Just starting out.

[Darcstaar]

Sometimes when I try to "follow" a topic from my mobile phone, it doesn't work. The OP might not know how to track down their post.

[Tarsemina]

I have not disappeared, I just forgot to check it for a few days. So, I need to get dental tools or sculpting tools and wire and a few other things. That I don't already have.

Edited May 14, 2015 by Tarsemina

[Ludo]

Yay! You didn't get eaten by a Grue.

[TaleSpinner]

My 2 Cents for what they are worth:

 

1. Worry less now about what you need, and more about what you need to know.  To that end, I advise going to Miniature Mentor and getting James Van Schaik's Secrets of the Brotherhood sculpting tutorial.  It covers all the basics in a way you wont find anywhere else.  From that you will be able to decide what you need and where you want to go with it.

 

2. Do not start your sculpting with people!  Start on something with non-typical anatomy.  This will give you time to work on tool control, putty control, smoothing, texturing, etc, without also having to worry about human anatomy.

 

3. Don't rush your armatures.  Spend a lot of time getting the armature proportions correct.  You can cut away a bad sculpt, but a bad armature will usually require starting over.

 

4. Sculpt using basic shapes, in small bites that you can then refine into a final shape.  For instance, don't slap down enough putty to sculpt a figure from the waist down out to the pants.  First, sculpt a pelvis, rib cage, and other skeletal joints.  then add muscle groups and skin (one group at a time), then add clothing and outer details.

 

5. When you do decide to try your hand at people, take a class in doing faces from a pro like Bobby J, Gene VH, or Derek S.  You want to learn to do the faces in one sitting, from one piece of soft putty.

 

6. Find a mentor; to that end, feel free to contact me directly with questions at [email protected]

 

Good luck,

 

Andy

[Tarsemina]

What a Grue? 

 

And thanks for the advice, guys!

Edited May 15, 2015 by Tarsemina

[Speak_Centurion]

What a Grue? 

 

And thanks for the advice, guys!

 

A denizen of Zork of course. Kids these days..

[Tarsemina]

One question, Green or Brown stuff? I've messed with both so which in ya'll's (I don't even know if you can use ya'll with a possessive) opinion is better? 

[Speak_Centurion]

Brown Stuff is expensive but it's useful for adding to Greenstuff if you want to make hard, angular shapes - 15% Brown Stuff to 85% Greenstuff is usually enough.

 

Most of the time I use just plain Greenstuff mixed about 3/5ths yellow to 2/5ths blue; too dark and it becomes stiff and sets very quickly, too pale and it doesn't stick very well. Sometimes I add a little Fimo polymer clay to the mix; adding about 15% makes it much softer and at least triples the setting time, giving you more time to work on it. Fimo is cheaper than GS so it's also more economical to use a mix.

[Jaws]

I am not a sculptor, but I do some minor stuff as modifications, and I can't stand Green stuff. I only use it to fill gaps. The brown is alright. Use it sometimes for capes and the like. Things that will float in the air, with no support. Otherwise I use Fimo. It's just so much easier to use. You don't have to harden it completely either, but can decide how hard you want it by how long you leave it in the heat. 

 

I did melt some bases before I got a decent idea of what temperatures the other materials could stand though. :P

 

 

I will also recommend getting some mold sticks from ebay. They are called Oyumaru modelling sticks. Come in packs of 12. Great for making quick molds of heads, weapons, accessories etc.

[TaleSpinner]

One question, Green or Brown stuff? I've messed with both so which in ya'll's (I don't even know if you can use ya'll with a possessive) opinion is better? 

 

Short answer: Neither, they are meant for different purposes.

 

 

 

Green Stuff (Kneadatite Blue/Yellow):

 

- 2 part epoxy putty

- High memory

- Working time 1 to 2 hours

- Not tool-able

- Very fine grained

- Water proof

- Slightly flexable when cured

- $$$

 

Andy's Notes: My go to putty of choice for most fine detail work.  It's high memory does cause it to be difficult to use in hard edged applications.  This can be alleviated by adding a bit of Apoxie Sculpt or FIMO into the mix.

 

 

Brown Stuff (Keadatite Brown/White):

 

- 2 part epoxy putty

- Working time 1 to 2 hours

- Tool-able

- Very fine grained

- Water proof

- Hard when cured

- $$$$

 

Andy's Notes: I used to use this for hard edged applications where I wanted to sand or file the sculpt, like for weapon blades.  It is very expensive though.   I have switched to a mix of Apoxie Sculpt/Green Stuff for tool-able applications now.

 

 

Procreate:

 

- 2 part epoxy putty

- Medium memory

- Working time 1 to 2 hours

- Not tool-able

- Very fine grained

- Water proof

- Slightly flexable when cured

- $$$

 

Andy's Notes: I haven't used this one yet.  The stats above are what I have gleaned from those who have, like Patrick Keith.  Getting some of this is on my to do list once my current stock of GS runs low.

 

 

Apoxie Sculpt:

 

- 2 part epoxy putty

- Working time 2 to 4 hours

- Very soft when uncured; low memory

- Tool-able

- Fine grained

- Semi-water soluble when uncured (i.e., can be smoothed with water)

- Very hard/brittle when cured

- $$

 

Andy's Notes: I do not like using Apoxie Sculpt alone; it has very low memory and so takes detail well, but it also has almost no tool resistance.  Mixed with GS it cuts the memory of the GS and makes it tool-able; while the GS adds a bit of flexibility and some tool resistance.  That said, for my fine detail work, I still prefer GS because of the way the tools slide in the GS but pull in the Apoxie Sculpt.

 

 

Milliput:

 

- 2 part epoxy putty

- Working time 2 to 4 hours

- Tool-able

- Medium grained

- Semi-water soluble when uncured (i.e., can be smoothed with water)

- Very hard when cured

- $

 

Andy's Notes: I do not like Milliput; it is too grainy, and Apoxie Scult does all the same things, but better.

 

 

FIMO Classic:

 

- Polymer Clay

- Does not cure, needs to be heat hardened

- Does not easily stick to an armature (add a thin layer of GS to the armature first then stick the FIMO to the uncured GS; when the GS cures, the Fimo will be stuck to the armature and you can add more)

- Tool-able after baking

- Very fine grained

- Needs to be conditioned/worked to make it soft enough to manipulate

- Tool action and lubrication needs are different than the Epoxy putties

- $$

 

Andy's Notes: I don't have a lot of experience using polymer clays yet; just what I learned in a class I took from Gene. Fimo does relax GS and doubles the cure time when added to the GS in a 4:1 GS:FIMO ratio.

 

 

Super Sculpy:

 

- Polymer Clay

- Does not cure, needs to be heat hardened

- Does not easily stick to an armature (add a thin layer of GS to the armature first then stick the clay to the uncured GS; when the GS cures, the clay will be stuck to the armature and you can add more)

- Tool-able after baking

- Fine grained

- Needs to be conditioned/worked to make it soft enough to manipulate

- Tool action and lubrication needs are different than the Epoxy putties

- $$

 

Andy's Notes: I don't have a lot of experience using polymer clays yet; just what I learned in a class I took from Gene. Sculpy is not as liked by the pros as FIMO Classic is.

 

 

Bee's Putty:

 

- Polymer Clay

- Does not cure, needs to be heat hardened

- Sticks to an armature 

- Tool-able after baking

- Very fine grained

- Needs to be conditioned/worked to make it soft enough to manipulate

- Tool action and lubrication needs are different than the Epoxy putties

- $$$

 

Andy's Notes: I just bought some of this and will be experimenting soon.  This is a new product; word on the net though is that it sticks to vulcanized molds and will need additional handling to ensure proper casting.  Resin casting should be fine though.

[djizomdjinn]

Things I have noticed with Procreate are that it's noticeably stiffer than GS, both sculpting and mixing, and that the working / cure time is maybe 30-50% shorter. It really sets up quickly.

[zorro]

For what its worth, I think Polymer Clays are easier on beginners.

 

You can get equally good resoults with Kneadatite as with Polymer Clays (see Tom Meier or JAG for example).

Nevertheless putty controll is more easy to master when it comes to Polymer Clays, as the substance does not change consistency over time (which is both a strenght as well as a drawback of green, stuff for example).

 

I think people who use Polymer Clays are less frustrated to begin with, as it requires less time to familiarise yourself with the clay.

When working with Kneadatite, you have to have a very precise knowledge of what you intend and how you intend to build it up, as there is less room for change during the process.

With Polymer Clays you can move larger masses around at every stage.

 

 

 

[TaleSpinner]

For what its worth, I think Polymer Clays are easier on beginners.

 

You can get equally good resoults with Kneadatite as with Polymer Clays (see Tom Meier or JAG for example).

Nevertheless putty controll is more easy to master when it comes to Polymer Clays, as the substance does not change consistency over time (which is both a strenght as well as a drawback of green, stuff for example).

 

I think people who use Polymer Clays are less frustrated to begin with, as it requires less time to familiarise yourself with the clay.

When working with Kneadatite, you have to have a very precise knowledge of what you intend and how you intend to build it up, as there is less room for change during the process.

With Polymer Clays you can move larger masses around at every stage.

 

True, but I have also noticed that people who start with polymer cays tend to try to do too much at once.  With GS, you are forced to take the model on a little at a time and really think your way through the anatomy before applying putty.

[Goblyn]

Things I have noticed with Procreate are that it's noticeably stiffer than GS, both sculpting and mixing, and that the working / cure time is maybe 30-50% shorter. It really sets up quickly.

 

feels like GS that  had 20 minutes of curing already 

[skippen]

Just made a couple sculpting tools last night from directions from our local pro sculptor.  I think they are good.  I will get a review from him Saturday after next. :D