Microsoft Rare Sea of Thieves – 2019

We were given only a front and back view of each of the characters, which makes the task of creating a life-size 3-D sculpture slightly more complex, but as we specialise in creating 3-D versions of characters from mere concepts to basic sketches to full 3-D computer artwork, this job was no more daunting than any of the many others we have worked on for Microsoft Rare.

For both sculptures we started with a skeleton, an armature made from metal, wire, foam and timber. These had to be strong enough to hold up to 1 quarter of a ton of clay each and also create the basic shape of the sculpture. Once we had the basic shape we sent regular update photos to the client and continued to send photos right through the sculpting process. Our clients appreciate regular updates because more often than not, some of our clients have just a concept or idea and they need us to design and visualise these in to 3-D forms. Once Lesedi had been sculpted and signed off, she was ready for the mould to be made.

Demarco and Lesedi had a brass shim fixed into place; this will dictate where the silicone mould will come apart. After the first layer of silicone was applied we added an additional layer of thixotropic (thickened) silicone all over. The addition of the fibreglass jacket completes the moulding process.

Both finished sculpts had to come apart in smaller sections so that they would fit into small flight cases as they will be travelling the globe to be displayed at various events to promote the game Sea of Thieves.

Once both characters were cast in fibreglass they were ready to be primed and painted. The first details are painted on the sculpts which requires a lot of masking to get a nice, crisp finish in our spray room. The sculpts then get special attention from our painter.