Friday, May 14, 2010

Mummified Vampire Heart

All this week I've been working on producing a realistic mummified vampire heart as part of a larger project. After a few failed attempts I finally have something I'm happy with.



Isn't it icky? The large hole in the left auricle is where the ashen stake that de-animated this particular vampire entered the heart. Along the top you can see the stubs of the major vessels (pulmonary artery, aorta, superior and inferior vena cava) from when the heart was cut from the creature's chest.




Here's a shot from a slightly lower angle with a few dissection probes in the background. The white spot on the front is wear from the heart bouncing around in a box for a few decades. Click through to the high resolution version and you can see one of the clues to how it was made- the characteristic webbing produced by rubbing a thin layer of liquid latex.



A wider shot with one of the large statues from the infamous Bag of Cthulhu for scale.



Obverse side, showing the stake's exit wound. I love how old and leathery the heart muscle looks, just like a piece of beef jerky.


Looking down from the top. If you look closely you can actually see the interior of the heart through the stubs of the vessels and the stake entry wound. Layers of cotton fibers dyed reddish brown and mixed with liquid latex look amazingly like mummified muscle tissue when they dry.

Now I just have to figure out an appropriately creepy mount for it. I want to do a sideshow-style presentation, but finding the right cabinet is proving difficult.

15 comments:

R.S. Bohn said...

Ewwwwwww! LOL! That is the most fabulous thing you've done yet, I think. And yes, it needs a suitable, and spectacular, presentation.

Well done. That's a masterpiece.

Blast 'em said...

That looks amazing , very realistic. Any chance of a tutorial?

Angel Of Vengeance said...

This is positively awesome! I dissected a heart in Biology class once, this one is just perfect. :)

Mik said...

Brilliant, very detailed and realistic. A good specimen jar with appropriate label would look good.

Pam Morris said...

absolutely fabulous! I want one...hehe

RahneFan said...

That is really amazing. And a great idea too.

BeatricCaldwell said...

Fantastic job!

Jarons20 said...

I'd include the stake side by side with this amazing sculpt. the colors are so amazing on this.

Anonymous said...

Now you've done it! If you take the stake out the vampire will regenerate! Run for it!

Raven said...

Heh. Only with this crowd would you think to use one of the large "Bag of Cthulhu" statuettes for scale.

But how marvelous that, from now on, you can adapt our former President's famous phrase for sincerity: "I want you to look into my heart." (Put jar on table, point at gaping wound.)

Secondary credit to Robert Bloch and his famous line: "I have the heart of a little child. I keep it in a jar on my shelf." (Rephrase as: "I have a big heart. ...")

josefk said...

Amazing work! C'mon now, it's a real heart, isn't it? We won't tell anyone... How about a little glass dome over a wood base, with the heart resting on a little satin pillow? Anybody who managed to get a vampire heart would have to be proud of their specimen.

Anonymous said...

OOOoooh please do a tutorial for this, it looks so real!

Naamah said...

Add me to the folks who would really, really appreciate a tutorial. This looks excellent, VERY real. I would love to know how to do this so I could make my own in various sizes!

Jeff said...

I have a question for you did you mold the heart with the hole for the the stake in it or did you mold and cast the heart and then make the hole.

Ravenson

Muhammad Rudiansyah said...

HOAX,