CAP126 Tut Shark

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56 Project two Toys

Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator

Cast adesigner toyCollectable gures are a

massive global industry.Lunartikreveals how to getyour hands dirty and make

your designs a realityDesigner vinyl toys arent only decorative theyre also

highly collectable, and a great way for artists and illustrators toget their name out there on a 3D canvas.

Many smaller designers choose to customise existinggures rom companies like Kidrobot, Toy2R and Crazy Label. Butmaking your own rom scratch isnt as daunting as you might think.In the ollowing steps, I take you through the creative process oproducing a low-volume run o cast-resin toys, rom initial sketchesright through to physical production.

Due to space limitations, the moulding and castingtechniques demonstrated here are relatively basic. For morecomplex shapes, you might need to cast several individual

components separately, and t them together aterwards. Naturallythe ewer components you have, the more straightorward this willbe so bear this in mind when sketching your designs.

Youll need a variety o tools to complete this project,including modelling material and silicone rubber a ull list or bothstages o the process can be ound in the margin notes. Rememberto work in a well-ventilated environment i youre using spray paintor sanding, and i you arent qualied to operate large machinerysuch as a band saw or disc sander, give the job to a proessional.

LunartikMatt Jones iscreative director oLunartik Ltd. Withplenty o creativefair, he manageshis time workingwith top-notchcompanies such asForbidden Planet,Toy2R and Nokia.www.lunartik.com

SkillsMaster

basic line workin Illustrator

Create asilicone mould

Cast multiplegure designs

Pick up useulmodel-makingtips and tricks

Computer Arts Projects _August 2009 www.computerarts.co.uk

On your discYoull nd the

resources you needto work along withthis project on yourcover disc, in theResources section

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Cast a designer toy 57

www.computerarts.co.uk August 2009_ Computer Arts Projects

03 Once youre happy, scan the drawings into Photoshop. Use the Brightness, Contrast and Erase tools toclean them up, making the outlines o your drawings crisper, clearer and easier to trace in Illustrator.

01 The rst stage is to create a prole model o your toy,which youll use later as a basis or your silicone mould. Begin withsome concepts or your toy: sketch a series o dierent ideas, and thenbuild on them. Imagine them in 3D, and think about what kind o spaceyour nal design will take up best practice is to keep it simple.

02 Now produce some 2D-turnaround sketches. You will be starting the prole roma block o model board the shark lives inside, and will be carved rom this so sketch outdierent views o your toy onto paper. Visualise it sitting inside a cube or rectangle that hassix sides: let, right, top, bottom, ront and rear.

04 Open a new document in Illustrator, and place the improved scan in the centre othe layer (File>Place>Choose File From Location). Name the layer scan. Create a new layer,and name it template. Now lock o the scan layer, and work directly on the new templatelayer. Using the Pen tool, overlay the scan with an outline. When youre drawing up thecomponents, split the shark into two parts: body and n. Make sure each piece ts togetherprecisely beore you start getting your hands dirty .

Essential kit listYou need the ollowing tools

to make the prole or your model:

Computer, scanner and printer

Scalpel and 10A bladesFiles and chisels o dierent sizesModel boardSpray glueDust maskSaety gogglesPrimer spray paintWet and dry sandpaper, plus

assorted grades rom ne to coarseCoping or band saw

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58 Project two Toys

05 Once youve completed all six views in Illustrator, draw a clear-lled rectangle with a pink stroke aroundthe outside edges o each design view, to make sure they will all match exactly in width and height (or open thetemplate provided on your cover disc). Imagine these views as sides o a cube, which are being projected onto a fatsurace. I you were to construct them edge-to-edge, they would become a perect rectangular net. Print them ontopaper, and cut them out with a scalpel and ruler so that you end up with rectangular shapes.

07 When youve cut out your block, glue the corresponding proles to each side using spray glue. Theseshould all join up nicely. Each side must be cut to expose the shark rom within, so when the guides are in place, begincutting out the proles or both the body and then the n or best results, use a band saw.

08 Now that the body and n o the shark are in their separate raw orms, its time tosculpt them. Use les, chisels and sandpaper to achieve the correct shapes. Note that thesilicone rubber mould you create later will replicate the surace-nish o the master modelexactly any imperections such as scratches or gaps will show up every time you use it, soensure its as close to perect as possible.

06 Its now time to turn your 2D designs into a reality, and make the master model.These are the sharks outside dimensions:main body (w) 53.5mm x (h) 33.5mm x (d) 105mm;the n (w) 8mm x (h) 20mm x (d) 34mm. Mark out the top, side and ront views o the sharkon a piece o model board. Using a band or coping saw, cut the model board to orm a block it should look like a long rectangle. Then do the same or the n. Take care when usingsharp tools, and always wear eye protection.

Modelling materialI you cant get hold o model board, you could also use blue oam (extruded polystyrene), or make the mastermodel rom clay or wood. I used a band saw to cut the material, which I was given access to at a local model-making studio. Trytracking down your local toy designers and ask i they have any o-cuts.

Chop-stickA good technique or cutting out the two prole parts is to chop o unwanted parts o

the block, and then stick them back in place with double-sided tape beore moving onto the nextview. This helps keep the block in one usable lump, and also makes cutting out the dierent partso the design easier. Its a simple chop-stick, chop-stick action you may have to tackle each sideseveral times to reveal the basic prole o the shark.

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09 Cut out and chisel the teeth recess o the shark. This can be a tricky task so becareul ollow the action depicted in the rst image, and always chisel away rom yoursel.Use a scalpel to get the outline shape, and remove material with the chisel.

Now attach the n to the back o the body with superglue, as in the second image.

There will be a gap that needs to be lled in; or this you need some quick-drying car bodyller, such as P38 this is a two-component ller, and should be mixed in correct parts; seethe instructions on the product. Use a scalpel to apply it to the gaps, and sand it down withwet and dry sandpaper.

10 Ater youve lovingly crated and sanded the body, n and teeth, coat the model with an undercoat o paint.This rst coat is to show up any imperections in your handiwork. The paint should be applied thinly, and will dry ater10 minutes in the sun. Next, sand it down with ne-grade wet and dry sandpaper. Use water or super-smoothresults. Once youve led, sanded and nalised the model, wash it in water, dry it, and apply a second coat o primer.Repeat this process until youre happy with the nish.

11 Now or the second stage o the project: making the silicone mould. Create abase plate rom a 1mm thick white polystyrene sheet. Superglue the master model into thecentre o this base, ensuring you leave plenty o room around the edges so there is space to

build up a ramework around it.

12 Create a simple rame usingpolystyrene sheet, leaving 10mm o spacearound the entire edge o the mastermodel including the top, as you will be

lling this cavity with silicone gel, and themaster model must be completely covered.Use a glue gun to stick the rameworktogether, as shown here.

Fill any voids where the siliconerubber might leak. Be careul during thisstep: i the silicone leaks, it will become amessy process.

Essential kit listYou need the ollowing tools to

make the silicone rubber mould:

Silicone rubberPlastic PVC sheetGlue gun and glue sticks

Micro-scalesRelease agentDisposable plastic cupsRubber glovesSpatulaPaper towels

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13 Once youve completed the ramework, check its watertight, and then give the insides a spray with releaseagent. This will stop the silicone rom sticking to your master model, and will make it easier to remove the mould.

14 Gather together the silicone gel, two clear plastic cups, your micro-scales, arelatively large wooden board, rubber gloves and two spatulas. Use the wooden board as awork surace. Open the silicone gel, and give it a stir with a spatula. Pour the white siliconeinto a cup and weigh it, then pour the hardener into the other cup with a mix ratio (by weight)o 100:10. I you get stuck, ollow the instructions that come with the pack. Use rubber gloveswhen handling mixtures.

15 Blend the red hardener thoroughly with the white silicone, until the mixture turns light pink in colour. Placethe master model and rame on the wooden board, and pour the mixed silicone slowly into the cavity. The slower you

pour, the less likely you are to catch air bubbles in your mould. Once immersed in silicone gel, place the mould in awarm airing cupboard to dry this should take roughly 12 hours.

16 When its dry, removethe ramework rom around theedge, and pull o the hardenedsilicone rom the base plate andmaster model you might haveto use some orce. In some

instances the model mightbreak, so be very careul.

Top tipIts best to use clear plastic disposable cups when youre mixing the silicone, so that

you can see any excess white gel remaining on the sides.

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17 Now that you have your mould, you can start casting. Apply a coat o releaseagent to the cavity to prevent the casting polymer rom sticking to the silicone rubber.Calculate the approximate volume o the resin you need to make by pouring tap water intothe cavity and weighing it on the scales. Resin comes in two parts, so divide this number bytwo or an equal mix. Like the silicone gel, these should be mixed together well:pour the twoparts into separate cups at a ratio o 1:1, then slowly mix them together into one cup, avoidingair bubbles. Be ready to pour the mixed resin into your mould, as it will go hard very quickly.

19 Now youve produced a toy using the mould, begin the process again rom step 17 to rene your casting skills and make a shark army. Keep an eye on the mould though, as you may need to ll in a ewair-bubble holes with P38, or sand down the edges and base, ater youve created a number o sharks. Finally, paint them up and give them a protective nishing-coat o spray varnish. Happy casting!

18 Pour the resin mix immediately into the cavity and leave it to set. You will notice that it gets hot andchanges colour. Once the curing time has elapsed, pull out your resin cast rom the silicone mould.

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CAP126 Tut Shark

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