Alex Velazquez is a professional character artist, and for the last 15 years he’s worked on video game titles like Saints Row, Doom 4, Red Faction, and Wolfenstein. The winner of a number of industry awards, Velazquez is a lead character artist at BioWare Austin, and he’s launching a Kickstarter campaign to create an art toy line with what he calls “a darker fantasy aesthetic.”
His plan is to take advantage of his experience as a digital sculptor and character artist to use his new SLS resin printer to create high quality collectibles.
The characters, popular pieces in fantasy role playing games, were named as two of the greatest villains in Dungeons & Dragons history by Dragon Magazine.
The Demogorgon, Prince of Demons — Reptilian Lord of the Gaping Maw, is chaotic evil personified. It is double-headed, tall, incredibly powerful, and in command of cold-blooded creatures including even the kraken.
“As I have matured as a sculptor,” Velazquez says, “I begin to realize how much of my creative life work exists only digitally. I started this Kickstarter because I want to change that. I’ve had a lifelong dream to create my own signature Art Collectible line. Demunny is the first step in making that goal a reality.”
The artist says he first started “following the 3D printing revolution early on” and, until now, has made do with using online 3D printing services. He says that “long wait times, and extremely high per item cost made iteration impossible,” so he sought a faster way to prototype.
That quest led to his investing in a Form 1+ Printer by Form Labs, and he says it’s the only desktop SLS resin printer on the market that could capture the level of detail he was looking for to build his characters.
“Now that I can print out my master sculpts. All that remains is to run silicone molds, and then cast the parts in resin,” Velazquez said (sic). “Unfortunately, my costs have snowballed as the need for printer resin, tools for sanding, drilling and finishing, building a UVB light curing box, IPA safety equipment have brought me to the limit of my disposable income.”
Alexis Velazquez
His plan for the Kickstarter funds is to create the necessary process and tool set to mold, cast, paint, and finish the models, so he says crowdfunding support is the only way he has of realizing his vision.
The funding generated by this Kickstarter will go directly into creating the rewards, and he adds that should the Kickstarter be successful, a second series in the Demunny Line is in the works.
A pledge of $45 will get the first 10 backers at that level an ORCUS mini figurine, a 70mm-tall model finished, UV coated, primed, and painted.
A pledge of $333 or more will yield a reward for three backers of a Limited Edition 3D printed Black Resin Orcus –which has been magnetized, assembled, and painted – and a Demogorgon Mini Figurine.
The artist estimates a delivery date of approximately June 2015 if his goal is met, and you can check out a preview of the campaign now.
What do you think of these 3D printed Dungeons & Dragons characters? Let us know in the Kickstarter Dungeons & Dragons Prints forum thread on 3DPB.com.