The Armour Archive

Oh my.

Ugo,
It is nice, but I must be honest, the faceplate / face looks to small for the helmet and the visor pivot overlapping the side vent looks unplanned.
I like to face and the style though.
Also, the hinges (or something) on your gorget lames are not keeping your lames aligned, so they sag where they meet on the side.
I would like to see this with the grill/ pierced visor.
The repose work is outstanding as always, but I think your detail, fit work has been much better on other pieces.
Couldn't resist, sorry,
Here is what I'm saying, I have Retouched the photo.
[img]http://globaleffects.com/Temp/newugo.jpg[/img]

Signed
"The Surly Guy."

Fits the helmet perfectly, the face is lovley

I just got back from an event, getting my boy Laureled... I'm beat!! lot's of fun was had!

Ok,
Honestly, I thought the same on the faceplate. The face is actually huge when not on the helm, but once on, it's just a smidge small when seen from certain angles. When I'd point it out to people for feedback on it(cause it was bugging me) they'd give me a look as if to say "get a life".
and after sitting with it for a bit I thought it just adds to the creepyness of it & now it's part of its "charm" (shall weeee say...)

When I mounted the visor, it needed something in that area so I messed around trying different sized vents to see what worked. And there was no way I was going to avoid covering part of the detail. I went to the books and found only one that had the vent partially covered and noted that the side/ cheek plates on those helms went a bit further back allowing more room for the vent & etched detail.
I fixed the problem a little on the exchange visor by patterning it to avoid the vent all together so with that one it'll be a non- issue. (I may cut away the face visor over the vent & turn it into a "feature" with a little file work and details to make it look like I didn't screw up!)
Lastly , the gorget.... phoey on you ! I tried something different -when I built it, instead of shapeing & bolting the plates like I normally do and replacing the bolts with rivets when I put the lames on leathers- I shaped the lames without fitting them to each other with bolts because I wanted to try having no visible rivets on the neck lames. As a result I was a bit off indexing them & didn't notice until it was all together. I had too many things going on that I needed to finish so I was going "to get to it later" and just haven't yet..

All valid observations,Gaston, & all things I had concerns about as well.
I guess I tend to let things slip a bit when I'm just making them for myself!Plus it helps with testing patterns and helping me adjust for future peices.
(as pennance, I promised myself & the guys up here I'd make another armet & gorget all proper like to make up for this one's "short comings")
But I love this thing, I played with it a little this weekend and it's pretty much perfect as it is.

I need food & sleep, I'm getting old ...


Oh, I used rub & buff for the gold to see what it would look like. I left it in for the pics , I might gold leaf it & distress it.

I soooo hate you

This is the reason I have a folder in my armor porn collection with your name on it. Wait, does that sound dirty?

I have to meet you some day so I can crawl into your brain and steal your knowledge. You have been warned

Chris

They wouldn't have distressed it when it was new.


[img]http://home.armourarchive.org/members/alcyon/ugo.jpg[/img]

I don't think it looks quite as 'dark' as the original drawing.

And how long are you going to make us wait to see you wear it with the breastplate, gauntlets, or whatever you currently have finished? Huhhuhhuh?

Yeah, and I'm not that skinny either! ... So I changed my mind on a few things...Wha? you have a file on me too?

Also, It's not "new", it was ...um.. found , er ...excavated. in that condition... yeah, that's it!

Grumble...grumble...damn groupies...

I have to put things in order from getting Vrin's Laurel. There's metal, leather & silk everywhere.

Then I need to finish some peices for other people before I get to work on stuff for myself ( I work on my goodies between projects, a little carrot I put in front of me for motivation!)

But it may be the shoulder defences & arms.

I'm NOT a groupie.

I'm an enthusiast with Cheetos Crusty Disorder.

it goes without saying. spectacular metal working skills ... repousse is by and far the most neglected of armorers craft with notable exceptions.. Ugo you definitly fit the bill as notable exception:D

I do think however the look would flow more if your sketch was followed a bit more closely..

the chin and lower lip as part of the cheek peices would make the face longer and a bit more larger with porportion but I think it would achieve a better flow.. making a realistic porportioned face via a armet is asking more than needed imo.

with the chin built into the visor you loose the use of the cheek plates to make a stern jawline. hope that makes sense.

basically in the drawing you used the cheekplates to create a "capt sternn" jaw. with the chin on the visor you loose the solid jaw look since the chin is much closer to the lips than the bottom of the jaw ( kudo to whomever gets the capt sternn ref and where its from, I used to redraw from those comics all the time:D)

the open cheek hole per your line drawing even would cause the visor to become more homogenous with the cheek plates. IE make the cheek plates more a part of the visor by tieing them at the mouth and chin. I get the "visor as its own" thing having seen a german armet with an eagle worked into the "beak" but in this case tieing the cheek plates into the visor would give a greater feel of presence with the face.


just a Question : how about repousse hair? not like the greek revival stuff with the lil locks all curled but more something stolen from early dracula movies with the heavy widows peak and receeding sides? almost to a point in the widows peak and curving around the visor pivots on the sides. the Laurel wreath worked on top of the hair and gold patina applied on. Id think the repousse hair would make the helm much tougher and allow for a guage lighter on the skull anywho. (ie 14 guage worked that heavy to put the hair in is gonna take shots rather well)

not tryin to be critical, this far exceeds anything Ive done. just figured you posted for input, praise you get constantly and with good merit.

Hey Ugo, I forgot to tell you that you suck. So there. ......... hack........Uhm, yeah, that's all. Talk to you next time.......

Wow!
That's some amazing work.

So you're going with something similar to the Negroli Fame Breastplat are you? that will be awesome. Have you ever thought about making the helm that matches that suit? It looks impossibly hard to make, but then again so does the one you just made.

I agree about the vents- that you should cut away some face and maybey do some ornate file work.

Happy hammering, and keep up the good work,

Aaron

Captain Lincoln Sternn... a heavy chin for Heavy Metal. Someday I'd like to see another tale of Hanover Fiste.

That is very very very nice work mate... the only problem i forsee for you is that your next project has to better it...lol

Keep up the great work...

Cheers

Ryan L

Great shaping.
We also made shaped helmets early, but yours one is great new source of inspiration.

Extraordinary work.

I like your sketch too.


The helm is pretty perfect.

As for the mask, it is a csulptor work, very beutiful indeed: its style is pretty modern though, it would be perfect in a room of the memorial to the famed italian poem, soldier and dandy D'Annunzio: it is a renovated house bult in the twenties to host him, a national glory, it is filled with precious artworks in an almost unbelievable manner.

Your mask would suit the taste of this supreme arbiter of the italian art scene of the twenties, congrats.

Good eye Bruno,

I based the face off the works of Adolfo Wildt from the late 1800's-1930. One of my favorite sculptors. When I was a kid I loved his eye-less, powerfull and creepy faces. His work also inspired alot of the look for the necromonger art in Riddick & used for Lord Marshal's helmet.
So it's not "period" ...eh...I never said it was, I'll be making some really sweet period stuff soon, and apart from the face visor and the pierced visor, I'll eventually make a boxed visor ( which will be a period visor for this type of helm).

Conor looked at the pictures and went "Oooooooooooooooooooooh....."

In the same way we have an 'Ask Duke Paul' forum, I wonder if Ugo would make time for an 'Ask Ugo' forum.

Ugo
- I'm sure you've heard this before, but it's armour like yours that's going to end up in museums in a thousand years, for our descendants to drool over, too!
Seeing it inspires me to know what is possible, and learn more.
I hope to see some of your work in person, one day.

Thank you!
Brad Goudge

You truly channel whatever source the Negrolis' possessed- talent, pure and simple

My mentor pointed me to this forum, as a place to learn from, and interract; if this is the calibre of work to aspire to, I am quite pleased, (and a bit in awe- of some, anyway )

You have breathed life into steel, with this work, no small accomplishment that.

Ugo wrote:Good eye Bruno,

I based the face off the works of Adolfo Wildt from the late 1800's-1930. One of my favorite sculptors. When I was a kid I loved his eye-less, powerfull and creepy faces. His work also inspired alot of the look for the necromonger art in Riddick & used for Lord Marshal's helmet.
So it's not "period" ...eh...I never said it was, I'll be making some really sweet period stuff soon, and apart from the face visor and the pierced visor, I'll eventually make a boxed visor ( which will be a period visor for this type of helm).

I didn't remember teh name of Wildt, but now that you have quoted him I can say that he was the artist I had in mind when I apprased your work: some years ago a bibliophile editor published in Italy a nice brochure with the Wildt's works, and it deeply impressed me.

You were able to do a perfectly wildtiansque work, I'm still impressed.

However your piece shouldn't be considered a piece of armor but a real sculpture made with an unusual medium.

Don't use in the field but keep it as an artwork.

You would greatly appreciate Gabriele D'Annunzio's Vittoriale and its treasures, please see http://www.vittoriale.it/, I guess you could feel a lot of empathy with his aesthetical vision.

I work for a cultural state agency, in many years I have seen so many self-styled artists who were not such, while I can say with certainity that you have crossed the line between the craftsman and the artist.

The cool thing Bruno is that I made the helm really heavy, 12ga for the skull and 14ga everywhere else. It can put up with alot. I'm not worried about the face at all. Also, I'll probably only use it for special events.

As far as art, it's an idea I've been playing around with for a bit. I have a meeting with an architectural firm in Portland in the morning, they also do alot of art installations and interior design for high end clients.

I'll hopefully get the peirced visor back this week, fit it to the helm and get some pics up along with the plume for you guys soon.

Thanks for the link.

And ask Ugo section eh... I dig it! Or maybe a "master-artisan" forum where we can ask a select panel of pros. I got questions. But then again I have the distinct advantage of being able to drive up to scenic longview see the Ugo magic happen! ...I am a lucky bastiche!

I can also review this helm, I have seen and tried it on, and I have to say I have put it to the SCA stick test, (yes I was hitting art with a stick, I felt bad... sorta) and I have to say this is an ideal SCA close helmet it is a "flat" thudding hit, but because of its weight and the gorget it soaks up impact with little head movement. It also moves with Ugo's head really great, all but unrestricted movement. Ugo's self critique aside it has good proportions and fits both the shape and size of his head without getting too large, all while fulfilling the SCA's padding reqs.

Now to get the rest of the Ugo into armour!

Notice how we feel free to critique the Ugo in a way we don't with other people's efforts (lest they curl up and die)? Since others have taken care of my lightwork, let me just say this; if you fight as good as you look (BIG if), you're gonna leave a whole lotta dead folks in your wake!

Ugo: Do you plan on doing a full harness based on the sketches you posted earlier?

James Arlen Gillaspie wrote:Notice how we feel free to critique the Ugo in a way we don't with other people's efforts (lest they curl up and die)? Since others have taken care of my lightwork, let me just say this; if you fight as good as you look (BIG if), you're gonna leave a whole lotta dead folks in your wake!

I don't think anyone here other than I have critique Ugo's work. (And as you know, I will speak my mind on a piece.) Every one else has just stated how awesome they thought it was. I have worked with Ugo for many years and He knows I love him, so I'm not afraid he will curl up and die. Plus, I have seen allot of armour and I know what is possible and I think I know what Ugo is capable of.

I can not give a critique; however I can say... I like it too.
I have attempted metal faces before and it is no easy job.
Mine do not look this real, they have more of a wombatish feel.

I bet if he did a female face helm it sure would have a "Fuck-Off"... look.... No?

Hal

Ohhhh....

That is a sexy sexy helm. Another beautiful piece of work, and another example of why I often show new people some of the armor on your website to show them how truly lovely armor can be.

Nicely done, as always.

-Jimena

Amazing doe's not begin to cover it,,, your a true artist with steel

Ugo said "His work also inspired alot of the look for the necromonger art in Riddick & used for Lord Marshal's helmet."

Ugo,Ugo,Ugo you're not busting a tony and claiming you hammered lord marshalls helm and face are you......I saw them sculpt it if you are.As far as I know the only peice I saw that was metal(besides the guantlets and greives that D and I made) was the trooper helm you made that they molded and cast a million of

Saign, don't start...

Read it again, I know you graduated High School... I said the work of *Adolfo Wildt* inspired some of the art of Riddick.

The only thing I did as far as armour were the prototype helm for the soldiers - as you wrote -and the Necro-lensors, as far as Lord Marshal; I only influenced the look of the breastplate by giving the designer a copy of it from the Negroli book .

Unlike others in zee industry, I wouldn't take credit for anything I didn't do. That would be class-less to say the least. Like T!

I could only wish to have created Lord Marshal's helm, think of mine as only a "tribute". (Try Google-ing him, you'll see one called "Carratere Fiero-Anima Gentile" )

Check twice & get your facts straight before grand-standing in a public forum.
I still love you though!

Thanks to the rest of you guys,If you have questions just e-mail me, I'm not too wild about having an "ask Ugo" thingie. (I'm not that self-important. ) I'm still learning and figure alot of this stuff as I go. Or I give those better than me a call when I'm stuck!

saign wrote:Ugo said "His work also inspired alot of the look for the necromonger art in Riddick & used for Lord Marshal's helmet."

Ugo,Ugo,Ugo you're not busting a tony and claiming you hammered lord marshalls helm and face are you......I saw them sculpt it if you are.As far as I know the only peice I saw that was metal(besides the guantlets and greives that D and I made) was the trooper helm you made that they molded and cast a million of

Lord Marshall’s helmet looked ridicules. I looked like some one stole an oversize bronze statue and stuck it on his head. I don't think Ugo would have made it like that and if he had, because of production wanting it that way, he would have denied it.

Ugo, any chance of seing an inside shot of the gorget?

incredible...if I didn't live in an apartment I would be trying to get to that level of skill, but for now I guess I'll just draw...Brilliant!

beautiful work