Camille Young

Available again in the future in the Fangamer store: Shark Punks! A limited run of 10 individually signed and numbered, cast resin figurines inspired by EarthBound.


Here’s how the process went. I started by sculpting an original in polymer clay:

I removed the left hand to mold separately. Then I made a couple two-part molds with Smooth-On’s Oomoo25 silicone and started casting them in black tinted resin. The complexity of the cast shape caused my mold to wear out sooner than expected, so I was only able to get 10 good casts. I’m still learning to make molds, so each cast had some trapped air in the chin and occasional bubbles here and there. To fix these areas, I tinted some air-drying Lumina polymer clay with black paint and used Zap-a-Gap glue to seal it in. After a little sanding and a coat of black spray paint, they were good to go.

I tried to design these Punks to require minimal painting, but despite their limited color palette, each took over an hour to paint. Sculpting has frustrations of its own, but painting details requires a steady hand, held breath, and a tiny brush. Luckily, those mediums are flexible and you can always add/remove clay or paint over a mistake.

Here’s the painting in progress:

I signed my initials on the bottom of the feet and added the title and number. Then I drilled a hole in the left arm and hand to join them with glue and some heavy duty tie wire. After a few coats of clear spray and some matte varnish, they were finished!

Next was the packaging. I designed the inside of the paper insert and logo in Adobe Illustrator, and Reid designed the back:

I made some little burgers out of Sculpey III polymer clay as an extra. A couple rough rocks were perfect for adding texture to the buns and burger patties. I made the bun look toasted with a little transparent liquid sculpey tinted with oil paint. These were a lot of fun to make!

I’m planning to make more Shark Punk figurines in the future. They’ll probably be made 10 at a time, and each set will be slightly different. In the meantime, I’m going to start working on another round of more simple figurines too, and I’m hoping to make a lot more than 10. Visit the Fangamer store if you’re interested in getting a Shark Punk!