New to sculpting... Tips appreciated!

Hey guys. As I've just finished an ESB Boba Fett costume (and sent in my 501st application), I'm setting sights on a new costume. I saw hyperflesh's work and was absolutely blown away with how realistic his Walter White mask is. This inspired me.

I want to sculpt Bryan Cranston.

Now, I know this isn't an easy task at all. Especially for someone who has never sculpted anything in his life. But that's why I came here. I've been so inspired by all the amazing busts you guys have made. I can't imagine how many years of hard work it's taken to get to that level. I want to dedicate my free time to learning now.

I've been reading a lot of sculpting threads and websites over the past few months. I see that NSP medium clay is definitely a recommended choice of clay. I have a few questions..

For a 1:1 head sculpt, how much of this clay should I order? What's the most affordable place to order it from? What tools should I start with? What are some excellent tutorials to make realistic wrinkles and skin textures?

I was thinking about how cool it would be to learn how to sculpt celebrity busts and then learn how to cast them as silicone masks. All of this is really exciting and new to me but I know all of this will take time and practice.

With THAT said, are there any good resources with how to airbrush realistic skin tones? What about adding aging freckles?

ANY and ALL help would be incredible. I've got the time and budget to get into this but I just need to be pointed in the right direction. Thank you guys so much for any and all help!

Well, I would suggest just jumping into the sculpting first. To make it easier on yourself go to an Art supply store and pick up a head armature. Or if you want to make your own go to Home Depot and pick up a flange and a plumbing pipe and a piece of melamine board. To begin I use aluminum foil for masses of space, it saves on the weight and the amount of clay you have to use. That way you don't have to buy a whole lot of clay to begin with. Get a variety of tools, loop tools are the best. Then just sculpt! Have plenty of reference for Hiesenberg, and go for it. As you sculpt him out post some pics, and don't hesitate to ask for advice!

MasterEdi said:

Well, I would suggest just jumping into the sculpting first. To make it easier on yourself go to an Art supply store and pick up a head armature. Or if you want to make your own go to Home Depot and pick up a flange and a plumbing pipe and a piece of melamine board. To begin I use aluminum foil for masses of space, it saves on the weight and the amount of clay you have to use. That way you don't have to buy a whole lot of clay to begin with. Get a variety of tools, loop tools are the best. Then just sculpt! Have plenty of reference for Hiesenberg, and go for it. As you sculpt him out post some pics, and don't hesitate to ask for advice!

Click to expand...

Thank you for the advice!! How much clay do you think I should buy at first?

I would buy about 10lbs to begin with. If you use foil or some other filler, 10lbs will go far.

MasterEdi said:

I would buy about 10lbs to begin with. If you use foil or some other filler, 10lbs will go far.

Click to expand...

Cool thanks. And when you say foil as filler do you just ball it up and put the clay over it?

Yeah, foil can be mashed up like clay. If you start to have pieces fall off, use good ol duck tape to hold it in place. Remember it's just a filler, make sure you don't fill too much! The clay sticks to foil nicely.

If you check out the tutorials forum of the fxlab, they have loads of information that will be helpful for starting out. Theres a great one for sculpting texture, and seaming and painting silicone. Great resources.

- - - Updated - - -

Also, check out Stanwinstonschool. They have great videos that cover pretty much the whole process from start to finish.