Tridge Trolls II 2011

Most of the trolls were installed downtown Midland today although five or six are still MIA.

The sculptures are a nice mix of pre-formed bodies and custom built trolls made using a variety of techniques.

The following is a visual rundown of the trolls adorning the streets of downtown Midland as of Friday evening, June 10^th, 2011.

Enjoy!

First up is Boris, my papier mache creation that is sponsored by Commerica Bank. 

Greenie the Gardener. (Love the vibrant colors)

Geoff Miles Stone. (Too groovy)

Benches with Tridge Troll II information...nice touch.

C.H.A.S.E. the Troll by Legacy Studios.

Trollin' the Pub. (A troll after my own heart)

Ebakaneezer the Tridge Troll. (Personally I love the vibe of this creation.)

Garden Granna. (She's a beauty..I think Boris has a thing for Granna, plus she has solar powered lights strewn throughout her hair)

 Mystic Delight. (Very cool and ornate)

Planters Wart. (A very fun papier mache creation from a couple of personal friends.)

Time for Repotting.  (Unfortunately I couldn't get a good view of this troll.)

Band of Trolls. (Another fun entry featuring solar powered lighting)

Troll Like an Egyptian. (Love the Gold and Blue paint scheme)

  

Documented Screw Ups and Such

Just got word that my troll, Boris the Bolter will get installed downtown Midland this Friday (June 10^th) in front of the Commerica Bank downtown location, I guess they sponsored my troll, so many thanks to them.

Looking at my history of posting progress and tutorials I noticed that I leave out the mistakes….the goofs that seem ridiculous in hindsight but nevertheless happened during the construction process.

Even though Boris came together pretty much as planned I did make three major mistakes during the build. 


The mistakes were corrected but they probably added 10 hours of work to the construction time.

Here are the three major flubs made while creating this project.

The first wrench I made was the wrong size.


Yup, the first wrench I built was not only too short but also too thick to fit in the finished hand. My choices were to either rebuild the hand or rebuild the wrench….the wrench was an easier solution. 

Now I have an extra large papier mache wrench sitting in the garage. 

Number two, the head was put on crooked.

Why oh why didn't I see this when I first attached it? 

The answer is that I was probably tired and when I get tired some of the important details go the wayside. 

After my first attempt of attaching the head, reinforcing with cardboard and applying like 10 layers of mache it struck me that the left side of the head was tilted down. 

The tilt was something that no one would ever notice…my wife couldn't see it but it bothered the hell out of me.

My mind conjured a bunch of solutions to make it less noticeable but I knew the real solution was to cut the head off and do it all over again. 

So…..a combination of scroll saw, hand saw and hack saw beheaded Boris and I started all over again. The final verdict is that the head was off about one inch.

 

Finally, the right arm was way too long. 

Again I blame this on being tired but when I built the armature for the arms I went crazy with the right arm.

 After the arms were built and covered with papier mache I realized the right arm was way out of whack compared to the left arm. 

After stomping around at my stupidity I ripped the elongated oddity off the body while it was still wet and corrected the arm issue the next day.

Lots of flubs and derailments…minor disasters but all fixable.

The lesson here is that if you see a mistake then take the time to stop and fix it….nip it in the bud.

If I’ve ever given the impression that I bang out props without a single hitch then I apologize.


I screw up a lot….I just don’t talk about it…..until now.

The Mad Lab Is Back!

After an extended the hiatus The Mad Lab has returned with a vengeance, coming back bigger and badder than ever…here’s the scoop straight from the doc herself:

"Foam is the weapon of choice for the static prop build. This includes, well, pretty much any foam. Great stuff, insulation foam, styrofoam, pool noodles, craft foam, egg shell foam, upholstery foam, foam board, foam packing peanuts...Ok you get the picture.

Ahhh the wonders of the wiper motor! Whether you are well acquainted or a novice this little device can open a door of haunting possibilities. Hit the salvage lot or head to Monster Guts. Use of a wiper motor is the only SEI requirement for this challenge.

You may enter as many times as you like in both categories. The deadline is extended to allow you ample time to crank out as many props as your decaying little heart can handle. 

Your entry for either project will need to be submitted by September 21 in order to be eligible to win."

That’s right, two different contests and two awesome prizes…to see what you could win take a visit to The Mad Lab by clicking here.

See you all September 21^st!