first time sculpting.

[Lancer]

I'm going to have a go at sculpting a figurine statuette. about 10" high.

never done it before. I'm considering using sculpy but I'm assuming I'm going to need some sort of armature to stick it onto rather than just use a solid lump of sculpy.

there any weblinks someone can provide to some basic stuff?

 

[DaddyfromNaboo]

Hi lancer,

there are several tutorials out there over at www.conceptart.org.

The forum search should bring a few threads up as well.

And google is your friend as well, for example "sculpture armature tutorial" brings this up :

http://www.squidoo.com/armatures

If you want to have a video tutorial, go over to www.thegnomonworkshop.com and check out John Browns Sculpting and molding workshops. A bit pricey but definintely worth the money. The dvd´s hold their value pretty much if you choose to resell them on the bay after you learned enough or don´t like them, so there´s no real risk in buying them.

Good luck with your endeavour !

Michael

 

[Contec]

I'm going to have a go at sculpting a figurine statuette. about 10" high.
QUOTE]


Be sure that you can fit your figurine inside your oven. For a quick hard layer you can use a heat gun.

 

[Lancer]

well I've looked at some of those links and there is some good stuff there thanks.

first time out I'm keeping it simple.

I'm going to have a crack at a Maltese Falcon. I have the film on DVD and downloaded some good reference pictures.

the way I see it, the black bird is a good first project. not a complex shape without a tremendous amount of detail, a lot of it is down to shape and contour.

but looking at some craft sites, I'm torn between going for sculpey, which I can heat in the oven, or some sort of modelling plastercine which is oil based and will stay hard enough for casting, because if I can get this thing looking right, then I might have a god at casting in resin.

again, for a first time out casting, its not too complex a shape to do it.

 

[AGxM]

Good luck Lancer. I keep having this crazy idea to have a go at sculpting myself and was seconds away from buying a head mannequin and some Sculpey and throwing it together to create either a Hellboy or Abe head.........chickened out in the end but idea still buzzing around.

 

[Jaruemalak]

My advise, after years... and I mean YEARS of sculpting, is use Super Sculpy, or Sculpy Firm (best choice) over an armature made of aluminum or stainless steel wire. The nice thing about all the sculpy products is that they are easily smoothed with simple rubbing alcohol. Don't use too much or you will wipe out detail, but I think you'd be happy with Sculpy firm. Just make sure you kneed the hell out of it before you use it! (Super Sculpy is almost as good, and takes less kneeding.) If you want to go really crazy, mix Super Sculpy and Sculpy Firm 50/50. It makes a good medium for working, and hardens well in an oven. Just make sure that when you lay down extra layers of sculpy (any kind) put a very thin layer of Vaseline down... I mean THIN.. as in, rub on some Vaseline and then wipe it off with a paper towel... somehow it makes it stick and not separate when baking! (a little free tip from sculptors past and present!)

 

[00MrNotWrong00]

My advise, after years... and I mean YEARS of sculpting, is use Super Sculpy, or Sculpy Firm (best choice) over an armature made of aluminum or stainless steel wire. The nice thing about all the sculpy products is that they are easily smoothed with simple rubbing alcohol. Don't use too much or you will wipe out detail, but I think you'd be happy with Sculpy firm. Just make sure you kneed the hell out of it before you use it! (Super Sculpy is almost as good, and takes less kneeding.) If you want to go really crazy, mix Super Sculpy and Sculpy Firm 50/50. It makes a good medium for working, and hardens well in an oven. Just make sure that when you lay down extra layers of sculpy (any kind) put a very thin layer of Vaseline down... I mean THIN.. as in, rub on some Vaseline and then wipe it off with a paper towel... somehow it makes it stick and not separate when baking! (a little free tip from sculptors past and present!)

Oh that sounds really cool. I'm definitely going to try that 50/50 thing, and I had no idea about the rubbing alcohol ether.

Thanks so much for sharing. cool stuff.

 

[Lancer]

ok, cool comment. few questions though about the baking side of things.

I know the thicker the sculpy is, the longer it takes in the overn. however, if I sculpt over a wire armature or shape, how will that cope in the oven? I mean, I'd have this void space inside while its all getting hot.

will that still be okay?

 

[Lancer]

the other PS to this is I went looking in some craft stores today. jeez, sculpy ain't cheap. I can get a huge block of air drying clay for about £7 = $10ish dollars or 4 miniscule packs of sculpy for the same price.

if I'm going to cast of this, I could just do it in clay? let it air dry. then sand for a smooth finish, prime and then cast right?

if I was to seal clay, being porous would not that make it later crack or go wierd??

 

[Coz]

If you block out the shape in polystyrene (packing foam stuff) (don't let it contact the sculpey!), wrapped in tightly tinfoil, you can bake sections , or a whole base 'skin' with a heatgun or hairdryer, before adding aother layer of detail.
Reduces the amount of clay needed! You could even use Milliput / epoxy clay at this stage, over a wire armature for a human figure, to lock the joints in place.

I think the average bake time is about 20 minutes per half-inch thick (PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong!).
Rubbing alcohol can beused with a small brush to soften sculpted lines and tool marks.
Speaking of tools, 'wax casting' or 'dental tools' sets are great implements. Wooden sculpting tools are okay, but can get sticky - avoid plastic as the plasticizerin sculpey may make the plastic turn into goo! Takees a while, tho - clean your tools and it should be ok.

Check out a book called "Creating Life-like Figures In Polymer Clay" by Katherine Dewey (recently re-release in PB - the earlier edition goes for a lot on Amazon, so avoid that, tho theremight be a 'view inside this book' option).

She also has a website: http://www.elvenwork.com/

You need to be fairy-nymph tolerant, tho.

Hope that helps!
Coz.

 

[Lancer]

If you block out the shape in polystyrene (packing foam stuff) (don't let it contact the sculpey!), wrapped in tightly tinfoil, you can bake sections , or a whole base 'skin' with a heatgun or hairdryer, before adding aother layer of detail.

oooh, nice one. I can really do that. that would be a huge saver.. I can block out the main shape and save a ton and go sculpy instead of clay.

nice