That is so funny you are thinking this. I haven't done any before but have been bookmarking tons of sites for details. I am able to make castings (molds) of objects and was thinking of starting like that.
StaticThunder would love to be done like this.
I was thinking about getting a muscular 'blank' figure to start with. I have been having a hard time finding one. So I am now looking for the perfect existing one to make a mold from.
Good luck.
That is great to hear!!! I don't know if you had seen the post I made quite some time ago?
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showf...amp;PHPSESSID=
Keep in mind, this has been a dream of mine for quite some time, and I hope in the future when you are ready- you choose MarDun as one of your sculpts?
In the meantime, you should contact the sculptors in the above link. I have even heard of the very talented Douglas Shuler, aka: DarkJedi taking a crack at sculpting...
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About the kiln...
Have you considered checking at a local ceramic shop for use of theirs?
Looking forward to seeing what you produce.
<resists urge to post screenies just to get in before TA>
Can't blame me for trying..
Test Subject 42 - lvl 50 Sp/DA Scrapper
Oku No Te - lvl 50 MA/SR Scrapper
Borg Master - lvl 24 Bots/traps MM
Pinnacle
Nyghtfyre - lvl 50 DM/SR Scrapper
Champion
I only have experience so far with sculpting, not with mold work, so I don't know how well that would work for me. Perhaps we should join forces sometime, and see what we can do together?
Reguardless, this bug has been growing, deep in my chest for sometime, and I think it's reaching the end of it's pupae stage, and desperately seeking it's freedom. I will likely be stopping by the art supply store in the next few days. Especially considering I just took my last final today, and have almost a month until class resumes...
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That is great to hear!!! I don't know if you had seen the post I made quite some time ago?
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showf...amp;PHPSESSID=
Keep in mind, this has been a dream of mine for quite some time, and I hope in the future when you are ready- you choose MarDun as one of your sculpts?
In the meantime, you should contact the sculptors in the above link. I have even heard of the very talented Douglas Shuler, aka: DarkJedi taking a crack at sculpting...
[/ QUOTE ]
I did see your post, and was for a long time considering trying to save up the money to get one, but kept thinking to myself "I can do that!" - even if it's not true, I figure it can't hurt to try. Practice, supposedly, makes perfect afterall, right?
I am well aware that DarkJedi has some experience there - it's what most recently inspired me to renew my interest in sculpting!
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<resists urge to post screenies just to get in before TA>
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I'm fairly certain I'll end up getting roped into making one for TA. Unless *gasp* he ends up being too late, for once?
Though I figure I'm likely partially dooming myself, by announcing that I'll be doing it in the future. He'll be watching like a hawk for my next post about it, once he sees this one, I'm sure...
Finally...just so everyone knows...the first figure I'm likely to sculpt, is my own. So even once I get the supplies, I'll be busy for a little while anyway. 
*waves*
I'm watching you!
lol I'll be waiting man!
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*waves*
I'm watching you!
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Now that's a thought that'll keep you up at night.
I don't have any experience with scuplting, but it's something I've been wanting to try for a long time now. I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with.
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I'm considering getting back into sculpting. I'm most familiar with Sculpey, but I'm not sure how well it would work in doing character models, which is what I'm interested in doing. I used to do a lot of cartoony things with it, the point being that, it seems difficult to get sharp edges with it - at least without baking it, and filing it down.
So does anyone with some experience with the material have any suggestions? Keep in mind, I don't have access to a kiln at the moment, so anything that requires it is not an option.
Also, what kind of paint is best to use? I presume this varies with the kind of clay used...
Finally...no one get too excited yet. I'll be doing some (nearly free) practice sculptures, and I'll be tapping the vast art community of the CoH boards for models to sculpt. But not yet. I'll be posting sometime in the near future (probably around a month or two) about it, when I'm going to be starting.
Keyword though - I am not doing them now. Not that requesting one will make me hate you, and refuse to do it. But don't expect it anyway, simply because I tend to be a tad forgetful about such things, at times.
Edited to reflect that it's spelled "Sculpey" not "Sculpty" because I'm an idiot
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I'll give you some info and PM you a link you'll find helpfull if you're really interested in getting back into sculpting.
Sculpey is fine for doing figures and many pros actually use that for doing prototyes. The other popular medium for prototypes (if not more used) is of course wax, which I would not suggest for a new modeller.
Sculpey III is a bit firmer then Sculpey and easier to work in. You can also buy a version of Sculpey online from the creators called something like Grey Sculpting Compound. It is a hard/firm version of Sculpey III that is easier to see flaws in as it is grey, compared to the flesh colored translucent normal sculpey you can buy in the stores.
To create a figure most people use an armature made of aluminum wire and tin foil as a core, then they attach it to some sort of board/sculpting table and start claying up the figure. Sometimes they will use a 2 part expoy putty to do a thin skin over the aluminum once you've got the pose done, leaving room at the joints for posing if the figure needs to be re-posed. You can buy some aluminum grounding wire at a place like Radio Shack for a few dollars, compared to spending 5x as much at an art/craft store.
A few sculptors will actually sculpt in the 2 part epoxy putties, such as Magic Sculpt. These have the advantage of not needing to be baked to cure to rock hardness, however you only have about 2-3 hours per batch to work, so you'd need to work on segments and mix up smaller batches at a time.
If you have sculpey that is rather squishy, then you can do what is called leeching the clay. You roll the clay out into thin sheets 1/8" or so and lay this between 2 sheets of paper (printer paper is fine) then place a heavy book or 2 on top of it and let it sit for a day or so. The paper will asorb the extra plasticizer in the clay making it a bit firmer. If needed you can leech it more then once. You can also mix in a harder polymer clay such as Fimo to make your sculpey a bit firmer.
If you have sculpey that is too hard you can add some plasticizer to it, which you can buy online at various places.
An inexpensive pasta machine will help you condition your clay into a more working state. You can buy these at craft stores like michales for about 15-20 bucks or so.
You can use anything to paint sculpey but once it is baked, and you can use a normal oven for this. You just prime it and paint. I see acrylics as being a good medium for painting a kit as you can airbrush them or use them as washes or just brushed on. Some kitbuilders will add pastel chalks to the figure before they seal them with a non shiny coat to add more to the paint job. Paint doesn't really vary with whatever you've used to sculpt as long as the sculpt itself is baked/cured and then primed.
Katherine Dewey has a fantastic book on anatomy and many tricks. It is called "Creating life-like figures in polymer clay".
Dental tools can be good for sculpting and same with home made tools such as rakes and burnishers. Cheaper to make and obtain then some art store tools.
Djeannie
Djeannie's Costume Creator Overhaul Wishlist
Carnie Base
"Once the avalanche has started, it is too late for the pebbles to vote" -Kosh
I could easily be completely wrong, but I think, perhaps, you're thinking of Super Sculpey, rather than Sculpey III?
I fully intend on getting myself an airbrush kit, if I end up starting to do this regularly (which I very likely may) but I don't have one at the moment, so it's all brush work, for now. I've also heard of the idea of using a pasta machine, and as I'll be going to Michaels to get supplies for this in the near future, I'll definitely look into getting one of those, too, if they're that inexpensive.
Thanks for all the excellent info, keep it comin'!
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<resists urge to post screenies just to get in before TA>
[/ QUOTE ]
I'm fairly certain I'll end up getting roped into making one for TA. Unless *gasp* he ends up being too late, for once?
Though I figure I'm likely partially dooming myself, by announcing that I'll be doing it in the future. He'll be watching like a hawk for my next post about it, once he sees this one, I'm sure...
Finally...just so everyone knows...the first figure I'm likely to sculpt, is my own. So even once I get the supplies, I'll be busy for a little while anyway.
[/ QUOTE ]
.........
Become a Fan of MarDun on Facebook - Follow on Twitter : MarDun_COH
[ QUOTE ]
I could easily be completely wrong, but I think, perhaps, you're thinking of Super Sculpey, rather than Sculpey III?
I fully intend on getting myself an airbrush kit, if I end up starting to do this regularly (which I very likely may) but I don't have one at the moment, so it's all brush work, for now. I've also heard of the idea of using a pasta machine, and as I'll be going to Michaels to get supplies for this in the near future, I'll definitely look into getting one of those, too, if they're that inexpensive.
Thanks for all the excellent info, keep it comin'!
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There really isn't much of a difference at all between sculpey III and super sculpey Just different colors for sIII from what i recall. Anyway just check the creators of the stuff's website and you're golden.
By the way ordering the grey sculpting compound on the web is going to be much cheaper then going to a store to buy it....if you can find a store that even carries it.
A 1 lb box should be good enough for 1 or 2 figures at 1/6th scale. e.g. a 6' tall person would be sculpted to 12" height. Using an armature and aluminum foil will cut down on your clay useage a huge amount and also on potential cracking when baked.
Djeannie's Costume Creator Overhaul Wishlist
Carnie Base
"Once the avalanche has started, it is too late for the pebbles to vote" -Kosh
[ QUOTE ]
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<resists urge to post screenies just to get in before TA>
[/ QUOTE ]
I'm fairly certain I'll end up getting roped into making one for TA. Unless *gasp* he ends up being too late, for once?
Though I figure I'm likely partially dooming myself, by announcing that I'll be doing it in the future. He'll be watching like a hawk for my next post about it, once he sees this one, I'm sure...
Finally...just so everyone knows...the first figure I'm likely to sculpt, is my own. So even once I get the supplies, I'll be busy for a little while anyway.
[/ QUOTE ]
*sigh*.....
OTHERS will be watching intently as well...
Become a Fan of MarDun on Facebook - Follow on Twitter : MarDun_COH
[ QUOTE ]
*sigh*.....
OTHERS will be watching intently as well...
[/ QUOTE ]
Don't worry, MarDun. As long as I remain confident in my sculpting abilities, I'm planning on doing your character. The armor and long hair will be good practice for me.
That being said, keep in mind that:
A) I'm making no promises on sculpting him, and
B) Even if I do, considering I'm interested in sculpting him for armor/hair practice, I can make no promises on it actually turning out well.
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*sigh*.....
OTHERS will be watching intently as well...
[/ QUOTE ]
Don't worry, MarDun. As long as I remain confident in my sculpting abilities, I'm planning on doing your character. The armor and long hair will be good practice for me.
That being said, keep in mind that:
A) I'm making no promises on sculpting him, and
B) Even if I do, considering I'm interested in sculpting him for armor/hair practice, I can make no promises on it actually turning out well.
[/ QUOTE ]
A1)A chance at all is good enough for me.
B2) Any sculpt created is considered amazing work, and I sincerely appreciate and love any creation.
Become a Fan of MarDun on Facebook - Follow on Twitter : MarDun_COH
Hmm any chance you'd sculpt my gal Djeannie?
Djeannie's Costume Creator Overhaul Wishlist
Carnie Base
"Once the avalanche has started, it is too late for the pebbles to vote" -Kosh
[ QUOTE ]
Hmm any chance you'd sculpt my gal Djeannie?
[/ QUOTE ]
Possibly, but I make no promises. Post a screeny or some other art, and I'll consider it!
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Hmm any chance you'd sculpt my gal Djeannie?
[/ QUOTE ]
Possibly, but I make no promises. Post a screeny or some other art, and I'll consider it!
[/ QUOTE ]
For reference:
MarDun:
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...f209/Mard1.jpg
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...9/Mar1back.jpg
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...f209/Mard2.jpg
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...yDavidStir.jpg
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...f209/max03.jpg
Become a Fan of MarDun on Facebook - Follow on Twitter : MarDun_COH
I just got my supplies...
Hopefully, I'll be starting on my first model soon. I hope to have it more or less done in a week or so. I'll make sure to post pictures of the process!
[ QUOTE ]
I just got my supplies...
Hopefully, I'll be starting on my first model soon. I hope to have it more or less done in a week or so. I'll make sure to post pictures of the process!
[/ QUOTE ]
Can't wait to see it! Good luck!
Become a Fan of MarDun on Facebook - Follow on Twitter : MarDun_COH
You'd probably be best off with a box of super sculpey, it's just a generic color and you get more for your money. If you want to invest in any other colors, I would purchase white and black. You'd use these two to create a flat grey out of the super sculpey and the two colors.
The reason sculpting of the the beige or a flat grey is because you can easily see the way the sculpture is casting shadows, and how the dimensions are working.
A couple tips for working in sculpey:
1. Sculpey is CANCER CAUSING. BUT only if ingested. This means, if you're sculpting, don't eat next to your workstation.
2. Get a cheap lazy susan. It's that spinny disc thing in your mom's kitchen cabinet that houses the herbs usually. You can get them at bed bath and beyond for cheap. This is great to turn the sculpture without losing stability.
3. Aluminum foil will be your new best friend. Sculpey is a pain in the butt when it comes to baking it if you have it thicker than 1/4th of an inch. How do you get around building big sculptures with lots of sculpey? Create your base shapse with aluminum foil and armeture wire. You can then stick them to a wooden base that wont char in the oven. It keeps the sculpts lightweight.
4. Royal Sovereign Ltd makes a thing known as a Clay Shaper. Clay shapers work wonders on polymer clay, and will become your best friend for sculpting, I advise a chisel point and taper point in a few different sizes. They'll be pricey, but well worth it for details such as faces and such.
Good luck and can't wait to see!
The reason you sculpt in grey clay is that it is much easier to see any flaws in the sculpture. The transluscent clay (pink) makes it much harder to find errors and fix them.
Djeannie's Costume Creator Overhaul Wishlist
Carnie Base
"Once the avalanche has started, it is too late for the pebbles to vote" -Kosh
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Hmm any chance you'd sculpt my gal Djeannie?
[/ QUOTE ]
Possibly, but I make no promises. Post a screeny or some other art, and I'll consider it!
[/ QUOTE ]
Here is a turnaround of Djeannie from ingame...
Djeannie Turnaround
Djeannie's Costume Creator Overhaul Wishlist
Carnie Base
"Once the avalanche has started, it is too late for the pebbles to vote" -Kosh
............still watching................
Djeannie's Costume Creator Overhaul Wishlist
Carnie Base
"Once the avalanche has started, it is too late for the pebbles to vote" -Kosh
I'm considering getting back into sculpting. I'm most familiar with Sculpey, but I'm not sure how well it would work in doing character models, which is what I'm interested in doing. I used to do a lot of cartoony things with it, the point being that, it seems difficult to get sharp edges with it - at least without baking it, and filing it down.
So does anyone with some experience with the material have any suggestions? Keep in mind, I don't have access to a kiln at the moment, so anything that requires it is not an option.
Also, what kind of paint is best to use? I presume this varies with the kind of clay used...
Finally...no one get too excited yet. I'll be doing some (nearly free) practice sculptures, and I'll be tapping the vast art community of the CoH boards for models to sculpt. But not yet. I'll be posting sometime in the near future (probably around a month or two) about it, when I'm going to be starting.
Keyword though - I am not doing them now. Not that requesting one will make me hate you, and refuse to do it. But don't expect it anyway, simply because I tend to be a tad forgetful about such things, at times.
Edited to reflect that it's spelled "Sculpey" not "Sculpty" because I'm an idiot