One Franklin teen's hobby has brought characters from the big screen to life.
Eli Christoph first began sculpting, casting, and creating superhero masks when he was nine years old. It's a process that starts with a mold shaped specifically for his head. He has then sculpted each mask with clay in a makeshift studio that's actually his mom's garage.
"It's a good time to think about anything that's been going on for the last week or so, anything on my mind, and take that and focus it on the project I'm making," Christoph said.
While Christoph has created masks for several characters, like Predator and Ironman, he decided to take on Batman as his next project in January.
"And then I thought, well, if I want to be Batman, I have to have a suit," he said.
Christoph has relied on online tutorials and classes to teach himself how to design and create each character in his free time. He's a junior at Franklin High School who has planned to study engineering in college, but said creating superhero suits has been a hobby he'll always have.
He finished the Batman suit just days before Halloween, after months of work.
"I think it's just whenever you feel like you're being cast aside, or you're being pushed out, or you're going through a rough patch in life, it's just really hopeful to look at these characters," Christoph said.
