![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/77c08d0366a5b66726e7ec77abb842d7/718bf2fa-0d39-4e91-bf44-d62715aa9384_rw_3840.jpg?h=f5851055ccd527f1ea2d81205097fca5)
Animatronic Dragon's Eye Inspired by 'The Hobbit'
During the summer of 2017, I worked with Rick Lazzarini, Chief Creative Director of The Character Shop and Chief Instructor of the Animatronic Institute. The project I chose to work on was to create an animatronic eye inspired by the dragon Smaug in the movie adaptation of The Hobbit. This was achieved by creating a servo-controlled eye, eyelids, and a false skin made of silicon rubber. The first step involved designing and fabricating the eye out of delrin and acrylic.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/77c08d0366a5b66726e7ec77abb842d7/ae0d01e2-11ce-4fb9-83c3-b4987ad3a825_rw_1920.jpg?h=cfd3d0adfc705cf13721eeec88de87e8)
Animatronic Delrin Framework
After completing the mechanical components of the eye, the next steps are to create the aesthetics of the animatronic. The first step is to create a sculpture of the eye around the plastic eyelids with wax-based clay. This sculpture is made to mimic the on-screen look of Smaug in the movie. The sculpture is made right on top of the mechanical components to ensure the fit is correct. The sculpture focused on creating a replication of the movie's look as well as maximizing the ease of modeling the large surface area of the eye.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/77c08d0366a5b66726e7ec77abb842d7/364040c2-3a85-495f-9605-e592fcb7e932_rw_1920.jpg?h=ef02842c719e12b4bd9749603056a57a)
Clay sculpture to be used for mold making and skin
A plaster mold is applied to the outside of the clay sculpture to create a negative for the outer skin. The skin is then filled with silicon rubber to create a life-like texture and elasticity. After curing, the skin is then ready to be mounted to the animatronic to
![Plaster Mold](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/77c08d0366a5b66726e7ec77abb842d7/7c564b82-07ab-4190-a9c9-b65fd0c917a6_rw_1920.jpg?h=e2d413f485f944b03fbd56077e205e89)
Plaster Mold
![Silicon rubber pour](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/77c08d0366a5b66726e7ec77abb842d7/5dadb2f3-562e-42a2-8f00-bfd786926c3d_rw_1920.jpg?h=871d0756efdfa194286a743e58434029)
Silicon rubber pour
![Final silicon rubber skin](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/77c08d0366a5b66726e7ec77abb842d7/97de049b-5eb6-4636-b994-f2d8062a1adc_rw_3840.jpg?h=1349c7fa7d0a748b392bdf7a696735a9)
Final silicon rubber skin
Final animatronic in action puppeted by myself with sound effects added in post