Another source for him is the work of Theodore Rosak, an artist who did semi-abstract bronze sculptures in the 1960s. Looking at these various sources as a whole, it's easy to see how their styles and elements overlap and influence each other. Fenton says he sometimes, but not always, does sketches before beginning a creation. The necks and tails require extra support, which is provided by armatures inside, made of newspaper and masking tape. Fenton painstakingly fashions each creature down to the smallest detail, including individual teeth, toenails, and wrinkled skin, an effect he creates using paper towels, which he then scores with a knife or molds with his hands.
Arms are tough, and so are teeth.
I spend a lot of time working that out. Despite his detailed approach during the creation of the piece, Fenton says he's usually still unsure what he'll get until the very last stage. I don't always know if something is going to turn out until I paint it. All the monsters are painted with a combination of flat house paint and car paint, as Fenton has determined that car paint alone produces a finish that's too shiny to look like authentic skin. He estimates that it takes him about three weeks per creature, on average.