This post in part of a series where I try to make a Galapagos tortoise out of inner tubes. Find all the posts here.
I’ve gone about this all backwards – that’s the conclusion I’ve reached these past few weeks.
So About That Armature…
After finishing my little battalion of five tortoise shells, this is the culmination of my work since then:
Guess what? It’s not as easy to wing a tortoise body out of wire as I thought it would be. Also my husband was poorly and other life stuff got in the way.
Starting with the shell meant I’ve had to work backwards to get the proportions to work for the legs. I really should’ve done everything at once.
I’m not unhappy with the general proportions…that’s about all I can say for it.
So to make something a little less rubbish, I’ve done some research into armatures, looking for a method of that will work for what I’ve created so far.
This is what I’m going to try next:
As for having something to measure, the handy 360 I mentioned in my earlier post has been great. I’ve screen shot side/front/back views, printed them out and made some initial measurements.
Comparing to my paper mache tortoise shells, the length and width seem like the right proportions…though the height is a bit short. Not the worst thing, as I was worried about getting the scutes right in inner tubes anyway.
Next Steps
What I’ll do is make measurements on the photo, scale those up to the proportions of my shell, and create a better armature out of wire. That sounds straightforward, but I can foresee some hiccoughs.
I’m held up as I need thin wire to bind up my thicker stuff, and have been carless or tending to a sick husband, so I’ve not been able to make the trip to Shrewsbury to get it. Hopefully tomorrow I can pick that up and all the refills I need!
But I’m not at all confident the wire will work, so I’ve found another method that looks promising if I need to start completely from scratch.
But as that would mean abandoning my shells, I’ll wait until I’m sure the wire armature doesn’t work.