Tips for new sculptors

Rymo

Rymo

Sr Member
Hey all! Seeing all of your amazing props and sculpts has inspired me to try something new. I've always wanted to try my hand at sculpting, but I really have no clue where to even begin. I'm wondering if some of you could offer some suggestions as to the best types of sculpting media to use (clay, or whatever is easiest to work with) and also what type of sculpting tools to buy. I know very little about sculpting, so I'm starting from the very beginning here. Feel free to be as elementary as you want.

As an aside, I also think it would be neat to get into mold-making at some point. I think it would be cool to be able to make casts of my sculpts, so any info regarding what types of materials are available for mold-making would be appreciated as well.

I'd be interested to know what brands of materials you use, and maybe a description of what you use the individual materials for.

Thanks! (BTW, If I've posted this thread in the wrong place, feel free to move it to a more applicable location)
 
Well when it comes to molding clay, you'll need to use a clay that has no sulfur in it, the best I've used is Chavant NSP Medium, though I have heard Monster Makers Clay works well too, though I have never used it. But when it comes to molding, you should just focus on learning to sculpt first, because the molding supplies can get rather expensive, especially if you use a company like SmoothOn.
 
Some like pepakura and bondo, but it seems so time-consuming (thus saith one who has never completed a pep project.. grain of salt and all that.)
 
I'm also curious as to what lays under the clay itself. Surely there would need to be some type of metal or wood frame supporting the clay, or are sculpts solid clay? For instance, if I wanted to make a sculpt of a small creature with a long neck - wouldn't there need to be something solid inside of the neck to support the clay, or is the clay itself that strong?

Do any of you have any tips as to what you use for a frame inside your sculptures?
 
Rymo said:
Also, can clay be painted?
Click to expand...
If you want to paint your clay stuff directly, you'll have to use something like Super Sculpty that you can bake to harden in your kitchen oven then paint it after it has hardened. As for your earlier question, you could use cardboard as a basic shape and then use expanding foam to get a basic shape, but that would need paper mache over top of the foam because of all the holes the foam creates. What is it that you plan on making?
 
To better assess what tips you need, why don't you tell us what you want to make? Then, we can tell you what options are out there for the project you want to make!

I'm always glad to help out a sculptor. I know I appreciate it when people give advice to me!

Greg
 
What if you need to sand the clay down and create a smooth surface in efforts to get a good master mold. Would a drying clay be better for this application? If so, what brand?

Can you mix media like bondo, super sculpey and clay?

I'm kind of in the same boat. (beginner with a lot of questions)

To contribute to this thread: I am creating a helmet and used a cardboard skeleton filled with HILTI Filler foam. Once dry I carved the foam down to the cardboard and am recotouring now with more foam. I plan on using clay, super sculpey, or bondo for filling in the gaps and making the exterior smooth. Hope this helps.
 
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I'm just starting out too and highly recommend this:

Magic Sculp
One of the only epoxies that will smooth out with water. Its grain structure is finer than any other product available and will not shrink or crack even when formed in large structures. It can be shaped by hand or with modeling tools, sanded, carved, painted; you can attack it with a grinding tool and the cured material will not break apart or lose its shape.
Magic Sculp will cure at room temperature. Not only Magic Sculp is great for building armatures and bases because of its superiour strength but it has fine enough grain to actually sculpt from it. To use Magic Sculp, you simply mix equal parts of the resin and hardener, then knead together until a uniform color is obtained. It can then be shaped, sculpted and smoothed with a wet finger or modeling tools. It will harden in 1 1/2 to 3 hours and it completely cures after 12 hours.
Magic Sculp will adhere tenaciously to most any surface, and can be sanded and painted when hard.
- Easily mixed (Resin and Hardener slightly color coded: mix until one solid color).
- Good adhesion to almost all clean surfaces, including glass.
- Excellent malleability.
- Good sculpting media: as easy to work with as oil clay.
- Surface may be smoothed out with water.
- Water and soap clean up.
- Completely inert when cured.
- Accepts all types of paint.
- Surface may be sanded or ground when cured.
- No measurable shrinkage.
- Good for repairing anchoring bases and armature rods.
- Indefinite shelf life.
- Very forgiving on mixing ratio. Ratio may be varied to slow or speed up time.
- Repairs low pressure leaking pipes of plastic, cast iron, stainless steel, and copper.


Magic Sculp
 
If getting a glass smooth final pull is what you're looking for, I've always used the throw away mold method. You sculpt your design and get it as smooth as possible with isopropyl alcohol or white spirits, then you make a mold of your sculpt. Pour liquid resin into the mold, and sand that sucker heavy. Start with 100 grit, and work your way up, to 1500 wet sanding if necessary. Then make a silicone mold of that sanded resin pull. Now you can make as many pulls of your sculpt as necessary and each one will be glass smooth, just needed minimal clean up.

I'm not a fan of sculpting with hardening products like magic or apoxy sculpt, and I'm always refining my sculpt. So I use sulpher free plasticina.
 
GBrittelleJr said:
If getting a glass smooth final pull is what you're looking for, I've always used the throw away mold method. You sculpt your design and get it as smooth as possible with isopropyl alcohol or white spirits, then you make a mold of your sculpt. Pour liquid resin into the mold, and sand that sucker heavy. Start with 100 grit, and work your way up, to 1500 wet sanding if necessary. Then make a silicone mold of that sanded resin pull. Now you can make as many pulls of your sculpt as necessary and each one will be glass smooth, just needed minimal clean up.

I'm not a fan of sculpting with hardening products like magic or apoxy sculpt, and I'm always refining my sculpt. So I use sulpher free plasticina.
Click to expand...

What clay do you use?

What brand resin?

Is there any prep to the clay before making the resin master?

THANKS!!!
 
Here is the clay I use. There isn't a local distributer so I have to order it.
NSP (Non Sulfurated Plasteline) - 2 lb block

If I'm making a static, solid piece I'll use Aluminite's 90 sec quick set resin, which you can buy at Hobby Lobby. If I'm making a hollow piece, I'll use Smooth-On's Smooth Cast 300.

If you use a sulphur free clay like the one above, there isn't any necessary prep before you start putting it under silicone.

If you go to Smooth-On, Inc. - Mold Making & Casting Materials Rubber, Plastic, Lifecasting, and More they have a lot of really nice, easy to follow videos and walk throughs for the whole molding and casting process. Same with The FX Lab
 
I've been reading most of these replies and want to come at your question from a slightly different angle...

There is no right or wrong or better or not...

To answer your question as far as tips I'd simply say: GO
If your unsure about something, try it. Clay can be painted but does NOT need to be sculpey or baked or even become solid... We had a guy at our shop do a beautiful maquette for a character and painted the chavant straight out. It was gorgeous!

Sculpting is one of those things where you have to play with several different types of materials and find what "fits" and what you like.

You do NOT need a clay without sulphur... The only time something like that becomes an issue is if your casting (or molding) in a platinum silicone. If your working on something that's going to be molded and cast etc. then you have to have a little more of a plan but start out with playing with different materials. Contact Chavant and ask for a sample box. I got one from one of their suppliers and they sent it for free. I think there where over 20 types of clay that you can play with and experiment with etc.

A key difference in clay is whether its a wet clay or an oil clay. Chavant clays are oil and will not dry out. Wet clay and WED clay will dry up and crack if not properly watered down but are great for fast sculpts. We use it a lot for mask sculpts and background mask work. Many full monster suits have been done in a wet clay. It's a matter of personal preference.

I'd suggest picking up one of those chavant testers and a block of WED (you can get 25lbs. for about 20-30 bucks) and play for a bit.

A lot of people get hung up on tools too... ANYTHING can be a sculpting tool and theres almost NOTHING that couldn't or shouldn't be used. Torches are used a lot to melt clay surfaces (on oil clay) and canned air is used to freeze or cool it. There are SO many processes to get desired effects, shapes, and textures but theres never only ONE way to achieve a look.

You'd be surprised what you can do if you just jump in. Go for it and post pictures of what your working on.

As far as mold making, that takes some practice as well but work on the sculpting first. The sculpture designates how the piece will be molded anyway. Keep sculpting and then when you have a piece you want to replicate with a mold, post pictures and people can give you some opinions on how to approach that particular piece.
 
B89- that is a, dare I say, beautifully sculpted answer. Yes to everything he said. There is no right or wrong. I was simply writing about my personal method.
 
The reason for everyone's inquisitions (especially those new to the hobby) is not necessarily to find the "RIGHT" way, for that would be completely hopeless. We are just trying to find the best way to do it that pertains to our individual projects. Unfortunately some of us don't have evergrowing money trees so experimenting with all of the materials we'd like to is not a possibility. Time is also something that is coming by less and less nowadays so wasting time isn't necessarily an option some days.

I agree that diving in headfirst is the best way to learn, but it'd be nice if there were water in the pool if you catch my drift. :)

Anyway, back to the topic. Can Rebound 25 by Smooth on be applied directly to the Chavant clay (sulfur free)? Must there be a drying time beforehand?

Also, has anyone here worked with Smooth-On's Crystal Clear?
 
I find what works cheap lol. I'm going to try smooth on mostly because i can buy it in bulk since i have large sculptures to cast. Micromark doesn't offer it in large containers.
 
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