Rockman, Shmockman

Out of everything that I have done, this is probably my biggest accomplishment. Out of all the drawings, paintings & cartoons in my portfolio, this is what I to believe as the one thing that got me into SVA: Behold my masterpiece!

Well, kinda. Actually, this is what it looked like when I first started.

My father, the welding expert, taught me how to weld when I was still in elementary school. For hours he tutored me in heating, bending, curling & fusing metal together to create sculptures.

Here was one of my first ones:

I spent about 1 1/2 to 2 hours on this stupid foot thingy. I made it for my Cross-Country team. When I brought it to school the next day, guess how many people cared... none. Not my friends, not my teachers, not my teammates, not even my coach. Insensitive bastards.

But I still kept at it. I began to master it as I went on. I made a few wind vanes here & there, but besides that there was nothing else to really make. But then I had an idea.

Before I continue, let me just say that my school is pretty cheap. Dirt cheap to be precise. It so poor that on several occasions we ran out of paper. PAPER! No booklets, no worksheets & no drawing paper for days on end. Plus, we're a pretty unknown town. Our town is so small, it's not even listed on most maps.

Back to the story... I thought that out school needed something to help it stand out, but I didn't know what should be done. That's when I saw this picture in one of my "how-to-draw" books:

The Thing! Our school mascot is the Thing (technically it's Rockman to avoid copyright infringement). My tiny, young, 7th grade mind thought "If I can make wireframe feet & wind vanes, I can make this baby easy!".

But of course, it was a lot harder than I thought. Making a 6-foot tall heavily muscled man out of metal isn't easy, or a picnic for that manner. Luckily, my father warmed up to the idea & decided to help me build it.

We made a wireframe (the one at the top of the page) in about two 3-hour sessions. But because my father is a very busy guy & I had schoolwork to do & grades to pass, the project was postponed 'til further notice. From 8th grade all the way to 11th, that wireframe was crammed in a cargo container behind a pile of old junk, rusting to dust.

In the next few days, I'll continue the story of the building process. I'll include pictures & drawings along the way. Come back tomorrow for Part 2!