Gilda Radner Statue Pictures on the Web: Part 2

Convincing John

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Yes, there are more Gilda pictures on the web! Just go back to this site:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gildaradneronlineclub/messages/1?viscount=100

And there are 10 more Gilda photos in the pictures section!!! They aren't exactly in order as far as construction goes, but still, I thought you'd like to see 'em, anyway. If you're not quite sure how to get there, follow the instructions from the other thread entitled "Gilda Radner Statue Pictures on the Web!" at this link:

http://forum.muppetcentral.com/showthread.php?t=10441

Okay, here we go:

1. A close-up of the Gilda face on the Gilda's Club Quad Cities sign. This image appears on every Gilda's Club. Also, each clubhouse has a red door.

2. This is the second face I made for Gilda, which crumbled apart in the cold while I was at work. :rolleyes: I included it simply because at one point, I wanted to have the mouth open. This prototype has (had) teeth. You can almost see the upper row of them if you look close.

3. Prototype face #4. Again, there's Gilda's ring and her knuckles (which needed smoothing down). Again, this face has the mouth open, but the eyes were much too wide and needed to be fixed. See that crack that goes right down the middle of the forehead? That's where the cracks happened (due to the cold) while I was at work. :frown:

4. The beginning of the last face (prototype 8) at the beginning of the "Mountain Dew Weekend". My parents visited that weekend, and I
stayed at the Super 8 Motel with them. This photo was taken in the
motel room. Don't bother looking for any details in the face because there were none at this point. A layer of tin foil was put on the original mannequin face and Sculpey was spread out on the tin foil, like a mask.

5. Another shot of "prototype #8" taken around 5 or 6 in the morning that Saturday. I didn't have a ceiling light in my apartment, except for a dinky one in the kitchen. So, I had to use my regular old desk lamp. That's why the bottom half of the photo is dark.

6. Another photo of "prototype #8". Again, taken at the same time.

7. This, believe it or not, is what Gilda looked like in January of 2003. This is the original mannequin. See the hand? Both of them were useless in those poses, so I detached them, and built new hands. The sign (hung around the neck with Scotch tape) says "Future Gilda Radner".

8. Here's the last face (prototype #8, as it was called back then) I made during that "Mountain Dew Weekend". This is after the face was completed. Included in the picture are my references from earlier photos, including the old TV Guide, two photos I took of Gilda off the TV screen, "The Woman in Red DVD" and the "Saturday Night Live" original cast album, the old TV Guide from 1978, the cover from Gilda's "Live From New York" CD, and Gilda's book "It's Always Something". Now, if you look closely, in the background on the right, just next to the TV Guide, you'll see my Muppet Labs playset. This was when I thought that Beaker would be a part of the statue. :eek:

9. This photo was taken in the backyard of my parents' house. This was my work area during most of June and July of 2003. See the camcorder on the left? I used that to film as I worked, so Michael Radner could see how it was done. It was sort of like filming one of those "The Making Of..." documentaries.

10. Okay, this photo is of Gilda when she had her makeup put on (which are only acrylics) Remember the photo of Gilda when she was on the freezer lid? Okay, this photo is about two days after that, when the glue was completely dry. When Gilda was on "The Muppet Show", she wore two black and white rings, one on each hand. Since finding two rings that same exact style to fit her fingers (especially with the fingers closed) proved nearly impossible, I decided it would be much easier to sculpt my own. You can see the ring on her finger, now covered in just a coat of her skin tone color. To put the bumpy, jeweled texture in the ring, I sculpted it with one of those little red coffee stirrers/straws I got at Hardee's.

You might be wondering what those pieces of cloth are on her shoulders. Well, those are felt squares I got at Wal-Mart for 20 cents apiece. After the glue was set and dry, the arms needed more support. The weight of the hands (especially the right one) put a lot of stress on the arms, and the arms kept falling off. So, I used these felt pieces as reinforcements for the shoulders.

Her makeup, like I mentioned, is made from acrylics. I used those little bottles of acrylics you can get at Wal-Mart. Her eye shadow is made from different tans and her eyebrows are made from different browns mixed together. Her lips were painted pink, and if you look closely, you'll see they look wet. They always will. To give the lips a realistic look, they were covered over with a layer of transparent acrylic gloss.

Well, that's all the photos for now. Enjoy 'em!

Convincing John
 

Convincing John

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Hey, 12 viewings of this post already! Anyone seen these new new photos yet? If I'm lucky, the next batch will have a photo of another life-size sculpture of another SNL performer...the Mighty Favog!

Convincing John
 

Convincing John

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There's another new photo if anyone's interested. It's of Gilda's new home, the Gilda's Club Quad Cities. Formerly a bed and breakfast place, this "Clubhouse" (as each GC affiliate is called) is located at 1234 East River Drive in Davenport, Iowa. This is the front of the house. See the red door? Every Gilda's Club has one. :smile: It's really beautiful inside!

More pictures coming soon!

Convincing John
 
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