Medusa Chess Piece Model

3D printers have completely changed the way we go about production. The individual prints are cheap, quick, and can contain a large amount of detail. Taking advantage of these tools, our projects reflect a new wave of efficiency in manufacturing. Our task was simple – create a set of chess pieces. While our aesthetics varied throughout the class, the set was unified by the agreed upon theme of mythological creatures.

Tasked with creating a Medusa for the Queen piece, I assembled a rough sketch of how I envisioned the piece in terms of pose and design. Following a critique in front of the class, I went about modeling the character with these tips in mind. The character overall had a sleeker figure and more dynamic pose. A spear weapon was also added at the group’s discretion to add more continuity between the set.

In Mudbox, the model was enhanced with further textures and refined sculpting. Exported for printing, the complex model faced a series of trial and error before being printed at the best settings and in the best position on the build plate.

The final result had only a few cosmetic blemishes from the printing process. Excess plastic was sanded off and areas of damage/inadequate coverage were seamlessly blended with self-drying clay. At this point, the piece was sprayed with a gray primer. Based on the model’s appearance at this point, I made the decision to pursue the gray stone aesthetic. Further detailing was made to bring this out. Acrylic paint was applied in speckles of dark earth tones. A custom base was made for display purposes and improved balance (a painted mason jar lid).