How to sculpt Glaedr from Eragon - Eragon custom laptop

The fourth volume of Inheritance was released in French last Friday so here's a little tribute to my favourite dragon...
This Instructable shows how to sculpt Glaedr with polymer clay!

~An entry in the Make it real challenge~

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Step 1: Tools & materials:

First you will need to find a HQ version of this book cover. Print & resize it to fit your laptop's shell.

Tools and materials:
-white & metallic gold Fimo clay (x2)
-black, brown and gold chalk pastels
-clear nail polish
-toothpicks
-a rolling pin
-make-up brushes
- a make-up sponge
-a knife
-black & yellow paint
-flat glass marbles
-aluminium foil
-blu-tack

Optional:
plastic wrap & duct tape (to protect your desk)

electfire says: Apr 29, 2012. 1:13 PM

Congrats on making Featured!
(I'm envious... I really need to work on and post my projects!)

~Mad Hatter (author) in reply to electfireApr 29, 2012. 1:58 PM

Thanks! Haha, there's nothing to envy : I can't devote my whole free-time to my passions due to college.
~What is your next project? =o

electfire in reply to ~Mad HatterApr 29, 2012. 2:46 PM

Next project? Probably to steampunk the old portable black and white tv I bought a few weeks ago.....
Though I really need to finish:
>Finish the case on the power supply for my C.F.L.E.D
>Tabletop Steampunk Amplifier/Radio
>Brass tabletop reading lamp.

Tentatively:
>Make a nicer Workbench/Area...
>Various Brass/Copper/PCB Etchings
>Various PMC Clay stuff
>Various Wood Craft/Pyrography
In other words I need to stop starting projects and actually finish them!

~Mad Hatter (author) in reply to electfireApr 29, 2012. 3:32 PM

Sweet! Tons of Steampunk, I hope you'll finish these projects in time for the metal challenge~

owlart101 says: Apr 24, 2012. 5:19 PM

This project wasn't inspired by my comment about you looking like Arya, would it? Haha, very well done. :)

~Mad Hatter (author) in reply to owlart101Apr 24, 2012. 9:16 PM

Thank you~
Haha not really, I'm a huge fan of Christopher Paolini since I'm thirteen....Well, that was a way to keep me busy a few days before the book came out (I've already made Saphira quite recently for a friend's birthday...It just happened that I had a lot of metallic gold clay left, plus I was a little upset by the fact that technically, sculpting the four dragons from the books cover is less expensive than buying only 1 of these books...so I thought it might be interesting to post the making of Glaedr)

owlart101 in reply to ~Mad HatterApr 25, 2012. 3:39 AM

Ahh, I see :)
Ha, I know what you mean.

Dusk Shadows in reply to ~Mad HatterApr 24, 2012. 10:17 PM

um hi mad hatter did you didn't do the eyes are we supposed to

~Mad Hatter (author) in reply to Dusk ShadowsApr 24, 2012. 10:26 PM

Hi, yes I did, but it''s only visible once the sculpture is assembled on the laptop's shell : "I filled the eye cavity with a small flat glass marble and glued the eye from the original picture behind it."

Thanks for noticing, I'll post a close-up later. =)

Dusk Shadows in reply to ~Mad HatterApr 24, 2012. 10:32 PM

thanks for telling me i was just wondering but it's still one of my favorite instructables

jediwhiz3 says: Apr 23, 2012. 7:24 PM

OH MY GOSH!

poofrabbit says: Apr 23, 2012. 2:22 PM

Hatter, you HAVE to enter the spy contest! I have great faith you can create something AWESOME using your clay skills that looks real that a spy could use. I just selfishly want to see what you come up with. ;-)

~Mad Hatter (author) in reply to poofrabbitApr 23, 2012. 3:08 PM

Haha, thanks a lot but I don't have any good idea at the moment~ :D (just before the announcement of this contest, I've started to make a mask/copy of my face out of silicon but I don't think I should publish this since I wouldn't appreciate to be involved in any identity theft)

poofrabbit in reply to ~Mad HatterApr 23, 2012. 5:19 PM

LOL well that's a good point, what about a secret something that a camera or recorder can hide in, like a cupcake, piece of pie, hot dog.....any food item ;-)

~Mad Hatter (author) in reply to poofrabbitApr 23, 2012. 7:19 PM

Good Idea, thanks!

monsterlego says: Apr 22, 2012. 1:35 PM

Wow! that looks just like him!

~Mad Hatter (author) in reply to monsterlegoApr 23, 2012. 3:47 AM

Ty! I tried my best but I didn't manage to reproduce his colour properly =,(

poofrabbit says: Apr 21, 2012. 9:19 PM

First, I like the purple curtains. Second and most important I adore this! Your attention to detail is always fantastic! What did you use to attach it to the laptop? I assume it's a glue? I always recommend E-6000 it's what I like to use...well with everything! I'm working on a sculpy project right now, just waiting for my E-6000 to dry so I can finish taking pictures and put up my 'able.

Again, so fantastic, I'm blown away by your detail work and creativity! 5 stars!!

~Mad Hatter (author) in reply to poofrabbitApr 22, 2012. 7:02 AM

Thanks! I have rather bad myopia so I compensate by paying attention to the details. =)
(haha, the first reaction of my friends whenever they see these curtains is to scream: "Why velour?!Did you really had to pay for these abominations?)
I'm using the same glue as in my "Skyrim laptop mod", it's some kind of blu-tack...( -removable so I don't have to show this in public!)
That's the first time I hear about E6000, I'll keep an eye on your creations =)

poofrabbit in reply to ~Mad HatterApr 22, 2012. 2:08 PM

Oh blue tack is a good plan so it's not permanent, brilliant idea! E-6000 is great stuff, it's water proof and flexible so you have some play with it, and by golly it hooks to everything! However, it smells AWFUL!

electfire says: Apr 22, 2012. 9:42 AM

E-6000 is great stuff, though I don't recall it being easy to remove... but I normally have the opposite situation... I want stuff NOT to come off, so I usually stick with stuff that permanently bonds together, like epoxies and cyanoacrylate (super glue)

Anyways I do have one quick question... I know that you use eyeshadow to to the highlighting and shading... and in the bill of materials, you list chalk pastels as a substitute... have you tried them, and if so how well do they hold up? Do you have to put a clear coat of acyclic (or something similar) or will the chalk particles adhere well one the clay is baked?

Thanks for the help, and as always,
Happy Making!

Oh and by the way, I love your representation of Glaedr from Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle, too bad you had to wait for the French version of the last book.... If you haven't already read it all the way yet, I won't spoil it for you, but I will say that is it very good... one of my favorite series by one of my favorite authors (I have way too many favorite authors!)

~Mad Hatter (author) in reply to electfireApr 22, 2012. 1:21 PM

Oh thanks, well I'd better use this glue for my next project (too bad I can't find it here =/)

Of course I've tried (I was a pastellist wannabe) =) that's why I don't like to waste pastel for Fimo while I could use some old make-up instead...
Hand-crushed pastel powder's particles aren't as thin as eyeshadow...so it's just harder to apply. (especially with a brush.)You could also use mica powder (more conventional but expensive) or cinnamon powder.
More info here: http://polymerclayweb.askbis.com/Materials/PowdersPulvers/MicaPowder.asp

You're not obliged to spray a fixative on the clay since it absorbs pigments really well but you could still use a pastel fixative. (or hair-spray works just fine.)

Thx! Haha, no spoiler, please! (I'll just wait until a friend lend it to me, I'm sure this volume is all about Arya =,( this character really gets on my nerves)