"Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?"
Considering my Pikachu's nickname "Indiana" came after the eponymous "Indiana Jones", I thought it was fitting to start off this entry for Ekans and Arbok with the infamous line from "Raiders Of The Lost Ark".
For both of these pieces, I tried to stay as true to the original designs as possible. The only artistic flourish I included as giving Arbok some ridiculously big fangs, which admittedly, was more of a mistake in my sculpting that a true creative decision.
In contrast to what one might think, considering that snakes are essentially noodles with heads, i found it incredibly difficult to sculpt Arbok. Between the general form of the hood, as well as the polymer clay I use, it was very difficult to ensure stability in the upright portion of the design. Fortunately, it all remained stable throughout the baking process, and the weight from the tangled lower 2/3 of the sculpture ensure a heavy and wide footprint for the figure.
Ekans proved to be much easier, likely due to the fact that I just rolled out a long string of clay and attached a head and rattle tail to the respective ends.
From being mainstays in Team Rocket Grunt teams, Ekans and Arbok do have a strong nostalgic charm to them. They just radiate "Bad Guy" energy to me, and in a franchise like Pokémon, you need that to diversify your character designs.
As is tradition in my series of 151 "Realistic" Kanto Pokémon sculptures, these slippery serpents needed some nicknames.
NICKNAMES:
EKANS – PRINCE
ARBOK – SULTAN
Thanks for checking out my work!
by Mpickardart