Jake Cunningham
House Run was an ancient house which was destroyed and their ancestral helmet was left to decay in their woodland kingdom until a descendant came to retrieve it and restore honor to the house by using it in a joust. The helmet uses a mythical creatures skull as the main piece with a steel face guard on the right an a tree bark on the left which is stronger than steel in the fantasy world.
To create a helmet that showcases the fantasy world aesthetic and tells a story of the history of the character.
I learned a lot while creating this helmet such as sculpting techniques for texture of the bark and how to achieve a rusted metal look on the steel face guard and while creating a bone look on the head where the skull plates would be fused. I learned how to create a silicone mold and fiberglass jacket to hold the silicone while rotocasting the helmet in resin. I learned Cold casting FOR the armor plates on the back and the face shield to have a more natural steel look. I used washes and dry brushing to achieve the desired finish while painting. Adding varnish whether it be gloss or matte to give each part of the bone structure a slightly different texture such as on the teeth and horns which are gloss compared to the skull being a matte finish.
My name is Jake Cunningham I am a 4th year design for film student. I love history, fantasy and creativity. I incorporate all these aspects into my work especially historical fantasy. I love telling a story through props whether that be a weapon a piece of armor or jewelry I always think a prop can tell a lot for a character and their backstory or personality. As a practitioner of Kendo the traditional Japanese swordsmanship martial art and sport and member of the Irish national team I have deep sense of warrior mentality and spirit which I love to incorporate into my work through a presence on screen.
