A Wolf for Red

When Jotay asked me to make a wolf for the Red Riding Hood shoot, a lot of possibilities coursed through my mind. While scouring YouTube for inspiration, I decided to make a wolf sculpture made from papier-mache. The only drawback to that plan is the arduous task of hauling the wolf from my place to location. The stands and modifiers alone are already heavy.

We decided to use a 30 x 40 foam board instead and make a two-dimensional figure of the wolf. The strobe lights will add volume to the cutout, as the shoot was scheduled during late in the afternoon towards dusk.

I bought the last black foam board at BOSS Educational Supply at Park Mall and initiated my plans on how to make the wolf. A lot of the initial sketches were discarded as they didn't look wolf-like in the dark. As we planned to do the shoot at dusk, it is important that the shape could not be mistaken for any creatures.

Finally, I got a passable design. Jotay made a few suggestions until I sketched the right one.

Final Design of the Wolf

Using a graphite pencil, I sketched the design on the foam board. Quite difficult for the lines were barely visible. Anyone planning to do this should place the foam board in a well-lit area. 

Once done with the sketch, I used my carving knife to make the cut. Using charcoal pencil, I enhanced the lines on the body of the wolf, including its teeth. 

The Wolf from the Foam Board

Little cuts were also made near the shoulders to create delineation between the body and the head.

Peek-a-boo!

For the finishing touch, flickering red tea lights were attached as eyes. 

Tea Lights for Eyes

Now the big bad wolf is ready for its first school jaunt and test shots. Lots of the people I passed by turned their heads. Either they almost thought the wolf is real or they thought the woman bearing the cutout is crazy.

Off for Test Shots

During the day of the test shots, I still have doubts on the wolf's likelihood to the real thing. But when the caretaker of the apartment stifled a scream when she saw the wolf in my hand, well, all my doubts just disappeared.

Wolf in the Lab (by Joel R. Locaylocay)

Check how this wolf fared in the shoot by clicking http://wp.me/p2IRxo-lg. Please don't forget to like the page of Joel Locaylocay Photography, if you still haven't.

More to come...