Inside the mind of H. B. Coffin…

Here’s some old work I’ve been meaning to post for a while, along with some stills from my most recent project, “She Had Willix.” Enjoy!

La-Di-Gua-Na – Slipped, textured, glazed, and fired terracotta.

Yumenoko Kodomo – Charcoal pencil on paper.

Death & Decay – Musical composition and performance by Harry’s Bronze Coffin.

She Had Willix – Video stills.

The new site is up and running! Check it out @ hbcstudios.com

Inspiration for the overall concept came from my girlfriend and her experiences, along with her hopes and dreams from childhood. The idea was to create a playful narrative, rendering her childhood issues into the physical manifestation of a cursed relic (Willix the doll). The idea of Willix stems from the idea of a malevolent, metaphysical entity from my past, creating a link between my girlfriend and I in a fictional sense. A sort of dark take on tales reminiscent of those in line with E.T.A. Hoffman’s “The Nutcracker and the King of Mice,” influence may subconsciously stem from being exposed to such theatrics as a child. Original plans to execute the film in a stop motion video format were inspired by the craft of Tim Burton and Michel Gondry, though the subject matter and method of story telling is still reminiscent of their work.

“The Fawn of Man” was made for a contemporary studio course at the University of Texas @ San Antonio, under the instruction of Hills Snyder.

Another animation in the inspiration of Sebastian (our pug), who passed away last summer, in this animated short, Sebastian is a “timeless” artist, leaving behind traces of evidence to the origin of man, time travel, and the key to eternal happiness. A play on the hit show, “Ancient Aliens.”

“The origin of man… where did we come from? It’s always been the big question. Does Sebastian hold the answer? It’s hard to say.”

- Frito Layfield, “The Fawn of Man”

“We all remember the adorable ancient Chinese toy dog breed, the pug… and some of you may remember George A. Romero’s ‘Night of the Living Dead.’ Well, put the two together and you have… absolute armageddon!”

- Jim Mojoney, “Fawn of the Dead”

“Fawn of the Dead” was made shortly after the death of our dog, Sebastian, the end of last summer. This was excellent therapy in helping me recover from our tragic loss. The video at the end of the animation was unfortunately the only recording we ever took before he passed away, which set the ground for the concept of the story. This animated short is dedicated to him and his legacy. May he rest in peace… or rise up from the grave!

I’m a bit dissatisfied with the final product; there were some minor flaws that went unnoticed on the flesh colored, Sculpey Clay prototype that unfortunately shine through on each and every cast. So, I’ve decided to recast the model with a slight alteration to the original prototype.

Before I go about starting over, I’ve invested in a vacuum/pressure chamber in order to allow successful casting of clear/transparent compounds-that’s what I’ve been working with, with little to no luck of producing what could be considered an acceptable product. It’s not easy getting a bubble-free cast when working with clear plastics. I tried to apply just about every possible solution to the problem. I eventually decided I’d settle for a virtually bubble-free surface at the very least. A select few made it out of the mold, at least 1/3 of the models I produced, with significantly less bubbles than the rest. Though it completely defeated the purpose of the compound I was using, I figured I could still give the models a full paint job with a little extra care. I managed to fill any bubbles on the surface using a combination of Testors Contour Putty and Creative Paperclay. Though tedious, I was willing to go the extra mile so that the material wouldn’t go to waste-I had already purchased a large supplement of the clear stuff, a bad move on my part. A word of advice… always purchase these products in small supplements, do some testing and see what works best for you. In my case, living in central Texas where it’s relatively humid, a slow setting clear/transparent compound probably wasn’t my best bet without the aid of a pressure chamber.

Once all the equipment arrives, hopefully I’ll be able to put the remaining supply to good use. I’m excited and nervous at the same time. This whole process has been a stressful learning experience with bouts of relief in between. I look forward to the future and hope for a successful turnout.

The first official release will still consist of a limited edition of 5pcs, along with three one-off models similar to those viewed previously.

A big thanks goes out to Camille Young for sharing her ideas and experiences with me-I probably wouldn’t have gotten this far without her help. I’d also like to thank Jon Knox of Hello, Brute, and Sean of MONSTREHERO for additional help and advice regarding the toy production process.

Stay tuned for more updates!

Finally, the first figure from Series.01 has taken shape!

Hand cast in resin, these little guys measure about 3″ in height. These will be for sale on my webstore in the near future (check back for updates!). Issue.01 will be a limited run of 5pcs; there will also be three one-off models available for purchase.

Issue.01 – Unoriginal Flavor
$35.00 ea. + free shipping anywhere in the United States.*

One-off – Custom Flavor
$45.00 ea. + free shipping anywhere in the United States.

*-Limit one per customer.

I will accept international orders-an invoice will be sent out with additional charges following your purchase (rates may vary).

Here’s my latest compilation of Kyju related work. Enjoy!

Bulbous – Drypoint on copper plate.

The Subjects – ImagOn transfer.

Dybbuk – Linocut & collagraph.

Dybbuk – Oil on canvas.