Stunning Sculpting
Lauriebeast's "Ophelia"
Amazing… Stunning… Incredible… and Un-Freaking-Believable… All of these adjectives have been used, by her peers, to describe the awe-inspiring work of Hauntforum.com member Lauriebeast. Certainly this must be the work of a veteran Hollywood prop builder, or perhaps a professional sculptor with decades of experience, right? Wrong! This is the work of just another Halloween enthusiast with a passion for building decorative props, and very keen attention to details.
Laurie’s first attempts at sculpting came in April of 2006, spawned by the inspiration of Sculptor & Creature Creator Mike Melillo of blacklightfright.com. The fact that these pieces are created at the hands of less than 4 years of experience is inspirational in and of itself. And speaking of inspiration, Laurie tells me:
”I find inspiration in just about everything…. plants, rocks, dirt, and everything else organic. I love creating things related to horror and Halloween because my imagination is not in any way limited.”
Aside from her new-found skill, Laurie reports that she also enjoys Gardening, Hobby Woodworking and Sewing.
A gander through Laurie’s 6 part tutorial on Halloweenforum.com reveals that these highly detailed figures are sculpted from Celluclay, DAS Clay and Paperclay, each in its own layers, and with it’s own specific purpose. Ultimately, this is just another form of paper mache. While reading through her tutorial, I was amazed to learn that, in addition to the clothing donned by her creations, Laurie even makes her own eyes and teeth (I was almost certain that these would have been store bought “doll eyes” and dental “replacement teeth”). And while she says she will do commissioned pieces, Laurie assures that she does not make molds, so all of her work is one-of-a-kind.
I have read several accounts where people viewing her photos were under the impression that these were not props, but rather real people in costume. Quite frankly, I find it very believable that one might come to that conclusion. I think it goes without saying, that this is one very talented lady.
Lauriebeast's "Bride"
More photos of Laurie’s props and her yard haunt can be found on her Photobucket pages.
If you are interested in learning more about the materials, techniques and processes used in these beautiful works of art, I recommend you take a look through Laurie’s 6 part tutorial on the making of her (Frankenstein’s) “Bride” seen here.
