The Outbreak is Spreading: New Zombie!?

I've had so many people ask me when I'm making a new zombie, it's crazy! I really did not expect this much positive reaction to something otherwise appalling - it's really amazing! 

I decided they're right though - It's about time I make a new zombie, and I have just the victim for it - Shasta Moon! 



I chose this model, because of all the bodies I have available at the moment (about 14) she's the one I instantly saw as a zombie. I think it's her pose - her relaxed head carriage, and mopey walk. I could take her in any direction, but I think I'm going to keep her fairly simple - little reposing, if at all. Most of my dremel work will be to make her more anatomically correct and to cut her in areas that'll allow me to "emaciate" her (mainly in the barrel). The rest will be done with heat and a wooden handle ;)

I have started the concept sketch and am still in the very basics of it - no gore design has been done yet, because I'm hung up on her neck. I can't decide if I want to lower her head or leave it as it is. 

Part of the problem is that I'm still trying to decide what rules I want to follow. With Victim of Science (VoS), my first zombie, I reposed him in a way that suggested he was having a hard time standing, which coincided with the fact that he had a lot of muscles missing, and of course rigor-mortise. Those follow the general rules of the movement of a zombie, if they existed in that form. 

I think I want this one to be more of a riding zombie. She'll still have the typical zombie designs, but I'm not going to follow the physical rules as closely. I am grateful that she has stiff legs, though (short, contracted stride) which will still - hopefully - say "hey I'm stiff because I'm dead...ish."

The problem also is that I don't know how I want to do the face. Do I want to make it a skull with a little more flesh, or keep the head and gore it up? Deciding this will help me decide what to do with the neck, since I like to sculpt the head and neck completely so they flow better.

Your inputs are very much appreciated - whichever way I decide to go with her head, I do have an idea of how I want to do them! 

 
I know how much you all loved watching VoS progress, so hopefully you'll stick around for this one, too!