How To: Mighty Mugg Style

How to Create Your Own Mighty Mugg (In Progress)

 Here is my method to how I create my customs, but there are infinite ways to do it and it changes with every project.  I chose to do Allen the Alien from Robert Kirkman's Invincible to demonstrate the basic techniques including a bit of sculpting.

Materials

Process

1. The first step is to get your idea.  I print out a blank template (something like this) to draw a few drafts until I come up with a mock-up that I like (Figs 1 &2). A lot of people don't need to sketch it out but it tends to focus my efforts so I don't end up repainting sections.

Figure 1: Allen Front Mock-up

Figure 2: Allen Back Mock-up

2. The next step is to get the Mugg base itself.  I grab mine off EBay because there's no need to buy brand new figures (unless there are some accessories that would be handy).  For Allen, I chose to use a Vision figure (Fig. 3) I had lying around so I could use the cape later.

Figure 3: Brand new Vision base

3. Once I have the new base, I spray white primer on it (about 3 coats).  Each coat takes about 15 minutes to dry and ready to work in an hour.  Be sure to get primer in every cranny because it helps the paint grip a little better (Fig 4).  Trouble spots for me are the armpits, under the head, and the crotch.  After the primer, I lightly sand it with 400 grit sandpaper and draw my mock-up on the new primer (Fig 5).  

Figure 4: Primed Mugg

Figure 5: Mock-up transfer

4. Next comes the sculpting.  I like to break the sculpting into chunks so I can fine-tune each layer.  In order to prevent in accidental Apoxie contact, I put a cheap surgical glove on the body.  Once dry, it is incredibly difficult to make major changes to Apoxie sculpt.  

For Allen, I sculpted his eyeball, sanded it to the right shape (Fig. 6), and repeated for his eye lids (Fig. 7), brow (Fig. 8), and brow wrinkle (Fig. 9).  To get the sculpt nice and smooth, I sand the object initially with 220 grid sandpaper and re-sand with 400-600 grit finishing sandpaper. This takes about four days to do and a more talented sculptor could knock it out in a day (plus hardening time). 

Figure 6: Allen's Eyeball

Figure 7: Allen's Eyelid

Figure 8: Allen's Brow

Figure 9: Allen's Brow Wrinkle

5. Some of the pencil is bound to be smudged or rubbed off after handling the figure while sculpting so I touch-up some of the design and draw whatever is necessary on the sculpt itself.  After the touch-up, I spray one more coat of primer so I can paint on top of the pencil and finish with another light sanding with 400 grit sandpaper (Figs. 10 & 11).

Figure 10: Final Sketching