psyberwolfe1 Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 So I was Reading White Dwarf and found out that Aly Morrison prefers to sculpt with Sculpey. I asked my wife's uncle about this (he is a professional sculptor of large things) and he said that it would be no problem. He said that the benefit of sculpey is that I could build my work up and when I was happy with it I could bake and then add on. If anyone has any insight into this I would appreciate a little direction. I'm interested in this because sculpey is so darn cheap and would be great to practice with cheaper materials first and then move on to other materials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bodhi Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 Main reason not to use polymer clays (such as sculpey) for 28 mm (and thereabouts...) minis is that the spincasting used for making lead/pewter figures will break the sculpey figures. The Rackham sculptors as well as the sculptors for infinity use sculpey quite a lot. They use different (and more expensive) casting methods. For a figure that is not intended for casting sculpy is just fine though you'll end up with a fairly fragile figure. You wouldn't want to drop it, whereas I've tossed a figure made from green stuff out from the eight floor unto stone pavement (for demonstration purposes) without it breaking at any point. A sculpey figure would shatter in small pieces if I did something similar. I have small children so durability is a MAJOR concern when the four year old runs away with my figures and I find it three weeks later under the sofa... The sculpting technique is also quite different from the technique used for epoxy putties (such as green stuff) and once you've gotten used to the technique for one of the mediums you may find it hard to switch. I started with sculpy but since using epoxy putties for many years I find polymers very difficult to work with now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Vaillancourt Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 I am thinking of returning to sculpey and fimo myself. All you have to do is learn how to cut your figure and do a pewter resistant rtv mold, so you can cast the masters in it. It's a little more expensive but I'm sure it wort the work. Just look at Art Mihk a sculptor for infinity and helldorado (and others) he's using fimo and sculpey and he does awesome work. Just tryit and remember not more than 5 min in the oven per layer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SIGIL Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Just look at Art Mihk a sculptor for infinity and helldorado (and others) he's using fimo and sculpey and he does awesome work Mikh's work would still be awesome in GS. It is NOT the medium it is the artist's ability and persistant resolve to get it right. If you intend to sculpt minis professionally then you should forget th epolymer clays and learn to work with GS. I have tried everything from Wax to every type of polymer clay availible. There are certainly benefits to working with PCs but for every benefit there is also a disadvantage as well. For instance PC neevr builds up the resilient malliability that GS does. What this means is that it is actually MUCH easier to get rounded more organic shapes in GS than it is in PC. Little bitty fine details like eyes and mouths are FAR more difficult in PC than GS, whilst the bone structure of teh face itself is much easier with PC than it is GS...... MUSH to my frustration. The main concern is that it is far too expensive to mould figures in PC than it is GS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rastl Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 By no means do I consider myself anything near being a sculptor but some other issues that have been noted in the past here and on other forums. PC requires heat to set, which means there can be sagging and loss of detail. PC can be leeched so it's firmer but no matter what it won't develop a different consistency on its own. This is both good and bad. PC can burn, especially in very thin pieces. I like using PC for larger scale items and for terrain accessories. I don't know that I could use it to do any type of mini sculpting and certainly not conversions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zazeem Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 If you plan to cast them use green stuff. Procreate i have always had bad experiences with when casting in high heat which the majority of casters do around here and i dont feel a difference other than it being lighter than green stuff. And Sculpey is good if you cast in resin which may be a decent idea if your willing to go resin. Get good at both and you wont need to worry :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gubser Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 If you're sculpting in polymer clays, the frame or armature itself becomes more important. With GS, the figure becomes more solid and durable as each layer hardens. Not so with PS. Even baked it's still fragile. Essentially what you'll be doing is using a thin layer of polymer clay to skin the figure., with the bulk of the underlying structure already done in a tougher epoxy putty. The prime advantage is unlimited working time. The disadvantages are durability and that the sculpt will stay soft until baked, which can cause issues if you accidently wreck one finished area while focusing on something else. Here is a picture of a fimo figure that shows some of the green stuff structure underneath: http://www.flickr.com/photos/27091652@N05/...57605418143137/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SIGIL Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Wooooooo... That is some VERY well done anatomy there Gubs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olliekickflip Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Personally I switch back and forth. Lately I have been working with fimo. The cool thing about fimo is that it doesn't dry and that leaves me lots of time to play around and figure out what the heck I am doing. Learning muscle structure is driving me mad so it is nice to know that I have unlimited time. Once I start getting the hang of it though I will try it in gs just to see how things go. Now if I was going to cast some figs up, I would definitely use gs or something similar for reasons stated above...I'm just not good enough yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psyberwolfe1 Posted January 7, 2009 Author Share Posted January 7, 2009 Thanks for the advice so far. I'll quickly spell out that I am not looking to do this proffessionally or for money. I'm looking at making unique creations for myself. So if I am to layer the sculpey how thick or thin do I make it? I am guessing I can build up the core with sculpey, bake and then adhere more to the baked goods? Since it can burn how would I successfully layer with it? I am asking these questions because so many of you have tread this road before, and I figure I'll pick your brains first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gubser Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 You're generally not going to run into thickness problems with a standard sized miniature. If you looked at the pic I posted, you'll see that the solid core underneath makes up roughly half of the overall thickness, maybe a little more in thinner areas. I wouldn't recommend sculpey as a core, since it's so fragile. I generally go with an apoxie sculpt/gs mix. I've had figures that I've baked 3-4 times and never had issues with burning. You can even use a standard putty lamp oven with a 60 watt bulb to bake it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olliekickflip Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 I put a thin layer of gs over my armature and then while it is wet I add a layer of fimo. I sticks perfectly and then I just sculpt from there. I don't bake until I am done or at least mostly done. All other details are added with gs or something like that. If you are doing a really thick mini...like a dragon or something you may want to do mutiple "bakes". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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