Harry Courtney - Work Portfolio
Harry Courtney: Modelmaker
My portfolio webpage showcasing a selection of my best recent work
Collection of recent work
'Cyborg Tommy'
Buried Grenade
Silicone Creature Sculpt
Hand Puppet
Work Placement: Collection of miniature set elements for a stop-motion short film
Satellite Phone Prop
Hybrid Creature Mask
About me
I am a 4th year student studying modelmaking in the Design for Film course in IADT.
During my time in this course I have learned a large variety of skills for use in the modelmaking discipline, and have applied those skills in a diverse range of projects in both large and small scale. I have a passion for using skills such as sculpting, sewing, painting and 3D printing to bring unique characters and engaging worlds to life. I have a particular fondness for mediums such as stop-motion animation and puppetry, especially the creative process involved with making for both mediums.
'Cyborg Tommy'
Torso build of an early 20th century cyborg soldier. This project piece features several working parts including a working headlamp, cable-controlled fingers on the right hand and an electric eye mechanism.
This piece was my major project created in my final year of college.
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Mechanical hand - Palm and finger pieces 3D modelled in Blender, printed and painted with metallic paints for a weathered metal finish. Parts attached together with cut curtain wire spring using 2-part epoxy adhesive. Cut pieces of 7x7 wire was inserted into each finger (with ferrules used to hold them in place) and fed to hand control with finger rings, allowing each finger to be controlled. 3D printed caps added to the tip of each finger to secure the ends of each wire.Armour pieces - 3D modelled and printed. Metallic finish created by painting the parts black, spraying the parts with spray lacquer and brushing on graphite powder. Drybrushed with silver paint for scratches and highlights. The helmet contains a compartment that houses an LED torch that can be used for the light on the headlamp.Costume parts - Primarily consist of bought clothes altered to match design. Coat painted blue with acrylic paint/fabric softener mix and cover buttons used to make silver buttons. Leather hood and glove dyed black with suede leather dye. 3D printed gas mask filter added to backpack, with hose made from a garden hose with a stitched fabric sleeve.
Weathering/battle damage effects achieved through spraying with watered down brown paints, rubbing with sand paper/grater, cutting and burning with a blowtorch.Silicone skin parts - Made from chavant clay sculpts moulded in Crystacal R casting plaster and cast in EcoFlex 00-20 rubber silicone. Cast silicone pieces were then painted with pigmented Psycho Paint silicone paints to resemble real human skin texture, with signs of weathering, wounds and burn damage. Skin pieces for the torso and the shoulder were cast flat with stretch fabric laid on the back during casting process and sewn to the body. Skin pieces for the face and left arm were cast with a 3D print inserted for the silicone to wrap around. Shrapnel pieces made from scrapped painted 3D printed parts were inserted into the silicone skin and glued in with Psycho Paint.
Full view of complete build
Close-up of head build with exposed eye socket
Close-up of left arm stump with broken joint piece and bolt pieces
Mechanical hand in torn glove
Initial concept design of torso build
Base body - consists of an internal frame made from PVC piping, a foam shell made from a combination of ethafoam and sponge foam padding, ball joint connections between head, limbs & torso sections made from 3D printed parts and a 3D printed head build
Eye mech (purchased from NMRobotics). Inserted into head build (eyelid pieces removed)
Mechanical hand build
Armour pieces
Costume parts
Silicone skin pieces
Buried GrenadeA grenade prop 3D print textured and painted to look as if it has been dug up, with caked dirt and signs of rust.This was created as part of the minor project in my final year of college, in which we were tasked with painting & texturing a 3D printed grenade prop with our own unique design.
Final paint layer & rust application - Final paint touch-ups and texturing. Rust effect created with powdered chalk pastel
Concept design of grenade
Initial 3D printed grenade build (untextured & unpainted)
Grenade textured with Jesmonite & isopon body filler and sprayed with grey primer
Initial metallic painting - spray painted black and dry brushed silver
Base mud & dirt paint layer - painted on top of the areas of heavy jesmonite application for caked mud effect
Silicone Creature SculptA silicone cast sculpt of a parasite creature emerging from a piece of human skin. Sculpted in chavant clay, moulded in fibreglass, cast in Ecoflex 00-20 Silicone Rubber and painted with Ecoflex Psycho Paint.This was created as part of the minor project in my final year of college, in which we were tasked with sculpting, moulding and casting a silicone sculpt of a parasite creature.
Finished painted creature cast, with added blood jelly for finishing details
Sketch sculpt out of clay
Chavant clay sculpt of creature and textured skin. Claw pieces made from sculpted milliput
Fibreglass mould of creature sculpt
Creature and skin sculpt cast from Ecoflex 00-20 silicone
Polyurethane cast of claw pieces, later trimmed and painted dark brown to fit in with the creature sculpt
Creature & skin silicone cast painted with Psycho Paint silicone paint to resemble real human skin tones and organic creature skin textures
Work Placement: Collection of miniature set elements for a stop-motion short filmMiniature set elements created for the stop-motion studio: Studio 9 for their animated short: Akita and the Wolfhound. During my time working with Studio 9 on this short film, I created several set elements that would appear on set in different scenes.These set elements include:
- A background tree missing its leaves
- A cherry blossom tree with an animated face
- A forced-perspective monastery that appears in the background
- Painting & decorating a section of a tree that appears in the foreground
Still from final film shot with background tree
Initial construction - Wire armature wrapped in tin foil
1st papier mache layer - Strips of newsprint paper applied with PVA glue
2nd papier mache layer - Blended newsprint paper and PVA glue (paper pulp) applied to build
Paint layer - Acrylic paint brushed on, bark highlights added with drybrushing
Still from final film shot with blossom tree
Conceptual art of cherry blossom tree character
Cherry blossoms made from dyed paper and cut green felt fabric glued to twisted thin wire
Initial construction - wire armature wrapped in tin foil
1st papier mache layer - Strips of newsprint paper applied with PVA glue
2nd papier mache layer - Blended newsprint paper and PVA glue (paper pulp) applied to build. Eye sockets and nose sculpted in
Paint layer - Acrylic paint brushed on, bark highlights added with dry brushing. Swappable eyebrows made from dried papier mache pulp
Still from final film shot with set elements installed
Initial construction from card pieces
Stone texturing achieved through application of paper pulp
Monastery pieces painted, dry brushed and glued together - ready for use on stop-motion set
Base paint layer on paper pulp with diluted acrylic paint
Tree painted and dry brushed, leaf pieces installed - ready for use on stop-motion set
Hand Puppet
A hand-operated puppet made from scratch using sponge foam, various fabrics and a knitting-wool wig. Includes a button-up shirt, a t-shirt made to fit a small character and swappable arms for performance with live-hands & arm-rods.
This puppet was used for filming certain portions of my college thesis video; in which the puppet interacted with a whiteboard to explain key points and information discussed in said thesis.
Final puppet, ready for use on camera
Concept design of puppet character
Base build made from sponge foam
Fabric covering made from polar fleece
Button eyes and mouth stitching added
Wool wig made by sewing knitting wool with sewing machine and stitching sewn sections to the fabric head
Hands made with foam core, wooden arm rods and polar fleece fabric covering. Attaches to arm with snap buttons at shoulder joint
Stitched t-shirt made to fit puppet. Closes with snap buttons on the back
Assembled puppet with arm rods hands attached
Live-hand arms made from polar fleece. Can be swapped with rod-arms and worn while performing
Sewn button-up shirt made to fit puppet body
Final Puppet dressed in red shirt with live-hands attached
Satellite Phone PropA hero prop created for a TV pilot project by students in the Film and Television course in IADT as part of a collaboration module in my third year of college. The prop is made from 3D printed parts with a working button-activated LED light for use by actors in a scene in the pilot.
Final assembled satellite phone
Planned design (with dimensions) of satellite phone created in AutoCAD
Rendered 3D model of parts for printing created in Blender
3D printed parts of phone printed and ready for assembly
Button activated light function created with LED bulb, button battery and gutted circuit board from Christmas lights welded together
Demonstration of the working button-activated light in action
Hybrid Creature MaskA painted latex mask of a human-animal hybrid character (based on a walrus) created as part of an assignment in my third year of college. The latex mask was cast from a plaster mould of an initial clay sculpt. The tusks were made from carved foam coated in jesmonite and painted for a yellowed finish. An attached elastic strap allows an actor to wear the mask comfortably
Human-walrus hybrid creature mask
Initial concept design
Clay sculpt sculpted over vacuum-formed plastic human face. Holes added to insert whiskers into after casting. Tusks created with carved blue foam
Mould made from Crystacal R casting plaster
Rubber cast made from liquid latex poured and slush cast in plaster mould
Painted and textured with acrylic paint. Whiskers created by gluing cut brush bristles into holes on the mask
