Mastodon Vampire Lock - Ritual dust

Vampire Lock

I sculpted this vampiric lock on top of a real steel padlock and kept it functional. The inspiration for it was a drawing I made last year which you can find in my Sketchbook of December 2020 . My intent was to make something that feels old and a bit out of time and slightly threatening, something you think twice before unlocking.

The completed and painted vampiric lock
The completed and painted vampiric lock

We used this lock in a recent photoshoot for our band Blood and dust .

The lock in a photoshoot
The lock in a photoshoot

Basing myself on the initial drawing, I made a more precise drawing of how I saw the lock. Then I used it as a pattern to cut multiple layers of styrene to shape which were then glued to form the face of the lock.

It all starts with sketches
It all starts with sketches

Then began the cutting and carving of the styrene parts.

Cutting the gothic arches
Cutting the gothic arches

Shaping the wings
Shaping the wings

Once the styrene parts were sculpted and sanded, I started working the the vampire’s face with green stuff (a type of epoxy putty).

Sculpting the vampire face with green stuff
Sculpting the vampire face with green stuff

Adding the wings
Adding the wings

All parts that needed to be sculpted that way are now done
All parts that needed to be sculpted that way are now done

The final step once I was happy with the overall sculpt and the details of it was painting. The whole thing was painted with acrylics, then weathered with oil paints and finally some metallic accents were added to simulate chipped paint.

Basecoat done, starting to define the shading and tones
Basecoat done, starting to define the shading and tones

I also made a box to contain the lock out of an old toy box I had around that I covered with heavy black paper and then distressed using my usual techniques: sanding, painting with acrylics, rubbing with a dirty cloth and just generally mistreating it.

The distressed box made to contain the lock
The distressed box made to contain the lock

Last modified on 2024-12-04, published on 2021-12-29