rubber mold in the exact place it needs to be in
order to get a perfect casting from it.

One half of the fiberglass mother mold is

complete, and the wall is removed. Release
agent is applied to the joint where the second
half will meet the first half. When the second
half is complete, the release agent will insure
the two halves will separate instead of bonding
together, which would trap the rubber mold
inside the shell and be a disaster...
The second half of the fiberglass mother mold is
applied to the base. Black die is added to the
fiberglass to make it easier to see where it has
been placed and insure proper coverage - as
fiberglass resin is otherwise translucent amber
in color.

A shot showing one-half of the mother mold

complete, and the other half ready for more
layers.

The mother mold is completed and registration

holes added along the joint. These are in place
to allow the two halves to be locked together
with bolts and nuts, so the shell lines up exactly
and stays in place around the rubber mold it
cradles. The base will be revisited later in this
demonstration.
A box is built and a dam separates Vargas' left
arm into halves. The dents in the clay wall insure
that the rubber mold poured around the arm
will have proper registration.

Platinum cure silicone rubber is poured into the

box to make a mold of the left arm. The silicone
is mixed up and then placed in the vacuum
chamber that can be seen in many of these
shots. The vacuum chamber takes most of the
air out of the liquid rubber, so that air pockets
and bubbles do not become trapped in the
mold. This would weaken the mold and cause
casting flaws.

After the silicone cures, the half-molded piece is

taken out of the box, and the dam is removed
from it. Then a box is rebuilt around it, release
agent is applied to the silicone, and the other
half of the mold is poured. In this picture both
arm molds are shown after pouring. The arm is
completely encased in rubber, except for an
access point where resin will be poured into the
mold.
The rubber mold is opened and the piece inside
removed...

This leaves a two part mold with flawless detail

captured inside of it, ready to make replicas of
the original piece.

Masonite boards are cut to size and placed on

both halves of the two part mold which has
been reassembled. Rubber bands hold the mold
snugly in place. Using rigid boards on the outside
of the mold insures that the rubber bands do not
distort the rubber mold, which would cause the
parts to cast incorrectly. High-quality resin is
now mixed with porcelain or glass powder to fill
the mold and replicate the part that it was made
around.
This is my pressure chamber, an expensive but
necessary and marvelous piece of equipment.
Inside of it, the filled mold is placed and
subjected to 60-70 PSI, which pressurizes the
material inside of the mold, making it incredibly
strong and dense, and crushes any air bubbles
trapped inside the mold to miniscule, non-
detectable sizes. The chamber helps greatly in
producing flawless parts that are true to the
original piece in every way. It drastically cuts
down on rework and clean-up time, which saves
time and money. Without this step, the

After a ride inside the pressure chamber, the

piece is de-molded, and a near-flawless casting
is produced, which requires the vents and cup
to be cut off and the small seams sanded away
to become ready for the next step...

The preparation begins to mold the Dragon's

legs. This mold will be a different kind of box
mold, where the vertical foam core walls are
not a simple rectangular box - building a
rectangular box around a piece this shape
would result in a large waste of expensive
silicone, so to cut down on the amount
required, the mold is built in a custom shape
around the dam that separates the leg into
halves. The piece of equipment shown in this
photo is the vacuum pump, which attaches to
the vacuum chamber that degasses the silicone.
A shot of Vargas' right leg, with the dam built
around it so a two-part mold can be produced.

The foam core wall is built around the dam, to

create a chamber that will hold the liquid rubber
until it cures around the piece.

Another shot of the leg. It is ready for the first

half of the mold to be applied. Note the vents
that have been added - these will be pathways
for air to escape, which would otherwise be
trapped in the mold. The pressure chamber
crushes small air bubbles, but large ones will still
cause casting flaws. The air must have a
pathway out to make the mold work at an
optimum level.
After a trip in the vacuum chamber, silicone is
poured over the leg and allowed to cure, which
takes several hours.

The mold is opened and the original piece

revealed.

A close-up shot of what the original piece looks

like inside the mold.
The environmental conditions have to be
correct, and the silicone must be mixed properly
and at the correct ratio, or during these stages
the entire sculpture can be lost. If the rubber
fails to set up, months of work can be lost just
like that...

After casting, the arm mold is opened and the

replicated piece revealed.

Back to the mold of the right leg, the original

sculpture is ready to come out of the mold.
A shot of what the mold looks like without a
piece inside of it. Details are captured perfectly
without air bubbles marring the surface.

The mold is filled, placed in the pressure

chamber, and then the mold is opened,
revealing the replicated leg inside. This process
takes about one hour.

Another shot of the replicated leg inside the

mold. It is identical to the original in every way,
but is more solid and durable than the original
piece, which was made from impermanent
materials.
The complicated mold begins to be made of the
Dragon's head. Because of the complexity of the
piece and the inability to cut the head into many
separate parts, a multiple-part mold must be
made of the entire head. First the Dragon's
lower jaw was removed and molded separately
and the remainder must be completed in 5
separate mold parts. If this were not done, the
head would become trapped inside of the mold
with no way to get it out.

Here the in-progress mold of the head is

prepared for another part of the mold to be
poured.

The mold is completed on the underside of the

Dragon's head. Note that the eyes were
removed from the inside - the head was
hollowed out after the bottom jaw was
removed, and the eyes taken out from the
inside. This will allow the head to be cast with a
hollow chamber inside of it, allowing the
semiprecious stone eyes to be placed in each of
the cast heads. Without this step, the Dragon
would not be able to have its beautiful
gemstone eyes.
Another shot of the head imbedded in silicone,
awaiting the next part of the mold to be made.

The Dragon's head is laid on its side, and a dam

built to divide the remainder in half. Because
the fins on the back of the Dragon's head would
become impossible undercuts, separate pieces
of the mold are created for them as well. When
complete, this mold will separate into 5 parts,
which are then reassembled inside another
silicone sleeve with masonite walls to hold the
entire structure in registration while the new
heads are cast.

Another shot of the head with a dam in place.

The walls are put up around the head to hold
the liquid rubber as it cures around the head.
This mold will be revisited later.

The molds are begun for the Dragon's wings.

Here a dam is put in place to divide the wing
into two halves.

The dam is completed, with registration marks,

vents, and the pour spout put into place.
A clay wall is built around the dam, since
building a rectangular box around the wing with
masonite would result in wasting a LOT of
silicone...

Here the wing is ready for pouring the first half

of the mold around it.

After the rubber cures, the clay wall and dam

are removed, and the second half is prepared
for pouring.
Another shot of the wing, prepared for the
other side of the rubber mold to be poured.

A good in-process shot. Here you can see one

wing with the clay wall being constructed
around it so the second half of its mold can be
poured, and the other wing which has had the
process done to it already - its rubber mold is
complete.

The wall is being built around the wing to hold

the silicone that will become the second half of
the mold.
The wall is complete, and the second half is
ready for pouring.

After the mold is complete, it is opened and you

can see the detail has been captured flawlessly.
Once the original is removed and the mold
cleaned up, this mold will be ready for casting.

The head is shown with the two front halves

poured, ready to have the dam built which will
separate the back of the head into two parts as
well.
The head imbedded in silicone.

The entire process seems overwhelming at first,

but when it is laid out as a series of steps and
followed diligently, things fall into place.
Problem solving - sometimes very complicated
problem solving - is a part of my work on a daily
basis.

The wall is begun that will separate the back half

of the head into two parts.
A close-up of the completed dam. Now a wall
will be constructed to hold the silicone in place.
When it cures, the wall and dam are removed,
the silicone is cleaned and a release agent
applied. Then a final wall is constructed and the
final piece of the mold is poured, encasing the
head completely in rubber that disassembles to
allow the part inside of it to be removed.

The tail is prepared for molding. A wall is built to

separate it into halves.

The first layer of brush-on silicone is applied to

the tail. It is too big to go in the pressure
chamber, so a different type of mold is built for
it - one that will have the resin roto-cast inside
of it instead of pressure cast. This means that
instead of using pressure to eliminate air
bubbles, I will pour a small amount of resin into
this completed mold and then slosh it around
inside the mold until it sets up, capturing all the
detail inside the mold. Then the hollow tail will
have a hole drilled in it and be filled completely
with resin the rest of the way, so it becomes a
More layers of silicone are added to the mold.
This strengthens the mold and ensures it can
stand up to multiple castings without degrading.

The same process used on the tail is begun with

the main part of the Dragon's body. Here a wall
is built to divide the body in half.

Building large dams is difficult and time-

consuming. The entire molding process on all
the parts of a complete sculpture can take more
than a month of long days to complete.
The body is prepared to receive a layer of brush-
on silicone rubber.

The first layer of brush-on silicone rubber is

applied to the Dragon's body. This is a critical
step - if the silicone is not applied correctly,
detail may be lost that takes a very long time to
rebuild. Also, I am a notorious perfectionist, and
the final castings must be identical in every way
to the original piece or I will not be satisfied.

Here the completed tail mold is opened to

reveal the detail inside. Before the mold was
taken apart, a fiberglass mother mold was made
on both sides of the rubber mold to insure it
goes back into registration properly.
The body of the Dragon is completely encased
in silicone, ready for a fiberglass mother mold to
be created on it.

The mother mold is put into place on the rubber

mold that encases the Dragon's body. You can
already see castings made from the other molds
laid out on the table next to the mold of the
body.

The base is cast inside of the silicone mold made

at the beginning of this demonstration. This is a
difficult, time consuming process. The base is a
hollow form, constructed from polyester resin
that must be brushed into the mold in layers
and strengthened with fiberglass. The base must
be a hollow form, otherwise the already weighty
sculpture would be unbearably heavy and
extremely wasteful in very expensive materials.
A shot of the base being cast. The mold is placed
upside down in a cardboard box to support it
while it is being worked on.

The base is pulled from the silicone mold, ready

to have the flashing removed and the solid
bottom grafted into place.

Back to the body, which has been roto-cast and

pulled from the mold, as flawless as the original
(except for the seams, which are cleaned up and
completely undetectable in the final piece.)
Another shot of the completed body, propped
up to display the detail captured in it.

The parts are cleaned and laid out on the table,

ready for assembly.

The Dragon's eyes are placed inside the head,

and the entire Dragon is assembled using steel
pins and Aves Fixit-Sculpt, and placed (but not
attached) on top of the base.
After the Fixit-Sculpt cures, more Fixit-Sculpt is
used to re-sculpt detail and further solidify all
the joints where the pieces fit together,
resulting in a completely seamless, flawless
sculpture that is identical to the original in every
way - the exception being that the cast sculpture
is many times stronger and more durable than
the original clay piece, which was extremely
fragile. Though the piece looks delicate, it is
extraordinarily strong. I would not trust
anything other than Fixit-Sculpt to join the
pieces and re-sculpt detail in the piece, as any

The Dragon is primed with paint especially made

to bond with the type of material it is made of.

The Dragon is removed from the base, and the

base is realistically painted with brilliant acrylics
and lacquered.
The Dragon itself is then painted realistically in
accordance to the way it appears in my mind,
using layers and washes of acrylics to bring the
Dragon to life. The Dragon's coloration is
primarily determined by the environment and
elements that the Dragon has dominion over.
Vargas is an Earth Dragon, and his primary color
is brown - the color associated with the element
of Earth.

When the Dragon is painted, it is affixed to the

base with steel pins and Aves Fixit-Sculpt, which
is re-detailed and painted to make the transition
into the rocks seamless. The entire sculpture is
then lacquered to bring out the vibrancy of the
pigments in the paint and seal the beauty of the
sculpture in forever. A wooden pedestal base is
added to the bottom of the sculpture, and
Vargas is then ready for a high-quality photo
session. The vision of this Dragon in my head is
finally brought forth into the realm of reality!!